Press Conference 18 October 2002

1. Attendance of Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi at the 14th Ministerial Meeting of APEC and visit to the United States of America
2. Statement on the Government of India's decision to redeploy armed forces from the international border with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
3. Summary of Japanese responses to bombing incident in Bali
4. Questions concerning revelation of a North Korean nuclear program
5. Question on the APEC BTC

1. Attendance of Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi at the 14th Ministerial Meeting of APEC and visit to the United States of America

   Assistant Press Secretary Jiro Okuyama: Good afternoon. I have three topics to touch on at the outset, and the first is the visit by Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi to attend the APEC forum.

   Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Motegi will visit Los Cabos, Mexico, from 22-24 October to attend the 14th Ministerial Meeting of APEC. He will also visit the United States of America from 20-22 October.

   At the APEC Ministerial Meeting, Senior Vice-Minister Motegi will exchange views with the other representatives on mainly three topics: (1) the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, including APEC's contribution to the new WTO round; (2) measures against terrorism within APEC; and (3) economic and technical cooperation.

   During his visit to Washington, Senior Vice-Minister Motegi will exchange views with US Government officials on the international situation and bilateral relations.

2. Statement on the Government of India's decision to redeploy armed forces from the international border with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

   Mr. Okuyama: Second, Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi's statement on the Government of India's decision to redeploy the armed forces from positions on the international border with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The statement was issued 17 October.

   The Government of Japan welcomes the Government of India's decision to redeploy armed forces from positions on the international border with Pakistan as they have achieved the assigned objectives.

   The Government of Japan highly values the decision, as this is an important initiative taken by India, which is responsible for maintaining peace and stability in South Asia.

   The Government of Japan sincerely hopes that Pakistan will positively respond to India's initiative, thus providing both parties with an impetus to make further efforts to reduce tension between India and Pakistan, and that this will lead to the early resumption of dialogue between both countries.

   Related Information (Statement by Foreign Minister Kawaguchi on the Government of India's decision to redeploy the armed forces from positions on the international border with Pakistan)
   Related Information (Statement by Ms. Yoriko Kawaguchi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the Government of Pakistan's Decision to Withdraw its Forces from Positions on the Border with India)
   
3. Summary of Japanese responses to bombing incident in Bali

   Mr. Okuyama: Third, I would like to give you a full picture of what we have done in relation to the bombing incident in Bali, Indonesia. I would like to touch on the actions that we have taken so far.

   First of all, a statement by Foreign Minister Kawaguchi condemning terrorism and expressing condolences was issued on 13 October.

   On 14 October, we issued two messages, one from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Indonesia's President Megawati Sukarnoputri, also condemning terrorism and expressing condolences; likewise, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi sent a message to Indonesia's Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda condemning terrorism and expressing condolences. Prime Minister Koizumi and Foreign Minister Kawaguchi also sent messages on 15 October to their respective counterparts in Australia to convey condolences towards the families of the Australian victims of the incidents.

   On 13 October, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) dispatched an expert in identification and a coordinator stationed in Jakarta to assist in the identification of the victims.

   On 15 October, the National Police Agency dispatched a terrorism response team (TRT) comprising three persons to exchange information with local security authorities and to support the investigation and other activities.

   On 16 October, the National Police Agency dispatched another TRT, also comprising three persons, to provide technical advice, instruction, and other expertise in identification based upon the exchange of information with the Indonesian authorities.

   Also on 16 October, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dispatched an expert on forensic dentistry to identify remains of victims.

   There was a meeting on collection and analysis of information related to terrorism that was held in this ministry on 17 October. The conclusions from the discussion were: Firstly, about al-Qaeda, we cannot definitively say that al-Qaeda was involved in this incident, but at the same time we cannot deny there was a possible link between the recorded messages that were broadcast on 6 and 8 October by Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, respectively, and we are of the view that the world should continue to be on alert.

   We also understand that the terrorist acts that happened in Indonesia were aimed at what are referred to as soft targets and we think that it is now all the more necessary for us to consider the danger relating to soft targets, which enjoy fewer security measures than important facilities all around the world.

   We have issued a series of travel advisories to draw the attention of Japanese travelers concerned. We would like to continue to warn them not to go near possible dangerous places, which can be targets of terrorism. In this connection, we are of the view that careful attention must be paid to avoid going near department stores, discos, and other facilities where people tend to concentrate.

