Press Conference, 23 October 2007

Visit by Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Shotaro Yachi to the United States
Visit by Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Kenichiro Sasae to the United States
Preparation for a multilateral dialogue to launch the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
Statement concerning the act of terrorism conducted by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
Publication by the Japanese and Canadian governments of a report on the further promotion of bilateral economic relations
Visit to Japan by Chairman Ginandjar Kartasasmita of the Indonesia-Japan Friendship Association
Questions concerning the visit to Japan by Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation
Questions concerning the visits by Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Shotaro Yachi and Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Kenichiro Sasae to the United States
Questions concerning the new leadership of the People's Republic of China, and Japan-China ties
Question concerning the upcoming visit to Japan by Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General Ibrahim Gambari

I. Visit by Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Shotaro Yachi to the United States

Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good afternoon, I have several points to quickly walk you through.

First, from tomorrow, Wednesday, 24 October to Saturday, 27 October, Mr. Shotaro Yachi, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, will visit the US to meet his counterpart Deputy Secretary of State Mr. John Negroponte and others. There is an agreement between them that they meet twice annually. It's now Mr. Yachi's turn to go to the US.

II. Visit by Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Kenichiro Sasae to the United States

Mr. Taniguchi: Second, Mr. Kenichiro Sasae, Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs, is also visiting the US for a four day visit, starting from today and ending on Friday, 26 October. He will meet Mr. Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the US State Department to discuss the Six-Party Talks and other issues.

III. Preparation for a multilateral dialogue to launch the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)

Mr. Taniguchi: Third, Japan is soon going to have a multilateral dialogue involving like-minded countries in order for them to launch what can be called ACTA, or the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. I should say that this is one of Japan's signature projects. We are thinking of having a series of intensified discussions in Geneva, Switzerland, with the European Council, the US, Switzerland, New Zealand, Mexico, the Republic of Korea and others that share a great degree of concerns over the breaching of their intellectual property rights.

Related Information (Press Release)

IV. Statement concerning the act of terrorism conducted by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)

Mr. Taniguchi: Fourth, on the act of terror conducted of late by the PKK or the Kurdistan Workers' Party, our Press Secretary yesterday issued a statement strongly condemning the terrorist attacks, calling on the Iraqi government to take measures to stop them from recurring while also calling upon the Turkish government to exercise utmost self-restraint.

Related Information (Press Release)

V. Publication by the Japanese and Canadian governments of a report on the further promotion of bilateral economic relations

Mr. Taniguchi: Fifth, Canadian and Japanese governments have published a comprehensive study report as to how the bilateral economic relations should be further promoted. The report in its entirety is downloadable at our web site: [English (PDF)] [Japanese (PDF)]. That is definitely worth reading.

VI. Visit to Japan by Chairman Ginandjar Kartasasmita of the Indonesia-Japan Friendship Association

Mr. Taniguchi: Sixth and last, yesterday 22 October, from Indonesia, Mr. Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Chairman of the Regional Representatives Council and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Indonesia-Japan Friendship Association came to meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura. Of note here is Japan and Indonesia will next year celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relationship.

VII. Questions concerning the visit to Japan by Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation

Q: Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lavrov is meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura later this afternoon. What sort of subject matters are going to be discussed by the two foreign ministers, and what kind of prospect are we looking at in terms of forging the peace treaty between Russia and Japan?

Mr. Taniguchi: The visit of the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs should be viewed as part of a series of exchanges of visits by the leaders of both nations, Russia and Japan. First of all, when President Putin met then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Sydney, when Australia held the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) annual meeting, there was an agreement that, first, Foreign Minister Lavrov would be coming to Japan, which is then followed by the visit of one of the Deputy Prime Ministers of the Russian Federation to Japan, and then, also, there is going to be a strategic dialogue between the two Vice-Ministers of Foreign Affairs, of both nations. Perhaps when Japan is going to hold the G8 summit meeting in Toyako Hokkaido next year, there will certainly be a chance for the new Russian President and the Japanese Prime Minister to meet one other. In the run up to that event, both nations have to work hard to expand as much as possible the diplomatic relationships between the two nations.

But so far as the visit of Foreign Minister Lavrov is concerned, the issues to be discussed between the two foreign ministers are going to be, mainly, on political issues, such as on visa issues, on the cooperation in terms of the criminal investigation, and so forth.

Q: What is the Japanese Government doing in terms of the Northern Territory issue, and what sort of prospect do we see down the road?

Mr. Taniguchi: The issue is very much an important one. Therefore, it is very much certain that the issue is going to be raised by Japanese Foreign Mister Koumura when he will meet Foreign Mister Lavrov later this afternoon. They will touch on that, discuss that issue as well, and when it comes to discussing this issue, there has been an agreement that all the documents and agreements that have taken shape between the two nations in the past have to be respected, and the solution must be something that can be accepted by both parties, Russia and Japan. But I do not think that this issue is going to be solved overnight, and I would be surprised if anyone would say that there is a magic solution for this. But it is very much important for Russia and Japan to have, ultimately, the peace treaty. In order for them to have a peace treaty, there are issues such as this, which are very much important, to be solved before both nations having the peace treaty.

