Top > Announcement > Press Conference by Foreign Minister > September 16, 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 Koichiro Gemba

Date: Friday, September 16, 2011, 5:43 p.m.
Place: MOFA Press Conference Room

Main topics:

  1. Opening Remarks
    • (1) Attendance at UN General Assembly
  2. Palestinian UN Membership Bid
  3. Defectors from North Korea
  4. Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
  5. U.S. Military Realignment Issue
  6. Six-Party Talks
  7. Anti-Nuclear Demonstration

1. Opening Remarks

(1) Attendance at UN General Assembly

 Minister Gemba: My attendance at the UN General Assembly has been approved by the Diet. I will take an official trip from next Monday to attend the UN General Assembly.
I would like to meet Foreign Ministers from various countries and explain Japan's steps toward reconstruction and unchanged commitment to contributing to the international community. The schedule during my stay is still being coordinated, but I am expected to participate in the Leaders Dialogue on Climate Change, the G8 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and the 3rd Foreign Ministers’ Millennium Development Goals Meeting, which will be organized by Japan. I will attend the meeting of Non-proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI) and the U.N. High-level Meeting on Nuclear Safety and Security, the Ministerial Session of which will be chaired by Japan. Furthermore, I will attend the 7th Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and Africa Reception hosted by Japan. Needless to say, as Foreign Ministers from various countries will get together, I would like to build a relationship of trust with each Foreign Minister through bilateral or multilateral meetings. There are more than 10 such bilateral or multilateral meetings including the Japan-GCC Meeting besides the meetings that I mentioned. I am scheduled to hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Clinton on the evening of September 19.

2. Palestinian UN Membership Bid

Yoshioka, NHK: It is highly likely that the Provisional Government of the State of Palestine will submit its bid for full UN membership to the UN General Assembly this time. Is the Japanese Government going to support this? This issue is very important to Japan's relations with the Arab world and to Japan-U.S. relations. I would like to hear your opinion about these points.

Minister: To come right to the point, in fact, I am going to discuss the matter with the relevant MOFA officials after this press conference. At this stage I do not think I should comment on the stance I will take at the General Assembly. However, I would like to summarize my perspective on this issue. I have been to the Palestinian territories as a member of an election-monitoring group, which was headed by Mr. Keizo Obuchi if my memory is correct. I think I understand the Palestinian people's earnest desire to establish the State of Palestine. At the same time, I support a bilateral resolution by Israel and a future Palestinian state of issues concerning their coexistence. My position is that it is preferable for the two sides should be talking directly, rather than in the UN. I will consider my stance at the UN General Assembly with these points in mind.

3. Defectors from North Korea

Shiraishi, Yomiuri Shimbun: I would like to ask you two questions about the nine suspected North Korean defectors. At the Chief Cabinet Secretary's evening press conference a while ago, it was announced that the Minister of Justice had granted them a landing permit for temporary refuge. I believe that MOFA will interview the nine North Korean defectors following this decision. Have those interviews already started, and what is the timeline for this process?
Furthermore, because the nine individuals want to be sent to South Korea, I think you will be coordinating closely with the Korean Government. The timing for that coordination and for a possible transfer overlaps with the period when you and the Prime Minister make your official trip abroad next week. I wonder if the Government is thinking of finalizing the transfer or the timeline for the transfer before that official trip abroad.

Minister: I have received the information that the Ministry of Justice has granted permission for temporary refuge and that the nine individuals are saying that they want to go to South Korea. In such a case, as a matter of course, MOFA will properly collect information and communicate with the South Korean side. There are privacy and security matters, and I would like to refrain from announcing the details of our arrangements.
With careful consideration of the circumstances including the matters that I mentioned, I think we should properly decide on the timeline with certain promptness.

Saito, Kyodo News: There was an LDP meeting today where questions and answers were exchanged between LDP members and Government officials including some from MOFA. At that meeting, LDP members raised concerns about possible communication failures by the government in connection with this case of the North Korean defectors.
To be specific, the Chief Cabinet Secretary stated at a press conference on the evening of July 13 that there was no need to hold a liaison conference at that time. Actually, however, the ministerial conference was held. This is one of the questionable points.
The other one is that the Japan Coast Guard may not have promptly reported to MOFA the nine North Korean defectors' desire to be sent to South Korea. I would like to confirm your understanding of the facts and circumstances.

Minister: I believe I have said this before, but I remember receiving a report at the time of the Cabinet Meeting, or to be more precise, I received it after the Cabinet Meeting. As for the question of whether there was a delay in the overall response, you cannot necessarily make that case. I think we responded appropriately.
Concerning the defectors’ desire to go to South Korea and so on, I recall that I was informed at a comparatively early stage of the process, although I did not disclose this to you at the time, and it’s questionable whether it would be appropriate for me to say at what stage that happened.

Saito, Kyodo News: A Japan Coast Guard official who attended today's LDP meeting disclosed the time that MOFA was informed of the defectors’ desire to go to South Korea. It was 1 p.m. on August 13, right?

Minister: Was that the day the Cabinet Meeting was held?

Saito, Kyodo News: It was. I understand from today’s meeting that the relevant government ministries' meeting was held at 1 p.m., at which time the Japan Coast Guard informed MOFA. Then, at your evening press conference, you responded when asked that you did not know all the details. This raises doubts about whether the Japan Coast Guard informed MOFA of the facts in an appropriate manner. If the information was conveyed at 1 p.m., it strikes me as dubious that MOFA officials would not have informed you of the facts by the time of your evening press conference. Will you clarify these points?

