(* 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: Tuesday, June 3, 2008, 9:52 a.m.
Place: Briefing Room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Main topics:

Assistance for Earthquake in Western China
Trilateral Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Japan, the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of Korea
North Korean Issues
Japan-China Consultations concerning Gas Fields in the East China Sea
Refueling Operations in the Indian Ocean
Assistance to Afghanistan
Climate Change Issues

1. Assistance for Earthquake in Western China

Minister:
Regarding the large-scale earthquake in Sichuan Province, the Government of Japan has decided to provide additional assistance, up to a total of 500 million yen. As part of that assistance, Japan shipped 400 tents yesterday and we are now preparing to ship an additional 800 tents tomorrow from the Secretariat of the International Peace Cooperation Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defense.

Question:
Regarding the tents, you mentioned that tomorrow 800 tents will be sent. I understand there is a tremendous shortage of tents in the affected areas in China. Do you have any thoughts of providing additional assistance after that?

Minister:
That cannot be ruled out. Currently we are giving concrete consideration to sending 800 tents tomorrow in addition to what has already been sent, but regarding whether or not future shipments will be made, I do not think there is any reason whatsoever to rule that out at the current stage.

2. Trilateral Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Japan, the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of Korea

Minister:
On 14 June, Japan will host the Trilateral Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Japan, the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of Korea. The trilateral meetings by the Foreign Ministers of these three countries have been held on the occasion of ASEAN-related conferences, but this will be the second as a trilateral meeting held independently, and Japan will host it this time. Naturally on the agenda will be the state of progress in trilateral cooperation amongst our three countries and how we advance such cooperation. Furthermore I would like to talk about the regional and international situations amongst our three countries. In autumn of this year, the Summit Meeting among Japan, China and ROK will take place and this Foreign Ministers Meeting will lead the way forward to that.

Question:
Are you expecting to hold any bilateral talks on the 14th?

Minister:
That has not been decided yet, but there is no reason to exclude any possibilities.

Question:
Will the North Korean issue be on the agenda for the Japan-China-ROK Foreign Ministers Meeting?

Minister:
Naturally, I think that will be discussed.

Question:
Of course we do not know whether or not a declaration will have been made by North Korea by that time, but what things do you expect to be discussed at the meeting?

Minister:
It will depend on the situation prevailing at the time, but I cannot imagine any consultation in which we come to the conclusion that, "There is no need for a declaration." I do not think that could happen.

Related Information (Press Release)

3. North Korean Issues

Question:
Regarding North Korean issues, how do you view the situation including on whether the declaration will be submitted in June?

Minister:
Given that everyone is working very hard, I believe that North Korea is aiming for that. Japan's position is that an appropriate declaration should be submitted so we will hope that all countries involved will move in that direction and call on North Korea in that regard, therefore I expect that there will be some progress in that direction. Still, at the current stage, I cannot say that I am satisfied with the situation.

Question:
When there are developments concerning North Korea's declaration, I think that naturally there must be some developments regarding the abductions issue as well. What are your thoughts regarding Japan-North Korea relations?

Minister:
Japan has strongly stated that advances must be sought in Japan-North Korea relations. Japan at the same time recognizes that the United States and other countries are putting pressure on North Korea to move in that direction. I expect that against these backdrops North Korea has begun to understand that some actions must be taken in this regard.

4. Japan-China Consultations concerning Gas Fields in the East China Sea

Question:
Regarding the issue of the gas fields discussed between Japan and China, can you please explain what the current situation is as well as give your views on whether or not a resolution can be reached at the time of the upcoming visit to Japan by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi?

Minister:
At the current point in time, we are not thinking of any target date such as by the time of the Japan-China-ROK Foreign Ministers Meeting or during that meeting.

Question:
Is it possible to think that the negotiations have stalled as a result of the influence of the large earthquake that occurred in Sichuan Province in China?

Minister:
I cannot be certain. I do not think that anybody can lightly assert that, "Well, if that had not happened then that would have been decided." But at any rate, in the discussions that have already taken place at the leaders level, an outlook for solving this issue has already been reached and therefore, I believe that we must resolve this as quickly as possible.

5. Refueling Operations in the Indian Ocean

Question:
I would like to ask about the refueling operations in the Indian Ocean. Next year, the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law will expire and it is being said that the theme of the extraordinary Diet session will be whether or not to extend that deadline. On the other hand, the ruling parties are making discussions going forward including with a project team to turn the special measures law into an ordinary law. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs, how do you think Japan should respond in this situation? Given that considerations are underway on creating an ordinary law, is there an intention of extending the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law? In other words, how do you respond given the options of focusing on the creation of an ordinary law or moving in the direction of extending the deadline for the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law?

Minister:
At the very minimum, I think for the sake of Japan, it is absolutely necessary that we continue refueling operations in the Indian Ocean, rather than for us to extend the Special Measures Law. One means of doing that would be to extend the law on refueling, but wouldn't it be even better to use a broader approach with an ordinary law? Still, I think this is really a matter of the means. I believe that we must consider the overall views in the Diet as well as the views held by each party. That is why at the very minimum, we must continue to carry out the refueling operations in the Indian Ocean. And from that perspective, the question is whether or not it would be best for us to extend the law on refueling or whether it would be better to enact a new ordinary law. If either one of those options is viable, then perhaps it would be better to opt for an ordinary law. However, we should consider the issue from the perspective of which of those will more easily gain approval in the Diet and whether the extension of the law on refueling will gain approval in the Diet more easily after listening to the views of the entire Cabinet, the views of the ruling party coalitions and the views of the opposition parties then we should come to a decision.

Related Information (Counter Terrorism)

6. Assistance to Afghanistan

Question:
Regarding Afghanistan, the Chief Cabinet Secretary stated that besides for the refueling operations, consideration should be given towards ground-based activities as well. Is there any concrete consideration currently ongoing on the part of the Government of Japan?

Minister:
Discussions on general terms are underway, such as what the needs are and what kind of risks would be affiliated with that, and what else we could do in a broad manner. I don't know if we can call it broad consideration. But I can tell you that we have not started to specifically consider any concrete steps. It is not the case that we have found that we may be able to take a certain concrete step and discuss what laws would be required for us to take the step. We have been thinking about what could be done in a broader manner for Afghanistan and whether or not that should really be referred to as consideration is really a question of linguistics.

7. Climate Change Issues

Question:
The other day Prime Minister Fukuda gave a positive outlook for the mid-term targets regarding climate change. From the perspective of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, what are your thoughts on whether or not mid-term targets should be announced before the G8 Summit in Toyako Hokkaido?

Minister:
I understand the Council on Global Warming, formed under the Prime Minister, has been accelerating its consideration in this regard at this very time. That is why this council is giving consideration to the content of the targets and to concretely what they should contain as well as when would be the most effective timing for announcing Japan's mid-term and long-term targets. Regardless whether the mid-term targets are announced prior to the G8 Summit or not, I do believe that we must accelerate the consideration. Those are my views in this regard.

Related Information (Climate Change)

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