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Press Conference 27 June 2000

1. Announcement on the Japanese elections with regard to those voting overseas
2. Announcement on the Ambassadors' Conference of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Countries
3. Remarks on the dispatch of observers to the national referendum in the Republic of Uganda
4. Comment on the Council Meeting at Ministerial Level of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
5. Japan's performance in untied aid
6. Emergency assistance to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for rehabilitation of and the reconstruction process for the Palestinians
7. Announcement on the formation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' band, "The Diplomats," and the production of their first compact disc

1. Announcement on the Japanese elections with regard to those voting overseas

   Press Secretary Ryuichiro Yamazaki: Good afternoon. I have several items I would like to announce.

   The first item concerns the Japanese elections with regard to those voting overseas. This was the first time that we held absentee voting by overseas Japanese nationals for the proportionate seats.

   As of 12 June, the number of those registered overseas voters was 58,593, of whom 16,996 actually voted. Of these people, some voted at embassies or consulate generals that were convenient for them to go to. Some used mail to post their vote back to their constituency, and some were physically in Japan at the time when they voted. Of the total figure of 16,996 who actually voted, those who voted at overseas missions totaled 9,899. The breakdown of the seven regions is as follows: in Asia 1,714, in North America 1,271, in Europe 2,970, in Africa 573, in Oceania 561, in Latin America 2,241, and in the Middle East 569.

2. Announcement on the Ambassadors' Conference of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Countries

   The Ambassadors' Conference of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Countries took place on 21 June in Bangkok, where the ambassadors of the ten ASEAN countries convened with other senior officials from Tokyo. The meeting covered four sessions.

   During the first session, the ambassadors discussed the present state of ASEAN economies and what tasks they face. The overall recognition was that in most of the ASEAN countries various economic indicators have improved, due in part to the good performance of the American and European economies. Therefore, in order to secure sustained growth, it would be necessary to continue economic structural reform, such as the reform of the financial sector by disposing of non-performing assets and enhancing the transparency and accountability of enterprises and government. Against this background of globalization, it was noted with concern that the digital divide was widening. The ambassadors pointed out the importance of securing infrastructure for computers as well as fostering human resources in this area.

   On the political side, views were exchanged, among other things, on how ASEAN, through its Troica mechanism, could better address regional issues in a prompt manner. The ambassadors confirmed their recognition that Japan should maintain interest and render necessary assistance with a view to helping the development of ASEAN, which is a partner for the peace and prosperity of Asia.

   The second session discussed Japan-ASEAN relations, and ambassadors noted the high appreciation on the part of the ASEAN side concerning the timely measures which Japan has taken since the occurrence of the recent economic crisis. The New Miyazawa Plan, the Obuchi Plan as well as events such as holding international dialogues and meetings, were mentioned in this regard. Ambassadors emphasized the importance for Japan to further follow up the Obuchi Plan as well as take new initiatives, such as the so-called "Japan-ASEAN General Exchange Fund," which we hope to agree upon with the ASEAN side in July, if possible. The name has not yet been officially decided, but tentatively we are calling it the "Japan-ASEAN General Exchange Fund." When established, this fund will further promote exchanges between Japan and ASEAN. With respect to information technology (IT), it was noted that the ASEAN side has shown interest in an e-ASEAN idea and that Japan should react positively to this.

   The third session focused on regional cooperation. The ambassadors shared the notion that we must steadily follow up the Joint Declaration issued in Manila late last year. Some specific areas mentioned included piracy, drugs and other types of organized international crime. Under this agenda item, it was also reconfirmed that against the background of the first Foreign Ministers' Meeting between ASEAN+3, the three being Japan, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea, to be scheduled in July, cooperation with ASEAN should be an open regional cooperation which supplements and reinforces global institutions.

   The fourth and last session took up situations in countries such as the Republic of Indonesia. This is the overall picture of the recent ASEAN meeting which took place in Bangkok last week.

   Related Information (Japan-ASEAN Relations)
   
3. Remarks on the dispatch of observers to the national referendum in the Republic of Uganda

   Mr. Yamazaki: The Government of Japan has decided to dispatch four officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, comprising Charge d'Affaires ad interim Yoshiteru Iida, one from the Japanese Embassy in the Republic of Uganda and two from the Japanese Embassy in the Republic of Kenya, to join the International Election Observers for the Ugandan National Referendum to be held on 29 June, responding to the request of the Government of Uganda.

   The referendum will decide whether Uganda will permit the activities of political parties, which have been practically prohibited since President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of the Republic of Uganda took power in January 1986, through reintroducing a multi-party system. The referendum, therefore, will be a significant step for the promotion of democracy in Uganda.

