Press Conference 28 February 2006
- Message of condolence from Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso related to the roof collapse accident in Moscow
- Visit to Japan by Minister of Civil Defense, Emergencies, and Natural Disasters Sergey Kuzhugetovich Shoygu of Russia
- Visit to Japan by President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan
- Japan-Republic of Korea Vice-Ministerial Strategic Dialogue
- Visit to Japan by President Bingu Wa Mutharika of the Republic of Malawi
- Symposium "Peace Building in Afghanistan: Symposium on the Progress in Post-war Reconstruction and Related Issues"
- Signing of Agreement for Co-operation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy between Japan and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM)
- Dispatch to the Republic of the Philippines of a Government and Private-sector Joint Mission on BIMP-EAGA
- Grant aid to the Republic of Indonesia for underprivileged farmers
- Questions concerning talks between Foreign Minister Aso and Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki of the Islamic Republic of Iran
- Questions concerning suspension of operations of the National Unification Council of Taiwan
- Message of condolence from Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso related to the roof collapse accident in Moscow
Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Thank you very much for coming. I have nine announcements to make if I may.
First, on 24 February, Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso sent a message of condolences to Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov of the Russian Federation related to the roof collapse accident at the Bassmany market in Moscow on 23 February.
- Visit to Japan by Minister of Civil Defense, Emergencies, and Natural Disasters Sergey Kuzhugetovich Shoygu of Russia
Mr. Taniguchi: Secondly, Minister of Civil Defense, Emergencies, and Natural Disasters Sergey Kuzhugetovich Shoygu of Russia is visiting Japan from 25 to 28 February. He is going to meet Foreign Minister Aso and Minister of State for Disaster Management Tetsuo Kutsukake.
- Visit to Japan by President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Mr. Taniguchi: Thirdly, from 7 to 10 March, President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan is going to visit Japan. This is at the invitation of the Government of Japan. He is going to have an audience with Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, and he is going to talk with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Aso.
- Japan-Republic of Korea Vice-Ministerial Strategic Dialogue
Mr. Taniguchi: Fourthly, there is going to be the second Japan-Republic of Korea (ROK) Vice-Ministerial Strategic Dialogue on 6 March in Tokyo. From Japan, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Shotaro Yachi is going to join, and from the ROK, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-Hwan is going to take part. This meeting is, as I said, the second of its kind. The previous one was held in Seoul in October 2005 between the same ministers.
- Visit to Japan by President Bingu Wa Mutharika of the Republic of Malawi
Mr. Taniguchi: Let me also introduce the scheduled visit of President Bingu Wa Mutharika of the Republic of Malawi. President Bingu Wa Mutharika will pay an official working visit to Japan from 14 to 18 March. During his stay, the President will make a state call on His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, and His Majesty will host a court luncheon in honor of the President. The President will also hold a meeting with Prime Minister Koizumi.
- Symposium "Peace Building in Afghanistan: Symposium on the Progress in Post-war Reconstruction and Related Issues"
Mr. Taniguchi: The next item is about a symposium titled "Peace Building in Afghanistan: Symposium on the Progress in Post-war Reconstruction and Related Issues." It will be held on 28 February at the United Nations University, commissioned and co-sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The objective is to discuss the modalities of peace-building assistance, based on Japan's reconstruction efforts and the diplomatic outcome in the country as a case study. Through televised participation, Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Afghanistan Norihiro Okuda is also going to take part.
- Signing of Agreement for Co-operation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy between Japan and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM)
Mr. Taniguchi: Next, there was a signing of the Agreement for Co-operation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy between Japan and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) on 27 February in Brussels.
- Dispatch to the Republic of the Philippines of a Government and Private-sector Joint Mission on BIMP-EAGA
Mr. Taniguchi: Next, the Government of Japan is dispatching a government and private-sector joint mission to seek the area of cooperation with BIMP-EAGA from 26 to 28 February to Davao, Mindanao Island, the Republic of the Philippines. BIMP stands for Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, and EAGA stands for East ASEAN Growth Area.
The mission comprises 23 representatives, including officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and so on.
- Grant aid to the Republic of Indonesia for underprivileged farmers
Mr. Taniguchi: Lastly, there was a decision to extend a grant aid to the Republic of Indonesia for underprivileged farmers. The amount is approximately US$3.3 million, and notes to this effect were exchanged on 27 February in Jakarta between Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yutaka Iimura and Secretary General Imron Cotan of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.
- Questions concerning talks between Foreign Minister Aso and Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Q: Could you tell us a little bit about the conversation last night between Foreign Minister Aso and his Iranian counterpart? The press reports which are attributed to the Foreign Ministry say that the Iranian Foreign Minister rejected Foreign Minister Aso's request that the Islamic Republic of Iran cease its uranium reprocessing. Can you tell us what was said and what is the mood in the Foreign Ministry to Foreign Minister Mottaki's reply?
Mr. Taniguchi: I can say that the mood was very much cordial and friendly, which was reflected in the length of the meeting between the two ministers. It started from 18:00 and ended at 20:00, followed by a dinner that started from 20:10 and ended approximately at 21:00. In total the two ministers talked for approximately three hours. That is a considerable length of time for two ministers to talk. Therefore, I can say that the prevailing atmosphere was a very good one.
Foreign Minister Aso mentioned that nuclear issues have always been among the most important issues for the people of Japan who had to suffer nuclear attacks, and urged the Iranian side to fully comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolutions. It remains all the more important for Iran to maintain transparency. Foreign Minister Aso expressed his hope that the ongoing talks between Iran and Russia will provide a good opportunity to solve diplomatically the nuclear problems in Iran. In response, Foreign Minister Mottaki of Iran first mentioned that he would take them as the advice coming from a friend of Iran. That is point number one.
