(* This is a provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only. The original text is in Japanese.)

Press Conference by Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura

Date: Friday, May 23, 2008, 8:45 a.m.
Place: In front of the Ministers' Room in the House

Main topics:

Emergency Food Aid in Response to Rising Food Prices
Nomination of a Candidate for the Elections for Judges to the International Criminal Court
North Korean Issues
Earthquake that Occurred in Western China
Overseas Visit by Prime Minister Fukuda

1. Emergency Food Aid in Response to Rising Food Prices

Minister:
A decision has been made to implement aid of 5.57 billion yen through the United Nations World Food Programme, as an emergency measure in response to the rising food prices. The Government of Japan announced emergency food aid of about 100 million US dollars in the next three months and this is the first step. I intend to actively address this issue of rising food prices at next week's TICAD IV (Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development), at the upcoming G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit and other fora.

Related Information (Press Release)

2. Nomination of a Candidate for the Elections for Judges to the International Criminal Court

Minister:
Next year in January, there will be an election for the judges to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Japan nominated Ms. Fumiko Saiga as a candidate and in this way we intend to proactively contribute to the ICC including a personnel aspect.

Related Information (Press Release)

3. North Korean Issues

Question:
I understand that yesterday you spoke with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about North Korean issues. I understand that in June, the Six-Party Talks are scheduled to resume. Furthermore, there is an increasingly strong view that as soon as North Korea makes its declaration, the US will remove North Korea from the list of nations sponsoring terrorism. What are your thoughts regarding that?

Minister:
I think you asked me two questions. First of all, regarding the Six-Party Talks, coordination is still underway and the first question to be settled is that North Korea should make an accurate and complete declaration. Furthermore, regarding your question about possibly removing North Korea from the list of nations sponsoring terrorism, my understanding is that the US has not made such a decision. The US will consult with Japan before removing North Korea from the list, as the US has said repeatedly.

Question:
Do you mean that even if no progress has been made on resolving the abduction issue, nothing can be done concerning such a decision because it is a domestic affair of the US?

Minister:
Since the US is to consult with Japan, I can tell you that for our side, we have been repeatedly conveying Japan's position on this matter.

Question:
Are you saying that even though consultations will be held nothing can be done about that if the US decides to remove North Korea from the list ultimately?

Minister:
A phrase, "Nothing can be done about that," has a broad meaning. Japan has conveyed our position that North Korea should not be removed from that list when no progress has been made and the US has announced to consult with Japan about this issue. But as you say the US has the right to make the final decision on this matter and this is an issue of the interpretation by the US side. Everybody understands that.

4. Earthquake that Occurred in Western China

Question:
Regarding the earthquake that occurred in China, a medical team is dispatched from Japan now but there are media reports that in China, as a result of the earthquake, nuclear-related facilities were damaged and that radioactive material remained. What are your thoughts regarding the safety of the situation there?

Minister:
China states that it is harmless at a press conference. The Japanese Embassy in China inquired about the issue and got an answer that there is no problem on its safety.

5. Overseas Visit by Prime Minister Fukuda

Question:
The Prime Minister will visit Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy from June 1 to 5 and will also attend the High-Level Conference on World Food Security. Can you explain the significance of this visit before the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit?

Minister:
The High-Level Conference on World Food Security is a very important event. At the same time, it is better for the Prime Minister to meet as many leaders as possible in order to prevent him from meeting them for the first time at the G8 Summit. Through this visit, we are aiming to ensure that the leaders will have better communication and as the Prime Minister of the host nation, the Prime Minister hopes that this visit will lead to a heightened level of trust amongst the leaders in advance of the G8 Summit. The High-Level Conference on World Food Security is an event that will address an extremely timely issue and therefore it is highly significant that the Prime Minister of Japan will attend in person.

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