   Related Information (Message from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to President Megawati Soekarnoputri of Indonesia concerning the bombings in the Republic of Indonesia)
   Related Information (Statement by Ms. Yoriko Kawaguchi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the Bombing Incident on the Island of Bali, Indonesia)
   
4. Questions concerning revelation of a North Korean nuclear weapons program

   Q: How would the announcement by the US Government that North Korea has a nuclear weapons program influence the upcoming talks between Japan and North Korea? Will it have any influence on the Foreign Ministry?

   Mr. Okuyama: We have great concerns about the issue of weapons of mass destruction, including the suspicion about North Korea's nuclear development. From this standpoint, at the summit talks that took place in Pyongyang between Prime Minister Koizumi and Chairman Kim Jong-Il, the Prime Minister raised the issue of the nuclear development of North Korea, and he strongly urged that North Korea take responsible actions in this regard.

   We were in close touch with the US administration prior to the summit talks, and also after the summit talks, and we received information from the United States in the process that led up to the announcement, which was made on 17 October by the US State Department.

   We will continue to maintain close collaboration and cooperation among Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea, and we will make strong representations to the North Korean side, based on the spirit of the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration in such fora as the normalization talks between Japan and North Korea and also the security consultations, which are scheduled to take place in accordance with the Pyongyang Declaration.

   Q: A few news organizations have reported that the Japanese Government knew about North Korea developing such weapons before the summit between Prime Minister Koizumi and Kim Jong-Il. Why did the Government go ahead and sign the declaration apparently knowing about these weapons of mass destruction?

   Mr. Okuyama: We received information about this issue from the US side even before the summit took place. So the Prime Minister was aware of this suspicion but he decided to utilize the opportunity of the summit talks, nonetheless, to raise all the security concerns, including this important issue, with the North Korean side and to find out whether the North Korean side was ready to make a political decision and show a sincere attitude. We also thought that it would be beneficial to press the North Korean side to observe the declaration, which was signed by both leaders at the end of the summit talks in Pyongyang.

   Q: Why did the declaration come after the knowledge of weapons and the official announcement by the US Government weeks after the declaration?

   Mr. Okuyama: The information that we received from the United States was not as detailed as the information we received later. There was certain knowledge within the Japanese Government about this. We feel now, and we also felt at the time, that pressing North Korea at the highest level would be very important for us in order to engage North Korea in a constructive dialogue.

   Q: Is there a two-track approach? The abduction issue and the missile issue or the nuclear weapons issue, are those two issues at equal levels or are there priorities in this?

   Mr. Okuyama: There are a number of pending issues between Japan and North Korea. The issue of abduction is something quite different from the issue of nuclear development, but these two issues are, of course, very important matters that need to be dealt with squarely with North Korea in the upcoming normalization talks to take place on 29 and 30 October in Kuala Lumpur. It is a bit difficult for us to say which is more important.

   Japanese leaders, including the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, also the Chief Cabinet Secretary and the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, all of them have said that the issue of abduction would be given top priority, but that is not to say that the issue of nuclear development would be of less importance. These two things are different in their characters and they both remain very, very important issues for the two countries to discuss.

   Q: So both issues will be on a parallel track, no priority is set, but they will be two issues that will be the main focus in Kuala Lumpur?

   Mr. Okuyama: If you mention important pending issues between Japan and North Korea then we also need to discuss unidentified ships, weapons of mass destruction, and missile technology. There are various others, but we certainly regard these issues as among the most important, and we cannot really pick one or the other to satisfy ourselves. This has been the constant position that Prime Minister Koizumi and the rest of the Japanese Government have taken, even since before the summit talks took place. This is something that we call a comprehensive approach. We actually try to deal with all of the pending issues.

   Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
   
5. Question on the APEC BTC

   Q: On the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, I saw some information about a business travel pass, the BTC. Do you have any information about that?

   Mr. Okuyama: It is something that is being discussed at APEC. The Business Travel Card is a system whereby businessmen residing within the APEC region can travel freely between the countries that agree to the arrangement. I cannot specifically name the economies, but there are several economies that have expressed their willingness, and Japan is going to join. So, as a start it is not the entire APEC area but a limited number of economies within APEC whose businessmen can travel freely to other economies that have expressed their willingness to join this arrangement.

   Q: Do you have any information about this in English?

   Mr. Okuyama: I have to check. If there is something I will certainly send you a copy.