Press Conference 17 December 2002

Joint Statement of the Japan-United States of America Security Consultative Committee
Dispatch of former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy of the Prime Minister Masahiko Koumura to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Extension of food assistance by Japan through the World Food Programme (WFP)
Upcoming visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Sergeevich Ivanov of the Russian Federation
Upcoming visit to Japan by Minister of Foreign Affairs Habib Ben Yahia of the Republic of Tunisia
Grant Aid to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for the Pakistan Project to Eradicate Poliomyelitis
Question concerning the visit of Special Envoy of the Prime Minister Masahiko Koumura
Questions concerning the Joint Statement of the Japan-United States of America Security Consultative Committee
Question concerning second round of normalization talks between Japan and North Korea
Question concerning possible transmission of nuclear technologies from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to North Korea
Question concerning the situation in Afghanistan
Question concerning Japan's initiatives for free trade agreements (FTA)
Question concerning current political situation in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Joint Statement of the Japan-United States of America Security Consultative Committee
Assistant Press Secretary Jiro Okuyama: Good afternoon. Today I have several announcements that I would like to make.

First, I would like to draw your attention to the Joint Statement issued earlier today at the 2+2 Japan-US Security Consultative Committee meeting in Washington, D.C.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi and Minister of State for Defense and Director-General of the Defense Agency Shigeru Ishiba on the Japanese side, and Secretary of State Colin Powell and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz on the American side.

The discussion covered various issues, including the fight against terrorism, the Republic of Iraq, North Korea, missile defense and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and issues relating to the stationing of US troops in Japan.
Related Information (JOINT STATEMENT U.S.-JAPAN SECURITY CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE Washington, DC December 16, 2002)
Dispatch of former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy of the Prime Minister Masahiko Koumura to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Mr. Okuyama: The next announcement is that Masahiko Koumura, a former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy of the Prime Minister, has left Japan for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of Japan's ongoing initiative intended to enhance solidarity in the international community by including countries in the Middle East concerning the issue of Iraq. Various countries have already been covered: Mr. Koumura has already covered the Republic of France and the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Mr. Taro Nakayama, a former Minister for Foreign Affairs, has covered the Islamic Republic of Iran and Mr. Toshimitsu Motegi, Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, has already covered the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Turkey.

Now, Mr. Koumura is on his way to Saudi Arabia and we are arranging for appointments to see high officials of the Government of Saudi Arabia on 18 December.

Mr. Koumura will hold consultations on how to approach Iraq and work toward stability in the region and exchange views on the issue of the Middle East peace process and also bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia.
Related Information (Japan-Saudi Arabia Relations)
Related Information (Japan-Iraq Relations)
Extension of food assistance by Japan through the World Food Programme (WFP)
Mr. Okuyama: I would also like to draw your attention to the press release issued yesterday about food assistance to people in Southern Africa. The Government of Japan has decided to extend food assistance in the amount of 1.1 billion yen through the World Food Programme (WFP) to people suffering in Southern Africa, namely the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Malawi, the Kingdom of Swaziland and the Republic of Zambia.

The notes were exchanged to this effect in Rome yesterday between our Ambassador to Italy, Ms. Nobuko Matsubara, and the Executive Director of the WFP, Mr. James T. Morris.
Related Information (Japan-Africa Relations)
Upcoming visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Sergeevich Ivanov of the Russian Federation
Mr. Okuyama: As we announced earlier this month, Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Sergeevich Ivanov of the Russian Federation is arriving in Tokyo this afternoon, and he will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi tomorrow afternoon. He will then have talks with Minister for Foreign Affairs Kawaguchi in the late afternoon tomorrow.

Just for your information, there was a telephone conversation between the Foreign Ministers of Japan and Russia on 10 December.

