(* 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 Takeaki Matsumoto

Date: Friday, June 3, 2011, 5:38 p.m.
Place: MOFA Press Conference Room

Main topics:

Opening Remarks
- (1) Holding a Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Follow-up Meeting
- (2) Minister Matsumoto's Attendance at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of Foreign Ministers
- (3) ASEAN Youth Caravan of Goodwill
Domestic Political Situation (Omitted)
Second Supplementary Budget
Japan-U.S. Relations
U.S. Military Realignment
Mechanism of Marine Crisis Management between Japan and China

1. Opening Remarks

(1) Holding a Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Follow-up Meeting

Minister Matsumoto: The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Follow-up Meeting, which opened yesterday (June 2), has been successfully brought to completion.
At this meeting, we reiterated that Japan would implement its international commitments including the Kan commitments on health and education made at last year's UN General Assembly for the attainment of the MDGs. My proposals for support models of maternal and child health and basic education were brought up afresh at the meeting. I have received a report that a large number of participants from various countries, regions, and international organizations gathered and had a very meaningful discussion over specific effects for the attainment of the MDGs.
I also understood from the report that the discussion has led to a Chairman Statement, which I believe will be linked to the attainment of the MDGs and further developments in and after 2015.
The participants have already left for the Tohoku region on a prearranged inspection tour to the disaster-stricken area. We think that this tour is a meaningful opportunity where we will be able to have them see Japan's post-quake reconstruction efforts and present situation.

(2) Minister Matsumoto's Attendance at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of Foreign Ministers

I have decided to visit Budapest in Hungary from June 5 to 8 to attend the 10th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of Foreign Ministers.
The themes of the meeting will include disaster management, energy and food security, and other global issues and local circumstances. Japan, Hungary, Laos, and the EU as coordinators will attend the meeting.
I am scheduled to hold talks with Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi during my stay in Budapest. Besides, I would like to exchange opinions with the foreign ministers of the participating countries.

(3) ASEAN Youth Caravan of Goodwill

The ASEAN Youth Caravan of Goodwill, which consists of approximately 70 ASEAN youth and students as members, will stay in Miyagi's Ishinomaki, one of the recent disaster-stricken areas, until June 5 from today in order to encourage those who suffered from the disaster. The members are scheduled to carry out shelter cleaning, offer South East Asian cuisine, and perform songs and dances.
This was proposed and decided at the Japan-ASEAN Special Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which I attended on April 9. We would like to welcome the visit of the Caravan as a token of friendship from the ASEAN countries.

2. Domestic Political Situation (Omitted)

- (Omitted)

3. Second Supplementary Budget

Tajima, Nihon Keizai Shimbun: I would like to ask about the second supplementary budget. I heard that the Prime Minister gave instructions on the second supplementary budget at the Cabinet meeting this morning, and I’m wondering if you could specify those instructions.

Minister: As you know, in principle we are not supposed to disclose the discussions at Cabinet meetings and ministerial conferences. Did you hear that the Prime Minister gave instructions about the second supplementary budget?

Tajima, Nihon Keizai Shimbun: Mr. Katayama, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, told a press conference that the Prime Minister had said he would like to start the compilation of the secondary supplementary budget soon and wanted each ministry to investigate the requirements.

Minister: I would guess that it was a private discussion.

Tajima, Nihon Keizai Shimbun: Do you mean that you don’t recall such sort of discussion?

Minister: I certainly think that all ministers are cognizant that compiling the Basic Law and managing the coming parliamentary schedule including the passage of the secondary supplementary budget are among the challenges for post-quake reconstruction ahead of us.

Tajima, Nihon Keizai Shimbun: Can you tell us the projects that MOFA would definitely include in the requests for the secondary supplementary budget?

Minister: We have asked for a large amount of money necessary, for example, for settlement of accounts related to international organizations. In practice these are items which we need to request every year in supplemental budgets, therefore we will continue to request them at every opportunity for budget allocation going forward.
And, given the current unusual circumstances, though we should consider the balance between the budget for post-quake reconstruction and other items, I think that we at MOFA will negotiate with the finance authorities for the early recovery of the reduced portion of the ODA budget as possible.
Also, we are strongly committed to launching various initiatives in support of a post-quake reconstruction that is open to the public. We have promoted economic partnership, infrastructure packaging and the Japan brand in the context of our economic diplomacy. From a different perspective, we have been involved in the issues of energy and food security. Also, I would like to point out that the issues that I’ve just mentioned have to do with as well with tourism, which I’m going to mention next. Though it will involve collaborating with other relevant ministries and agencies, reviving tourism and countering harmful rumors is going to be a huge issue for us. I think that we need to accelerate the discussion of how to request the necessary budget.

4. Japan-U.S. Relations

Inada, NHK: In response to an earlier question about the timing for the 2+2 Meeting, you answered that it should be held as scheduled. You also referred to the June, July, August timeframe (in connection with speculation about when the Prime Minister might step down). September comes after August, and that’s when our Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the U.S. As far as you are concerned, do you think that Prime Minister Kan should go ahead with this visit, or do you expect that the visit will take place even if there is a change in leadership?

