Press Conference by the Press Secretary March 24, 1998
- Press conference announcements
- Change in the Cabinet of the Russian Federation
- Taiwanese Air Force training exercises
- Meeting between Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Minoru Tamba and Deputy Minister Grigorii Karasin of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
- Meeting between Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and former First Deputy Chairman of the Duma Aleksei Androvich Churkin
- Situation in the Kingdom of Cambodia
- Japan-Russian Federation peace treaty negotiation
- 1956 Joint Declaration between Japan and the then-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
- Press conference announcements
- Symposium provisionally entitled "Asian Economic Crisis -- Human-centered Approach"
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sadaaki Numata: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and other organizations, is planning to organize a Symposium entitled, "Asian Economic Crisis -- Human-centered Approach." This is a provisional title. This symposium is to take place on 27 April at the United Nations University Headquarters. This symposium is very largely a brain child of Minister for Foreign Affairs Keizo Obuchi. Let me briefly try to explain to you how he has come to think about this symposium. Firstly, we are seriously concerned with the economic and financial crisis that is affecting East Asia and Southeast Asia. We, on the part of Japan, are trying our best to help our neighbors overcome these difficulties through the support measures centered on the IMF and also through various bilateral support measures. Amidst this situation, what is of particular concern to Foreign Minister Obuchi is that, while structural adjustment is called for in macroeconomic terms, in the process of implementing the structural adjustment, there are people who are very seriously effected, that is, the poor and the socially disadvantaged. For example, in terms of carrying out structural adjustment policies, what it can entail is a cutdown on Government expenditure. If health and welfare expenditure is cut, that means there would be that much less health care, medicine, and so forth, which might go around to the poor and the socially disadvantaged. It is with these problems in mind that we have been extending emergency assistance to some of the countries affected. For example, I have talked often in past press conferences about the emergency grant assistance to Indonesia of medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and so forth. That is one example. This indicates that there is a whole set of problems which needs to be looked at. It is against this background that this symposium is conceived of. The aim is partly to take into account the experience of economic crises elsewhere in the world, for example, South and Central America in the 1980s. The participants will analyze the problems faced by the social sector in Asian countries during the current economic crisis, and will hold discussions with a view to finding a suitable policy to be taken by developing countries, as well as by the international community, including Japan. The participants will be various personalities concerned in the field of medicine and other fields in the Asian countries. When I say Asian countries, this includes the Republic of Indonesia, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of the Philippines and Malaysia. Dr. Richard Jolly will also participate. I believe he was a former Vice-President of UNICEF in the 1980s. In that capacity, he coined this phrase "adjustment with a human face." He is one of the experts concerned with this sort of problem. There are a number experts taking part in the symposium.
- Seminar on the Alternative Development for Poppy Cultivation in the Union of Myanmar
Spokesman Numata: The Seminar on the Alternative Development for Poppy Cultivation in Myanmar will be held on 31 March and 1 April in Yangon under the joint auspices of the Government of Japan, the Government of Myanmar and the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP). I would like to touch on the background of this seminar. The area called the Golden Triangle encompasses the Union of Myanmar, the Kingdom of Thailand and the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and is known to be one of the most intense production centers of poppy seeds, which are used for opium production. The drug production centered in this area has been a matter of concern, not only to the Government of Myanmar, but for other Asian countries, particularly ASEAN countries, Europe, the United States of America, and Japan as well. Japan has been exploring ways of helping Myanmar overcome this problem. One way in which we have been helping Myanmar is to extend grant assistance for food production as an alternative development to poppy production. Within the framework of the so-called Kandy Round for food production aid, we extended grant assistance in 1996 amounting to one billion yen in the form of agricultural equipment and fertilizer to assist in food production there. As a part of such efforts, we are organizing this seminar in Yangon, jointly with the Government of Myanmar and the UNDCP, to look at this whole problem of alternative development to poppy cultivation. We are doing so with a number of other countries, for example, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, the People's Republic of China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, the French Republic, the Republic of Italy, the Federal Republic of Germany, ASEAN countries, the Republic of India and the People's Republic of Bangladesh. We hope this seminar will prove to be beneficial in helping Myanmar overcome this serious problem.