During his stay, Foreign Minister Ivanov will exchange views on bilateral relations in preparation for Prime Minister Koizumi's visit to Russia in January 2003, as well as international affairs, such as North Korea and Iraq.
Related Information (Visit to Japan by Mr. Igor Sergeevich Ivanov, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation)
Upcoming visit to Japan by Minister of Foreign Affairs Habib Ben Yahia of the Republic of Tunisia
Mr. Okuyama: We are expecting Minister of Foreign Affairs Habib Ben Yahia of the Republic of Tunisia to arrive this afternoon. During his stay, he will have talks with Minister for Foreign Affairs Kawaguchi, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Takeo Hiranuma, and other high officials of the Government of Japan, as well as of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Foreign Minister Kawaguchi will exchange views with him on bilateral relations, as well as international issues. Foreign Minister Ben Yahia is known as the first Tunisian Ambassador to Japan from 1977-1981.
Related Information (Japan-Tunisia Relations)
Grant Aid to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for the Pakistan Project to Eradicate Poliomyelitis
Mr. Okuyama: The Government of Japan has decided to extend grant aid of up to 1.181 billion yen to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to implement the Project to Eradicate Poliomyelitis drawn up by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Notes to this effect were exchanged in Islamabad on 14 December between Mr. Minoru Shibuya, Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan, and Ms. Carroll Long, Representative of UNICEF Pakistan.

The Government of Pakistan, in cooperation with UNICEF, has been conducting National Immunization Days (NID) annually since 1994 and has been addressing the eradication of poliomyelitis. As a result, the number of polio cases has decreased year by year from 1,803 in 1993 to 116 in 2001, but the number still remains high compared with the global standard. UNICEF has, therefore, instructed Pakistan to intensify the NID, placing active importance on more proactive measures to realize the early eradication of polio in the country. However, the worsening economic conditions in Pakistan have made it difficult for the nation by itself to procure the large amount of vaccine needed for NID.

Under such conditions, the Government of Pakistan and UNICEF have formulated the Project to Eradicate Poliomyelitis and requested grant aid from the Japanese Government to procure the vaccine necessary to implement this project.

The project will provide enough poliomyelitis vaccine to protect about 30 million children under five years of age throughout Pakistan.
Related Information (Grant Aid to UNICEF for the Pakistan Project to Eradicate Poliomyelitis)
Question concerning the visit of Special Envoy of the Prime Minister Masahiko Koumura
Q: Concerning Mr. Koumura's visit to Saudi Arabia, what kind of message is Japan planning to convey to the leaders in Saudi Arabia by sending this Special Envoy?

Mr. Okuyama: Just like we did to the other countries, through three Special Envoys, the important message that Japan will convey is that Japan joins the efforts of the international community in seeking a peaceful resolution of the situation in Iraq. These efforts are centered around United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441.

Mr. Koumura will also discuss issues relating to the Middle East peace process and also bilateral relations. As I said, we are still coordinating arrangements, and we do not yet know specifically whom Mr. Koumura will be meeting on 18 December.

Q: You said that Japan sent three Special Envoys to the countries in the Middle East region except Iraq. Do you not feel that if Japan sent another Envoy to Iraq, it would show that Japan is trying to talk with all countries concerned and not only the surrounding countries?

Mr. Okuyama: Japan's talks with the high echelon of the Government of the Republic of Iraq have continued unabated. I think that collectively, we have met with as many Iraqi officials in the process leading up to the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1441. Foreign Minister Kawaguchi has availed herself on a number of occasions to speak to her counterpart in Iraq.

At the moment, since the inspections are taking place in Iraq, it may not be good timing for us to go to a place which is currently the center of activities. However, we keep in touch with Iraq, and we continue to do our utmost to persuade them to continue to follow the stipulations in the UN Security Council Resolution.

Q: What kind of contact have you had?

Mr. Okuyama: It could be telephone conversations that have happened before, and we can of course use the opportunities relating to the United Nations.
Related Information (Japan-Saudi Arabia Relations)
Related Information (Japan-Iraq Relations)
Questions concerning the Joint Statement of the Japan-United States of America Security Consultative Committee
Q: About the Joint Statement, in the seventh point, sub-paragraph, it says, "The Ministers acknowledged the need to continue current U.S.-Japan cooperative research on ballistic missile defense technologies and to intensify consultation and cooperation on missile defense." There were some reports that Mr. Ishiba wants to transmit the research progress to development progress. Do you have any comment on that?

Mr. Okuyama: Could I ask what you meant by actual development? Do you mean actual manufacturing?

Q: I was referring to theater missile defense (TMD).

