Press Conference 6 September 2005
- Assistance for Hurricane Katrina
- Messages of condolence
- Deaths of Japanese citizens in Afghanistan
- Emergency assistance to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House) and provincial council elections in Afghanistan
- Missing Japanese national in the Republic of Indonesia
- Emergency grant aid to the Republic of Indonesia
- Emergency grant aid after Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank
- Appointment of Dr. Sen Genshitsu, Chairman of the UN Association of Japan, as Japan-UN Goodwill Ambassador
- Grant assistance to the Republic of Senegal
- Visit to Japan by the Republic of Uganda
- Follow-up question concerning message of condolence from His Majesty the Emperor
- Question concerning visit to Japan by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of the State of Israel
- Question concerning cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and foreign media
- Follow-up question concerning deaths of Japanese citizens in Afghanistan
- Questions concerning nuclear programs
- Question concerning Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in Iraq
- Assistance for Hurricane Katrina
Assistant Press Secretary Akira Chiba: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much for coming to this briefing.
For those who are in Tokyo for a short visit, welcome to Japan. This briefing was scheduled to be given by Deputy Press Secretary/Deputy Director-General for Press and Public Relations Tomohiko Taniguchi but unfortunately he was taken ill. He has a slight cold, so I am sitting in. The weather is quite dampening but so is the news around the world.
The biggest natural disaster that has come upon mankind this week is of course Hurricane Katrina that is devastating some southern states. The Government of Japan decided to provide US$200,000 to the American Red Cross. Apart from this, Japan has decided to release relief material that would amount to US$300,000 for the disaster through our reserve which is located in Florida.
- Messages of condolence
Mr. Chiba: His Majesty the Emperor sent a message of condolence to President George W. Bush of the United States of America (US), which reads like this:
I am deeply grieved at the sad news of the great loss of life and serious damage caused by the recent hurricane disaster in your country.
I wish to express to you and the people of your country my heartfelt condolences.
Also during their conversation on telephone, Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura expressed the same feelings to his US counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Chairman of the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific James A. Leach visited Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda yesterday, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hosoda also expressed his condolences to the victims of the hurricane.
- Deaths of Japanese citizens in Afghanistan
Mr. Chiba: There were lives lost elsewhere in the world. As you all know there were two teachers traveling in Afghanistan who were missing, and tragically they were found dead. It was confirmed that the bodies found in Afghanistan were indeed those two individuals. These bodies were transported from Kabul to Dubai to be cremated.
- Emergency assistance to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House) and provincial council elections in Afghanistan
Mr. Chiba: As far as Afghanistan is concerned, Japan has decided to provide emergency assistance to the Wolesi Jirga and the provincial council elections in Afghanistan. This aid will go through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The decision was made today, 6 September, to extend US$5.0 million to the UNDP for the purpose of assisting the 2004-2005 Afghan Elections Project PHASE II in Afghanistan.
- Missing Japanese national in the Republic of Indonesia
Mr. Chiba: Although we are waiting for further news, there is a missing Japanese national in the Republic of Indonesia following the plane crash. The little girl, who is Mio Watanabe, is 3 years old. Her mother is Japanese and her father is Indonesian. She seems to have been aboard the plane that crashed in Medan in Indonesia. We are still waiting for further news as to her whereabouts.
- Emergency grant aid to the Republic of Indonesia
Mr. Chiba: As far as Indonesia is concerned, today, 6 September, the Government of Japan decided to extend emergency grant aid of US$1.8 million to Indonesia through the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to prevent the transmission of polio.
- Emergency grant aid after Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank
Mr. Chiba: Another aid to be provided from Japan through a United Nations (UN) institution is our emergency grant aid after Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank. Today the Government of Japan decided to extend emergency grant aid totaling about US$49.7 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for the Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the UNDP. This aid will be carried out as part of Japan's Emergency Assistance Package for the Palestinian people worth "approximately US$100.0 million," which Prime Minister Koizumi pledged to President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority when the latter visited Japan in May this year.
The aim of this assistance is to stabilize civilian life in areas including the Gaza Strip after Israel's withdrawal that started on 15 August. Japan's assistance will be extended for rehabilitating the Salah-Addin regional road in the Gaza Strip, constructing a sewage water treatment plant and associated main pressure lines in Khan Younis City, re-housing non-refugee families in the Gaza Strip, expanding water distribution networks in the northern part of West Bank, and constructing a court house in the Jenin Governorate.
We will also undertake rehabilitation of Palestine Refugees' Shelters in the Gaza Strip. The UNRWA will implement this project, totaling US$5.5 million. It is hoped that through these projects, jobs will be created for about 1,670 Palestinian workers per day and help ease the serious unemployment problem in these areas.
Japan hopes that the assistance will contribute to improving the life of the Palestinian people, who are facing economic hardship, and to furthering the efforts of the Abbas Government for the peace process, at a time when there is an active movement in the Middle East peace process. Japan also intends to continue assistance to the Palestinians and support the peace process efforts of the parties concerned to solve the Palestinian issue, which is the key to achieving peace in the Middle East.
- Appointment of Dr. Sen Genshitsu, Chairman of the UN Association of Japan, as Japan-UN Goodwill Ambassador
Mr. Chiba: As I have made clear all these assistance schemes that I introduced today are done through UN institutions. On top of that there is another undertaking of the Japanese Government concerning the UN, and that is the appointment of Dr. Sen Genshitsu, Chairman of the UN Association of Japan as Japan-UN Goodwill Ambassador.
