Press Conference 13 April 2001

1. Statement on the intensification of violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians
2. Questions on the recent collision between the American and Chinese aircraft
3. Question on the sale of weapons to Taiwan by the United States of America

1. Statement on the intensification of violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians

   Deputy Press Secretary Chikahito Harada: Good afternoon. I would like to make one announcement at the outset.

   Being alarmed by the recent intensification of violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians, Japan expresses its deep concerns over the Israel Defense Forces' incursion into the Palestinian controlled area on 11 April. In this context, Japan is also keenly concerned with the recent mortar attacks from the Palestinian territory.

   As Japan has stated on many occasions, it strongly hopes that all the parties concerned will return to and stand firmly on the spirit of the peace process. Japan once again urges all the parties concerned to exert maximum self-restraint and to make utmost efforts to restore their mutual confidence.

   Press Secretary Norio Hattori issued a statement to this effect last night.

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2. Questions on the recent collision between the American and Chinese aircraft

   Q: This question is related to the accident between the EP3 and the Chinese fighter. Based on your intelligence information and gathering, whatever you have, what is your assessment of this accident that happened on 1 April?

   Mr. Harada: Since this was an accident involving a collision between American and Chinese military aircraft, it is not a matter upon which the Government of Japan should be making an assessment.

   Japan's position is that good relations between the United States of America and the People's Republic of China are essential to the peace and security of the Asia-Pacific region. From this standpoint, Japan has encouraged both sides to resolve the issue expeditiously. For example, on 4 April Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono conveyed this position to Secretary of State Colin Powell of the United States of America, and Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Yutaka Kawashima conveyed the same position to Ambassador Chen Jian of the People's Republic of China Ambassador.

   We have since witnessed the positive developments of 11 April, and we welcome the progress in the consultations between the two sides. We understand that there will be consultations between both sides on 18 April that will cover various issues related to the accident. We hope that these consultations go smoothly and successfully and produce a solution which satisfies both sides.

   Q: My question is rather technical. What do you think happened? Do you think this heavy EP3 plane did a left turn and shot into the fighter, which is a very light aircraft, and then flew away very quickly? What do you have in your ability to understand the causes of the accident? Who is responsible according to the Japanese Government?

   Mr. Harada: I do not have information that I can share with you on that issue. Again, the Government of Japan is not in a position to say which side is responsible for this accident. This is an issue that both sides will discuss. The Government will follow the situation carefully.

   Q: Do you have any intelligence information that you can share with us, or at least do you have recordings?

   Mr. Harada: That is something that I cannot share with you; no country will share information on issues related to intelligence. I think you understand that well.

   Q: So it means you have no tape recording?

   Mr. Harada: I cannot disclose any information related to that kind of intelligence issue.

   Q: For security reasons?

   Mr. Harada: For security reasons, among others.

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3. Question on the sale of weapons to Taiwan by the United States of America

   Q: I think there was some statement made by Japan, that it was quite worried about the situation regarding Taiwan and China. What is your position on what might happen if the US sells new weapons or armaments to Taiwan?

   Mr. Harada: I do not have any concrete comment on that, as I do not want to make any comment on hypothetical premises. I can only reiterate Japan's basic position, that the issue regarding Taiwan should be solved peacefully through dialogue between both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

   Related Information (Japan-China Relations)
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