Mr. Okuyama: As this paragraph says, we are undertaking cooperative research so "intensifying cooperation on missile defense" is an open possibility. The current research state continues, but, what kind of development we will move on to in the future is not clear.

Q: Does it have something to do with a missile shield?

Mr. Okuyama: Yes, ballistic missile defense technologies.

Q: In item seven, the first paragraph says, "Based on the shared recognition of the growing threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles, the two sides emphasized the need for a comprehensive strategy to address such proliferation, including both defense systems and diplomatic initiatives." That means that you are against the proliferation of missiles.

However, in the last paragraph, you are talking about joint cooperation between Japan and the US on ballistic missile defense technologies. Do you not consider that this part means another form of proliferation of missiles by Japan itself?

Mr. Okuyama: The latter part, ballistic missile defense technology is for defense capabilities, for instance, for shooting down incoming missiles. It is not that we are sending out sophisticated missiles to other countries. Strategically speaking, there is a real threat to Japan's security and other countries in the region because many countries are within the range of North Korea's long-range missiles.

We would be happier if there were more defense capabilities against possible incoming missiles from territories other than Japan. That is not limited only to North Korea, but the real danger that we feel now is from them.

Q: However, you are cooperating with the United States, which in fact is a leader in exporting arms in the world. Do you not feel that your technologies might be exported by the US in its exports of arms, and hence Japan would be part of proliferation of missiles?

Mr. Okuyama: It is not a missile technology; it is a counter-missile technology. Defense means that if country X launched a missile toward Japan, then Japan might want to defend itself by shooting down that missile. That is the kind of technology Japan is trying to cooperate with the United States to develop. Of course, in terms of military and security concerns, the United States has much larger concerns. Their security concerns are really global, whereas our scope is more limited as far as military and defense capabilities go. However, it is not missile technology that Japan is trying to develop with the United States, it is a counter-missile technology to defend ourselves. It is exclusively for defense purposes.

Q: In the statement it warns Iraq of serious consequences. Does this mean that Japan is sending a warning to Iraq?

Mr. Okuyama: If you look at the bold letter of the UN Security Council Resolution 1441, a material breach will lead to serious consequences. That is why we are saying that Iraq should comply unconditionally and on an unlimited basis to the terms and provisions set out in the Resolution. By applying that kind of pressure on Iraq, we have strong hope that a peaceful way out of this current difficulty will be achieved.

Q: Iraq also has weapons of mass destruction and the allegations are also on North Korea, but there has been a difference of approach. The approach toward Iraq is quite different while the approach toward North Korea seems to be a bit lenient from the US side. It looks like the US is quite hard on Iraq but not so hard on North Korea. Does Japan see it this way too?

Mr. Okuyama: I cannot speak for the US government, but they have explicitly said that right now, the immediate danger lies more with Iraq than with North Korea. In the 2+2 Meeting, too, both Japan and the US agreed that we will continue to seek a peaceful resolution of the situation relating to North Korea.

As Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said, North Korea has not really gone astray from the path of a peaceful resolution of the current situation relating to the Korean Peninsula. We continue to harbor very strong hopes that if Japan, the US, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the People's Republic of China all work together, North Korea will somehow give up their declared intention of going back to the situation before the 1994 Agreed Framework was established.
Related Information (JOINT STATEMENT U.S.-JAPAN SECURITY CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE Washington, DC December 16, 2002)
Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
Related Information (Japan-Iraq Relations)
Question concerning second round of normalization talks between Japan and North Korea
Q: Do you have any indication as to when the Japan-North Korea normalization talks will resume?

Mr. Okuyama: First of all, I would like to draw your attention to the part in the Joint Statement of the 2+2 where it is stated that Japan and the US share the common view that Japan's current channel of talks with North Korea is an important avenue to persuade North Korea toward the peaceful resolution of this issue. We are trying our best to convey the message that North Korea should give up unfreezing the facilities in Yongbyon, which may constitute a flagrant violation of the 1994 Agreed Framework and relevant international agreements, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

For this to happen, it is important for Japan and North Korea to have the second round of talks. No definite date has been set at this moment. Just looking back at what transpired in the past, the North Korean side proposed the end of November as a possible date for the second round of talks when we had the first consultation in Kuala Lumpur at the end of September.

