Press Conference by the Press Secretary 7 May, 1999

1. Official Visit to the United States of America by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi
2. Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura on East Timor
3. Meeting between Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Special Envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin of the Russian Federation
4. Visit of Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura to the Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Uzbekistan
5. Statement from the Group of Eight Foreign Ministers' Meeting
6. The Third Preparatory Committee for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference
7. Assistance to Kosovo
8. Japan-U.S. announcements released during the Official Visit to the United States of America by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi

1. Official Visit to the United States of America by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi

   Press Secretary Sadaaki Numata: Good afternoon. It is quiet since the Golden Week is still taking its toll. Talking about the Golden Week, people have been traveling and there have been a number of things that have happened. Let me refer to a few of them. Firstly, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's trip to the United States of America. At the invitation of President William Jefferson Clinton of the United States of America, Prime Minister Obuchi made an Official Visit to the United States from 29 April to 4 May, which was in fact the first Official Visit by a Japanese Prime Minister to the United States in 12 years. In the meeting between the Prime Minister and President Clinton which took place on 3 May, the two leaders reaffirmed that Japan and the United States as allies sharing the same values would work together in pursuit of the common objective of building a peaceful and prosperous world as we go into the 21st century. In addition, they exchanged views on a wide variety of topics, not just limited to the Japan-U.S. bilateral relationship in its economic and security and other aspects, but also on how Japan and the United States should work together to address the major issues which face the international community today, including such regional issues as Kosovo, the issues in Asia, as well as the question of how to achieve stability in the world economy. President Clinton expressed his high appreciation for the vigorous way in which Prime Minister Obuchi has been tackling the task of the revitalization of the Japanese economy, as well as for the strong support provided by Japan to alleviate the sufferings of the people in Kosovo.

   Prime Minister Obuchi visited Los Angeles on 29 April, and Chicago on 30 April and 1 May. In fact, this was the first time in eight years that a Japanese Prime Minister visited these local cities in the United States on a good-will visit. Prime Minister Obuchi made a dinner speech in Los Angeles and also in Chicago. He also had the opportunity to meet, in a very friendly atmosphere, with the students of the University of Chicago. He also had various contacts with American citizens in these cities and, thereby, widened the foundation of the Japan-U.S. relationship. We feel that through this visit by Prime Minister Obuchi to the United States, we were able to establish the directions for Japan-U.S. cooperation from a medium- to a long-term perspective as we go into the 21st century.

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2. Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura on East Timor

   Press Secretary Sadaaki Numata: My second announcement concerns the signing of the agreement on East Timor which took place on 5 May in New York by the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Portugal and the United Nations. Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura issued a statement on this, and I will give you the gist of the statement. The Government of Japan welcomes the signing of this Agreement on East Timor by the three parties. We look forward to the implementation of the direct ballot on 8 August as scheduled. As we have said before, we are prepared to make as much contribution as possible for the peaceful solution of the issue of East Timor in close coordination with the United Nations and the countries concerned. With regard to the maintenance of security and safety in East Timor, the parties agreed that the Indonesian Government will continue to carry out its responsibility. We hope that the Indonesian Government and the Armed Forces (TNI) will continue to devote as much effort as possible to the maintenance of safety and security in East Timor, so that the peace process will proceed peacefully and smoothly.

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3. Meeting between Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Special Envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin of the Russian Federation

   Press Secretary Sadaaki Numata: Next, we go over to Europe, and that is with respect to Kosovo. There has been a flurry of activities on Kosovo during the past week. The Prime Minister, while he was in Washington, D.C., met the Russian Special Envoy, Mr. Viktor Chernomyrdin, on 4 May. That was the day after Mr. Chernomyrdin met with President Clinton and Vice President Albert Gore. In his meeting with the Special Envoy, Prime Minister Obuchi expressed his appreciation for the mediation efforts undertaken by Mr. Chernomyrdin and expressed Japan's hope for the early realization of the political solution of the Kosovo question and stressed the importance of the Group of Eight (G8) countries reaching a common position on the subject. Prime Minister Obuchi also told Mr. Chernomyrdin that in his meeting with President Clinton on the previous day, he had stressed to President Clinton the importance of close consultation between the United States and the Russian Federation.

