Press Conference 3 February 2006
- Visit to the Middle East by Dr. Tatsuo Arima, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for the Middle East
- The TICAD Conference on Consolidation of Peace
- The Third Asian Senior-level Talks on Non-Proliferation (ASTOP)
- Second "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue/Senior Officials Meeting (SOM)
- Visit by Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhisa Shiozaki to Germany to attend the 42nd Munich Security Council Meeting
- Convention between Japan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital Gains
- Dispatch of election observers for the general elections in the Republic of Haiti
- BWC (Biological Weapons Convention) Tokyo Seminar
- Visit to Japan by Dr. Jean Pasvcal Zanders, Director of the BioWeapons Prevention Project (BWPP)
- "ASEM Workshop on Community-Level Action for Global Environmental Agenda" and "An Open ASEM Panel Discussion on 'The Role of Local Governments in Building a Sound Material-Cycle Society'"
- Emergency assistance to the Republic of Bolivia for flood disaster
- Questions concerning Japan-North Korea Comprehensive and Parallel Talks in Beijing
- Follow-up question concerning Dr. Arima's visit to the Middle East
- Question concerning Japan's proposal on United Nations (UN) Security Council reform
- Visit to the Middle East by Dr. Tatsuo Arima, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for the Middle East
Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good afternoon, and thank you very much for coming. First off, may I make an announcement that Dr. Tatsuo Arima, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for the Middle East, will be visiting the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Israel, and the Palestinian Territories from 4 to 9 February.
You may know that Dr. Arima has done this shuttle-like diplomacy many times before but this one will bear even more importance as the situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories is changing in the wake of the January 25 election. He is not scheduled to meet Hamas representatives, but he will meet quite a few people in the region to better map the political landscape so that in the future Japan can play an even more important role in advancing the peace process.
Related Information (Japan-Egypt Relations)
Related Information (Japan-Israel Relations)
Related Information (Japan-Palestinian Authorities Relations) - The TICAD Conference on Consolidation of Peace
Mr. Taniguchi: Next, may I remind you that on 16 and 17 February Japan will hold what is called the "TICAD Conference on Consolidation of Peace" in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
TICAD or Tokyo International Conference on African Development, as the name suggests, is an initiative the Government of Japan launched 13 years ago in 1993. This year Japan will co-organize the conference, together with the United Nations (UN), the Global Coalition for Africa (GCA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the World Bank.
About 100 delegations representing national governments and a host of international organizations both public and private will attend the conference. Most African nations will send ministerial-level representatives to the conference. The head of the Japanese delegation, who is Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhisa Shiozaki, parliamentary schedule permitting, will attend the conference as chair. He will be joined by Dr. Yasushi Akashi, former Under-Secretary-General of the UN, and Mr. Kinichi Komano, former Japanese Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
There will be a briefing at 14:30 this afternoon, immediately after this press conference, and there you can learn more about this TICAD conference from Director of the First Africa Division Shigeru Ohmori of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you have time please join his briefing.
If I may add a few words, ending military confrontations is one thing but ensuring peace and consolidating the foundation for peace is quite another. The latter is no easier than the former. Participants at this year's conference will devote their time and knowledge to discuss how better they can enhance the base for sustainable peace. Also as a footnote, you might be interested in interviewing one of our Parliamentary Vice-Ministers for Foreign Affairs Ms. Akiko Yamanaka, who is a renowned expert exactly on this issue.
- The Third Asian Senior-level Talks on Non-Proliferation (ASTOP)
Mr. Taniguchi: The third item is also about an event that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is going to hold, that is the Third Asian Senior-level Talks on Non-Proliferation (ASTOP). The Foreign Ministry will host this conference in Tokyo on 13 February here at this building.
Director-general level officials who specialize in non-proliferation policies from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, the Commonwealth of Australia, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea (ROK), the United States of America (U.S.), and Japan will be attending. Ambassador Takeshi Nakane, who is Director-General for Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be the chair.
How best to enhance the non-proliferation regime in Asia is of course a key issue. They will be exchanging views on the direction of their cooperation under the recognition that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and missiles, together with their related materials and technology, has become an actual threat to the peace and stability of the Asian region and the international community.
- Second "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue/Senior Officials Meeting (SOM)
Mr. Taniguchi: I have got a couple of more announcements, please bear with me. The next one is about the second "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue/Senior Officials Meeting (SOM).
On 8 February, the second Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue will be held in Asthana, Republic of Kazakhstan.
The meeting is under the framework of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue, which was launched by the Foreign Ministers' meeting in Kazakhstan in August 2004. It is expected to strengthen relations between Japan and the Central Asian countries, and to promote concrete cooperation in the areas mentioned above.
