Press Conference by the Press Secretary 16 April, 1999

1. Response of the Government of Japan to the release of the 1999 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)
2. Visit to Japan by Minister for Foreign Affairs José Miguel Insulza of the Republic of Chile from 22 to 25 April
3. Visit to Japan by President Andres Pastrana Arango of the Republic of Colombia from 10 to 13 May
4. Assistance from Japan to Kosovo refugees and displaced persons
5. Response of the Government of Japan to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military operations
6. Diplomatic calendar of Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura

1. Response of the Government of Japan to the release of the 1999 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)

   Deputy Press Secretary Masaki Okada: Good afternoon. Today, I have two topics to mention first. The first one is the Japanese comments on the 1999 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report issued by the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Today, we are going to submit to the United States Government the comments of the Government of Japan on the 1999 NTE Report which was made public on 1 April by the USTR. In many parts of this NTE Report, we observed that the arguments are marked by a one-sided view and misinterpretations of the facts. Therefore, we decided to submit our comments in writing to the United States Government. As for these comments, we plan to hand it over from Director-General Shotaro Ohshima of the Economic Affairs Bureau to Minister-Counsellor C. Lawrence Greenwood, Jr., of the United States Embassy in Tokyo at 16:30 this afternoon. We also intend to make the text of our comments available after we have given them to the United States officially. Japan points out in its comments that adopting a result-oriented approach is not consistent with the international rules based on free trade and in this context, expresses its concern over Super 301 and Title VII which have been officially reinstituted recently. This is the first part. After 17:00, you can get a copy of Japan's comments.

   Related Information (The Government of Japan's Comments on the 1999 National Trade Estimates (NTE) Report)
   
2. Visit to Japan by Minister for Foreign Affairs José Miguel Insulza of the Republic of Chile from 22 to 25 April

   Deputy Press Secretary Masaki Okada: Concerning the other topic, it is related to the visitors from the South American areas. First, Minister for Foreign Affairs José Miguel Insulza of the Republic of Chile, will visit Japan from 22 to 25 April. During his stay in Japan, Foreign Minister Insulza will meet with leaders of the Japanese Government and the private sector, including Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura. Chile has been trying to strengthen its relations with Japan as South America's window on the Asia-Pacific region. He will exchange views extensively with the Japanese side on Japan-Chile bilateral relations and global issues.

   Related Information (Japan-Chile Relations)
   
3. Visit to Japan by President Andres Pastrana Arango of the Republic of Colombia from 10 to 13 May

   Deputy Press Secretary Masaki Okada: In May, President Andres Pastrana Arango of the Republic of Colombia and Mrs. De Pastrana, accompanied by a suite, will pay an official working visit to Japan from 10 to 13 May 1999. During their stay in Japan, President Pastrana and Mrs. De Pastrana will make a State Call on Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan. Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress will host a Court luncheon in honor of President Pastrana and Mrs. De Pastrana. President Pastrana will also have official talks with Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and a working dinner on 12 May. So we have these guests from Latin America in the coming weeks.

   Related Information (Japan-Colombia Relations)
   
4. Assistance from Japan to Kosovo refugees and displaced persons

   Q: I am interested in finding out the results of the delegation which visited Albania on the Kosovo question. In particular, I am interested in the idea of refugees. Will Japan accept any refugees from Kosovo? Are there any other plans for additional aid to Kosovo?

   Mr. Okada: As you know, our delegation, led by Director Yoshitaka Akimoto of the Central and East Europe Division, returned home on 14 April. The delegation visited the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Albania. In both countries they met officials of the governments and the international organizations. They also paid visits to refugee camps there. According to the provisional report of the mission, we understand that those refugees or displaced persons are not in a very critical situation, but nevertheless they are still in a very severe situation there. We are working on the review of this report of the delegation. In the coming days, we are going to sum up our assistance in two areas. The first area is humanitarian assistance to the refugees themselves. We are also going to undertake assistance to the nearby countries which accept these refugees, namely the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania in particular have great difficulties in accepting such a large number of refugees. This is the unanimous view of the international community. This is what I can tell you for the time being. It will take some more days before we can finally come to a conclusion of what we can do.

   Q: Maybe some time next week?

   Mr. Okada: I hope so, but anyhow, before the end of this month we have to do so.

5. Response of the Government of Japan to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military operations

   Q: What is Japan's comment on the accident of the train which was hit by NATO missiles?

   Mr. Okada: It is extremely regrettable that such a disastrous incident occurred by a mistake made by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) side. We wish that such an incident would never occur in the future. At the same time, we strongly hope that the problem of Kosovo will be solved politically as soon as possible.

6. Diplomatic calendar of Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura

   Q: Is Foreign Minister Koumura going to visit Central Asian countries in the near future?

   Mr. Okada: We understand that there were many press reports concerning his idea of visiting some Central Asian countries and also some parts of the former Yugoslavia. This is just at the stage of his hope or wish. We have to further coordinate which countries he has the possibility of visiting in the near future.

   Q: Do you have any schedule about Japanese official visits during the next few weeks?

   Mr. Okada: During the so-called Golden Week, as he already announced, Prime Minister Obuchi now plans to visit the United States. During that time, Foreign Minister Koumura wishes to visit those countries reported in the newspapers, but we have not made any official decisions for that. Thereafter, there will be the Ministerial meeting of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in late May. In late June, there will be the Group of Seven (G7) Summit meeting in Cologne, Federal Republic of Germany. Both occasions will be at Ministerial-level representation, and in the case of the G7, the Prime Minister must be present.