4. Visit of Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura to the Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Uzbekistan

   Press Secretary Sadaaki Numata: While the Prime Minister was in the United States, Foreign Minister Koumura was traveling through the Republic of Macedonia, as well as the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. On 30 April, Foreign Minister Koumura visited a refugee camp in Macedonia to witness first-hand the humanitarian tragedy unfolding there. Then, the G8 Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Germany on 6 May -- that is yesterday. Foreign Minister Koumura, instead of coming home from his trip through these countries that I mentioned, went on to the Federal Republic of Germany to attend this meeting. In the course of the G8 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Foreign Minister Koumura talked about his own experience of visiting Macedonia and witnessing the plight in which the refugees found themselves. In recounting his experience, Foreign Minister Koumura stressed the importance of solving the refugee issue, which is as important as solving the political issues involved. He also referred to the fact that Japan recently announced its US$200 million worth assistance measures with respect to Kosovo, out of which US$60 million were to be provided over a period of two years to help the neighboring countries of Kosovo, that is Macedonia and Albania, which have absorbed the great influx of refugees.

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5. Statement from the Group of Eight Foreign Ministers' Meeting

   Press Secretary Sadaaki Numata: The G8 Foreign Ministers' Meeting issued a statement, which is called the "Statement by the Chairman on the Conclusion of the Meeting of the G8 Foreign Ministers," in Petersberg, on 6 May 1999. This statement enumerates the basic elements which are necessary for the solution of the Kosovo issue. We feel that this is an important step forward towards peace in the sense that the G8 countries, including Russia, have agreed on what they perceive to be the basic elements necessary for achieving the political solution of this problem. Work is to go on towards a UN Security Council resolution on the basis of these elements. Work is also to go on to draw a road map on further concrete steps towards the political solution to the Kosovo crisis. We do hope that the Yugoslav Government will heed these voices of the international community and will start working towards the achievement of peace as soon as possible. Japan, for its part, intends to contribute to the peaceful solution of this issue as a responsible member of the G8.

6. The Third Preparatory Committee for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference

   Press Secretary Sadaaki Numata: My final announcement concerns the Third Preparatory Committee for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to take place next year. The Third Preparatory Committee is to be convened in New York from 10 May to 21 May. As you know, the Review Conference of the NPT takes place every five years. The last Review Conference took place in 1995, that was 25 years after the coming into force of the NPT. In that last Review Conference, the indefinite extension of the treaty was decided on. The next Review Conference is to take place next year, in the year 2000. This Third Preparatory Committee is an important step in the preparation for this Review Conference next year. There have been two preparatory committees, one taking place in April 1997, the second taking place in April to May, last year. There have been important developments since, namely the nuclear testing by the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the issue of the suspected development of weapons of mass destruction by the Republic of Iraq, and also by North Korea. In the light of these developments, we feel that nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation have become even more urgent and important tasks to be tackled by the international community. In that context, we do attach importance to the Third Preparatory Committee and we intend to make our maximum effort towards the success of this preparatory committee, and also towards the success of the forthcoming Review Conference.

   Q: You have just mentioned the preparatory meeting for the NPT. You have rightly explained the latest developments in India and Pakistan. What would Japan's basic position be -- indefinite extension?

   Mr. Numata: Well, indefinite extension was agreed in 1995. The NPT is going to be there indefinitely.

   Q: There would be an objection, particularly from India or Pakistan on the basis of Article 6. The NPT is against non-nuclear powers and has long been urging disarmament on the part of the five nuclear countries.

   Mr. Numata: If your memory is correct and if my memory is correct, I think the reference to nuclear disarmament efforts by the nuclear weapons states was included in Article 6. Nuclear disarmament and the nuclear test ban are two issues to which Japan has consistently attached a great deal of importance. It is from that viewpoint that we have been active in the United Nations in terms of putting forward resolutions calling for the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons. In the resolution that we put forward last year -- which was successfully adopted concerning the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons -- we did address the question of nuclear disarmament by the superpowers in terms of calling for the early ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) agreements as well as the need for nuclear disarmament efforts by other nuclear weapons states. As a general proposition, those are issues which we do consider important and this basic position of ours, I think, will naturally find its reflection in our approach to this process in the NPT, that is the Preparatory Committee and the Review Conference. I would also add, as I said earlier, that these recent developments over the past year, that is the nuclear testing by India and Pakistan, and the developments in North Korea and Iraq, if anything, add urgency to these issues. Our positions with respect, for example to North Korea, are well known. I would anticipate that our concerns on these issues will also be reflected in the deliberations.

   Q: Mr. Numata, what would be the Japanese Government's or your personal assessment concerning disarmament of nuclear weapons. It is obvious that after the Cold War, the former Soviet arsenal has been dismantled and shut down. One can say that disarmament, particularly on the part of nuclear countries, is progressing. But, on the other hand, there are new nuclear countries, such as India and Pakistan. How does the Japanese Government assess this?

