Press Conference 16 March 2004

1. Congratulatory message from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation on his reelection
2. Food assistance to Republic of Haiti
3. Grant assistance to Islamic Republic of Pakistan
4. Question concerning possible withdrawal of troops from Iraq by Kingdom of Spain
5. Question concerning Japanese security measures against possible terrorist attack
6. Question concerning domestic security measures

1. Congratulatory message from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation on his reelection

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

   The first announcement is about the result of the presidential election in the Russian Federation.

   Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi sent a message of congratulations to President Vladimir Putin of Russia for his reelection. In this message, Prime Minister Koizumi extended his heartfelt congratulations to President Putin on his victory and expressed his strong expectation to bring about major advancement in the bilateral relations between Japan and Russia based upon the Action Plan.

   Prime Minister Koizumi noted that next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the diplomatic relations between the two countries and said that he will work with President Putin to make further progress toward the signing of a peace treaty.

   Related Information (Japan-Russia Relations)
   
2. Food assistance to Republic of Haiti

   Mr. Takashima: The second announcement is about food assistance to the Republic of Haiti.

   The Government of Japan today decided to provide 300 million yen (US$2.7 million) worth of food assistance to Haiti through the World Food Programme (WFP). This assistance will be given in response to the United Nations flash appeal to the international community to assist this Caribbean island nation with various humanitarian assistance including provision of food, medicine and others.

   Related Information (Japan-Haiti Relations)
   
3. Grant assistance to Islamic Republic of Pakistan

   Mr. Takashima: The third announcement is about assistance to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

   The Government of Japan today decided to extend 4.289 billion yen (US$39 million) worth of grant assistance to the Government of Pakistan. This grant assistance will be used for various projects including the economic structural reform of the nation and development in water resources and projects for environmental protection as well as medical services especially for infant patients. This assistance will be part of the economic assistance package to Pakistan worth US$300 million which was announced by the Government in November 2003.

   Related Information (Japan-Pakistan Relations)
   
4. Question concerning possible withdrawal of troops from Iraq by Kingdom of Spain

   Q: The new prime minister of the Kingdom of Spain has been elected and he also mentioned that they are thinking about withdrawing their troops from Iraq, the earliest time being this June. What is your viewpoint about this possible withdrawal by Spain?

   Mr. Takashima: This is a very hypothetical question and I would rather not answer it directly.

   However, we noted that the newly elected leader of Spain also indicated that the fight against terrorism will be continued by the nation and that Spain may withdraw its troops from Iraq if the situation continues as it is now. We think that we should wait and see what will happen to the country first. At the same time, we will work closely with the Spanish Government to exchange information in order to bring about the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq.

   Related Information (Japan-Spain Relations)
   
5. Question concerning Japanese security measures against possible terrorist attack

   Q: One of the countries named on this tape that was retrieved in Spain that allegedly featured the voice of an Al Qaeda operative mentioned actually all of the countries that have allied themselves with the United States of America in the war in Iraq. Given what happened in Madrid last weekend, what sort of measures are being taken within the Japanese Government right now to ensure that the same thing does not happen either to the troops in Iraq or people here in Tokyo?

   Mr. Takashima: We are aware of the press report saying that in the alleged Al Qaeda tape Japan was named as one of the possible targets for a next terrorist attack. However, we are also fully aware that such groups have already mentioned Japan as a possible target of terrorist attack on previous occasions, especially in connection with the dispatch of our Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to Iraq.

   Since the SDF are in Iraq and they have already started their humanitarian assistance activities for the Iraqi people, here in Japan and other places, we decided to enhance our security through various measures. In particular, such places as airports or major stations are being surveyed by the police forces. We believe that those measures are adequate to prevent terrorist attack.

   Q: Were these measures already in place after the troops began arriving in Iraq or have there been additional measures taken since the bombs in Spain because that would suggest that the threat is even greater than imagined before?

   Mr. Takashima: We do not discuss the details of the security measures we are taking, but I can say that those terrorist attacks in Spain do not indicate any need for Japanese security to be changed or modified, and rather the situation continues unchanged.

6. Question concerning domestic security measures

   Q: As a quick follow-up, I know that you are a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and not for the National Police Agency, but there were reports several weeks ago on the police stepping up its surveillance of the very small Muslim community in Japan. Is that something that is continuing and will continue?

   Mr. Takashima: I have no comment on that sort of press report. Freedom of religion is very well respected in this country, and there are no measures taken by the Government or governmental agencies to take any exceptional action on any particular religious group.