Press Conference, 8 December 2006

Announcements and press releases available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website
Official development assistance (ODA) to UNRWA and the Republic of Benin
Election of Professor Akira Mayama to the Board of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission
Visit to Japan of Secretary of Energy Samuel Wright Bodman of the US
Deployment of a fact-finding mission to the Republic of Kazakhstan
Selection of Mr. Fujio Mitarai as the Chairman of the steering committee of 2007 Japan-China Culture and Sport Exchange Year
Cancellation of the ASEAN+3 Summit meetings
Follow-up questions concerning the cancellation of the ASEAN+3 Leader's Summit
Question concerning the possibility that former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will travel to North Korea
Questions concerning the upcoming visit to Japan by the Prime Minister of the Republic of India

I. Announcements and press releases available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website

Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good afternoon. My apologies for rescheduling and thank you very much nonetheless for coming over.

First, a couple of announcements before taking your questions. There is a statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso issued on the coup in Fiji.

There are also statements, first by the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the adoption of the draft resolution on nuclear disarmament by Japan to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, and similarly the adoption of Japan's draft resolution on small arms and light weapons at the UN General Assembly. The two draft resolutions have been adopted, and in conjunction with those, two statements by the Press Secretary have been issued.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso is now in the Republic of the Philippines, to be joined later on by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

There is going to be a visit to Japan by Mr. Vitit Muntarbhorn, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). It is going to be sometime in mid-December. I cannot be specific as of yet, about when Mr. Muntarbhorn is going to visit Japan.

There is a press release about the 13th Global Youth Exchange Program Public Symposium that took place today on 8 December. The Global Youth Exchange Program is something that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been doing for some time, inviting young men and women from across the globe to get them engaged in vigorous debates about current affairs.

There is also another press release about the elections due to take place on 11 December in Ache in the Republic of Indonesia. The Government of Japan is going to send in total six people as observers for the elections.

II. Official development assistance (ODA) to UNRWA and the Republic of Benin

Mr. Taniguchi: In terms of official development assistance (ODA), the Government of Japan has decided to extend ODA to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The Government of Japan has decided to extend assistance of about US$3.7 million in total to that organization to help support various activities and projects.

To the Republic of Benin, a grant aid is going to be extended by the Government of Japan which is 71 million yen to help support the Project for the Improvement of Lagune Mother-and-Child Hospital.

III. Election of Professor Akira Mayama to the Board of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission

Mr. Taniguchi: There are a couple of other items. An election took place at an organization called International Humanitarian Fact Finding Commission, which is in Bern, the Swiss Confederation, to choose 15 Members of the Board and Japan's candidate, Akira Mayama, a professor at the National Defense Academy of Japan, passed to become one of the board members.

Related Information (Human Rights)

IV. Visit to Japan of Secretary of Energy Samuel Wright Bodman of the US

Mr. Taniguchi: There are three more items, if I may. One of them is an announcement of a visit of US Secretary of Energy Mr. Samuel Wright Bodman. He is going to come to Japan on 12 December. He is going to meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Aso and is slated to meet the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry as well. He is on his way to the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the People's Republic of China. That is one.

V. Deployment of a fact-finding mission to the Republic of Kazakhstan

Mr. Taniguchi: Another that the Government of Japan is going to send a fact-finding mission to the Republic of Kazakhstan for nuclear cooperation. That is going to take place from 19-29 December.

VI. Selection of Mr. Fujio Mitarai as the Chairman of the steering committee of 2007 Japan-China Culture and Sport Exchange Year

Mr. Taniguchi: Next year is going to be an important year for the China-Japan bilateral relationship, because the year 2007 is going to mark the 35th anniversary of the official rapprochement, the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. Throughout the year 2007 there are going to be all sorts of activities in China, some hosted by the Japanese Government, and others with the cooperation of the Government of Japan, to present new and younger images of Japan through various forms of art, music, and so on to the audience in China. It is called 2007 Japan-China Culture and Sport Exchange Year.

The announcement is about the selection of the Chairman of the steering committee of the events, and the Chairman is going to be Mr. Fujio Mitarai, Chairman of the Canon Corporation, as well as Keidanren, the business federation.

VII. Cancellation of the ASEAN+3 Summit meetings

Mr. Taniguchi: Here is breaking news. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is soon headed for the Philippines to make an official visit to Manila, but the Philippine Government has decided to cancel leaders' meetings scheduled on Cebu Island due to the typhoon hitting the region now. ASEAN+3 East Asia Summit meetings are all going to be cancelled for now. The Philippine Government is working hard to reschedule it, together with the member nations.

VIII. Follow-up questions concerning the cancellation of the ASEAN+3 Summit Meetings

Q: The leaders' meetings have been cancelled, but will the ministerial-level meetings be held according to schedule?

Mr. Taniguchi: So far we have not heard that the Ministerial meetings have been cancelled. All I can say at the moment is that there will be no change to the Prime Minister's official visit. However, leaders' meetings scheduled to take place from 10 December on the Island of Cebu are cancelled. Therefore, since nothing will take place after 10 December, Prime Minister Abe will leave the Philippines on the 10th and return to Japan.

IX. Question concerning the possibility that former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will travel to North Korea

Q: On a different topic, if I may, there are published reports that former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has offered to make a third trip to North Korea to see what he can do for diplomacy. Is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at all endorsing this idea? Are there any plans in the works for this happen? Or is this just pure speculation at this point?

Mr. Taniguchi: I do not know if that is speculation; I have absolutely no idea about what Mr. Koizumi is thinking of at the moment, so it is hard for me to make any comment.

X. Questions concerning the upcoming visit to Japan by the Prime Minister of the Republic of India

Q: On a different subject, next week the Prime Minister of the Republic of India is coming to Japan. He gave an interview earlier this week to the Yomiuri Shimbun, and there were some interesting comments that he wants to enhance the economic partnership with Japan, and he also made reference to a quadrilateral military cooperation alliance involving Japan, India, the Commonwealth of Australia, and the US. Do you have any information on what is going to be on that agenda and what the Government of Japan is hoping to achieve with this meeting between the two Prime Ministers?

Mr. Taniguchi: It has been well-acknowledged for some time by the Japanese Government that India has taken initiative in the fight against terrorism. India and Japan have been in close contact with one another off the coast of India in the Indian Ocean since Japan started to dispatch a squadron of support ships to the area.

So what we are looking at is to enhance cooperation between the two nations in fighting against terrorism, maritime pirate activities, and in providing regional security. We are thinking of enhancing our cooperation in terms of providing security along the Straits of Malacca and so on.

I believe there is ample room for Australia, Japan, the US, and India to work closely together, because these four nations are very much concerned about the peace and stability over the sea lane that is a vital link between this part of the world and the Persian Gulf region. India sits right in the middle of the sea lane, and so there is ample room for that sort of cooperation to take place, but nothing has been institutionalized as of yet. That still remains an idea.

Q: What about economic partnering?

Mr. Taniguchi: As for economic partnering, the Joint Study Group has already completed its report and it has been submitted to both Governments. We are just about to launch an official negotiation, which is going to take a considerable amount of time, but the Indian and Japanese Governments are thinking of shortening the process as much as possible.

Q: Is that being viewed as a free trade agreement (FTA)?

Mr. Taniguchi: It is an economic partnership agreement (EPA), which is wider in scope.

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