Japan-U.S. Foreign Ministerial Meeting (Summary)

On July 8, from about 12:30 p.m. for approximately 45 minutes, Foreign Minister Gemba held a meeting with Secretary of State Clinton, during her visit to Japan. The outline of the meeting is as follows (Attending on the U.S. side were U.S. Ambassador to Japan Roos, Assistant Secretary of State Campbell, National Security Council Senior Director Russel and Department of State Spokesperson Nuland among others. Attending on the Japanese side were Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Fujisaki, Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations Yokoi, Director-General of Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau Matsutomi and Director-General of North American Affairs Bureau Ihara among others):

1. Afghanistan

Foreign Minister Gemba explained that, due to a great deal of cooperation from the international community, the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan will be able to send a message that Afghanistan's development will be sustainable beyond 2014, and that Japan intends to provide up to around 3 billion U.S. dollars of assistance in about five years for Afghanistan's development and improvement in security capabilities. Foreign Minister Gemba stated that through a regular review process, Japan looks forward to cooperating with the U.S. to certainly follow up on the Tokyo Conference.
Secretary Clinton expressed respect to Japan for hosting the Tokyo Conference in an organized and excellent manner, and for producing significant achievements. Secretary Clinton highly appreciated Japan's leadership and commitment to cooperation, and expressed determination to advance the framework established at the Tokyo Conference.

2. Japan-U.S. Relations

(1) General Remarks
Minister Gemba stated that Prime Minister Noda's visit to the U.S. in April was significant, as seen in the release of the “Shared Vision”, which sets out the significance of the Japan-U.S. alliance and where Japan-U.S. relations should be headed in the longer term. Foreign Minister Gemba and Secretary Clinton agreed to follow up on the achievements of the Prime Minister's U.S. visit.

(2) Japan-U.S. Security
Regarding the realignment of U.S. forces, in order to deliver outcomes by the end of the year according to the “2+2” Joint Statement, Foreign Minister Gemba expressed his intention to accelerate cooperation on a range of fronts, including the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa to Guam, return of lands south of Kadena Air Base, and the development of training areas in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which will further shape the dynamic bilateral defense cooperation. Foreign Minister Gemba and Secretary Clinton reaffirmed their commitment to relocate Futenma Air Station to Henoko, and agreed to make concrete achievements in the realignment of U.S. forces.
Regarding Osprey, Foreign Minister Gemba stated that its deployment is met with strong opposition from Okinawa and Iwakuni, and requested that the U.S. provide information on the accidents sufficiently and promptly in order to reassure the Japanese people. Secretary Clinton responded that the U.S. will take proper note of Japan's concerns and will share the investigation results with the Japanese side.

(3) Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
Foreign Minister Gemba noted that Japan-U.S. cooperation for establishing trade and investment rules in the Asia-Pacific region holds significant meaning, and expressed determination to make further mutual efforts to advance bilateral consultations. Secretary Clinton welcomed Japan's expression of interest in participating in the TPP negotiations, and expressed recognition that Japan's participation is extremely important.

(4) Energy
Foreign Minister Gemba reasserted Japan's strong interest in importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the U.S. Secretary Clinton responded that the U.S. fully understands Japan's interest and hoped that a positive conclusion could be reached.

3. Regional Affairs and Global Challenges

(1) South China Sea
Both sides shared the view that the countries concerned should resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue, in accordance with the relevant international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They also shared the view that Japan and the U.S. would continue to cooperate to support efforts toward the conclusion of the Code of Conduct (COC) that is being drafted by ASEAN.

(2) North Korea
Both sides shared the recognition that Japan and the U.S., as well as Japan, the U.S. and the Republic of Korea would continue to closely work together, and that it was necessary for North Korea to take concrete actions toward denuclearization and other goals, and to demonstrate a fundamental change in its attitude.

(3) Syria
Foreign Minister Gemba expressed concerns about the situation in Syria, and explained Japan's commitment to cooperate on sanctions, humanitarian assistance and other matters.

(4) Iran
Foreign Minister Gemba stated that Japan continues to support the efforts of the EU 3+3 toward peaceful and diplomatic resolution of Iranian nuclear issues, and that Japan intends to cooperate with the U.S. based on the “dialogue” and “pressure” approach. Secretary Clinton appreciated Japan's cooperation.