Point number two, Foreign Minister Mottaki stressed that their activities are solely for research and development purposes and remained at the laboratory level. There is going to be no such thing as a stoppage of the ongoing activities. These were the remarks made by Foreign Minister Mottaki.
Again, Foreign Minister Aso reiterated that if the Iranian side sticks to this sort of position, it would make it even more difficult for the problems to be solved. If the problems are going to be discussed by the United Nations (UN) Security Council, and if there is going to be a unanimous decision made by the P5 nations, even if Japan is a friend of Iran, it is going to be very much difficult for anyone including Japan to defend the Iranian side. That is one of the things that Foreign Minister Aso stressed.
Q: I understand that the Iranian Foreign Minister will meet with Prime Minister Koizumi today. What should we expect out of that meeting? Could you elaborate on the role that Japan is hoping to play? It has not been a primary country; it has been mostly the European nations until now that have taken the role of negotiating with Iran. What is the Japanese Government expecting out of the meeting today between the Prime Minister and the Iranian Foreign Minister?
Mr. Taniguchi: It is a question I cannot answer because I am not aware of what they will talk about and what they have talked about, so this would remain a general remark. But certainly, be it from Foreign Minister Aso or be it from Prime Minister Koizumi, the same message will be sent to the Iranian side. That message is that you have to have a sense of urgency because, first of all, on 27 February a report from the Director General of the IAEA was sent to the member nations, which the Japanese Government also received. The report indicates that the clock is ticking before this issue is moved to the next stage. So now is the time for the Iranian side to really have a sense of urgency.
Secondly, there is a window of opportunity provided by the Russian side. You have to give up your uranium enrichment activities, whatever their purposes may be, and talk sincerely with the Russian side. It appears that the opportunity that the Russian side is willing to provide to the Iranian side, at the moment, remains to be one good opportunity to seek diplomatic solutions. Basically the Japanese side is hopeful that the bilateral talk between the Iranian and Russian sides is going to provide diplomatic solutions to ongoing issues.
More broadly, both leaders will reemphasize how important it is for both nations to maintain good relations, to remain in very good terms with one another. Still, as a friend of Iran, our position is to encourage the Iranian side to comply with the resolutions of the IAEA.
I may have said this before, but there are two ways to deal with issues of this sort. One way is to say that you can be good by doing this or that. The other way perhaps is to say that you are a bad guy so I cannot give you this or that. The latter is not the position that the Japanese Government has been taking. We are still encouraging the Iranian side, and we are still hopeful that common sense will prevail in Iran to get diplomatic solutions.
Q: You mentioned common sense and Iran in the same sentence. I am wondering if in the conversations that Foreign Minister Aso had last night or previous to that if Japan has communicated to Iran anything about Iran's recent comments about casting doubt about the veracity of the holocaust or about threatening to wipe Israel off the face of the map. Based on these comments, the Iranian Government does not appear to many people to be a government that has a lot of common sense right now. You keep describing Japan as a friend of Iran, but I would suspect that Japan does condone those sorts of comments. What has been communicated to the Iranian Foreign Minister about those sorts of comments that have been made lately about Israel and the holocaust?
Mr. Taniguchi: Each and every time the President of Iran made horrific remarks, the Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau of the Foreign Ministry called on the Iranian Ambassador to come to his office and delivered directly very strong messages that Japan condemns those sorts of "politics" in which the Iranian President seems to be engaging. No nation can really be a friend of a country that denies the holocaust. That is plain clear.
There must be a variety when it comes to how you will deliver your message to Iran. The message is the same and a very powerful one, but the Japanese Government has chosen a slightly different way to convey the same sort of message to Iran hoping and knowing that doing so would be even more effective in the sense that the Iranian side would listen to it.
- Questions concerning suspension of operations of the National Unification Council of Taiwan
Q: I would like to ask a question on Taiwan. President Chen Shui-bian decided to cease the function of the National Unification Council. What is the response of the Government of Japan?
Mr. Taniguchi: First, there has been no change to the position of Japan, which is as stated in the Japan-China Joint Communique.
Secondly, on the issue of Taiwan, Japan does not wish to see a military or political confrontation. We wish to have the issue solved peacefully through direct dialogue between the parties concerned, and strongly urge that dialogue to this end is resumed as soon as possible. From this standpoint, we do not support any one-sided attempts by either party to change the current situation.
Thirdly, Japan, from the standpoint of the peace and stability of the region, believes that an early resumption of dialogue is necessary so as not to further intensify cross-strait tensions.
Q: On this issue, has there been any explanation from the Taiwanese side or have any questions been asked from the Taiwanese side?
Mr. Taniguchi: I am not aware of that.
Q: Concerning the Japanese Government's position on this issue, are you going to convey your position to Taiwan?
Mr. Taniguchi: The three points I mentioned in response to an earlier question are what Japan has essentially been stressing and what Japan has been saying time and time again. As such, as regards the position of Japan on the issues surrounding Taiwan, we have been repeatedly conveying our position not only to Taiwan but to China as well.
Q: There have been various reports by the Japanese media regarding the visit to Japan by Mr. Lee Teng-hui. Has the Japanese Foreign Ministry made any formal decisions regarding this visit?
Mr. Taniguchi: I am of course aware of the various reports. However, as regards the visit to Japan by Mr. Lee Teng-hui, the Foreign Ministry has not been making any arrangements.
Q: Then you have not had any contacts?
Mr. Taniguchi: I can say no more than that we will decide appropriately based on the objective of his visit to Japan.
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