Meeting Between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of China on the Occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit Meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico (Overview)

(a) I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Chinese government for showing support and welcome for my visit to North Korea. In the Japan-DPRK normalization talks, due to start on October 29, Japan would strongly call on North Korea to faithfully implement the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration. The abduction issues are attracting the most interest domestically in Japan, but the security issues, including the nuclear issue, would also be taken up in the talks. The security issue is also a matter of grave concern for the United States and the Republic of Korea.

(b) In the recent talks between myself and Chairman Kim Jong-Il, the North Korean side for the first time had admitted the abduction and operation vessel issues and apologized, saying that it would never allow such problems to occur again. The mainstream opinion in Japan is that North Korea cannot be trusted, since previously it had denied the very existence of the abduction and nuclear problems. However, in the Pyongyang Declaration signed by myself and Chairman Kim, North Korea had pledged to comply with related international agreements, including those concerning the nuclear issue. The United States also has a strong distrust of North Korea, but the path of dialogue has not been closed. In the normalization talks, Japan would urge North Korea to follow a course of international cooperation as a responsible member of the international community.

(c) China has maintained friendly relations with North Korea so far and has an extremely large influence on Pyongyang. Therefore, Japan looks forward to China's support and advice concerning the Japan-DPRK normalization talks.

(a) I appreciate your explanation. China had consistently adopted a stance of supporting the non-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula with resolution. I myself had told U.S. President George W. Bush and ROK President Kim Dae-Jung that China hoped for the non-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and that the issues should be settled peacefully. I had also told the United States that it should continue to abide by and implement the 1994 framework.

(b) Regarding your visit to Pyongyang, China also had watched the visit with great interest. I am delighted that positive results had been achieved.

(a) This year was the 30th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China relations and grand commemorative events were held in China in September to mark the occasion, with a large mission of 13,000 Japanese nationals visiting China.

(b) In the extremely long history of exchange between the two countries, there had been much friendly exchange, including the cultural exchange promoted by such people as Abe no Nakamaro and Buddhist priest Ganjin in the past, but in the last century there was also the history in which Japanese militarists invaded China. Japan and China have this long and complicated history of exchange. Accordingly, it is necessary to "take history as the mirror and look toward the future."

(c) Last year you visited the Marco Polo Bridge and the Memorial Museum of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War and explained your visit to Yasukuni Shrine. This year you visited Yasukuni Shrine again, albeit in April rather than on August 15. According to the explanation of the Japanese side, your intention was to pay your respects to the ordinary Japanese people who had died in the war, but it is necessary to bear in mind the fact that this issue touches on the feelings of 1.3 billion Chinese.
Today, I had explained the standpoint of China rather frankly without diplomatic niceties.

(a) Much exchange has been taking place between various circles in Japan and China this year, the 30th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China relations, and the dispatch of the 10,000-member mission to China was a big experiment never seen before. The members of the mission were touched by the warm reception that they had received in China. The exchange has been taking place not only between politicians but in various fields, including the economic and cultural sectors.

(b) I held talks with Premier Zhu Rongji at the Boao Forum for Asia in April. On that occasion, I had explained that I did not accept the viewpoint of regarding China as a "threat" but rather saw China's economic development as a "challenge" in a new age and a "chance" for Japan also to achieve economic development. I had explained the same ideas to the Council on Foreign Relations during a visit to the United States in September. Even if there are friction and conflicting opinions between Japan and China, the two countries can build a new relationship by working assiduously together. I had also met Premier Zhu again at the recent summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting, and we had mutually agreed to develop cooperative relations by taking history as the mirror and developing cooperative relations toward the future.

(c) The aim of my visits to Yasukuni Shrine was not to pay respects to any specific persons but to offer condolences to people who had unwillingly been sent to the war and fallen in battle, and also to show my determination that war must never be repeated. Japan had consistently followed a course of international cooperation since World War II. Regarding North Korea also, it must not be isolated from the international community. There are various problems over the past, present, and future, but I wish to make efforts to develop good relations toward the future, while reflecting on past mistakes. This year, which marks the 30th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China relations, is a good opportunity for adhering this goal, and I intend to make the utmost efforts for the development of Japan-China relations.