- Visit by Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhisa Shiozaki to Germany to attend the 42nd Munich Security Council Meeting
Mr. Taniguchi: I have mentioned briefly about Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Shiozaki who will likely be the chair for the TICAD conference, he is actually on a trip to attend the 42nd Munich Security Council Meeting.
This meeting is going to be a talk shop if you like with no set agendas and with no written concrete documents in order for ministers of defense from a host of different countries to freely exchange their views.
So for instance Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld of the U.S. and Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sergej Iwanov of the Russian Federation will also attend and make statements. And Mr. Shiozaki, together with his colleagues from China and the ROK, will make a statement. At the session of which the theme is "Global Issues on Foreign and Security Policy in Asia," Mr. Shiozaki is going to make his speech.
- Convention between Japan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital Gains
Mr. Taniguchi: The next item is about the Convention between Japan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital Gains. This Convention was signed on 2 February. The name suggests what it is so I will skip the rest.
- Dispatch of election observers for the general elections in the Republic of Haiti
Mr. Taniguchi: There is going to be a dispatch of election observers for the general elections in the Republic of Haiti.
Japan has decided to dispatch three election observers, one official of the Japanese Embassy in Haiti and two of the Japanese Embassy in the Dominican Republic, to the Republic of Haiti to assist the fair and peaceful implementation of general elections which are scheduled to take place on 7 February and 19 March, which is a run-off. These elections will be the first to be held since Haiti's political crisis in February 2004.
- BWC (Biological Weapons Convention) Tokyo Seminar
Mr. Taniguchi: The next one is also about a seminar called BWC (Biological Weapons Convention) Tokyo Seminar.
The BWC Tokyo Seminar will be held from 14 to 15 February by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in conjunction with the Center for the Promotion of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation of the Japan Institute of International Affairs.
Around 50 participants from government sectors, academia, and international organizations are expected to join, including Ambassador Masood KHAN, President of the 6th Review Conference of the BWC. Ambassador Yoshiki MINE, Permanent Representative of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament, as well as Ambassador Takaya SUTO, Director of the Center for the Promotion of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, will also be participating as moderators.
Since entering into force in 1975, the BWC has been considered insufficiently equipped to ensure the implementation of its obligations. As a result, strengthening the convention has become the main challenge for the States Parties. Moreover, taking into account today's emerging threat of bio-terrorism, especially after the 2001 anthrax incidents in the U.S., the States Parties to the BWC are urged to agree to concrete measures to strengthen the BWC at the 6th Review Conference in November 2006.
The BWC Tokyo Seminar is an excellent and timely opportunity for senior officials and distinguished experts to share their understanding of the current state of the Convention, exchange ideas, and so forth.
In conjunction with this, on 15 February at 14:30, the Symposium "New Biological Threats and International Response" will be held at the Conference Room of the Japan Institute of International Affairs. That is open to the public so if you are interested please join the symposium.
- Visit to Japan by Dr. Jean Pasvcal Zanders, Director of the BioWeapons Prevention Project (BWPP)
Mr. Taniguchi: This BWC Tokyo Seminar will also be attended by an expert named Dr. Jean Pasvcal Zanders, Director of the BioWeapons Prevention Project (BWPP), at the invitation of the Japanese Government. He will give a lecture on "Containing a Shadowy Threat: Reinforcing the Norm against Biological Weapons" on 16 February at the seminar that I just mentioned.
Let me just add that this is actually not the first time that the Japanese Government is doing this. For instance, in conjunction with a similar effort on the side of the Japanese Government for disarmament, the Japanese Government has so far invited such people as Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, who is from New York representing a non-governmental organization (NGO) called Nuclear Weapons Education and Action Project, and Dr. Nancy Gallagher, who is also from the U.S. She is the Associate Director of the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM). Furthermore, there was Dr. William Potter, who is from the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), Monterrey Institute of International Studies.
So this is the new one inviting Dr. Jean Pasvcal Zanders in what the Japanese Government has been doing for a while to further discussions on disarmament and non-proliferation. Using these opportunities the Japanese Government has provided the nation and the public with an opportunity to learn more from these experts about important issues such as non-proliferation and disarmament.
- "ASEM Workshop on Community-Level Action for Global Environmental Agenda" and "An Open ASEM Panel Discussion on 'The Role of Local Governments in Building a Sound Material-Cycle Society'"
Mr. Taniguchi: Two other issues if I may, one is about the "ASEM Workshop on Community-Level Action for Global Environmental Agenda" and "An Open ASEM Panel Discussion on 'The Role of Local Governments in Building a Sound Material-Cycle Society'".
ASEM is of course the Asia-Europe Meeting, the fora between Asian and European nations.
