Top > Announcement > Press Conference by Foreign Minister > July 12, 2011

(* 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: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 4:03 p.m.
Place: MOFA Press Conference Room

Main topics:

  1. Brazil's High-speed Railway Bidding
  2. Domestic Political Situation (Omitted)
  3. Realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan
  4. Cabinet Support Rate and Diplomatic Presence
  5. Foreign Minister's attendance at ASEAN-related Meetings

1. Brazil's High-speed Railway Bidding

Inada, NHK: I have a question about Brazil's high-speed railway bidding. The bullet train project fails to attract bidders, and Brazil is now considering new bidding conditions. I understand that neither Japanese enterprises nor foreign enterprises participated in this bidding. What do you think of the recent movements of the government of Brazil related to this bidding? Furthermore, could you tell us how the government of Japan will work on a new bidding system?

Minister Matsumoto: I am aware that in the end no enterprises responded to the bidding. I do not have anything to comment, since we are yet to confirm how the Brazilian government would think about and whether it would alter the bidding conditions, in view of the fact that there are no enterprises that respond to the bidding under the current conditions. From my repeated contact with Brazil in the past, I take that Brazil has been highly evaluating and expecting Japan's high-speed railway technology. With consideration of the good relationship between Brazil and Japan, I think it is desirable to respond to Brazil's expectation. However, since it is private enterprises that are supposed to respond to the bidding, I have been reiterating that it is desirable to set conditions under which private enterprises can apply. There is a view that it will be difficult for private enterprises to respond to the bidding if the current conditions remain unchanged, which I have been reiterating as well.
After this time, I hope that an environment will be created in Brazil soon, which allows private enterprises to respond to the bidding. I hope that Japan's private sector will actively work on Brazil's high-speed rail project. Meanwhile, the government has been working on Japan's high-speed railway exports, and we would like to make further efforts.

2. Domestic Political Situation (Omitted)

 Domestic Political Situation (Omitted)

3. Realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan

 

Matsudo, Ryukyu Shimpo: I understand that a bipartisan group of Diet members including former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara of the Democratic Party recently visited Okinawa and said that they will promote the relocation of Futenma Air Station to Henoko no matter what administration will have power in the future. Could you tell us what you think of this?

Minister: I think it has been recognized for more than 10 years that it is necessary to eliminate the risk of Futenma Air Station and that it should be relocated to eliminate the risk accordingly with the return of the site. There have been various debates over the relocation of the base to Henoko. It had once come to a conclusion that it should be relocated to Henoko. Then the plan had been advanced. Frankly speaking, there have been various debates as well since the Democratic Party of Japan came to power. In my understanding, however, the government of Japan now maintains that the risk of Futenma Air Station should be eliminated in the process of relocating the same to Henoko with the return of the site as agreed in May last year between Japan and the United States. As far as I know, together with former Foreign Minister Maehara, LDP, Komeito, and DPJ members visited Okinawa this time. The members hold the same idea that Futenma Air Station should be relocated and returned through the process agreed in May last year, and there is no wonder that their remarks were based on the idea.
If I speak from a slightly different viewpoint, it has been said that a change of government causes everything to change. In the case of the United States, when Mr. Bush took office of presidency, it was said that "Anything but Clinton," where everything President Clinton had done was totally denied. A similar thing happened when Mr. Obama took over office from Mr. Bush. A change of government becomes a theme of an election campaign in order to emphasize the differences, but I do not think that a change of government necessarily changes everything. Through it may sound a little like a Zen riddle, a change of government makes changes that need to be changed and continues what needs to be continued. In that sense, diplomatic matters, which have relations with foreign countries, cannot be changed only among the government and the people of a country. Generally speaking, it can be considered that certain continuity is required in diplomatic relations. I presume at least the members who visited Okinawa with former Foreign Minister Maehara assume a possible change of government, but I do not think many of them assume a transfer of power with no continuity from the previous administration. I think that they made remarks with consideration of what I have said in mind.

4. Cabinet Support Rate and Diplomatic Presence

 

Kamide, Freelance: The approval rating for Naoto Kan's Cabinet has plunged since the beginning of this week, on which various press reports have been made. In your position as Minister for Foreign Affairs, please tell us whether you feel that it is disadvantageous or not disadvantageous at all to Japan's various negotiations with foreign countries.

Minister: It may be possible to analyze such things retrospectively. At the moment, however, we must do our best in the current, given situation. So far, I am not aware of any direct adverse influence that the approval rating for the Cabinet has on diplomatic relations.

5. Foreign Minister's attendance at ASEAN-related Meetings

 

Inada, NHK: The ASEAN-related Meeting and ASEAN Regional Forum are approaching. Before them, dialogues between the United States and China and those between China and South East Asian countries are making rapid progress while Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (of the United States), visited China recently. Please tell us your intention to attend the Forum and what are you going to do at the Forum if you attend.

Minister: Each country has a political culture or principle. In the case of Japan, there is a basic principle in which Ministers travel abroad with the consent of the Diet. The schedule of the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers' Meeting including the ARF has been already decided internationally and cannot be changed. Japan has been sending its representative every year, and I should seek approval from the Diet. Therefore, I would like to make a comment about this after the result of the process comes out.

Back to Index