Press Conference 17 February 2004

1. Signing of the Agreement between Japan and the Republic of Korea on Social Security
2. Assistance for Supporting Community-engaged Poverty Reduction Project in Kingdom of Cambodia
3. Upcoming meeting of Japan-United States of America Commission on Arms Control, Disarmament, Nonproliferation and Verification
4. Upcoming trilateral coordination meeting among Japan, United States of America and Republic of Korea on North Korea
5. Follow-up questions concerning Japan-US Commission on Arms Control and Nonproliferation
6. Questions concerning recent visit to North Korea by Japanese Government officials
7. Questions concerning recent visit by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Ichiro Fujisaki to Islamic Republic of Pakistan

1. Signing of the Agreement between Japan and the Republic of Korea on Social Security

   Press Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima: Good afternoon and thank you for coming to the briefing. Before taking questions, I would like to make four announcements.

   The first is on the signing of the Agreement between Japan and the Republic of Korea on Social Security.

   Today in Seoul at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea, the Governments of Japan and the Republic of Korea signed the Agreement on Social Security. The signing was done by Japanese Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Toshiyuki Takano and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ban Ki-Moon of the Republic of Korea.

   At present, a person employed either in Japan or Korea who is dispatched to the other country is obliged to be enrolled in the pension systems of both Japan and the Republic of Korea and has to pay both social security premiums. The Japan-Korea Social Security Agreement, intended to solve this and other relevant problems, allows a temporary employee dispatched up to five years, in principle, to be enrolled only in the pension system of his original country.

   It is expected that the conclusion of this Agreement will further promote personnel and economic exchanges between Japan and the Republic of Korea.

   Related Information (Signing of the Agreement between Japan and the Republic of Korea on Social Security)
   
2. Assistance for Supporting Community-engaged Poverty Reduction Project in Kingdom of Cambodia

   Mr. Takashima: The second announcement is on the assistance for the Kingdom of Cambodia.

   On 16 February, the Government of Japan and the United Nations (UN) decided to extend assistance of a total of about US$1,115,000 through the Trust Fund for Human Security for the project "Phnom Penh - Partnership for Urban Poverty Reduction - Phase II" to be implemented by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme known as UN-HABITAT. This project aims to strengthen the competence and dignity of the poor communities in the Kingdom of Cambodia by improving their living environment.

   Based upon the developments achieved through the preceding "Phnom Penh-Local Partnership for Urban Poverty Reduction" project, the Phase II project promotes community-based activities for improving the living environment of the slums in Phnom Penh. The project includes the establishment of a Community Human Security Fund that will support the implementation of approximately 260 Community Action Plans covering areas of water and sanitation, sewerage, solid waste disposal and income generation.

   Related Information (Assistance for Supporting Community-engaged Poverty Reduction Project in Cambodia)
   
3. Upcoming meeting of Japan-United States of America Commission on Arms Control, Disarmament, Nonproliferation and Verification

   Mr. Takashima: The third announcement is on the Japan-United States of America Commission on Arms Control, Disarmament, Nonproliferation and Verification.

   The seventh meeting of the Japan-US Commission on Arms Control and Nonproliferation will be held in Tokyo on 18 February. This meeting will be attended by Director-General for Arms Control and Scientific Affairs Yukiya Amano and Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton of the United States.

   It is expected that the two sides will discuss various issues on arms control and nonproliferation, such as the strengthening of the measures taken by the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), the regional situation on disarmament and nonproliferation, and preparation for the Nonproliferation Treaty conference in 2005.

   Related Information (Japan-The United States Relations)
   Related Information (Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation)
   
4. Upcoming trilateral coordination meeting among Japan, United States of America and Republic of Korea on North Korea

   Mr. Takashima: The last announcement is on the trilateral meeting among Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea on North Korean issues.

   The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today announced that a three-party meeting among Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea for the unofficial policy coordination and consultation on the issues of North Korea will be held in Seoul on 23 February.

   From Japan, Director-General of Asian and Oceanic Affairs Bureau Mitoji Yabunaka will attend while Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly will represent the United States and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Lee Soon-hyuck will represent the Republic of Korea.

   Incidentally, Deputy Foreign and Trade Minister Lee Soon-hyuck is in Tokyo today and will be meeting with Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukio Takeuchi this afternoon.

   Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
   
5. Follow-up questions concerning Japan-US Commission on Arms Control and Nonproliferation

   Q: First of all, regarding tomorrow's meeting on arms control, is there going to be a briefing or some kind of press meeting after that?

   Mr. Takashima: I expect that there will be a briefing afterwards.

   Q: Is it possible for the foreign media to attend?

   Mr. Takashima: Yes.

   Q: Who is Mr. Bolton seeing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

   Mr. Takashima: I do not have a list of names but he will certainly be meeting with senior officials of the Government of Japan, especially at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

   Related Information (Japan-The United States Relations)
   Related Information (Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation)
   
6. Questions concerning recent visit to North Korea by Japanese Government officials

   Q: I have some questions about the Japan-North Korea meeting. I would like to confirm a few things. One is, I understand that the North Koreans have demanded for Japan to return the five returned abductees, but did they actually propose that if the five of them returned to North Korea, they would let the family members come to Japan? Did they make that proposal?

