Japan-Vatican Foreign Ministerial Meeting
March 17, 2009
H.E. Monsignor Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, held talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs Hirofumi Nakasone today for about 30 minutes from 6:30 p.m. on March 17, (Tuesday) (JST). He also attended dinner hosted by Minister Nakasone in his honor for about two hours from 7:00 p.m. The summary of their discussions is as follows:
At the outset, Minister Nakasone welcomed the first visit to Japan by the Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1942. Minister Nakasone congratulated the successful beatification ceremony in Nagasaki last November, the first of its kind in Japan. He said he was pleased with the fact that the ceremony heightened Japanese people's interest in Vatican, particularly in Nagasaki, which historically has a close association with Christian culture. In response, Monsignor Mamberti thanked the invitation for his visit to Japan. Noting that relations between Japan and the Vatican date back several hundred years, Monsignor Mamberti expressed his hope that his visit will further strengthen the relations between the two countries.
With regard to the global economic and financial crisis, Minister Nakasone stated that it is important for the international community to maintain and promote trade and investment liberalization against protectionism when the crisis is having a serious impact on the real economy worldwide. In response, Monsignor Mamberti expressed his view that from a moral perspective, the current financial crisis has primarily been caused by the excessive pursuit of profit by financial institutions. He stated that least less-developed countries (LLDCs) and their peoples bear the brunt of the crisis and that it is important to extend assistance to LLDCs in Africa and elsewhere in the education and health sectors. Monsignor Mamberti said that the Vatican places a high value on the spirit of solidarity. He added that the Vatican wishes to make efforts so that younger generations will be able to have hopes for the future instead of losing self-confidence under the current circumstances.
Minister Nakasone and Monsignor Mamberti also exchanged views on regional issues such as North Korea, China, and the Middle East peace process. On North Korea, Minister Nakasone stated that it is necessary to denuclearize North Korea, including the abolition of the development of nuclear weapons, and resolve missile-related issues in order to ensure the peace and stability of Northeast Asia. He said that it is also essential to normalize diplomatic relations between Japan and North Korea after solving outstanding issues between the two countries, including the abduction issue. Minister Nakasone stressed that the launch of a missile, for which North Korea is now making preparations, would go against the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions. He explained that Japan is making strenuous efforts to dissuade North Korea from going ahead with the launch in cooperation the United States and the Republic of Korea. Monsignor Mamberti responded by saying that he well understood Japan's concerns about the launch under preparation. He expressed his hope that tensions between North Korea and neighboring countries will be eased so that Northeast Asia will be a peaceful region and praised efforts by the countries concerned towards that end. Monsignor Mamberti expressed his pleasure that some of the abductees have returned to Japan and his hope that the other abductees will be able to return home soon.
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