[Brief]

On Japan-China, Japan-South Korea, Japan Malaysia Leaders' Meeting, APEC Meetings, Okinawa Issue etc.

by Japanese Government Spokesman (Press Secretary)

Hiroshi Hashimoto

18 November 1995

The Bilateral Leaders' Meetings
Official of the International Press Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Good afternoon. Now Mr. Hiroshi Hashimoto, the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, will brief you on a series of bilateral meetings of the Prime Minister Murayama held during this morning. For questions and answers the microphones are at your disposal.

Press Secretary Hiroshi Hashimoto of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am going to brief you on three bilateral meetings today. First is the meeting between Mr. Jiang Zemin and Mr. Murayama. The talks took place in a very friendly atmosphere. The talks themselves were very positive. At first, Mr. Jiang Zemin emphasized that Japan and China can further develop the bilateral relationship in the 21st century. And, in the 21st century the favorable wind will blow to the Asian region, and therefore it is imperative to keep the current of development of stable bilateral relationship. Mr. Murayama and Mr. Jiang Zemin shared the same opinions on the following three points. The first one is that the powerful future-oriented bilateral relationship is based on the correct perceptions of history between the two countries. Second, there is a big potentiality of developing bilateral cooperation in many fields. On this, Mr. Murayama talked about bilateral cooperations on global agenda. Third, it is important that they meet and talk, in spite of development of communications. Mr. Jiang Zemin said that the direct talks between the two Leaders will lessen misunderstanding and increase the mutual understanding. Toward the end of the talks, Mr. Murayama briefly talked about the feelings of the Japanese people on the nuclear test and asked China to further cooperate in continuing CTBT next year, saying that Foreign Ministers between the two countries already touched on this subject. And both Mr. Jiang Zemin and Mr. Murayama agreed to ask the two Ministers to talk further on these issues. The second one is the talks between Mr. Murayama and Mr. Kim Young Sam. The talks went on under a good atmosphere and they exchanged frank views. They touched on four subjects. One is related to perceptions of history, the second one is related to North Korea, the third one is related to Japan-Korean trade imbalance issue, and the fourth one is on APEC. If you are interested, later I will explain a little bit further on the content of the talks, but if I quickly say so, on the perceptions of history, Mr. Murayama said that his statement on 15 August this year is an official statement on perceptions of history of the Japanese Government. And, on the basis of that, Japan would like to develop future-oriented policies toward Korea. Mr. Kim reiterated that it is very important to have the correct perceptions of history between the two countries -- especially the Japanese leaders should have the correct perceptions of history. Mr. Murayama said that the majority of the Japanese people share the same view of the Japanese Government; however, there are a limited number of people who do not share the same view. On North Korea, Mr. Murayama said that Japan wants to normalize their relationship with North Korea; however, Japan intends to communicate with the Republic of Korea. At the same time -- on this subject -- the Japanese Government sincerely hopes that the north-south dialogue will take place in a successful manner. And in this sense, we need to cooperate with each other. The two gentlemen agreed that it is necessary to have the close relationship between the two countries, but at the same time the tripartite dialogue between Japan, the ROK, and the United States is also very important. The third talks are between Mr. Murayama and Dr. Mahathir. At first they talked about APEC. Dr. Mahathir said that he is satisfied with the full and thorough preparations for the Leadership Meeting on the basis of discussions on the level of Senior Officials and Ministers. He said that he didn't attend the Seattle Meeting, and both at Seattle and at Bogor, there was no consultations on the Declarations. However, this time, Dr. Mahathir is fully satisfied with the process. Dr. Mahathir said that the APEC Osaka Leaders' Meeting will be a fruitful occasion. At the same time, he said that we need our own speed in implementing the Action Agenda in some important sectors. He said that in the Action Agenda, flexibility is needed. Mr. Murayama replied that the draft Action Agenda really reflects the reality of diversity of the region and he asked for cooperation at the forthcoming Leadership Meeting. Dr. Mahathir said there is no difficulty in doing so. Dr. Mahathir touched on the issue of the appreciated yen. An agreement on a strong yen at the G-7 may contribute positively to the issue of Japan-U.S. trade imbalance. However, because of the appreciated yen, it will negatively affect Malaysia-Japan trade imbalance. And, he said that what is good for a big country like the U.S. is bad for a small country like Malaysia. Mr. Murayama replied that he understands that Malaysia suffers from the appreciated yen, and he understands the necessity to make the exchange rate stable. That's about all. Having said so, I'm ready to take any questions you may raise. Yes, please.
Okinawa issue
Q: Do you have any comment on the remarks by U.S. Commander of Pacific Forces who's now resigned or retired about the rape on Okinawa?