From 27 February to 3 March, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, in collaboration with the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will hold the "ASEM Workshop on Community-Level Action for Global Environmental Agenda." You may learn about the rest from the announcement that you can see soon on our website.
- Emergency assistance to the Republic of Bolivia for flood disaster
Mr. Taniguchi: The last one is about the emergency assistance to the Republic of Bolivia for flood disaster.
The Japanese Government has decided to extend emergency assistance in kind worth about 10 million yen, that is approximately U.S.$87,000, such as tents, blankets, sleeping mats, and portable water tanks to Bolivia, which has sustained damage from large-scale flooding.
- Questions concerning Japan-North Korea Comprehensive and Parallel Talks in Beijing
Q: My question is about the meeting between Japanese and North Korean officials which will start tomorrow. I heard that the session is going to be divided into three areas based on topics. Can you explain to me why you decided to do this? This is Japan's proposal is it not?
Mr. Taniguchi: It is a Japanese proposal, and it is a parallel structure. You have three areas. If I may remind you, those are, first of all, abduction issues, security issues including nuclear and missile issues, and normalization talks. It is important to give North Koreans an incentive to continue to engage in dialogues with the Japanese Government.
With this meeting the talks aimed at normalizing the relationship between Japan and North Korea will be launched again officially, but it does not mean that Japan is going to normalize actually its relationship with North Korea. There are conditions which have to be met before that happens, such as that North Korea has to solve the issues related to the abduction and nuclear and missile issues, and so long as those issues are solved, the Japanese Government is willing to normalize the relationship. You can do it step-by-step, but time is not necessarily on your side and you have to accelerate the process. So in order for both parties to accelerate dialogue, this idea of doing it in parallel has come about from the Japanese side and North Koreans agreed. It indicates that North Koreans at least are willing to talk about the abductions, and the Japanese Government as has been the case is going to have dialogues but also pressuring North Koreans to accelerate the process.
Q: Where does the issue of money laundering and drug trafficking come in?
Mr. Taniguchi: I am not so sure if they are going to discuss or not the issues that you mentioned. Money laundering and especially the closing of some of the accounts of the bank first came from the initiative of the U.S. Government, and the Japanese Government so far has done nothing officially in the wake of U.S. decisions. I know there are reports which indicate that some Japanese banks have also closed their dealings with the suspicious bank, but I am not in a position to comment on that.
As a general remark, North Koreans have been known to get engaged in counterfeiting, drug trafficking, and money laundering. It is also the case that it has been providing the world community with ample source of suspicions towards North Koreans. So I would suggest to the North Korean government that for their own sake that they disclose what they have done, and if they have indeed done such suspicious activities, now is the time for them to stop.
- Follow-up question concerning Dr. Arima's visit to the Middle East
Q: On Dr. Arima's visit, you mentioned that he is not scheduled to meet with Hamas representatives.
Mr. Taniguchi: It is not planned that he will meet Hamas representatives. But of course one of the topics about which he is very much interested in knowing and to collect as much information as possible is about the situation surrounding Hamas and the government to be created in the Palestinian Territories.
Q: You mentioned that there will be a briefing at 14:30. Where is that going to be?
Mr. Taniguchi: Room number 584.
- Question concerning Japan's proposal on United Nations (UN) Security Council reform
Q: I would like to ask about Japan's new proposal for the reform of the UN Security Council. Yesterday Asahi Shimbun reported U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton as saying that he would not support Japan's new plan. But today, Kyodo News reported that he changed is previous comment, saying, "We have neither accepted nor rejected any particular suggestions they put forward but our consultations with Japan will continue." Can you explain why he changed his comment? Will Japan change its strategy? How will you promote your new plan?
Mr. Taniguchi: Well, I have no idea as to why he has or has not changed his previous comment, and if I knew, I am not in a position to comment on the remarks of Ambassador Bolton.
But as a general remark let me take this opportunity to say that especially for the audience in Japan it is important to note that there is a perception gap when it comes to the UN between the Americans and Japanese and possibly between Americans and the rest of the world. It has been reported many times over the last couple of years that the UN has been involved in many scandals like oil-for-food, so the American people have been waiting for a long time to have an opportunity to introduce major forward steps to improve the efficiency of the UN. So long as that objective is concerned, namely to make the UN an efficient body mirroring the new reality of the international community, Japan shares that objective very much. The Japanese Government has been working closely with the Americans as to how best we can make the UN even more effective and efficient. So that is one thing that I can say.
As for the Security Council, the Japanese Government has been closely in touch with the rest of the Group of Four (G4) nations, as well as with the U.S. Government, to come up with a new proposal that could be accepted by the majority of the UN but that is as much as I can say at the moment. This is pretty much an ongoing process, and I should refrain from making further comment on an ongoing issue like this.
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