Press Conference, 25 September 2007

Questions concerning the current situation in the Union of Myanmar
Questions concerning the Six-Party Talks
Question concerning the next Minister for Foreign Affairs

I. Questions concerning the current situation in the Union of Myanmar

Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good afternoon, thanks very much for coming.

I don't have any opening statement today. Any questions?

Q: I am seeking a Japanese Government reaction on the current status of Myanmar.

Mr. Taniguchi: What is happening in (the Union of) Myanmar has been of grave concern to us, the Japanese Government, and currently the Japanese Government has been paying close attention to the developments in Myanmar and we would like to call on the Government of Myanmar to remain calm and not to respond in an extreme fashion. Also, I may have to note that on 12 September, the Japanese ambassador based in Myanmar, Ambassador Nogawa, got in touch with Minister of Foreign Affairs U Nyan Win of Myanmar to express the concern that the Japanese Government has in terms of the situation, which was already deteriorating, and made a request that the Government of Myanmar should ameliorate the situation. I should also note that the public will has been expressed by the people who are hitting the streets, so it is going to be very much important for the Myanmar Government to listen to the voice of the people and to proceed the reconciliation process between the government and the people and to further advance the real democratization process.

Q: What is going to be the Japanese Government's policy if, however, the Myanmar Government takes extreme policies?

Mr. Taniguchi: That is a big "if," because so far the rally has been going on in a rather more orderly fashion and given the level of respect that the Buddhist monks have gotten from the people of Myanmar, the demonstration seems to be going on in a very much orderly way, so that is good news. The Japanese Government hopes very much that the situation is not going to escalate.

Coming back to what sort of reaction the Japanese Government would have vis-à-vis Myanmar, let me say a couple of things. The Japanese Government remains one of the biggest donors to the country and I should hasten to add that no major financial aid package has been provided by the Japanese Government to Myanmar for quite some time but in order to improve the living standard -- the real situation for the grassroot-level people -- what we call "grassroots development assistance" has continued to be provided by the Japanese Government to Myanmar, and that itself makes up a large chunk of the foreign assistance the Myanmar Government has been getting. That is, I think, what the Japanese Government should take advantage of in trying to express its great concern for the Myanmar Government and that is exactly what Japanese diplomacy has sought to do for some time, and is seeking to do at this moment.

Q: Are you saying that the Japanese Government's Official Development Aid (ODA) will continue at the current level regarding -- ?

Mr. Taniguchi: I am not making any prediction, I am just giving you a picture of what has been going on thus far and I just wanted to remind you of what sort of political power, if you like, the Japanese Government may hold vis-à-vis Myanmar.

Q: Some people here protest that Japan should scale its aid to the Myanmar Government in order to put pressure on the Government.

Mr. Taniguchi: I don't know who those people are but the policy that the Japanese Government adopted quite some time ago was to continue to provide an amount of money that is small but is important and necessary to actually improve the living conditions for the people in order for them to really see what the future will hold if they can continue to work on building their own democratic regime. I think that remains an incentive that the Japanese Government can provide the country.

Related Information (Press Release)

II. Questions concerning the Six-Party Talks

Q: US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill is coming to town just before the Six-Party Talks, and will naturally meet with Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Kenichiro Sasae. What does Japan expect to come out of their meeting? What kind of message does Japan have to emphasize?

Mr. Taniguchi: Obviously the upcoming round of the Six-Party Talks is going to be very much important in many respects. First and foremost, they are going to have to agree on a possible roadmap in which they specify what is to be done in this year and what needs to be done in the next several months. Between Mr. Hill and Mr. Sasae, as usual they are going to review what the situation has been like over the last couple of weeks and to agree on what should be achieved at the next round of Six-Party Talks. We are headed for the next phase and the complete declaration of the nuclear capacity and the disablement of North Korea's nuclear capacity are very much important issues and Mr. Sasae and Mr. Hill obviously are going to discuss how to and what to smooth over.

Q: Regarding the abduction issue, what kind of situation does Japan want to -- ?

Mr. Taniguchi: Very little is going to be different. When out-going Minister for Foreign Affairs Machimura met US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the margins of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) last week, Secretary of State Rice assured Mr. Machimura that the process of normalization between the US and North Korea and the Six-Party Talks should not go without taking full consideration of the Japanese relationship. She said something like the US would not jeopardize in any way the bilateral relationship between the US and Japan. With that understanding the Japanese Government is going to continue to push the North Korean side to be fully accountable for what has happened to the abductees and push them to return all the victims of abduction and advance the process. That is what the Japanese Government is going to say to the North Korean side.

III. Question concerning the next Minister for Foreign Affairs

Q: Do you have any information about the next foreign minister?

Mr. Taniguchi: It is anyone's guess and I do not have a crystal ball at all. Wait for another three or four hours and you will see who that is going to be.

No more questions? Thank you.

Back to Index