Telephone Talks between Foreign Minister Gemba and Rt Hon Hague, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, on the Launching of a Missile, Which North Korea Calls a "Satellite"

December 12, 2012
Japanese

On December 12, from 11:45 p.m. (Japan Standard Time) for approximately 15 minutes, Mr. Koichiro Gemba, Minister for Foreign Affairs, held telephone talks with Rt Hon William Hague, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, on the launching of a missile, which North Korea calls a “satellite,” prior to the United Nations Security Council meeting.
Both ministers shared the recognition that the launching of the missile by North Korea was a seriously provocative act for security and a serious threat that violated the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
Based on such recognition, Minister Gemba expressed his strong expectation for the United Kingdom’s role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, stating that it would be required to take stronger action than the one taken in April because the UN Security Council Presidential Statement released when North Korea had launched a missile in April stated that the Security Council would take action accordingly in the event of a further North Korea launch of a missile.
In response to this, Secretary Hague stated that it would be necessary for a quick and strong response by the UN Security Council, and that he had already started cooperation on this issue in New York, sufficiently understood the ideas of the Japanese side, would make his full efforts so that discussion at the UN Security Council would go smoothly, and would like to closely communicate with the Japanese side.
Finally, both sides shared views that they would closely coordinate with each other concerning the future response on this issue.

(* The foregoing is a provisional translation. The date indicated above denotes the date of issue of the original press release in Japanese.)

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