   Since last year, the election committee of Uganda has requested the major donor countries, including Japan, the United States of America and the European Union (EU), to support the observation of the referendum. These countries have established the Referendum Support Group (RSG), engaged in close consultation and organized a group of international observers comprising the RSG and other countries. The observation of the referendum will be carried out by this group of international observers to which RSG countries participate on a voluntary basis, and the Japanese observers will carry out their mission as part of this group.

   Related Information (Japan-Uganda Relations)
   
4. Comment on the Council Meeting at Ministerial Level Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

   Mr. Yamazaki: My next announcement concerns the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Council Meeting at Ministerial level, which has just finished its first day of deliberations and released several paragraphs from its communique which were carried in most of today's Japanese newspapers. I will not repeat the whole text, but will pinpoint one item which was of special interest to our delegation, namely the issue of new economy and sources of growth.

   The OECD has begun a major study on this issue of how we can secure sources of growth within the new economy context. It is to be completed next year in 2001. Furthermore, on the issue of electronic commerce and dangers of the digital divide, which the OECD countries are keenly aware of, the OECD will hold a conference in January in 2001 on key electronic commerce issues.

   The Japanese delegation stated that some of the issues to be addressed are how to identify the countries where the new economy is occurring, what are the important policies for realizing this new economy, and what effect it will have on society at large. In this connection, it was discussed whether other countries could follow the same course as the United States and realize this new economy of high growth coupled with low inflation. Views were stated that, in order to achieve these results it was important not only to increase IT related investment but to pursue a healthy macro-economic policy as well as promoting structural reform. Also, many other delegations emphasized the importance of open and flexible goods and labor markets as well as a competitive environment which could bring out the best of entrepreneurship. In this regard, the importance of human resources accumulation was also emphasized.

   Related Information (Japan and OECD)
   
5. Japan's performance in united aid

   Mr. Yamazaki: The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD deliberated last week on how to improve untied aid to the LLDCs. Unfortunately, there have been some press reports from overseas that do not correctly reflect Japan's present position on this issue. Drawing upon this year's report of the Chairman of DAC, out of the twenty DAC countries, Japan ranks second at 93.6% in terms of percentage of untied aid as a whole. This is less than 1% below Luxembourg which is top at 94%. In terms of the untied ratio for the least among less-developed countries (LLDCs), Japan ranks seventh at 76.2%. I quote these figures to show Japan's robust posture for untying aid in general and also for the LLDCs. On top of that, it is a very well-known fact that Japan, for at least the past nine years, has been the top donor of official development assistance (ODA) in the world.

   Related Information (Japan's ODA)
   
6. Emergency assistance to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for rehabilitation of and the reconstruction process for the Palestinians

   Mr. Yamazaki: On 27 June, the Government of Japan decided to extend emergency grant assistance of US$10.5 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Trust Fund for the Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP), in light of the recent progress in the Middle East peace process, including resumed negotiations between the State of Israel and the Palestinians. With this assistance, the accumulative total of Japan's assistance to the Palestinians since 1993 comes to about US$576.11 million.

   Six million dollars of this assistance will be appropriated to the project for upgrading the trunk road linking Jerusalem and Ramallah to secure efficient transportation between the West Bank of the Jordan River and Jerusalem; US$2.5 has been allocated to the project for constructing a supreme court in the City of Gaza, a high court in Ramallah and other facilities for the development of the Palestinian legal system and independence of the judiciary, because assistance in this field by donor countries has not been adequate; and US$2 million will be used for the project for constructing municipal facilities and conducting staff training for ten cities whose status has been raised from village to city. It is expected that the assistance will create emergency job opportunities for a total of approximately 174,000 people and will help to develop the Palestinian economy and democratic society.

   The peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have been held intermittently, with the United States taking part, working toward the target date of 13 September for concluding a final agreement on permanent status. With a deadline drawing closer, expectations for peace are rising despite the tense atmosphere. At such an important juncture, the implementation of projects such as these is urgently required to make the tide for peace more stable and certain and to enable the Palestinian people to feel that they are receiving the dividends of the peace process. Based on such recognition, Japan has decided to extend assistance to these three UNDP projects.

   In November 1998, Japan expressed its intention to contribute up to US$200 over a two-year period, out of which US$177.85 have been disbursed, including the present assistance.

   Related Information (Japan-Middle East Relations)
   
7. Announcement on the formation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' band, "The Diplomats," and the production of their first compact disc

   Mr. Yamazaki: Finally, a small note. State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ichita Yamamoto, who is a Member of the Upper House, with several younger Ministry of Foreign Affairs colleagues formed a band last October called "The Diplomats." State Secretary Yamamoto has had work experience at the UNDP in New York, and it was with an open-minded and global perspective that he formed this small group called "The Diplomats" so that he could bring the world closer together. They have just released a compact disc entitled "No matter how the world may change." Since this was financed completely from State Secretary Yamamoto's private funds, it is not on sale at stores, but if anyone is interested, you can drop by my office to listen to it first and purchase it if you so desire.