Top > Announcement > Press Conference by the Press Secretary of MOFA > 13 October 2011

Press Conference by the Assistant Press Secretary, 13 October 2011

  1. Foreign Minister Gemba's visit to the Republic of Korea
  2. Foreign Minister Gemba's visit to Southeast Asia
  3. Japan-Qatar Joint Economic Committee
  4. Kuwait Crude Oil Donation
  5. Global Zero Summit
  6. Ambassadorial study tours to Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures
  7. Questions concerning Foreign Minister Gemba's visit to the Republic of Korea
  8. Question concerning TPP Negotiations

  1. Foreign Minister Gemba's visit to the Republic of Korea

    2. Assistant Press Secretary Masaru Sato: Good afternoon.

    At the outset, I have five handouts to distribute among you. First, I would like to explain these for about ten minutes and later I will be ready to entertain your questions and comments.

    Mr. Sato: First, the outline of Foreign Minister Gemba's visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK), which took place 6-7 October last week. This was Foreign Minister Gemba's first as Japanese Foreign Minister to the ROK, and also the first bilateral visit. During the discussion with his counterparts Minister Gemba stated that Japan and the ROK shared common interests and that the ROK is Japan's most important neighboring country, and both sides agreed on making further efforts to strengthen their future-oriented relationship. The two sides also discussed global and regional challenges including North Korea.

    Also, the two sides exchanged views on the resumption of the Japan-ROK Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations.

  2. Foreign Minister Gemba's visit to Southeast Asia

    3. Mr. Sato: On a separate note, Foreign Minister Gemba is now visiting three Southeast Asian nations and there is another handout. The first is the itinerary of Minister Gemba's visit, and since this is still in the midst of his visit, what I can share with you today is his visit to Singapore.

    In Singapore, he paid courtesy calls on Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and had a meeting with his counterpart Minister K. Shanmugam.

    During this meeting the two ministers welcomed that bilateral cooperation has been transitioning very smoothly and strongly based on common basic values, and also agreed to further strengthen their cooperation on tackling regional and international issues. On the regional and international issue, they mainly touched upon three items. First, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement negotiation, the situation in Myanmar, and the current preparation for the East Asia Summit in November.

  3. Japan-Qatar Joint Economic Committee

    4. Mr. Sato: The third item is the holding of the sixth meeting of the Japan-Qatar Joint Economic Committee that on the occasion of Qatar's Deputy Premier's visit to Japan.

    The Joint Economic Committee issued the joint statement, which is attached here, and during this consultation, the two sides discussed energy cooperation and infrastructure development. The Qatari side confirmed that it would continue to provide a stable supply of energy to Japan. Both sides reaffirmed their intention to increase bilateral cooperation, and expressed their intention to pursue cooperation actively on infrastructure development to address growing demand in Qatar as it prepares for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and other needs, taking advantage of Japan's knowledge and technology.

    On the disaster that happened on 11 March, the Japanese side expressed its gratitude for Qatar's generous support in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, specifically its donation of 100 million US dollars and additional supply of LNG.

    Qatar is one of the most important suppliers of LNG to Japan.

  4. Kuwait Crude Oil Donation

    5. Mr. Sato: Although there is no handout, I would also like to touch on the event that took place yesterday afternoon in Yokohama, which was the delivery ceremony of the donated crude oil from Kuwait, attended on the Japanese side, by METI Minister Edano and MOFA's Parliamentary Vice-Minister Kato, and on the Kuwaiti side by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation CEO Farouq Al Zanki and Ambassador of Kuwait to Japan Mr. Abdul-Rahman Al-Otaibi.

    On this occasion, the list of 5 million barrels of crude oil, which is approximately 43 billion Japanese yen, was delivered to the Japanese side. At this event, MOFA's Parliamentary Vice-Minister Kato stated that, recalling that Japan provided 13 billion dollars as a friend of Kuwait during the first Gulf War, the provision of 5 million barrels of crude oil is a reflection of the friendship between the two countries and he hoped this precious assistance would be fully utilized for the recovery of the affected areas.

  5. Global Zero Summit

    6. Mr. Sato: The next item is the Global Zero Summit. This summit was held on 11 October in Los Angeles at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

    From Japan Special Advisor for the Prime Minister Nagashima read out a message by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. In this message Prime Minister Noda expressed Japan's resolve, as the only country in the world to have suffered nuclear devastation, to lead international disarmament and nonproliferation efforts taking a realistic and gradual approach, based upon international belief that the horrors of the nuclear weapon must never be repeated.

    Under this Global Zero movement, a few summits have taken place. The first one was held in Paris 2-4 February, and on the Japanese side the former Prime Minister Fukuda attended the summit. The second one was held in London on June 2011, and was attended from the Japanese side by former Foreign Minister Maehara. This summit was the first time when the Japanese Prime Minister made a release of his message. The participation of the Japanese in this event was an extension of our renewed commitment to contribute to the world, even after the 11 March disaster, as expressed by Prime Minister Noda himself in New York in the United National General Assembly.

  6. Ambassadorial study tours to Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures

    7. Mr. Sato: The last item is the study tour by Ambassadors stationed in Japan to the affected areas, Iwate Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture. The Foreign Ministry organized a study tour to, Iwate Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture by 21 countries ambassadors to Japan, in conjunction with Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.

    This tour will be held from the standpoint of promoting tourism, countering unfounded reputational damages and supporting the rebuilding of disaster areas following the Great East Japan Earthquake.

    We believe that this tour was a good opportunity for these ambassadors to have first-hand knowledge about the situation with regard to the reconstruction of the disaster affected areas.