- Symposium provisionally entitled "Asian Economic Crisis -- Human-centered Approach"
- Change in the Cabinet of the Russian Federation
Q: Do you think that the change in the Government of Russia will have any effects on the upcoming summit between Japan and Russia next month?
Spokesman Numata: We certainly hope that what we have been working for, that is, the overall improvement of our relationship with the Russian Federation on the basis of the Krasnoyarsk Agreement between our two leaders, can move forward. I think we have very good reasons to believe that such will be the case. For example, in his television address on 23 March, President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation did state clearly that the resignation of the Russian Cabinet does not in any way mean a change in policy on its part. This gives us a good reason to believe that there will be no substantive change in Russia's policy toward Japan. We also note that Foreign Minister Evgenii Maksimovich Primakov of the Russian Federation has stated that this resignation of the Russian Cabinet has nothing to do with Russian foreign policy, in the sense that it means that there will be no change in Russia's foreign policy. Japan, on its part, would certainly like to go forward with the whole set of movements that have been set in train since Krasnoyarsk. We would very much like to continue to move forward. We also note that Presidential Spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembsky of the Russian Federation stated on 23 March that the new government should be in place by the time that President Yeltsin is scheduled to visit Japan. Therefore, there is no change in President Yeltsin's plan to visit Japan. We certainly hope that his visit will take place as planned, so that, as I have been saying, we can move forward in line with the train of events that were set at Krasnoyarsk.
Q: How quickly was the contact made after the announcement was made in Russia? Did the Russian side offer any sort of assurances about the upcoming meetings and the summit?
Spokesman Numata: We are in touch with our embassy in Moscow. I believe Moscow is, in turn, in touch with the Russian Government. There are very clear public statements, the sort of public statements that I referred to, by President Yeltsin or Foreign Minister Primakov or the Presidential spokesman, all of which seem to indicate that the Japan-Russia relationship is unlikely to be effected by this government change. We would certainly like to believe that such is the case.
Q: Beyond the public statements, has there been any kind of confirmation or assurance?
Spokesman Numata: I am sure we are in intense touch with Russia. We will be able to let you know about the result in due course.
- Taiwanese Air Force training exercises
Q: Reports have been saying that the Taiwanese Air Force has held training many times near Yonakuni Island, but it was scrambled. Can you confirm this or give me more detail?
Spokesman Numata: I have certainly seen the report and I have made some inquiries. Let me give you the result. At this point, our defense authorities have not confirmed the facts as reported. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no sort of intrusion by Taiwanese fighter aircraft into our airzones. As for the question of scrambling, it is a matter which goes into the operations of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. As such, we in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are not in a position to comment on it. But as a general proposition, our defense authorities are in the practice of notifying those aircraft which may be feared to be intruding into our airspace, and if need be, to scramble that aircraft. But that is as a general proposition. I am not commenting on this specific case.
- Meeting between Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Minoru Tamba and Deputy Minister Grigorii Karasin of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Q: Is the 26 March meeting between the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia and his counterpart in Japan going to take place as scheduled?
Spokesman Numata: Yes, I believe that this meeting is going to take place. I hear that Deputy Minister Grigorii Karasin of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is going to take part in that meeting to talk with Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Minoru Tamba. Deputy Minister Karasin has either left Moscow already, or is just going to leave Moscow today to come to Japan.
- Meeting between Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and former First Deputy Chairman of the Duma Aleksei Androvich Churkin
Q: Can you confirm that Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto will meet this evening with former First Deputy Chairman of the Duma Aleksei Androvich Churkin?
Spokesman Numata: Yes, former First Deputy Chairman of the Duma Aleksei Androvich Churkin is going to meet Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto this evening from 18:10. I believe he is here to attend a symposium organized by theNihon Keizai Shimbun.
- Situation in the Kingdom of Cambodia
Q: Regarding the recent developments in Cambodia, could you comment on the reactions to these developments? Will these developments change the Government's policy on Cambodia?