A: I would like to tell you that today, this morning, around 11:30, Ambassador Mondale contacted Foreign Minister Kono and he explained to Mr. Kono on this statement. What Admiral Macke said doesn't reflect the Clinton Administration's position, and Admiral Macke decided to retire. Mr. Kono replied that he can't simply believe what Admiral Macke said, but at the same time he appreciated the personal effort of Admiral Macke in the Japan-U.S. relationship.

Q: I wonder if I could just follow up. Does the Japanese Government think that this increases the discomfort level in relations at this point -- this kind of an incident -- and does it increase the urgency in the view of the Government of Japan for a high level meeting with Mr. Clinton sooner than...?

A: Well, it is regrettable that Admiral Macke did say so. I understand that Admiral Macke's statement might have offended the feelings of the Okinawan people, but once Ambassador Mondale explained that this statement doesn't reflect the official stance of the Clinton administration, and I hope that the Okinawans will understand that. But in any case, as you know, tomorrow there will be a meeting between Mr. Murayama and Mr. Al Gore and we hope they will hold fruitful talks. As for Mr. Clinton's visit to Japan, still we are in the process of when it can be done. So, it is a bit too early for us to say when he can come. But, the Japanese government welcomes his early visit to Japan. Thank you. Yes, please.
Meeting the Bogor Deadline
Q: Did he indicate to Prime Minister Murayama that it may not be possible for Malaysia to meet the Bogor deadline in any specific sector?

A: He didn't say so. He didn't specifically mention what sectors in his mind. Just what he said that we need our own speed in implementing the Action Agenda in some important sectors. Cooperation in this region should be based on the mutual benefit, not on one-sided benefit he said. But, he didn't mention what sector he had in his mind, thank you. Yes, please.
Prime Minister Murayama's bilateral meeting with President Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of China
Q: I would like to ask you about the conference with Mr. Jiang from China. You said that Mr. Murayama and Mr. Jiang agreed that it is important to meet and talk directly because there is less misunderstanding. For the misunderstanding do you mean a report about a speech that Mr. Jiang made in Republic of Korea, and what is the reason of the misunderstanding they think?

A: Well, he didn't specifically say what he meant by this. But, he said although the telecommunication has been developed, it is very important to virtually meet each other and directly talk. So, I don't want to interpret what he said. But, in any case, while he understands many things through the press or other communication, but at the same time he would like to meet and talk to the Japanese Prime Minister so that the two leaders can increase the mutual understanding. Yes, please.
Prime Minister Murayama's bilateral meeting with President Kim Young Sam of the Republic of Korea
Q: In the meeting with President Kim, it has been said that he bitterly criticized Japan over rice shipments to Japan. How do you characterize his comments? What did he say about the shipments and how do you interpret them?

A: Well, we shouldn't interpret this as bitter criticism. President Kim said that the North Korean authority endeavors to let the Republic of Korea and Japan compete with each other, citing this experience: rice supply to North Korea. People might have an impression that the Japan and North Korean relationship will move more rapidly than the South Korean relationship. This kind of perception or impression will impede the peaceful unification of North Korea and the Republic of Korea. He said that North Korea intends to divide Japan and Korea. Therefore, it is very important to have a close relationship between the Republic of Korea and Japan. Yes, please.
The Bilateral Leaders' Meetings: yen loans and trade imbalances
Q: First, I would like to ask, in the meeting between Prime Minister Murayama and President Jiang, was there any discussion of ODA money or yen loans came up? And, in the meeting between the South Korean President and Prime Minister Murayama, you mentioned that they discussed the trade imbalance. Can you tell us if any specific measures or remedies were discussed?

A: The ODA issue was not taken up between Mr. Jiang Zemin and Mr. Murayama. On the trade issue between Japan and the Republic of Korea, President Kim said that last year the imbalance for the Republic of Korea was equivalent to US$12 billion, and already the imbalance of the same figure -- US$12 billion imbalance -- was recorded at the end of September this year. This is serious for the Republic of Korea, and he said that Japan is not enthusiastic about transferring technology. He urged the Japanese private sector to invest more in the Korean market. Mr. Murayama said that Japan's surplus has been increasing, but at the same time, semiconductor imports from the Republic of Korea to Japan have been increasing and Japan has been endeavoring to increase our domestic demand and try to revitalize our economy. He said that he hopes that this would improve the trade balance between Japan and Republic of Korea. He understands the necessity of transferring technology to the Republic of Korea. That is basically what they said.

