Press Conference by the Press Secretary 12 November, 1999

1. Visit to Japan of President Abdurrahman Wahid of the Republic of Indonesia and Mrs. Wahid
2. Visit to Japan of Minister of External Affairs Jaswant Singh of the Republic of India
3. Visit to Japan of Special Envoy to the Chief Executive Sahabzada Yaqub Khan of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
4. Other matters pertaining to the visit to Japan of President Wahib and the current situation in Indonesia
5. Expectations for the visit of External Affairs Minister Singh
6. Japan's foreign policy position in regard to democracy
7. Japan's position on the Chechnya situation
8. Other issues

1. Visit to Japan of President Abdurrahman Wahid of the Republic of Indonesia and Mrs. Wahid

   Deputy Press Secretary Chikahito Harada: Good afternoon. I have three announcements. The first is on the visit to Japan of President Abdurrahman Wahid of the Republic of Indonesia. President Abdurrahman Wahid and Mrs. Abdurrahman Wahid will pay a visit to Japan on 15-16 November. During their stay in Japan, President Wahid will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono and others. Prime Minister Obuchi will host a lunch and Foreign Minister Kono will host a dinner for President Wahid. The Government of Japan sincerely welcomes the visit of President Wahid. We regard that this visit, soon after his inauguration as President, clearly demonstrates the importance that the new Government of Indonesia attaches to the relationship with Japan. This visit will provide a good opportunity for the leaders of both countries to establish personal relations. Prime Minister Obuchi and Foreign Minister Kono will, in their meetings with President Wahid, reiterate Japan's expectations for Indonesia's continued reform efforts under the new Government, and also reaffirm the intention of the Government of Japan to extend assistance to such efforts.

   Related Information (Japan-Indonesia Relations)
   
2. Visit to Japan of Minister of External Affairs Jaswant Singh of the Republic of India

   Mr. Harada: My second announcement is on the visit to Japan of Minister of External Affairs Jaswant Singh of the Republic of India. External Affairs Minister Singh and Mrs. Jaswant Singh will visit Japan from the 23-26 November as guests of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During their stay in Japan, External Affairs Minister Singh will meet Foreign Minister Kono. They will exchange views on bilateral relations as well as international issues, including nuclear issues, the situation in the South Asian region and the reform of the United Nations. Foreign Minister Kono will continue to encourage India's participation in the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). This meeting will involve high-level dialogue between the two countries following State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ichita Yamamoto's visit to India last month and also former Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura's meetings with External Affairs Minister Singh in July in Singapore and in September in New York.

   Related Information (Japan-India Relations)
   
3. Visit to Japan of Special Envoy Sahabzada Yaqub Khan of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

   Mr. Harada: My third announcement is on the visit to Japan of Special Envoy to the Chief Executive Sahabzada Yaqub Khan of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Former Foreign Minister Yaqub Khan is visiting Japan from today until 17 November as a Special Envoy to the Chief Executive of Pakistan. He is coming to Japan to explain the current situation in Pakistan, and we are told that he is bringing the Chief Executive's letter to Prime Minister Obuchi. During his stay, he will meet Foreign Minister Kono, two Foreign Secretaries of State, namely, Senior State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Shozo Azuma, and State Secretary Yamamoto who visited Pakistan last month. In the meeting, Foreign Minister Kono will reiterate the position of the Government of Japan on the return to democracy in Pakistan and also Pakistan's participation in the CTBT.

   Related Information (Japan-Pakistan Relations)
   
4. Other matters pertaining to the visit to Japan of President Wahid and the current situation in Indonesia

   Q: Concerning the visit of President Wahib, could you repeat for us the purpose of the visit and the topics and issues which will be discussed with the Government of Japan during these two days?

   Mr. Harada: We will reiterate our interest in Indonesia's continued reform efforts under the new Government. We will also reaffirm our intention to extend assistance to such efforts. We expect that President Wahib will explain the basic policies of the new Government of Indonesia. They may well discuss the situation in East Timor as well.

   Q: Do you mean that, as discussed during the meeting between Prime Minister Obuchi and Kofi Annan, Japan will continue its assistance to East Timor to fulfill its independence?

   Mr. Harada: As you know, the Government of Japan has already made and will continue to make contributions to East Timor, but what I meant here is that the Government of Japan will reaffirm its intention to extend assistance to the reform efforts of Indonesia.

   Q: I read a report that Japan is not going to reduce the debt of the Indonesian Government and will not provide any new assistance regarding the reduction of debts? Is this accurate?