   Mr. Numata: It is a bit difficult for me to talk personally, but let me see if I can talk commonsensically. As a general proposition, I think, for many years the emphasis has been on nuclear disarmament by the superpowers. It used to be the U.S.-Soviet negotiations. These days it has been the U.S.-Russia negotiations -- Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), START, Theatre Nuclear Forces (TNF), Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF), and so forth. As the level of the nuclear arsenal on the part of the superpowers gradually comes down, it becomes more important for the other nuclear weapons states to be involved in this effort to reduce the overall level of the nuclear arsenal. It is not easy to achieve that. I think that realization is beginning to be shared by the international community. That is something that I think we will probably be addressing. That is with respect to those states which already possess nuclear weapons. Another set of problems are that of those states which may acquire nuclear weapons anew. That is the question of proliferation. That is also a matter that needs to be addressed. It is in that context that developments in India, Pakistan, North Korea and so forth are somewhat worrying.

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7. Assistance to Kosovo

   Q: Considering that Mr. Koumura attended the G8, you had said that Japan will cooperate in Kosovo as a responsible member of the G8. You also told me about the monetary contributions that will be provided. But, concerning the G8 statement, it says "a civic and security presence in Kosovo." Now, is Japan willing to offer some contribution, specifically by troops or some forces?

   Mr. Numata: Apparently this paragraph that you have just mentioned is a strenuously negotiated paragraph. It reads, "deployment in Kosovo of effective international civil and security presences, endorsed and adopted by the United Nations, capable of guaranteeing the achievement of the common objectives." I understand that the G8 Foreign Ministers reached an agreement on the principles involved, and the details are yet to be worked out, which is another way of saying that exactly what form these international civil and security presences might take is yet to be worked out. We anticipate very intensive negotiations and discussions on the subject. At this point, it is a bit premature to talk about the exact modality in which Japan may be taking part in this sort of exercise. I think we need to await these ideas being fleshed out further before we can start thinking about what may or may not be the most appropriate form for Japan to be taking part in.

   Q: So, at this point in time, the Japanese Government has not brushed off the idea or possibility of sending troops to Kosovo.

   Mr. Numata: You are right in saying that. We remain open. We have to remain open at this stage where what we have are still the principles and ideas. We need to look at the details.

8. Japan-U.S. announcements released during the Official Visit to the United States of America by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi

   Q: Stemming from Prime Minister Obuchi's visit to the United States, are there any agreements to be signed?

   Mr. Numata: No agreements were actually signed, but at the end of Prime Minister Obuchi's meeting with President Clinton, there were a number of papers that were released; for example, there was a joint Japan-U.S. press release on "Japan-U.S. Y2K Cooperation" -- that is this question of the computer problem in the year 2000 -- between President Clinton and Prime Minister Obuchi, in which we outlined the sort of cooperation that we will be engaged in as we try to tackle together the question of Y2K. There was also an announcement on the agreement between Japan and the U.S. concerning cooperation on anti-competitive activities, that is, in the area of anti-trust activities. We envisage a conclusion of the agreement in the not-too-distant future. There was an announcement on that. There was also a document which was issued which embodied the progress achieved as a result of the Japan-U.S. Dialogue on Deregulation, that is, the Joint Status Report on Japan-U.S. Dialogue on Deregulation. There was also a report of the Working Group on Investment and Buyer/Supplier Relationships. That is another subject that has been discussed in the context of the Japan-U.S. Bilateral Economic Dialogue. There was also an announcement on Japan-U.S. cooperation in dismantling Russian nuclear submarines, and a few other announcements. Although there was not an agreement that was signed, there were a number of announcements made which were indicative of the width of the relationship that now exists between our two countries.

   Q: Was there any improvement on talks of the Security Guidelines?

   Mr. Numata: I think the improvement had been achieved prior to the Prime Minister's departure to the United States -- if you call it improvement in the sense that the House of Representatives passed the Guidelines legislation prior to the Prime Minister's departure. The passage of the bill through the House of Representatives was achieved on the basis of the affirmative votes, not only on the part of the Liberal Democratic Party and Liberal Party coalition, but also with the Komei Party involved. It seems reasonable to assume that if the same make-up of the parties is to apply when the House of Councillors votes on the same bill, there is every likelihood that the bill will be passed. There was appreciation of this on the part of the United States side at the time of Prime Minister Obuchi's visit.

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