Q:Could I just clarify? You mean to say that Prime Minister Murayama did not say that the problem is mostly that there is a very big demand for Japanese products in the Republic of Korea?

A: I'm terribly sorry, but I was not there. What I was told by my colleagues was that according to this record, Mr. Murayama did not specifically tell President Kim. But, he understands the imbalance between Japan and the Republic of Korea has been increasing. But, at the same time he stressed the efforts of the Japanese government to try to expand the domestic demand so that we can improve the situation in the future. At the same time, he has cited an example of rapid increase of semiconductors imports from the Republic of Korea. Yes, please.
Okinawa situation
Q: I would like to go back to the subject of Okinawa. Will Okinawa be on the agenda for Mr. Murayama with Vice-President Gore tomorrow? If so, what will Mr. Murayama say to Mr. Gore on that subject?

A: When those two leaders meet together they will cover the bilateral relationship. They will talk about the security relationship. When they talk about security relationship the Okinawa issue will be involved. In addition to this they will talk about bilateral cooperations on the global agenda and the exchange of people, especially exchange of students. But, how the Okinawa issue will be taken up by the two people, I cannot tell you exactly, except that they will formally confirm the start of the new consultation mechanism on the realignment and consolidation of bases in Okinawa. I think that's about all of what I can say. Yes, please.

Q: Following up on that question. In view of the curtailed bilateral talks between Japan and the United States, and also in view of Prime Minister Murayama's statement prior to that that the deployment of troops in Okinawa issue is a matter of some urgency. Is Japan satisfied that there will be enough time during this meeting to get toward resolving it?

A: What I can say is that it is very regrettable that this time Mr. Clinton cannot visit Japan, but when he comes to Japan in the future we still intend to publish a joint paper on the security relationship. Therefore, they will fully cover the issue at that time. But when Mr. Al Gore comes to Japan, they will also touch on the subject, but I do not know how detailed or how much time they will spend on this. I am sure both leaders will do their best to defuse anxiety which may exist among the people concerned, for example, relating to Admiral Macke's statement, and so on. Yes, please.

Q: I wanted you to reiterate the question of the Admiral. Is the Japanese Government satisfied with his resignation and retirement? And, is this an issue of concern and importance to the Japanese Government?

A: What I can tell you is that Mr. Kono said that he couldn't believe what Admiral Macke said. But, at the same time he said that he appreciates the personal efforts of Admiral Macke in the Japan-U.S. relationship. So, I can't interpret in addition to this, but what I can say is that it is very regrettable that Admiral Macke said so. Mr. Mondale quickly explained that this statement doesn't reflect the Clinton Administration's policy, so what I can say is that I hope the Okinawans will also understand the explanations of Ambassador Mondale to Mr. Kono. Yes, please.
Topics for multilateral meeting of 19 November
Q: What can you tell us about what the multilateral summit tomorrow will decide and announce besides the Action Agenda; for instance, what people are calling the down payments that different countries are bringing. And when are we going to find out about all of that? There was originally something on the schedule of 15:45 to 15:55, the Leaders' Declaration, but I don't see that on the press announcements anywhere.

A: As far as the schedule is concerned, I'm terribly sorry, I don't have my papers now, so I hope that the Japanese Government will in due course explain to you what will happen, but tomorrow at 14:00 I will have a briefing session and I will explain to you on the morning sessions of the leaders, but at the same time making use of that opportunity, I would like to explain to you in detail the Japanese proposal of the Initial Actions. But as far as the Initial Actions of the other members are concerned, I think individually the member will explain to you, therefore, probably even as a Chair, I will not be in a position to explain to you the content of the initial agenda of other members. On the basis of the bilateral talks between Mr. Murayama and Mr. Jiang Zemin and Mr. Kim Young Sam and Dr. Mahathir, we can expect that at tomorrow's Leadership Meeting, the leaders can freely exchange views about the future of the region on the basis of the draft agreement of the Action Agenda and we hope that the talks will be very fruitful and they can issue a declaration which will strengthen the spirts of cooperation among the eighteen members which are included in the Action Agenda. Yes, please.
Flexibility issues; Rice shipments to Korea
Q: Yesterday the Malaysian representative made a strong declaration that none of the APEC members was obligated by any of the things that had been agreed to and Minister Hashimoto responded with a counter position that said that there was quite a big commitment. How did this subject figure in the meeting between the Prime Ministers this morning? And could you clarify one other thing. You told us what President Kim Young Sam said regarding the rice trade, or the rice shipments to North Korea, but could you tell us something of what Prime Minister Murayama's response was to those complaints?

