Press Conference, 15 July 2008

Statement on the establishment of a new Cabinet in the Republic of Lebanon
Questions concerning the Republic of Korea
Question concerning the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit
Questions concerning the upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting

I. Statement on the establishment of a new Cabinet in the Republic of Lebanon

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

I've got just one announcement to make before I take your questions.

Yesterday, Monday, the 14th, the Press Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the establishment of a new Cabinet in the Republic of Lebanon. For those interested, please visit the Ministry's website for more details.

Related Information (Press Release)

II. Questions concerning the Republic of Korea

Q: The Korean Ambassador in Tokyo made a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and had a discussion with Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Mitoji Yabunaka this morning. Could you tell me what was discussed between the two?

Mr. Taniguchi: The Korean Ambassador explained the position of the ROK (the Republic of Korea) Government on Takeshima to the Japanese side. In response, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Yabunaka acknowledged the difference between the two nations but maintained that there has got to be better cooperative relationships, cherishing what is called the new age of the Japan-Korea relationship.

Q: The Korean Ambassador is scheduled to return home to Seoul today, which will inevitably affect the bilateral relationship between Japan and the ROK. How can you cope with the situation? How can you better the deteriorated bilateral relationship between the ROK and Japan?

Mr. Taniguchi: The ROK and Japan have many issues to work on jointly in a cooperative fashion. There are many, many areas where both nations can cooperate, and even though there may be rows or disputes of many kinds between the two neighbors, what is important is to overcome those differences and to aim at achieving objectives that are of mutual interest and concern to the two nations.

Q: You mentioned there are many issues for both sides to cooperate on. Is this dispute going to affect cooperation between Japan and the ROK in the Six-Party Talks?

Mr. Taniguchi: The answer is, I do hope not.

Q: The ROK now has no ambassador stationed in Japan. He is returning home. What sort of channels do you have with Seoul to solve the dispute between the two nations about the Takeshima Islands?

Mr. Taniguchi: It is my firm belief that the Korean Ambassador, although not present here in Japan for a while, should be coming back to Japan sooner rather than later. In addition to that, we have our Ambassador stationed in Seoul, who I am sure has been in close contact with a number of important officials within the ROK Government. There are many channels between the two governments. This problem is going to be solved through those diplomatic channels in a diplomatic fashion, again, sooner rather than later.

III. Question concerning the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit

Q: What is your evaluation of the G8 Summit last week?

Mr. Taniguchi: It is too early for someone who was heavily involved in the entire process to play a role of a judge of some kind, so I should refer your attention to the report that came out from the G8 Research Group of the University of Toronto.

The G8 Research Group of the University of Toronto has been involved in the G8 process for many years. It is a de facto rating agency, if you like. According to the judgment they gave to the overall performance of the G8 Summit Meeting for this year, held in Toyako, Hokkaido, the result was better than average, indeed amongst the top five in terms of the rating that they gave. So that may be one indication.

IV. Question concerning the upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting

Q: Next week the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Foreign Ministerial Meeting will be held in Singapore. Since it is the first such regional meeting after the G8 Summit, what role does Japan hope to play, and what kind of outcome are you expecting?

Mr. Taniguchi: A number of issues. It will coincide with the WTO (World Trade Organization) meetings which some people dub a "make or break" occasion. Actually, the possibility is growing that a positive outcome will come out from the Ministerial Meeting at the WTO. The discussion about the trade regime therefore bears great importance, and because a number of countries that are taking part in the ASEAN process discussions in Singapore have also taken part in the G8 Summit Meeting in Hokkaido, mostly as outreach member nations, indeed it will be a very good opportunity for the ASEAN member nations to once again confirm the importance of jointly tackling climate change. Certainly Japanese representatives like Foreign Minister Koumura are going to fully convey what was discussed in Hokkaido to their counterparts from ASEAN nations.

And there is going to be something called ARF, as is customary at ASEAN meetings. In that regard, the North Korean denuclearization issue is also going to be taken up by the participants.

Q: I think Washington announced that Secretary of State Rice will also be attending the meeting in Singapore. Can we expect, there, a get-together by the foreign ministers involved in the Six-Party Talks?

Mr. Taniguchi: I don't know. I have nothing to confirm or deny on that, in terms of the schedule, the honest answer from me is that I have very little knowledge at the moment.

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