Press Conference 30 September 2005
- Visit by Indonesian teachers to Japanese schools
- Visit to Japan by Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Hussain Sayid of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
- Upcoming visit to Japan by President of the Council of Ministers Silvio Berlusconi of the Republic of Italy
- Upcoming visit to Japan by President Nicanor Duarte Frutos of the Republic of Paraguay
- 19th Japan-Canada Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Meeting
- Global Festa Japan 2005
- Human security, grant aid, and programs in developing countries supported by the Government of Japan
- Questions concerning the Japan-China Consultations concerning the East China Sea and Other Matters
- Questions concerning the upcoming schedule of and issues related to Japan-North Korea talks
- Questions concerning issues related to the sanction on US beef enacted by the Government of Japan
- Question concerning the decision of the Osaka High Court regarding Prime Minister Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine
- Follow-up questions concerning the Indonesian teachers visiting Japan
- Visit by Indonesian teachers to Japanese schools
Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Hello and good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. For friends visiting Japan from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and Palestine my heartfelt welcome to you. Thank you very much for coming. By the way, these gentlemen are visiting Japan now on a program supported by the Foreign Press Center. I am going to have discussions with you after this, but if you have any questions as to the foreign policy of the Government of Japan, do not hesitate to ask in the meantime.
First off I have to make a couple of announcements before taking questions. I cannot resist my temptation to introduce one of the most interesting programs that the Ministry of Foreign of Affairs is now running. That is to invite teachers from Muslim religious schools in the Republic of Indonesia. Indonesia being the largest Muslim nation in the world, it has a number of faith-based schools, and Japan has been inviting teachers from those schools over to Japan so that they can get engaged in dialogues with their counterparts in many parts of Japan. They are visiting schools here and there talking to science teachers and the like about how best to teach science and so on. I met all of them the day before yesterday in Tokyo, and I think this is a terrific program. Those schools in Indonesia are boarding schools and are teaching boys and girls about Muslim faith of course, but also science and mathematics. That many of them looked very much electrified indicated that the program had been well received indeed. This is one of those programs that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is very much keen on pursuing.
- Visit to Japan by Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Hussain Sayid of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Mr. Taniguchi: In conjunction with this, from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Hussain Sayid and his delegation are going to visit Japan from 10 to 16 October on the invitation of this ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During their stay they are going to have discussions with government officials, members of the business community, and opinion leaders. This is actually part of the programs that Japan's Foreign Ministry is doing to enhance democracy in Pakistan. So they are going to be engaged in dialogues with the people in mass media, for instance, to see how opinion has been shaped in this country, its history of parliamentary democracy, and so on.
- Upcoming visit to Japan by President of the Council of Ministers Silvio Berlusconi of the Republic of Italy
Mr. Taniguchi: Third, there is going to be a visit to Japan of his His Excellency Mr. Silvio Berlusconi, President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Italy. He will arrive in the morning on Wednesday, 19 October, and in the afternoon he will have an Imperial Audience, then later on he will meet Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. He will depart the next day, Thursday, 20 October. This has been scheduled for a long time, so we are glad that President Berlusconi can make it now.
- Upcoming visit to Japan by President Nicanor Duarte Frutos of the Republic of Paraguay
Mr. Taniguchi: There is another dignitary visit, His Excellency Mr. Nicanor Duarte Frutos, President of the Republic of Paraguay, and his wife, Mrs. Duarte. They are arriving on Saturday, 29 October at Kansai International Airport. On 31 October there is going to be a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Koizumi and President Frutos, and they will be leaving Japan on Wednesday, 2 November.
- 19th Japan-Canada Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Meeting
Mr. Taniguchi: The next item is about the 19th Japan-Canada Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Meeting. It is going to be held on Monday, 3 October here at the ministry. It will be joined by Deputy Minister for International Trade Robert Fonberg from the Canadian side, and he will be met by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Mitoji Yabunaka in charge of the economy from our side. This is part of what is called Innovative Canada-Japan Economic Framework that was launched in January of this year when the heads of state of both sides met.