A: On your first question, for example, Dr. Mahathir today said that he can agree with the content of the Action Agenda, because the Malaysian Government has been carrying out and already has carried out many things which are already in the Action Agenda. I interpret this as a positive attitude of the Malaysian Government. Having said so, I would like to once again repeat what Mr. Hashimoto and Mr. Kono said at the press conference. The most important thing for each member is to take concrete actions. Therefore, when the Initial Actions are presented, I would like you to draw due attention to this. Immediately after the Osaka meeting, each member will start preparing the Action Plan which eventually will be submitted to the Philippine APEC Meeting and by doing so, each member is enthusiastic about taking concrete issues. Therefore, rather than talking about the long term goal at 2010/2020, while we are aiming at the long term goals, we should also pay due attention to the near- and medium-term measures which all APEC members are going to take. As for the rice issue, at first Mr. Murayama explained to President Kim Young Sam on the fundamental policy of Japan towards North Korea and Mr. Kim in reply stated that he shares the same opinion with Mr. Murayama that Japan and the ROK should have close relationship when Japan holds talks with North Korea on the normalization of relationship. And he cited the rice issue and explained what I told you, but the conversation stopped at that time and Mr. Murayama didn't specifically reply on the rice issue.

Q: On the previous subject. Rather than talking about the long term goal in 2010/2020, we should pay due attention to near and medium term measures. Are you telling us that Murayama-san and Mr. Mahathir discussed it --

A: I'm sorry, they didn't discuss that subject at the moment. I just explained to you on the nature of Mr. Hashimoto and Mr. Kono's statement.

Q: They didn't discuss it?

A: No, no, I'm sorry. What Mr. Mahathir said was that the Malaysian Government has been carrying out or has carried out many opening up measures, and taken many actions which are included in this Action Agenda. That's what Dr. Mahathir said. Yes, please.
Timetable for consultation mechanism
Q: When Defense Secretary Perry was in Tokyo recently, he referred to the consultation mechanism in Okinawa just being set up and he said that the timetable for this mechanism would be announced when President Clinton visited this week. In the light of President Clinton's cancellation, is the timetable for the consultation mechanism still going to be announced and will that be made public tomorrow?

A: Once Mr. Al Gore and Mr. Murayama are expected to announce formally the establishment of the mechanism tomorrow, I think the agenda of the first meeting is also expected to be announced. They will formally start the mechanisms and we expect that this new mechanism will be activated soon.

Q: Will they announce a timetable for the conclusion of the mechanism?

A: I'm terribly sorry. I'm not sure when they will announce the timetable of the conclusion. Yes, please.
Initial Actions
Q: In the course of preparation in some talks, there was a lot of mention about the down payments. Now this language disappeared for Initial Actions. Could you tell us, if possible, what is the difference the actions should be most followed. Should we call them down payment or Initial Actions?

A: It will be called "Initial Actions." Down payment was a sort of colloquial expression when the Senior Officials at first discussed this issue. Thank you very much.
Cancellation of President Clinton's trip to Japan
Q: I was just wondering if Mahathir had made any mention about President Clinton not being here -- what impact that had on the meeting.

A: He didn't mention it at all. Yes, please.
Discussion of historical interpretation
Q: In both of the talks, whether Chinese President Jiang Zemin and ROK President and Japanese side mentioned the correct understanding of the conception of history. Does this imply that the Japanese side that there are some differences in the understanding of the conception of history? If yes, what are they? Thank you.

A: Mr. Murayama repeatedly told his counterparts that the official position of the Japanese Government was clearly stated in the 15 August Prime Minister's statement and he said that the majority of the Japanese people understand and share the same opinion. However, there are some limited number of people who have different idea. Both Mr. Jiang Zemin and Mr. Kim Young Sam stressed the importance of having the correct perceptions of history. Mr. Kim Young Sam said that the Japanese leaders should have the correct perceptions of history. I personally interpret that both two leaders -- I think that Japanese Senior Officials and if I may say also the Government should abide by the statement expressed by the Prime Minister on 15 August and will not make any other comment which will hurt the sentiments of the people in Korea and China. May I close this briefing session? Thank you very much.

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