Minister: I think that it is very desirable for the Japanese Prime Minister to talk to the U.S. president. As for the question of where matters will stand at that time, as I’ve just mentioned, I think that the Japanese people will draw their own conclusions based on the remarks made by the Prime Minister himself.

Inada, NHK: Do you mean that a visit in September is desirable? Or that a meeting with the president is desirable?

Minister: Since both Japan and the U.S. are planning for the Prime Minister’s visit to the U.S. in early September, I definitely think that it is desirable for the visit to go ahead as scheduled. It is a matter of both sides working together to structure Japan-U.S. relations. We’ve discussed holding the 2+2 Meeting in June. Then come July and August and the summer visit to Japan by the vice president, followed by the Prime Minister’s visit to the U.S. In other words, the U.S. visit is one event in the whole process, therefore I hope that it will be done firmly as scheduled.

Saito, Kyodo News: Regarding Mr. Inada’s last question, you just raised a point about how to interpret the Prime Minister’s remarks. Apart from the issue of how the Japanese people interpret what he said, I think, there is also the separate issue of how foreigners will interpret it. That is, if they consider the Japanese Prime Minister a lame duck, they reasonably won’t want to make important decisions by working with such a leader, which think is common in diplomacy.
In that regard, I’m wondering whether or not it is necessary to understand exactly what the Prime Minister actually meant and to accurately communicate it to other countries including the U.S. I’m a little concerned about this. What do you think, minister?

Minister: The Prime Minister says that he said everything he had to say at the party gathering yesterday, so as I mentioned before, it’s all about what the Japanese people will ultimately think since our Prime Minister cannot be a Prime Minister without the support of the Japanese people.
I think that it is understood in that way in many democratic countries or countries which are not necessarily in the same institutional system. On the other hand, I do hear about cases of a lame duck frequently. Whether or not such things have any impact depends on the judgment of each country, but as far as I know, I think that we Japanese have seldom dropped an agreement that had been built through negotiations or promised as a nation even though Prime Ministers came and went during a long-lasting administration. In that sense, I don’t think that we are incapable of negotiating as a nation because of our leader is approaching the end of his term or some deadline is expiring, especially considering that Japan’s credibility is staked on its commitments.

5. U.S. Military Realignment

Nishigaki, Jiji Press: I’m not sure if it was yesterday or today, but regarding the issue of relocating Futenma Air Station, Admiral Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, said, “We need to be as open as we possibly can to solutions now.” It seems to me that this is just one in a series of comments by U.S. military officials which possibly imply that they are open to changes of the plan. I would like to know how the Japanese government views this.

Minister: Seeing that influential senators in the U.S. raised a sort of different idea, I honestly think that there may be a few discussions emerging also in the U.S.
On the other hand, I understand that, as far as we know, the U.S. government keeps the position that the May agreement last year based on the ongoing roadmap must be implemented steadily.
As I myself have mentioned in responding to questions in the Diet regarding the relocation of Futenma Air Station as well as the return of Futenma Air Station, there have been a lot of discussions going on between Japan and the U.S. as well as within each nation. Since I understand that the May agreement last year was reached as the direction that should be taken based on the series of those discussions in the past, and also because both governments are on the same page in terms of understanding of those matters, I think, therefore both governments share the identical view of moving forward by steadily following the same road currently indicated.
We too wish to be always open about listening to discussions. Although it is not my intention to shut out or close something at all, I don’t expect the discussions in the U.S. now will end up resulting in a complete alternation of the plan that we are carrying out because the U.S. government position has not changed.

6. Mechanism of Marine Crisis Management between Japan and China

Tsuruoka, Asahi Shimbun: I have a question regarding diplomacy and relations between Japan and China, especially in the maritime field. Although it is too early to review the diplomacy, the relationship was soured by developments including last year’s incident in the waters off the Senkaku Islands. I’m aware that Premier Wen Jiabao recently proposed maritime communication mechanisms for crisis management at the summit meeting during the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit, and also you mentioned the idea at the subsequent foreign ministerial meeting. Since I simply don’t have a concrete idea of this mechanism, can you share your thoughts with us?

Minister: I understand that the idea is, as you would expect, to build a mechanism that allows related authorities to communicate with each other on maritime matters. I know that there is room for debate about whether first to build the mechanism or establish an environment suitable for communication, but fundamentally it is desirable for us to establish contact points in various ways among maritime-related authorities in both countries, and if we can regularize these contacts then we would have a certain mechanism. This is what I have been saying. In part as a response to that, I think, the Chinese side said at the meeting in Beijing in early May that they would like to consider that from their perspective. As you pointed out, I think that both sides demonstrated a positive attitude at the summit meeting and the foreign ministerial meeting during the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit, therefore we would like to discuss the details to propose a concrete plan again to move forward the discussions. These are my thoughts.

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