Press Conference, 15 September 2006

Security Dialogue between Japan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Meeting on Maritime Security in Kuala Lumpur
Text of Speeches by Foreign Minister Taro Aso and other Senior Vice-Ministers Available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Website
Questions concerning the Possibility of Financial Sanctions against North Korea
Question concerning Japan's Speech in the UN General Assembly
Questions concerning Japan's Potential Deployment of Peacekeeping Troops

I. Security Dialogue between Japan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good afternoon.

I have only three points to make this afternoon.

First, there was a security dialogue between Japan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the 14th. That is between Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense Agency on the Japanese side, and the Pakistani Foreign Ministry and its Defense Department on their side. This is a follow-up of the meeting which started in January 2004 following the agreement between the two leaders from both countries, President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. It was agreed in March 2002 between the two leaders to intensify the dialogue regarding security issues for both nations.

II. Meeting on Maritime Security in Kuala Lumpur

Mr. Taniguchi: Secondly, from 18 to 20 September, the International Maritime Organization and the Government of Malaysia are jointly going to hold a meeting in Kuala Lumpur on the Straits of Malacca in Singapore, focusing upon how best to tackle international pirate activities. From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador in Charge of International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation Akio Suda will be attending the meeting, together with a representative from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. To this meeting, nations that are close to the Straits of Malacca such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore will be sending their representatives to discuss maritime security.

Related Information (Press Release)

III. Text of Speeches by Foreign Minister Taro Aso and other Senior Vice-Ministers Available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Website

Mr. Taniguchi: Thirdly, to take this opportunity, let me just remind you that Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso has been making many speeches so far, and they are all uploaded to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both in Japanese and in English. If you have time, it would be of some interest to you if you could browse through those speeches. That actually applies to other Senior Vice-Ministers and Vice-Ministers as well. There are altogether six lawmakers leading this Ministry at this moment, and each one of them has been extremely active for the last 10-11 months, and they have been making many speeches that clearly show in which direction Japanese diplomacy is headed. So, it would be of some interest to you.

IV. Questions concerning the Possibility of Financial Sanctions against North Korea

Q: I am just wondering if you could clarify the seemingly mixed messages going out from Japan about financial sanctions against North Korea. Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe indicated today that Tuesday the government would implement financial sanctions, but Minister of Finance Sadakazu Tanigaki also said today that he will not bring up sanctions against North Korea at the G7 Finance Ministers Meeting this weekend. From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' standpoint, where are we with that?

Mr. Taniguchi: I must repeat what Foreign Minister Aso said to the members of the Japanese press this morning: Nothing is decided yet, especially about the timing. We are certainly discussing what should be done as the next step to heighten the pressure against North Korea, perhaps involving financial sanctions, but in terms of the timing and in terms of substantially what that sanction is going to be, I have to say it is too early for us to say concretely about anything.

Q: If I could follow up, as you are well aware, the North Koreans have said previously a number of times that if Japan were to impose harsh sanctions, that would be tantamount to a declaration of war. Do you see that we are at total rupture with any sort of reconciliation with North Korea, or where would you gauge the status of things right now?

Mr. Taniguchi: That reminds me of a cordial meeting between the two leaders of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States (US) that has taken place of late. President Roh Moo Hyun of the ROK and President George W. Bush of the US both were in agreement about the urgent necessity for them and for the international community to bring in North Korea once again to the Six-Party Talks framework. The pending issue is exactly that we have to do our best--by us we mean the People's Republic of China, the ROK, Japan, the US, and Russia--we have to do our best to bring North Korea into the framework of discussion once again, and it has to be done without any conditions. I am not making any comment about the rhetoric of North Korea; I do not think it is useful.

V. Question concerning Japan's Speech in the UN General Assembly

Q: Sir, on a different topic, I understand that it has not been decided whom Japan will send to the UN General Assembly. In regard to the speech that Japan will deliver, last year Prime Minister Koizumi in his speech talked about Japan's aspirations to secure a permanent seat on the Security Council, and was very strong this aspiration. I was wondering, since there has been a change, a lot of things have happened, what about this year, and what will be Japan's message? What kind of speech?

Mr. Taniguchi: In terms of who will represent the Japanese Government for the UN Assembly, it is really a tricky question, and I cannot say exactly who that will be. Japan at the moment is undergoing a transition period from one administration to another, and so it is really hard for me, at this point, to specify who that will be, and actually, no one can at the moment.

In terms of the aspiration of the Government of Japan in seeking the permanent seat on the UN Security Council, there is a long way to go, I have to say, but we have given up nothing and we are still thinking hard about how best we should formulate a new policy so that we can get a maximum amount of support.

When it comes to the belief that Japan deserves a seat, that belief has never been changed, and is not going to be changed, at all.

VI. Questions concerning Japan's Potential Deployment of Peacekeeping Troops

Q: On another topic, there have been some reports that Japan might send some peacekeeping forces to Lebanon. What do you have on that?

Mr. Taniguchi: I do not know what source the report is based on. There is no talk at the moment going on about sending troops to Lebanon.

Q: In relation to the question about sending out troops, there are a lot of thoughts about whether or not this issue needs a permanent law, or whether a law should just be created for every specific occasion. Foreign Minister Aso, Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe, and others have made comments on these issues. I was wondering from the viewpoint of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since sending troops, what is the position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

Mr. Taniguchi: Each and every time the Government of Japan sends its Self Defense Forces (SDF) personnel to troubled zones, it has necessitated special legislation. I should point out that a number of legislators have been thinking about this very hard for a considerable time, about the need to have a general legislation that could be used when it comes to sending SDF personnel from Japan in the future to such troubled areas as those areas to which Japan has already sent its SDF personnel. That is the fact of the matter; there is no secret about it, and there is considerable interest also shared broadly among the policy formulation community in Tokyo about how important and necessary it would be for Japan to have that sort of special legislation.

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