   Mr. Takashima: The discussion did not go that far. The North Korean side reiterated its basic position that the five victims had to be returned to North Korea. They repeated their demand again and again, and there was no further discussion especially on the measures such as you are referring to.

   Q: I understand that the Japanese delegates brought a letter from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Did the North Korean side give some kind of message from Chairman Kim Jong-il?

   Mr. Takashima: The message from Prime Minister Koizumi was not a written message; rather, it was an oral communication conveyed through the Japanese officials. The North Korean side simply said that they would convey the message to their leader.

   Q: Is it usual in diplomatic protocol for one side of delegates to bring a message, even a verbal one, from their leader, and the other side does not give any message in return?

   Mr. Takashima: I would not evaluate that in diplomatic terms, but that was the fact and that was exactly what transpired in Pyongyang last Friday.

   Q: Is Japan disappointed that North Korea did not respond?

   Mr. Takashima: We are not disappointed. The talks of the two Japanese officials to Pyongyang opened the channel of governmental dialogue between Japan and North Korea on issues, including abduction. It is very important to have that channel open, so we are hoping that the next round of talks will be held at the earliest possible time.

   Q: Before the Japanese delegates went to Pyongyang, the Japanese Diet decided to revise the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law that enables Japan to impose economic sanctions. How does Japan evaluate this? Was it effective? I read someplace that people said that it was effective; in another place it said that it was bad timing and really agitated North Korea. They kept criticizing about this bill and so on. What was your evaluation?

   Mr. Takashima: I cannot comment on the North Korean reaction except to say that they made a very critical comment on the Japanese Diet passage of the amendment of the Foreign Exchange Law.

   As far as the Japanese Government is concerned, we believe that this passage has added one more tool for the Japanese Government to deal with North Korea, and we would continue to utilize the pressure as well as dialogue in dealing with North Korea. Whether we would actually implement this new amendment of the law, we have not decided. Currently, we do not have any intention to place any sort of sanctions on foreign currency issues vis-à-vis North Korea.

   Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
   
7. Questions concerning recent visit by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Ichiro Fujisaki to Islamic Republic of Pakistan

   Q: On a different topic, I think it was last week that Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Ichiro Fujisaki visited the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and requested Pakistan to share information about the proliferation of their nuclear technology, especially to North Korea. What else was discussed? What else was agreed?

   Mr. Takashima: Deputy Foreign Minister Fujisaki discussed such issues as the Indian-Pakistani peace talks, the general situation in the border area between Pakistan and India, particularly Kashmir, and also the importance of the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. Deputy Minister Fujisaki urged once again the Pakistani leader to join the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Those are the issues that came up as main topics of the discussions.

   Q: I understand that the nuclear issue of North Korea is very critical for Japan. What kind of tools does Japan have to encourage Pakistan to share their information? I understand that Mr. Fujisaki is in charge of the economic side among him and Deputy Foreign Minister Hitoshi Tanaka.

   Mr. Takashima: He is the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs specializing in economic affairs, but his area is not limited only to economic affairs.

   What Deputy Minister Fujisaki discussed with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was that Japan would like to have the information on Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan's activity on the exportation or leaking of nuclear technology to various countries, especially to North Korea.

   The Pakistani leader promised that Pakistan will share the information with Japan along with other countries concerned.

   Q: Did he share any specific information on this visit?

   Mr. Takashima: Not at this moment yet.

   Q: But he promised that he will provide some information?

   Mr. Takashima: In due course we will receive information. That is my understanding.

   Q: In connection with Dr. Khan's case of proliferation of technology, along with Malaysia and the Federal Republic of Germany and other countries, Japan was also mentioned. In what way is Japan involved and who is investigating what?

   Mr. Takashima: The Government of Japan is now applying a catch-all policy that any of the technologies related to nuclear or weapons of mass destruction have to be carefully monitored especially in terms of transfer to another country. We have been cooperating with other countries in full in stopping this kind of transaction in nuclear weapons-related technologies. We will continue to do so, and once we receive the information, the Japanese police and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will take the necessary measures.

   Q: But the catch-all is fairly recent. I believe it was implemented last year or two years ago and Dr Khan's activities have been going on for a long time. Is there any way for the police to investigate that far back?

   Mr. Takashima: If there has been any sort of violation of export control or regulation which relates to the control of exportation, we will take the necessary measures, so this is a matter of investigation.

   Q: So it is not just a catch-all. Are the police and the Trade Ministry both working on this?

   Mr. Takashima: Yes.

   Q: Do we know so far what it was like, whether they hid goods or if it was somebody?

   Mr. Takashima: We do not have any new information yet.

   Related Information (Japan-Pakistan Relations)