Spokesman Numata: In a way, there has been a bit of a drama over the weekend. The upshot of all of that is that the way seems to be open for the sort of process that we have envisioned under our four-pillar plan to go forward. I am referring specifically to the fact that King Norodom Sihanouk of the Kingdom of Cambodia did issue an amnesty or pardon to Prince Norodom Ranariddh of the Kingdom of Cambodia. This does go a long way in fostering a climate for Prince Ranariddh to return home to Cambodia and to participate in the election. By drama, I mean that stage of the story where there seemed to be uncertainty as to whether or not such amnesty would indeed be granted; but it has been. In fact, when it was feared that the amnesty would not come about, we did work in concert with the international community. We, on our part, made a diplomatic dﾃｩmarche through Ambassador Saito in Phnom Penh to Acting Head of State Chea Sim of the Kingdom of Cambodia, emphasizing to the Cambodian authorities the importance of the amnesty. The prospect seems better than was the case a couple of days ago. But at the same time, the important thing is that a free and fair election will take place in July this year. For that purpose, we do feel that all the parties concerned in Cambodia will work further toward this goal of a free and fair election in July, in the spirit of national reconciliation. We, on the part of Japan, would like to work together with the international community to help with these efforts on the part of Cambodians as much as possible. So in that sense, the work still continues.
- Japan-Russian Federation peace treaty negotiation
Q: There was a report last week that the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation officially acknowledged the validity of the 1956 Joint Declaration, which acknowledges the return of two of the four disputed islands. How optimistic is the Japanese Government on regard to this report?
Spokesman Numata: Firstly, this point you have referred to in your question does really relate to the crux of the peace treaty negotiation in which we are now engaged. That negotiation is to continue. While that negotiation is to continue and while President Yeltsin's visit to Japan in April will be an important step in the process of that negotiation, perhaps it is best for me not to go into the details of the substance of that issue. With respect to this particular communication between a member of the Russian Government and a member of the Russian Parliament, it is primarily a Russian internal process. If there is such a document, it is an internal document within the Russian side, and as such, I do not think we should try to comment on it. But at the same time, there is this shared recognition between the Japanese and Russian Governments that we will do our utmost to conclude the peace treaty on the basis of the Tokyo Declaration by the year 2000. That was the agreement at Krasnoyask. We will continue to work very hard to achieve that goal.
- 1956 Joint Declaration between Japan and the then-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Q: What is the position of the Japanese Government concerning the 1956 declaration?
Spokesman Numata: I would be very happy to talk about the Japanese position concerning the 1956 Joint Declaration. The 1956 Joint Declaration between Japan and the then-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is an international treaty agreed upon and ratified by the two Governments which dealt with the end of the state of war, the restoration of diplomatic relations, and the continuation of the negotiation for the conclusion of the peace treaty. As such, it is the most basic international undertaking governing the relationship that exists today between the Russian Federation and Japan, to the extent that there is continuity between the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. What is important in this Joint Declaration of 1956 is the reference to the two islands. What is also important is, referring to a more recent document agreed on between the Russian and Japanese Governments, is the Tokyo Declaration. The Tokyo Declaration referred to this agreement between our two Governments, stating that negotiation toward the early conclusion of a peace treaty, through the solution of the issue of the four islands, should take place on the basis of historical and legal facts and should be based on the documents produced with the two country's agreement, as well as on the principles of law and justice. The important point is that the 1956 Joint Declaration is one of the documents agreed on between the two Governments, and is one of the important international undertakings.
Q: I have to ask two things about the response of the Japanese Government to the 1956 Joint Declaration. It seems to me that the official position of the Japanese Government is the return of the four islands. However, the Declaration refers to two islands.
Spokesman Numata: The peace treaty negotiations were to continue. The 1956 Joint Declaration did not say that the whole negotiation was over. There would be continuing negotiations. The Tokyo Declaration talked about the four islands as being at issue. The Tokyo Declaration also talked about these documents agreed upon between the two Governments. The 1956 Joint Declaration is one of those documents. There is also one other important factor which is that when President Yeltsin came to Japan in October 1993, he gave a joint press conference with then-Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokowa on 13 October. He did make clear on that occasion when he came that the 1956 Joint Declaration was indeed one of the agreed-upon documents between the two Governments which were referred to in the Tokyo Declaration. Those are the facts upon which we will be basing our negotiations on the peace treaty. Beyond that, I think it is up to the negotiators.
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