Press Conference, 8 May 2007

Updates and downloads available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website
African Festa 2007 in Tokyo
Questions concerning the security dialogue between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK)
Questions concerning the Six-Party Talks

I. Updates and downloads available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website

Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good afternoon. Now, with the end of Golden Week, an intense season of diplomacy is temporarily over. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso, Minister of Defense Fumio Kyuma, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Amari, and Minister of Finance Koji Omi all made grand tours, as it were, within a packed schedule that must end strictly within the holiday period, the only time when the Diet is not in session.

Rather than going into details of those visits, I'd like to call your attention to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs English website, where you can see and download a whole bunch of related materials. As a matter of fact, the MOFA is going to continue to invest heavily in the website so that the web can be your prime source of information. Your comments and observations on that are always welcome.

II. African Festa 2007 in Tokyo

Mr. Taniguchi: What I should touch on today is an event called African Festa 2007. We at the MOFA are going to be the main organizers of the event, supported by the Tokyo-based embassies of African nations and others. It is an annual event, this year being the ninth. A fun event, basically, on Saturday 19 May and the next day, taking place in Hibiya Park, Tokyo, it will show you the cream of African music and dance, both traditional and contemporary and provide Tokyoites with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with many things African.

III. Questions concerning the security dialogue between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK)

Q: With all the security talks between Japan and Republic of Korea (ROK) this Thursday, what kind of topics will be covered? I understand that it's not going to be dwelling on a particular security issue, it's more of a wide range of discussions on security policies as a whole, but from your perspective, what basically would probably be in the agenda, apart from North Korea?

Mr. Taniguchi: The first thing that I should point out is that there's nothing unusual in this; it's part of the regular ongoing bilateral talks involving both governments, in this case both specialists and practitioners in the defense field. I can only speculate that it may be on the situation in East Asia, what's going on in terms of the military capacity of North Korea. Things like that; those things that both governments' officials involved in military affairs should be concerned about.

Q: And the reason why this wasn't held since 2003 was more of an administrative thing like scheduling, no other political reasons?

Mr. Taniguchi: I don't think this bears much political connotation. The more opportunities both the ROK and Japan can have to build up confidence in each other, the better they are going to be served. The channel that we're now looking at between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministry from Japan and their counterparts from the ROK should also serve that purpose: to create commonality and a sense of collegiality.

Q: This kind of security dialogue framework, with what other countries does Japan have this kind of setup?

Mr. Taniguchi: I can't recite from my memory. The highest such institution, obviously, is between the United States (US) and Japan and between the Commonwealth of Australia and Japan. I recall there must have been some similar organizations and institutions that Japan has with other member nations of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), but I should check it out. I cannot talk with you from my murky memory.

IV. Questions concerning the Six-Party Talks

Q: No updates on the Six-Party Talks?

Mr. Taniguchi: No updates.

Q: Do you sense an atmosphere or a mood here that things are not going anywhere with the Six-Party Talks and any inclination to abandon the talks and take a different approach?

Mr. Taniguchi: Well, as has been said repeatedly by the Government of Japan and for instance the US Government, the patience of the member nations is not unlimited. That is perhaps what I can say to you.

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