Press Conference 30 November 2004

1. Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on the acceptance by the Ethiopian Government of the decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission
2. Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement
3. Questions concerning possible United Nations (UN) Security Council reform

1. Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on the acceptance by the Ethiopian Government of the decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission

   Press Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima: Good afternoon and thank you very much for coming to the briefing. Today, I would like to make two announcements before I take questions.

   One is about the possible settlement of the border dispute between the State of Eritrea and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

   The Government of Japan today issued a Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on the acceptance by the Ethiopian Government of the decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission in which it says:

   Japan welcomes the fact that the Ethiopian Government decided to accept, in principle, the Decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission.

   Japan strongly hopes that this decision of the Ethiopian Government will provide impetus to start the border demarcation promptly between Ethiopia and Eritrea and facilitate the peace process between the two countries based on the spirit of mutual concession.

   Japan, having been encouraging both Ethiopia and Eritrea to seek peace, intends to continue its assistance toward the final settlement of their border issue.

   Related Information (Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Acceptance by the Ethiopian Government of the Decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission)
   
2. Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement

   Mr. Takashima: The second announcement is about the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) reached between Japan and the Republic of the Philippines.

   Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines conducted a bilateral meeting yesterday in Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic, and confirmed that both sides reached agreements in principle on the major elements of the EPA between our two countries.

   Based on the achievement made so far, both sides confirmed that they will expeditiously proceed with work to finalize the Agreement, including negotiations on the text of the Agreement.

   The purposes of the Agreement are to promote a freer trans-border flow of goods, persons, services and capital between Japan and the Philippines. The Agreement also aims to promote a comprehensive economic partnership, which includes intellectual property, competition policy, improvement of business environment and bilateral cooperation in such fields as human resources development, information and communications technology and small and medium enterprises. After the conclusion of the Agreement, the Agreement is expected to contribute to make the most of the complementary relations between Japan and the Philippines and thus to strengthen even more the existing bilateral economic relations.

   Japan and the Philippines have been negotiating this EPA since February of this year.

   Related Information (Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement - Joint Press Statement -)
   
3. Questions concerning possible United Nations (UN) Security Council reform

   Q: I have a question on United Nations (UN) Security Council reform. What exactly is the Government of Japan aiming for in terms of UN Security Council reform?

   Mr. Takashima: The Government of Japan decided to announce its legitimacy as a candidate for permanent member of the Security Council so that Japan, as a peace-loving non-nuclear nation, can have a special role to play in order to promote peace and stability in the world. Also, as the second largest economy in the world, Japan would be able to play a larger role in promoting prosperity and eradication of poverty from the face of the earth. In order to do so, we believe that Japan should have a permanent seat at the UN Security Council so that Japanese views can be reflected in the decision-making process of the UN.

   Since the Security Council is the major decision-making body of the UN, as the second largest contributor to the UN regular budget and other financial arrangements, Japan should have more say on every procedure being taken at the UN.

   Japan is not only promoting its candidature for permanent member of the Security Council but also, Japan is promoting the reform of structural and various other aspects of the UN as a whole including Economic and Social Council reforms, General Assembly, as well as the financial arrangement of the UN.

   We believe that next year, which happens to be the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the UN, would be the best opportunity ever to realize this kind of reform so that the UN can be revitalized, be more effective, and have a more important role to play for the peace, stability, and prosperity of the world.

   By becoming a permanent member of the Security Council, we believe Japan can play a significant role not only for the promotion of this reform but also for the realization of the purpose of this reform. We are looking forward to hearing from Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan on his decision on the recommendation which is scheduled to be presented to him by the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change on 2 December.

   Q: Would you say that being a permanent member of the Security Council is connected to Japan's security for instance? Japan is facing increasing threats from North Korea. Would you say there is any kind of a link between being a permanent member of the Security Council and the security of this region?

   Mr. Takashima: Northeast Asia is a part of the world where some sort of residuals from the Cold War era still exists. Security is one of the major issues in this part of the world, and therefore, we are very much concerned about how to promote and realize stability in this part of the world, just like what we have already witnessed in Europe.

   As a permanent member of the Security Council, we can be involved in the discussions and decision-making process of the Security Council, which is a major body dealing with security issues in any part of the world, including this area. So naturally, we are very much interested in becoming a permanent member partly because of these regional reasons. However, this is only a part of it. Our strong wish is to play a greater role in the global issues, not limited to regional issues.

   Related Information (Japan and the United Nations)