    During this visit, they visited Sendai Airport, the Shiogama fish market, Matsushima, Hiraizumi, the world heritage site, and the companies in traditional industries as well as holding exchanges with local high school students.

    Also, I prepared a list of foreign leaders who visited the disaster-stricken areas. I collected only those at the head of state level.

    These are the opening remarks I wanted to make. Now I am ready to entertain your questions or comments.

  7. Questions concerning Foreign Minister Gemba's visit to the Republic of Korea

    8. Q: Regarding Prime Minister Noda's visit to South Korea next week, first of all, why did he choose South Korea as his first destination to visit, aside from his visit to the United Nations, and during this visit what are some of the topics that he will be covering with the President?

    Mr. Sato: Thank you very much for your question.

    Regarding the announced visit by Prime Minister Noda to the Republic of Korea (ROK), the visit will take place from 18-19 October next week and the reason why the Prime Minister chose the ROK as the first country for his bilateral visit is a question that I have to ask to the Prime Minister himself.

    The Republic of Korea, as demonstrated during Foreign Minister Gemba's visit last week, is the most important neighbor to Japan. Also, we share vital interests with each other, because we share the Asia Pacific region, which is full of uncertainties, but at the same time, full of opportunities. It is also a growth center for the world economy. This is probably another reason.

    Also, as Foreign Minister Gemba explained in the previous press conferences, Korea and Japan share many things. Japan had introduced Confucianism, Buddhism, and during the time of the Meiji restoration we introduced Western technology to make Japan's own mix of technologies. Korea has been also taking a similar track, so we have shared experiences which can be utilized to bridge the gap between something oriental and something western. This is a basic observation about the two countries, but this might be a kind of foundation of why the Republic of Korea was chosen as the first destination for the bilateral visit.

    Q: And the topic that he will be covering with the South Korean President during his visit would be?

    Mr. Sato: I think the foundation was laid by Foreign Minister Gemba who visited the country last week. This is my guess, because we have to coordinate with our Korean counterparts about the agenda items to be taken up. The Japanese side would like to confirm again with the Korean side that the two countries will exert their efforts to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation, which is a future-oriented one. Based on the fact that Japan and Korea share a set of values and interests, not only as the immediate neighbor, but also as democracies.

    Also, not only the bilateral agenda, but also the regional and international agenda, such as the North Korean issue and also how to go about preparing ourselves for the upcoming multilateral meetings, for example G20, APEC, and also, the ASEAN summit meetings. There are a variety of issues the two countries have to cooperate on. These are potential items that might be taken up at next week's summit.

    Q: Again about Prime Minister Noda's visit to South Korea, there are also reports that he would be bringing some of the Korean imperial scripts or scrolls with him to the trip, and hand over some of them to the President, is this the plan?

    Mr. Sato: Thank you very much for your question.

    On that topic, I think it was taken up at the Foreign Minister's meeting with his counterpart Kim Sung-Hwan. As I said, the preparation for the upcoming summit meeting is now underway, so I cannot confirm whether the so-called the archives filed by Yi Dynasty will be bought to Korea for this occasion. There was an agreement during the Foreign Minister's meeting with Kim Sung-Hwan, regarding the delivery of the archives, that both sides will continue to coordinate so that actual delivery of the archives from the Joseon Dynasty will be completed by the deadline stipulated by the Japan-Korea Archives Agreement. This is what the two foreign ministers agreed, so I don't know how this will play out with the preparation leading up to next week's summit meeting.

  8. Question concerning TPP Negotiations

    9. Q: Now a question about the TPP negotiations, probably sometime by the middle of November Japan will have to somehow decide whether to be involved in the TPP negotiations. Regarding these decisions, what do you think is the role of the Foreign Ministry in these decisions to be made by the Japanese government regarding participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations?

    Mr. Sato: Thank you very much for the question regarding the TPP preparation.

    A few days ago there was a ministerial meeting held to discuss the TPP and the EPAs. This meeting was held based on the decision made on 15 November 2010 by the government and was the first meeting after the inauguration of the Noda cabinet. The Foreign Ministry reported to the participants on the current status of the negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Also, at this meeting, they discussed how to provide the information on the TPP to the Japanese public and how to go about dealing with the other bilateral economic partnership agreements. That was the agenda taken up at the last meeting.

    I don't think we can go further in detail, because this is an issue of government coordination. Our government position on this issue is that, based on the cabinet decision on 15 August as described in the overall policy promotion, and from a broad perspective, the government of Japan will thoroughly discuss to make a decision on whether to join the TPP negotiations as early as possible.

    On your question regarding the Foreign Ministry's role in the work building up to the decision, the Foreign Minister himself is now visiting Malaysia and Singapore, and since these two countries are participating in the negotiations for the future TPP agreement, I think the exchange of opinions and information gathering are going to take place during these bilateral visits. Not only at the Foreign Minister's level, but also at other levels we are doing the information gathering. As for the policy stance the Foreign Ministry will take, I think Foreign Minister Gemba himself has been reiterating his view that as Japan is aging really rapidly, and with fewer new births, the result is the shrinking Japanese market.

    However, if you look beyond the national border and look at the Asian Pacific region, it has a population of 4 billion people, which contains emerging economies like India, China, Indonesia, and other countries. So we need to think about how to make these demands in the Asian Pacific region as the Japanese own market. This kind of perspective should also be taken into account in the discussion on whether or not to join the TPP negotiations.

    Keeping this in mind, the Foreign Ministry will participate in the discussion in an appropriate manner.

    Are there any other questions? I see none, so this concludes today's press conference. Thank you very much for coming.

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