- Global Festa Japan 2005
Mr. Taniguchi: Let me make a few other announcements before I take questions. There is an acronym that you may know, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). To better inform the public about this idea there is going to be a festival called the Global Festa Japan 2005 that will take place in Hibiya Park over two days, 1 and 2 October. There is going to be a number of fun events there, and the goodwill ambassador will be a celebrity actress named Ms. Riho Makise.
- Human security, grant aid, and programs in developing countries supported by the Government of Japan
Mr. Taniguchi: As usual, the next and the last item I am touching upon is about Japan's ODA. As part of its drive to enhance human security, Japan will be providing aid and grant to a number of nations. If you are new to this idea of human security, it is an idea developed in order to enhance human capacity by providing support in terms of education, health care, and so forth to developing nations. It is an idea that Japan is very much committed to, I call it Japan's signature policy, promoted by scholars like Dr. Amartya Sen, a Nobel Laureate, and by former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Mrs. Sadako Ogata. Human security has been included in the final documents of the Millennium Summit at the United Nations General Assembly this month. That is one of the things that the Japanese Foreign Ministry has been very proud of.
As part of this drive to enhance human security we are supporting activities and projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. One of them is to support "Girl's Development and Education" Project.
Also in the Republic of Guatemala there is going to be a yen loan project. To the Republic of Dominica there is going to be a technical assistance project, one of them is for the improvement of television programs of the state corporation of radio and television in that country. In the Kingdom of Cambodia there is also going to be a grant project.
- Questions concerning the Japan-China Consultations concerning the East China Sea and Other Matters
Q: In a magazine called Gunshuku Mondai Shiryo, there is an article about the gas field between Japan and the People's Republic of China. The article is written by a Japanese expert who says that according to the accepted world standard, the distance between the median line and the rig must be 100 meters at minimum. The Chinese side maintains that their field of exploration has a distance that is 50 times that, meaning 5,000 meters. So if 100 is a globally accepted standard, the distance claimed by the Chinese, which is 5,000 meters, is long enough. This is the point that the author makes. What is the opinion of the Foreign Ministry?
Mr. Taniguchi: Well, I have to say I have not read that article and the Foreign Ministry is in no position to make a comment on the article published by a private magazine. The Chinese and Japanese sides are having discussions now. And you will see what will come out from those discussions.
Q: Related to that topic, the Chinese side confirmed yesterday that they had sent some warships into the East China Sea, this coming just a day before the talks here in Tokyo about the gas fields. Does the Government of Japan see that as a coincidence or a provocation, what is the reaction of the Government of Japan?
Mr. Taniguchi: I am not sure if "to confirm" is the proper word to use. Deputy Director-General/Spokesman Qin Gang of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China said exactly the following during a press conference held yesterday, 29 September. A question was raised concerning the sending of a squadron to the East China Sea regarding the situation, and in answering that question Spokesman Gang said that he was aware that the Chinese People's Liberation Army had organized what is called a reserve vessel squadron, and went on to say that the purpose of this squadron would be to provide emergency support, mobilization, and other activities in this area. The questioner went on to ask how many ships constitute the squadron and how much money had been spent, to which there was no comment in response. The next question then raised is actually relevant to your question, the questioner asked if this squadron had been established recently or there had already been a similar squadron from long ago, and the answer was that this squadron had been created very recently, and he was not aware of other squadrons. This being the answer from the Chinese side, I do not have anything more to say.
Q: Anything on the talks today? Who was meeting with whom? Anything to report?
Mr. Taniguchi: Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs Cui Tiankai of China, and from the Japanese side Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Kenichiro Sasae of the Foreign Ministry and Director General of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy Nobuyori Kodaira.
Q: What agency is the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy under?
Mr. Taniguchi: It is affiliated with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
Q: Could you give us a fresh comment about what Japan hopes for from the talks?
Mr. Taniguchi: Well our hope has always been the same, first off we have to meet before doing anything unilaterally, and maintain the peace and calmness in the sea. If anything is done unilaterally from the Chinese side we have to put a stop to it and we have to talk and exchange information as to what sort of scientific evidence there is in regard to the existence and placement of resources. I think this is a very good beginning in the sense that we have finally been able to meet together and have talks.
