Press Conference 4 October 2002
- Japan's election to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
- Dispatch of election monitors to Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Question concerning an application for an entry visa into Japan by Mr. Li Teng-hui of Taiwan
- Questions on a possible visit by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to the People's Republic of China
- Questions concerning the abduction cases
- Questions concerning the resumption of talks on the normalization of diplomatic relations with North Korea
- Questions concerning the dispatch of another investigative team to North Korea
- Question in relation to public reaction on the abduction cases
- Question on return of the abductees
- Japan's election to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
Press Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima: Good afternoon. Thank you very much for coming to this briefing. This afternoon I have two announcements that I would like to share with you, the first of which is about the election for membership on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
On 3 October at the 57th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Japan was elected, for the eighth time, as a member of the Economic and Social Council. On this occasion, the Government of Japan announced its intention to play a leadership role to further strengthen the international effort to promote world peace and prosperity through the eradication of poverty and the advancement of economic development while preserving the environment.
Related Information (Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Japan's Election as a Member of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations)
- Dispatch of election monitors to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mr. Takashima: My second announcement is about the dispatch of a three-man team to the elections to be held in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Government of Japan today announced that it would dispatch a three-man team to monitor the national and local elections of Bosnia and Herzegovina to be held on Saturday, 5 October.
We believe that this election is a very significant one because it is the first election organized by the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The previous elections were all organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), since the peace agreement reached back in 1995. The team of three Japanese nationals will join a 260-strong election monitoring force organized by the OSCE.
Related Information (Japan-Bosnia and Herzegovina Relations)
- Question concerning an application for an entry visa into Japan by Mr. Li Teng-hui of Taiwan
Q: Could you tell me about the reported possible application for an entry visa into Japan by Mr. Li Teng-hui of Taiwan?
Mr. Takashima: Actually, a visa application has not been filed, or there has been no application, by Mr. Li Teng-hui, so we are not in a position to answer one way or the other whether we would accept the application.
Just for your information, if there is an application filed by Mr. Li Teng-hui, we will take into account various factors when considering it.
- Questions on a possible visit by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to the People's Republic of China
Q: Are there any developments on a possible visit by Prime Minister Koizumi to China?
Mr. Takashima: We appreciate that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was invited to visit the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Premier earlier. The Government of Japan and the Government of China are still discussing an appropriate date for a visit by Prime Minister Koizumi to China, and a date has not been set yet.
Q: Is the visit to China expected to be before or after the visit to Russia, to Moscow?
Mr. Takashima: It has not been decided.
Related Information (Japan-China Relations)
- Questions concerning the abduction cases
Q: There have been reports that Japan has asked, or intends to ask, for custody of the abductors of the Japanese nationals. Can you confirm that, and how, in what form, will that request be couched?
Mr. Takashima: Because Japan and North Korea do not have formal diplomatic relations yet, we are not in a position to make a formal request for the arrest, or whatever, of the possible suspects. However, we have already made a request to the North Korean side on the abduction cases so that the truth and whole scope of the cases will be known to us.
Q: Will Japan ask for the abductors to be handed over?
Mr. Takashima: We understand that the North Korean side replied to the investigative team that the issue would be handled when formal diplomatic relations are established, or when normalization is achieved, and once that situation materializes the matter will be handled in due course in a legal way.
Q: Is Japan satisfied with that response for the time being?
Mr. Takashima: For the time being we expect that the North Korean side will handle this issue with faith and sincerity in accordance with the Pyongyang Declaration.
Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
- Questions concerning the resumption of talks on the normalization of diplomatic relations with North Korea
Q: Is there a specific date for the resumption of negotiations? The Prime Minister said it would be at the end of this month, October, but is there a specific date for the official negotiations?
Mr. Takashima: The Pyongyang Declaration, and also the two leaders, agreed that the normalization talks would resume by the end of October, but there is no specific date set yet.
Q: The end of the month means the last week?
Mr. Takashima: I know that date will not be tomorrow, but I cannot say anything further since we still have some time toward the end of October.
Q: The preparations are going well for these negotiations?
Mr. Takashima: The preparations for the resumption of the talks are going on, and they are on the communication level, although a result has not been achieved yet.
Q: Has the abduction issue had any effect on the preparations for the negotiations?
Mr. Takashima: We asked the North Korean side to provide further data and information, necessary evidence, and whatever materials that would help to solve this issue, and we are waiting for their reply. At the same time, this abduction case will be negotiated between Japan and North Korea through the course of resumed normalization talks.
Q: Has there been any decision yet on the venue for the talks?
Mr. Takashima: Not yet.
Q: Can we understand that the talks will be held in a third country?
Mr. Takashima: There is speculation as such, but I have no confirmation on that.
Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
- Questions concerning the dispatch of another investigative team to North Korea
Q: The Prime Minister was quoted as saying that he believed that the North Korean side had responded with sincerity to the investigative team. However, you are now planning to send another team back in to do further investigation. Why is that necessary if North Korea responded with full sincerity the first time?
Mr. Takashima: The team that visited North Korea got the impression that the North Korean side reacted to our request for information in sincerity and that they handled that issue with faith in accordance with the Pyongyang Declaration. Nevertheless, we felt that the information was not sufficient enough to resolve this very complicated and difficult issue, and so we requested further information, or further clarification on some aspects. Therefore, there is the possibility that a second team might visit, but it has not been decided yet.
Q: But Japan has made a request that a second team should be allowed to go?
Mr. Takashima: We told them that more effort would be needed to get more information, more evidence, and more clarification as such. Also, we are currently examining the findings brought back by the first investigative team, and we have to wait for the results of this examination.
Q: And when you expressed your feeling that further clarification would be needed what was the response to that?
Mr. Takashima: The North Korean side responded in a positive way. In other words, according to the report of the first investigative team, they maintained the same kind of seriousness in responding positively that they would try their best to comply with the requests made by the Japanese side.
Q: Up until three weeks ago the North Koreans denied categorically that there had been any abductions at all. Given that is the case, how can you believe anything they are telling you now?
Mr. Takashima: We believe the admission of the abduction and the formal apology, both given by Chairman Kim Jong-Il, and also he made it very clear that he would instruct his subordinates to be very faithful and sincere in responding to the investigation and refrain from repeating this kind of act. There is no other way but to put our trust in what Chairman Kim Jong-Il said.
Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
- Question in relation to public reaction on the abduction cases
Q: Do you think the public reaction in Japan is in line with your point of view?
Mr. Takashima: We understand that the Japanese public is eager to know more about the cases and we share the same feeling, that we need more clarification, more information, on what happened with the abductees.
Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
- Question on return of the abductees
Q: Members of the families of the abductees are calling for their family members to return to Japan, but the abductees themselves have apparently expressed a cautious stance toward returning to Japan. How does the Foreign Ministry plan to handle this difference?
Mr. Takashima: We would try our best to accommodate the wishes of both the abductees and their families. However, these things, including how and when their reunions will take place, have to be discussed during the negotiations. Furthermore, if and when another investigative team visits North Korea, those things will be included in the messages to be conveyed from the Japanese side to the North Korean side. As there is no fixed plan for the Japanese side to send a second investigative team, and as the date for the resumption of normalization talks is yet to be decided, I cannot comment either way.
Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
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