Dr. Sen is the 15th Grand Master of Urasenke, which is an outstanding tea ceremony household. Dr. Sen, who is also working as the Chairman of the UN Association of Japan, was appointed yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Japan-UN Goodwill Ambassador. He will undertake activities such as cultural exchange and introduce Japanese culture through the way of tea.
- Grant assistance to the Republic of Senegal
Mr. Chiba: Japan decided to provide grant assistance of 642 million yen for the project to construct a school for the cultivation of teachers. That is to say we are going to provide funding for a vocational school for teachers in Senegal.
- Visit to Japan by Minister of Tourism, Trade and Industry Daudi Migereko of the Republic of Uganda
Mr. Chiba: The final announcement is that Minister of Tourism, Trade and Industry Daudi Migereko of the Republic of Uganda is going to visit Japan on the occasion of the Ugandan National Day which falls on 7 September. Minister Migereko has been in Japan from 4 September and he will here until 9 September.
Since most of the news had a very dampening tone I would like to end on a positive tone today. Sixth of September happens to be the anniversary of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai winning the Silver Lion Prize at the Venetian film festival in 1954. It just so happens that on the same day Hanabi of Takeshi Kitano won the Golden Lion Prize at the same film festival. With that happy tone I would like to take your questions.
- Follow-up question concerning message of condolence from His Majesty the Emperor
Q: When did His Majesty the Emperor send the letter to express his condolences?
Mr. Chiba: I believe Japan sent the cable on 2 September.
- Question concerning visit to Japan by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of the State of Israel
Q: I have a question about the peace process in the Middle East. In connection with today's announcement about Japan's aid to Palestinian people, could you tell us the latest development of the bilateral talks between the Japanese and Israeli Governments on the planned visit of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of the State of Israel?
Mr. Chiba: We expect Prime Minister Sharon to visit Japan earlier this year but apparently he is engaged in affairs concerning the disengagement. We are still waiting for response from the Israeli Government as to when it is convenient for Prime Minister Sharon to visit Japan. On the Japanese side we are ready to welcome him any time.
- Question concerning cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and foreign media
Q: We are attending a symposium for reporters who are working for the Japanese mass media. Two of us represent the Middle East, others represent South Asia including the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of India, and so on and so forth. On this occasion, I just wanted to explain the nature of our mission. I would like to ask you a question about the preparedness or readiness of the Foreign Ministry to cooperate with the foreign mass media, I mean, the third-world mass media.
Mr. Chiba: Our operation with the foreign media is for example what is happening in Iraq before your eyes. We are ready to provide information to media mainly stationed in Tokyo but also to visitors like yourself. There is another gentleman sitting in front of you who happens to be invited from the Republic of Lebanon. This is another thing that we do. We invite journalists from all over the world to visit Japan to basically formulate their own agenda. We do not have a fixed agenda. It is rather that we ask them to have their own idea of what they want to do in Japan, who they want to meet and we set up all the interviews for them. It is up to the journalists to do whatever they would want to do with the interviews. After they go back they can report about what they saw in Japan. If the journalist manages to understand Japan in a fair manner, then I can say that our objective is attained. We do not aim at building pro-Japanese people. All we want are people who are knowledgeable about Japan, and that is the objective of us inviting foreign journalists mainly from developing countries.
- Follow-up question concerning deaths of Japanese citizens in Afghanistan
Q: You had mentioned about the killing of two Japanese citizens who entered Afghanistan through Pakistan. Is there any more information from your embassy in Kabul? What was the purpose of their visit? It has been said that they were visitors or tourists, but I do not think Pakistan would give a place for tourists. Secondly, what was their motive?
Mr. Chiba: Since these two people are already deceased and much of the information will concern their privacy, what I can give you is very limited. As from what we understand, the male teacher, Mr. Jun Fukusho, has visited Afghanistan before. He is very interested in Afghan culture, Buddhist relics and the like. He had an affection toward the Afghan people at the same time. We have learned that the objective of their entry into Afghanistan was tourism as was the case with him before. How they entered, from which part of Afghanistan they entered and who were the culprits, these pieces of information we are trying to gather. I am sorry, I am not in a position to disclose this at this time.
Q: Are you going to issue a warning advising your citizens that they should not enter Afghanistan?
Mr. Chiba: The Government of Japan had already advised its citizens not to travel to that particular area in Afghanistan. These two individuals did not follow the advice of the Japanese Government.
Q: Iraq as well?
Mr. Chiba: The Government also advises its citizens not to visit Iraq.
- Questions concerning nuclear programs
Q: Do you have any information regarding the network of nuclear proliferation? Have you heard anything new from Pakistan?
Mr. Chiba: I understand the intention of your question very clearly, but I am very sorry. I should like to refrain from giving you any concrete answer on this matter.
Q: Pakistan essentially handed over centrifuge parts to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA was testing them to assess the Iranian nuclear program. Have you received any information from the IAEA regarding the test results?
Mr. Chiba: This also is a very sensitive matter. I should refrain from giving any comment.
- Question concerning Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in Iraq
Q: What about your Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in Iraq? Does Japan in the near future plan to remove the SDF from Iraq?
Mr. Chiba: As you know, the law that authorizes the dispatch of Japan's SDF to Iraq will expire this December. Whether or not to extend this deadline we will have to study the situation carefully and make an appropriate decision when it becomes necessary.
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