Q: Was there any response to the diplomatic protest lodged with the Chinese Embassy that was launched two weeks ago in relation to reports of a flare that was reportedly seen at a drilling platform. Is there anything further on that?
Mr. Taniguchi: Not that I know of.
- Questions concerning the upcoming schedule of and issues related to Japan-North Korea talks
Q: There were several reports in the local media today that Japan and North Korea are looking at mid-October to meet again to start up the bilateral talks, do you have any more information on that?
Mr. Taniguchi: As far as the scheduling is concerned, we are still discussing the dates. I am afraid I cannot say anything more.
Q: There was also a reference to the possibility that North Koreans might be presenting some sort of scheme for preparations for compensation. Has that come up in the past meetings?
Mr. Taniguchi: There are a number of issues. It is just part of the overall picture, we have to resolve lots of other issues such as missiles and abductions. There may be a point when both sides are going to discuss issues such as that.
Q: But there have not been any specific proposals from the North Koreans?
Mr. Taniguchi: We cannot say at this point in detail what has and has not been discussed.
- Questions concerning issues related to the sanction on US beef enacted by the Government of Japan
Q: Another question-this week there has been a lot of criticism in the United States of America (US) over banning of beef, are there any means to settle this issue?
Mr. Taniguchi: I admit that this is an issue that has been going on for some time. I cannot say much more. This is a process that has been conducted by experts and scientists, and we are waiting for a result to come up.
Q: Is there a timeframe for those results?
Mr. Taniguchi: As soon as possible.
Q: How would the ministry respond if there were any move towards sanctions towards Japan if there is no result to this dispute?
Mr. Taniguchi: I have never heard of that.
Q: But that was raised by some US congressmen during hearings.
Mr. Taniguchi: Well, if it has been made official the Ministry is going to give you a comment, but not yet.
- Question concerning the decision of the Osaka High Court regarding Prime Minister Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine
Q: Slightly different subject, today the Osaka High Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for Prime Minister Koizumi to visit the Yasukuni Shrine. However, it said that any damages would have to be awarded by either Prime Minister Koizumi or the shrine itself to the plaintiffs, which included some Taiwanese. What impact do you expect this verdict to have on Japan's international relations?
Mr. Taniguchi: Well, it is a far-fetched question. First of all I am not in a position to answer that question, Prime Minister Koizumi has to answer that question. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been saying that the single and only purpose of his visits to Yasukuni Shrine is not to worship the class-A war criminals but to honor the war dead that sacrificed their lives during the war. He has made the point repeatedly that he is going to the shrine to honor those that lost their lives during the war and pray for peace, and I do not think that there is anything further I can add at this point.
- Follow-up questions concerning the Indonesian teachers visiting Japan
Q: You mentioned that you met with the school teachers from Indonesia, where are they from? Are they from Java or Solo?
Mr. Taniguchi: I have a detailed list of people here. Yes, the eastern part of Java has sent six teachers.
Q: Are there any from Solo? There has been some criticism that some of these regions are engaged in very anti-US rhetoric and teachings, what was the process of selecting the schools?
Mr. Taniguchi: The purpose of this invitation is to let them be aware of the meaning of democracy and how important it is to teach the next generation about peace, or about globalization. Actually, unlike the conventional wisdom, many of these schools are cutting-edge institutions, even though there are a number of students who are not from affluent backgrounds. But it is also true that there are an increasing number of pupils from well-to do families. I have met the teachers myself, and they are very much interested as teachers in how best to teach the subject matters, be it science or mathematics. They are very much interested in talking to their counterparts in Japanese schools. It is to enhance the process of democratizing, as it is needless to say that good democracy rests on good education. I think this is part of Japan's helping other nations, including this great Muslim country, to democratize themselves and to modernize their education processes.
Q: What are some of the schools they are visiting schools again? Are they in Tokyo?
Mr. Taniguchi: They have been here since 27 September and are leaving on 10 October. They are visiting Tokyo, and the surrounding areas, as well as Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka. They are going to be involved in talks with religious leaders in Meiji Shrine and Todaiji Temple in Tokyo and Nara, respectively, so as you can imagine one of the purposes is to deepen the cultural dialogues between civilizations. They are going also to be involved in the discussions with the students from Indonesia.
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