Minister: I have not prepared a chronology of events, and I am talking from memory. I think we must confirm the facts of a case before disclosing them to the public. Therefore, all I can say for the time being is that I am not in a position to make any sort of assessment of the events in question without first investigating the facts.

4. Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

Ikegawa, NHK: The (eighth round of) TPP negotiations just ended in Chicago in the United States. At the press conference after the meeting, the representative of the United States announced that the negotiations had made significant progress. But the representative of Vietnam expressed concern that more and more countries will join the talks as they move forward, making it increasingly difficult to review and renegotiate portions already agreed upon.
The nine countries that are taking part in the negotiations are aiming to agree on a framework by the time of the APEC meetings in November. Please share your view on whether Japan should join the negotiations by then.

Minister: I have not yet heard the details of the comments made by the representative of Vietnam, but it is my intention to gather all pertinent information from each country involved.
Our stance has not changed at all. That is, we must have a full-fledged debate and decide on whether Japan should participate in the negotiations at an early date. My stance is, as I have said before, that we must take a hard look at ways to incorporate the dynamism of the Asia-Pacific region into Japan's domestic demand, in view of the high probability of demographic projections suggesting that the population of this country will fall below 100 million by 2046.

Ikegawa, NHK: Do you have any fear or concern that the nine countries now in TPP negotiations won’t allow Japan to join if it misses the opportunity to do so by the time of the APEC meetings?

Minister: I think it is important to gather all the pertinent information and make a decision on the basis of a comprehensive consideration of the facts. We must check our facts, take account of the actual progress of the negotiations, and consider what a TPP agreement without Japan would mean. Therefore, we should collect such data and use it as an important reference point when making our decision on issues such as the timing.

Ikegawa, NHK: Is the TPP going to be an issue at your upcoming meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Clinton?

Minister: As a matter of course, such talks are an opportunity to reiterate the unwavering nature of the Japan-U.S. alliance. Besides the security issue, there will be discussions of economic matters as well as grass-roots exchanges and cultural issues. I’ve said this before, but I also think it’s necessary to discuss how to remove destabilizing factors in the Asia-Pacific region and establish common principles or rules.
Furthermore, I think we will have wide-ranging discussions touching on such issues as the Middle East and North Africa. In our discussions about economic matters, I think it a matter of course to exchange opinions over the kind of economic cooperation to which you referred in your question.

5. U.S. Military Realignment Issue

Nishigaki, Jiji Press: A meeting of ministers for Okinawa-related issues was held this morning, and I would like to know what views you expressed at that meeting. I have one more question. Though you have repeatedly called for veteran DPJ members to attend such conferences on behalf of the ruling party, that did not happen this morning, and I would like to know if you are going to continue insisting on their attendance.

Minister: Today, we exchanged frank opinions on the alleviation of the burdens of the bases on Okinawan people and on measures for promoting the economic development of Okinawa. We also exchanged frank opinions on the ideal form of cooperation between the ministers concerned and the DPJ, the matter to which you alluded just now. I expressed my opinions on several points in connection with the Futenma issue, such as how to advance discussions, how to obtain the Okinawan people's understanding, and specific measures to reduce the burdens. I made quite a few contributions to the meeting, but as there is a rule precluding the participating ministers from revealing the details of the discussions, you will forgive me for not going any further into the matter.

Ogawa, Yomiuri Shimbun: I understand that all the Ministers concerned with Okinawa-related issues shared information on alleviating the burden of the bases as well as promoting the economic development of Okinawa. What do you think of the significance and aim of having all the Ministers share their opinions on both of these issues?

Minister: We are Ministers of the Japanese Government, and I think we should speak with one voice. In that sense, I think it is important to share the same understanding as we move forward.

Matsudo, Ryukyu Shimpo: Until now, I believe it has been the policy of the Government not to link base issues to economic development measures. You said that the Futenma issue and economic development measures were discussed together at today's ministerial meeting. I would like to know the background of those discussions. What made you discuss the two issues together?

Minister: As Prime Minister Noda explained in the Diet today, I do not think that the issues are linked.

6. Six-Party Talks

Tajima, Nihon Keizai Shimbun: The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced at a press conference today that it will hold a seminar related to the Six-Party Talks in Beijing on September 19, when representatives from the countries concerned will gather. It appears that North Korea will be sending Vice Foreign Minister Lee Young-ho, who serves as that country’s Chief Representative to the Six-Party Talks. Does the Japanese Government intend to dispatch its Chief Representative, Shinsuke Sugiyama, Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau? Please tell us what arrangements are being made by the Japanese Government.

Minister: I am sorry, but I am not aware of the matter to which you are referring.

7. Anti-Nuclear Demonstration

Ida, Shukan Kinyobi: I would like to ask you about the diplomatic impact of arrests made at a recent anti-nuclear demonstration. There was an anti-nuclear demonstration in Tokyo on September 11, when 12 people were reportedly arrested. There was an Italian among them. A video showing the moment the Italian was arrested was uploaded to YouTube and has been watched over 56,000 times; that number will probably increase. As far as I can see in the video, it gives an impression that police may have arrested the Italian in response to people who seemed to be chauvinists shouting, "Get out of Japan" and "Arrest him." I would like to ask you two questions.
One of them is that whether the Italian Embassy in Japan approached MOFA concerning the arrest of the person who seemed to be an Italian.
The second point concerns the fear that foreign countries might think that Japan is a country where freedom of speech is infringed despite constitutional guarantees. In such a case, how will Japan's diplomacy be influenced?

Minister: I am sorry, but I am not aware of the facts of the case at all, and I would like to refrain from commenting at the present moment.

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