Press Conference 6 July 2004

1. Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on ballistic missile test by India
2. The Second Conference for Confidence-Building between the Israelis and the Palestinians
3. Question concerning visit by Niigata officials to Ministry of Foreign Affairs
4. Question concerning reunion of Ms. Hitomi Soga's family
5. Questions concerning Mr. Charles Jenkins
6. Follow-up question concerning Second Conference for Confidence-Building
7. Question concerning meeting of United Nations High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change in Kyoto, Japan

1. Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on ballistic missile test by India

   Assistant Press Secretary Jiro Okuyama: Good afternoon. At the outset, I would like to make two brief statements.

   One is about the ballistic missile test by the Republic of India.

   The Government of Japan expresses its regret that India conducted a ballistic missile test on 4 July, despite the continued efforts by the international community to promote disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.

   The Government of Japan further calls on India to respond sincerely to the efforts by the international community to promote disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.

   Related Information (Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Ballistic Missile Test by India)
   
2. The Second Conference for Confidence-Building between the Israelis and the Palestinians

   Mr. Okuyama: Secondly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host a Second Conference for Confidence-Building between the Israelis and the Palestinians from 12-14 July in Tokyo and its suburbs.

   Participants of the Conference will be Mr. Dan Meridor, former Minister of Finance, from the Israeli side and Dr. Sa'eb Erekat, Minister for Negotiations Affairs, from the Palestinian side. The Japanese participants will include Dr. Tatsuo Arima, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan, and Mr. Kohei Hashimoto, Professor, Institute of General Science, Nihon University. Other participants from each side will include those concerned from academic and business circles. The participants will exchange views on current political situation and how to build an ideal cooperative relationship between the Israelis and the Palestinians in the economic field aiming at peaceful coexistence.

   This Conference, which will be held, following the First Conference held in May last year, will be a part of Japan's initiative for confidence-building between the Israelis and the Palestinians, one of Japan's policy pillars for promoting peace in the Middle East.

   Related Information (The Second Conference for Confidence-Building between the Israelis and the Palestinians)
   
3. Question concerning visit by Niigata officials to Ministry of Foreign Affairs

   Q: I understand that representatives of the Niigata government were here in the morning. Could you tell us what the discussion was about?

   Mr. Okuyama: I have to check on that, and I will come back to you. I do not have the details with me.

4. Question concerning reunion of Ms. Hitomi Soga's family

   Q: I understand that Ms. Hitomi Soga will be reunited with her whole family in Jakarta, Republic of Indonesia later this week. What would happen afterwards? Would you say there is a possibility that Mr. Charles Jenkins or his family will go back to North Korea?

   Mr. Okuyama: This reunion is intended to provide an opportunity for Ms. Soga to speak with Mr. Jenkins and their two daughters in a relaxed atmosphere and for as long as they wish. As you are well aware, on the occasion of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Pyongyang on 22 May, Mr. Jenkins and his two daughters could not immediately come to Japan because of Mr. Jenkins' own wishes. Therefore, we have taken the time so far to arrange for this reunion to take place in a third country. This is where we are. The Japanese Government will continue to make its best efforts to secure the ultimate stay in Japan by Mr. Jenkins and his two daughters. This is the stance that we have been taking, and we will continue to take this stance.

   Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations Abduction Cases of Japanese Nationals)
   
5. Questions concerning Mr. Charles Jenkins

   Q: About the situation of Mr. Jenkins, is there any way besides negotiating with the United States of America to resolve this issue.

   Mr. Okuyama: We understand that for the United States, from a legal perspective, Mr. Jenkins is a deserter. As a result of the discussion between Prime Minister Koizumi and President Bush, we will continue to be in touch with the American side to continue our discussion on this.

   May I repeat that ultimately, we would like to secure the stay of Mr. Jenkins and their two daughters in Japan.

   Q: Some news reports say that if Mr. Jenkins can be naturalized as a Japanese citizen, then the Government does not have to hand him over to the US side. Do you have any comments on this?

   Mr. Okuyama: The most important thing for us is to give as much assistance as possible to the former abductees. In this instance, it is Ms. Soga. We would like to realize Ms. Soga's wish. In order for us to do so, there may be various possibilities. As to exactly what we are thinking, that is something that we cannot comment on.

   Q: Would you say there is more than one possibility or that there are various possibilities?

   Mr. Okuyama: We would rather not comment on which one or two or three or more of these specific possibilities are under consideration. Anyway, we will be in touch with the United States.

6. Follow-up question concerning Second Conference for Confidence-Building

   Q: Can you give us a little bit more details about what the Israeli and Palestinian representatives are planning to discuss at this Conference in Tokyo? Why is Japan holding the Second Conference now?

   Mr. Okuyama: The participants from the Israeli side and also from the Palestinian side are people in positions of influence. Dr. Erekat is in charge of peace negotiations with Israel, and Mr. Meridor has held important positions in the Israeli Government. With Japanese participants headed by Dr. Arima joining the discussion, we are hoping that somehow, direct discussion will take place in a serene and calm environment, away from areas of conflict in the Middle East.

   On the question of the unilateral withdrawal of Israel from Gaza and other areas, we believe it is indispensable that this be done in accordance with the Roadmap. In order for this to happen, we believe it is extremely important that the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority have, at an early date, a direct negotiation, and thereby, making substantial headway in their constructive cooperation for the removal of the settlements. We are hoping that this will create progress in the process of the Roadmap.

   Japan's involvement in the Middle East peace process is not new. We have been doing what we can including holding the First Conference for Confidence-Building in addition to providing substantial amount of assistance to Palestinians since the early 1990s. In that sense, it is one step forward from the point of view of Japan's initiative, to hold this conference under the circumstances where we believe that early resumption of talks between the two parties is indispensable for making headway in the Middle East peace process.

   Related Information (The Second Conference for Confidence-Building between the Israelis and the Palestinians)
   
7. Question concerning meeting of United Nations High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change in Kyoto, Japan

   Q: Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi joined members of the United Nations High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change for its meeting in Kyoto this morning. Are the participants of this meeting planning to release a statement or any sort of documents?

   Mr. Okuyama: To the best of my knowledge, it is not intended that the meeting will produce anything in the form of a document.

   Related Information (Remarks by Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on the Occasion of Kyoto Meeting on Threats, Challenges and Change)