   Mr. Harada: No, I think that is speculation. We have not had any formal request from the Government of Indonesia for debt reduction or debt cancellation.

   Q: You mentioned that Japan would provide assistance for the reform efforts of Indonesia? What kind of assistance do you mean?

   Mr. Harada: It is difficult to explain in concrete terms at this stage because first of all we have to consult with the Government of Indonesia about what sort of cooperation they need. This might be touched upon during the stay of President Wahid, but at this juncture I cannot say what sort of concrete assistance we are going to extend.

   Q: Everyone knows the economic situation in Indonesia, so if the Indonesian side demanded it, is Japan ready to provide more assistance?

   Mr. Harada: First of all, we would like to listen to the requests of the new Indonesian Government and then we would consider what sort of cooperation we might provide based upon that request.

   Related Information (Japan-Indonesia Relations)
   
5. Expectations for the visit of External Affairs Minister Singh

   Q: The Indian Foreign Minister is coming soon for talks with Mr. Kono on bilateral and international issues? What is the Japanese expectation of these talks. Will these talks lead to normalization of economic relations between Japan and India at an official level?

   Mr. Harada: I am not sure what you mean by "normalization of economic relations." If you are asking whether we are going to lift the measures which we took after the nuclear test, our position is that if and when India decides to sign the CTBT, we will be prepared to review the economic measures that we have taken with respect to India. That review may include the implementation of new economic cooperation projects. If we receive any kind of positive message from External Affairs Minister Singh -- and we hope that is the case -- we will consider it along the lines I just mentioned.

   Related Information (Japan-India Relations)
   
6. Japan's foreign policy position in regard to democracy

   Q: I noticed that you mentioned that Mr. Kono will reiterate to the Pakistani envoy that Japan wants Pakistan to return to democracy. Is this a trend in Japanese foreign policy to ask other countries, whose governments are military or who have reached power through a coup, or were formerly dictatorships, to return to democracy, or is Pakistan a special case?

   Mr. Harada: Our basic policy is that once such a kind of military coup happens, we will urge the countries concerned to return to democracy. This is not a special or exceptional case with Pakistan.

   Q: What about countries that had coups a few years ago. Are you still asking them to return to democracy?

   Mr. Harada: We have been taking the same position. Whether we voice it loudly or not is another question, but the basic position is the same.

   Q: On the Mr. Khan visit, I need an explanation for certain things. Is Japan going to relate its economic and financial assistance to Pakistan to the restoration of democracy?

   Mr. Harada: Our basic position on Pakistan is that we urge Pakistan to indicate quickly the procedure for the return to democratic rule. We also urge Pakistan to participate in the CTBT as soon as possible. If and when there is concrete progress toward the return to democratic rule, and Pakistan decides to sign the CTBT, we will be prepared to review the economic measures that we have taken with Pakistan.

   Related Information (Japan-Pakistan Relations)
   
7. Japan's position on the Chechnya situation

   Q: What is Japan's basic position on Chechnya?

   Mr. Harada: First, I have to say that we regard this as basically a domestic affair of the Russian Federation. At the same time, since many victims and refugees are emerging, we are worried about this situation. We expect that the Government of Russia will take appropriate measures and we hope that the situation will be resolved as soon as possible through the negotiations between the parties concerned.

   Q: But Chechnya has asked for independence, so do you think this desire is legal?

   Mr. Harada: I do not want to make a legal comment on this. As I said, we consider this to be a domestic affair of Russia, and our position is that we hope the situation will be resolved peacefully through negotiations between the parties concerned.

   Q: In the same way, do some Russian officials not consider the Northern Islands issue to be a Russian domestic affair?

   Mr. Harada: They did not that the territorial issue you mentioned is a domestic affair of Russia. The Russian side recognizes that this is an issue which should be resolved between the two countries. During the Soviet era, they used to say that it was a territory of the Soviet Union so they were not prepared to discuss it, but as you know, the Russian position has changed.

   Related Information (Japan-Russia Relations)
   
8. Other issues

   Q: Do you have any extra information on the King Jordan visit?

   Mr. Harada: We are still working on the agenda and the concrete schedule of the stay in Japan of King Abdullah Il Bin Al-Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, so I will share information with you when I have it.

   Q: Today was the Anniversary of the Accession to the Throne of the Emperor. There was a press conference but we could not get in. Do you have any special statement about this event?

   Mr. Harada: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no special statement, but Prime Minister Obuchi has made a statement on the 10th Anniversary of the Accession to the Throne of His Majesty the Emperor.