At that time, we actually asked them more than 100 questions relating to the whereabouts, identities and a whole range of issues regarding the abductees. Since we were in a position to wait for their quick response, possibly within a week or two, at that time, we did not agree to hold the second consultation at the end of November. What happened was that there were no replies from North Korea, so the situation remains as such. We keep in touch with them informally, so we would like for North Korea to be more forthcoming on having the second round of consultation talks.
Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
Question concerning possible transmission of nuclear technologies from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to North Korea
Q: There was an article this morning about Pakistan supplying North Korea with nuclear technologies. There were reports in the New York Times as well that as recently as last summer, this has been going on. Has Japan formally conveyed its displeasure to Pakistan? Has Japan asked Pakistan about these reports, and would it consider slapping economic sanctions on the country if these reports are true?

Mr. Okuyama: The possible transmission of nuclear technology from any country to North Korea would be a source of concern to us, but we do not have substantiated evidence that Pakistan has actually supplied certain technologies to North Korea. We have conveyed our feeling of concern to the Pakistani side. There is, at the moment, no specific or general talk of imposing economic sanctions against Pakistan, none whatsoever.

Q: Has Pakistan clarified this when you conveyed your message or talked to parties concerned?

Mr. Okuyama: I have to check and come back to you on that.
Related Information (Japan-Pakistan Relations)
Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
Question concerning the situation in Afghanistan
Q: During the Security Consultative Committee meeting with the Secretary of State of the United States, on the details of the reconstruction of Afghanistan was it discussed that it should be speeded up? It has already been one year. The reconstruction of Afghanistan has not been sped up.

Mr. Okuyama: We have been watching very closely through our Embassy in Kabul, as well as our post in Pakistan. We are collecting information and watching what has been happening in Afghanistan very carefully, not only in Kabul but also relying on indirect information on what is happening in other parts of Afghanistan. We are concerned about the security situation.

As far as the reconstruction efforts go, we have done our utmost to help the Government and the people of Afghanistan in the resettlement of refugees and in the rehabilitation and reconstruction process. I do not have the figure with me, but more recently we agreed with the US to help with road construction. We are doing our best to reinforce the airport facilities. We also helped in the process leading up to the Loya Jirga in broadcasting so that information dissemination would be carried out to the fullest extent possible about what was happening in the Loya Jirga to the remote areas of Afghanistan. We have done what we could, but we continue to be concerned with the deterioration of the security situation there.
Related Information (Japan-Afghanistan Relations)
Question concerning Japan's initiatives for free trade agreements (FTA)
Q: China intends to conclude an FTA with the whole of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Where does Japan stand in terms of its possible future plans to conclude free trade agreements (FTA) with countries in the region? More specifically, is there a possibility of a Japan-Republic of Korea FTA?

Mr. Okuyama: We take a two-tier approach, that is, we seek a Japan-ASEAN free trade area. This is something that we are considering within the next ten years. We also rely on a building block approach, whereby we accumulate bilateral FTAs with countries that are ready for it. We have already concluded an FTA with the Republic of Singapore, which we call an economic partnership arrangement (EPA), that came into effect at the end of November. We are negotiating one with the United Mexican States at the moment. As for other countries in ASEAN and the Republic of Korea, they are next in terms of priority, so it will not be long before Japan concludes a Japan-Republic of Korea FTA.

Thus, we rely on this two-tier approach. Our ultimate aim may be to somehow establish a free trade area in East Asia as a whole, but we are following practical steps.
Related Information (Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA))
Question concerning current political situation in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Q: How do you feel about the emergence of the religious right parties in Pakistan? What do you have to say about the release of so-called militant terrorists in a bid to win political favors with this religious right block?

Mr. Okuyama: Sometimes we refrain from making specific comments on internal matters. I think I will try to check what we can say on this and will come back to you.

Q: Now the new government has already been formed and started working in Pakistan. The new government has announced that it would pursue these economic and diplomatic policies based on President Pervaiz Musharraf's work. However, if they do not, what will be the response by the Government of Japan?

Mr. Okuyama: I will come back to you on that.
Related Information (Japan-Pakistan Relations)

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