Press Conference, 2 February 2007

Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso on the WTO Doha round
Courtesy call to Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya by young members of the State Duma of the Russian Federation
Visit to Japan by Mr. Massimo D'Alema, Deputy Premier and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Italy
Meeting between Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Katsuhito Asano and Deputy Minister of the Interior in Charge of Counter Narcotics Mohammed Daoud of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Question concerning reports of Chinese oil production in the East China Sea
Follow-up questions concerning the WTO Doha round

I. Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso on the WTO Doha round

Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: I will make my opening announcements as brief as possible.

Firstly, Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso issued a statement yesterday on 1 February on what President George W. Bush of the US said about the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha round. It was to welcome that President Bush had reaffirmed the US's dedication to the success of the Doha round, and his request that the US Congress extend the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA).

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II. Courtesy call to Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya by young members of the State Duma of the Russian Federation

Mr. Taniguchi: Second, seven members of the State Duma of the Russian Federation made a courtesy call to Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya on 31 January. It just happened to be that the visit followed the completion of the first round of Japan-Russia Strategic Dialogue.

Mr. Iwaya was naturally upbeat, telling the young Russian parliamentarians that it would be great if Japan and Russia could have a peace treaty, thereby unleashing the vast potentials currently underutilized between the two nations and benefiting both. He also suggested that to that end, Japan and Russia should move on in accordance with the already-agreed action plan. Also, he requested that the interests of Japanese companies doing business in Russia be well kept.

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III. Visit to Japan by Mr. Massimo D'Alema, Deputy Premier and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Italy

Mr. Taniguchi: Third, Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema of the Republic of Italy is in Japan at present. He made a courtesy call to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on January 31. Both leaders acknowledged that Italy and Japan are partners sharing the same set of fundamental values. Mr. D'Alema spoke highly of the Japanese effort in trying to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders agreed that reforms are due and in order to make the United Nations (UN) an effective organization.

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IV. Meeting between Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Katsuhito Asano and Deputy Minister of the Interior in Charge of Counter Narcotics Mohammed Daoud of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Mr. Taniguchi: Fourth, I have touched once or twice here on Japan's new diplomatic initiative, i.e., to create the Arc of Freedom and Prosperity, and let me call it hereafter the AFP initiative at the risk of it sounding similar to a wire service agency.

In any event, as part of the AFP initiative, we are doing a number of things. Of late, Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Katsuhito Asano met Deputy Minister of the Interior in Charge of Counter Narcotics of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The meeting took place yesterday, 1 February, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The gist of the talks was as follows:

With the determination not to make Afghanistan a breeding ground of terrorism and drugs, Japan has actively supported Afghanistan with Official Development Assistance (ODA) of about US$1.1 billion, maritime interception by Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, holding various kinds of international conferences, and other ways. Although there are still difficulties with regard to such issues as terrorism and narcotics, Japan will assist as much as possible the efforts for reconstruction being made by the Government of Afghanistan and its nationals. That is the gist of what Senior Vice-Minister Asano conveyed to the Afghani Deputy Minister.

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V. Question concerning reports of Chinese oil production in the East China Sea

Q: The Chinese Government has denied the report by Hong Kong media that the Chinese have started producing natural gas at a site in question in the East China Sea. According to yesterday's press conference by Senior Vice-Minister Iwaya, the Government of Japan was seeking clarification on this from the Chinese Government. Is this still the case?

Mr. Taniguchi: Yes, that is still the case.

VI. Follow-up questions concerning the WTO Doha round

Q: As for the WTO, President Bush has confirmed the extension of the TPA. How will Japan work for the success of the Doha round?

Mr. Taniguchi: The TPA is an absolutely necessary pre-condition for a successful completion of the round. The decision made by the US Government is no doubt a good starting point. From that point, there is an emerging momentum which we must take advantage of to let it snowball.

At one stage, there was a time when the round looked almost hopeless. Then came a new impetus, namely, the commitment reassured by a number of governments at Davos, earlier, and President Bush's initiative to push the talk by requesting for the extension of the TPA.

I view this as an encouraging sign, and we must let it roll on.

Q: As I understand it, this issue is frequently discussed at the working level, but what about the ministerial level?

Mr. Taniguchi: Yes, depending on the situation. Davos, for instance, a couple of Ministers from the Japanese Government did attend.

They will doubtless do so in the future as well when need be.

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