VIII. Questions concerning the visits by Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Shotaro Yachi and Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Kenichiro Sasae to the United States

Q: Mr. Sasae and Mr. Yachi are both visiting the United States. Can you give us a little bit more detail on who and what are the main purposes of the visits?

Mr. Taniguchi: In terms of Mr. Yachi, it is based on the agreement by both Mr. Negroponte and Mr. Yachi to have the Vice Ministerial dialogue at least twice annually. So naturally, Mr. Yachi's prime purpose is going to see his counterpart Mr. Negroponte in Washington, DC. He mentioned that he is going to see some of his friends and experts in think-tanks and so on in Washington, DC, but I am not sure exactly when he is going to meet whom, where. So, that is about Mr. Yachi.

About Mr. Sasae, he is going to see Assistant Secretary of State Ambassador Hill, and the purpose, of course, is to review what has happened and foresee what should be done in terms of the Six-Party dialogue.

Q: Just to follow up on Mr. Sasae and Mr. Yachi's visit to the US, given the timing, with the new bill on the Indian Ocean and also the discussion about the US planning to de-list North Korea from the state sponsor of terrorism list, are those two issues going to be discussed during their talks, and what are the prospects that the Japanese Government expects?

Mr. Taniguchi: I am not in a position, anyway, to foretell what issues are to be discussed and what issues are not going to be discussed by both members of the Foreign Ministry. But I certainly understand that Mr. Yachi is going to tell his counterpart and others, in and out of American administration, about what is happening in the Japanese political arena, and what will likely happen thereafter. What he exactly is going to say is something that I cannot tell at the moment, but he is going to certainly try hard to explain the situation in Japan. That is about the bill you mentioned.

In terms of the possibility that the United States is going to de-list North Korea from the list of terrorists, that is something that the United States Government obviously should take a decision about. But, that said, I should note that repeatedly from both sides, from Japan and from the United States, that any action, any decision on this, should in no way jeopardize the bilateral relationship between Japan and the United States. Obviously Mr. Yachi and Mr. Sasae will come back to that point, and try to stress the importance of maintaining the bilateral relationship in a very healthy shape.

IX. Questions concerning the new leadership of the People's Republic of China, and Japan-China ties

Q: On a separate issue, how does the Japanese Government analyze, or how do you view the new Chinese leadership that was announced yesterday?

Mr. Taniguchi: It will depend on who to ask, because there is no such thing as Japanese Government's unified vision or view on this. Certainly, it is one of the most important events for Chinese politics, and a couple of different developments, new developments have been observed, like the changes of personnel in the leadership community in China. Well, it is hard to say. For me personally, I think the process of the Party Congress itself is being made more transparent, and at least the Chinese Government is trying hard to make it transparent. I thought it was noticeable. But again, that is my personal view and I should once again say there is not such a thing as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' view on this.

But obviously, China is our closest neighbor, one of the most important neighbors for Japan, so any development, political or otherwise, in Beijing should deserve the greatest amount of interest in and out of Japanese government.

Q: If I ask you, then, more specifically, how do you think the new leadership, because I think their average age is a few years younger than the previous leadership, do you think the younger generation of leaders would have an effect on better Japan-China ties, and also between China and Taiwan?

Mr. Taniguchi: The China-Japan relationship is a very much important one, and the two nations are undergoing the celebratory year celebrating the 35th anniversary of the normalizing of the diplomatic relationships between the two. Many of the members of the Foreign Ministry here have noticed that lots of encouraging developments have been made so far with a spirit to look forwardly, not backwardly, such as the exchanges of high school students between the two nations. Currently, more than 30 high school students from China, from many corners of China, are spending their lives scattering around Japan, I am sure mingling together with their classmates, getting engaged in extracurricular activities and so on, and so forth.

I noticed that the so-called Matsuri Festival took place very much successfully in the very heart of the busiest commercial district in Beijing, Wang Fu Jing. That was accepted very much positively by the ordinary people in China.

So, all in all, what the Japanese and Chinese governments have jointly done so far to cultivate the people to people connections and to enrich the spirit of cooperation between the two nations have paid off very well. That is something that I should say with a degree of confidence. The new leaders in China, it should be hoped, can be forthcoming to be willing to work even more together with their counterparts in Japan. So, that is my view.

On the China-Taiwan issue, there has been no change in terms of Japanese policies toward that issue.

X. Question concerning the upcoming visit to Japan by Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General Ibrahim Gambari

Q: I have a question Mr. Gambari's visit. Do you have news to tell us?

Mr. Taniguchi: You will soon, very soon, hear the detail. I cannot give you the exact detail right now. But it will be just a matter of time for you to know exactly when.

Get Acrobat Reader (Open a New Window)

Back to Index