Top > Announcement > Press Conference by Foreign Minister > February 3, 2012

(* 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, February 3, 2012, 10:28 a.m.
Place: In front of Minister’s Reception Room

Main topics:

  1. The Second Japan-U.S. Working-Level Talks on the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act
  2. Questionnaire Survey Allegedly Conducted by the U.N. Body among Residents of the Northern Territories
  3. The summit of Pacific Island Countries
  4. The Second Japan-U.S. Working-Level Talks on the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act

1. The Second Japan-U.S. Working-Level Talks on the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act

Ono, TV Asahi: I understand that the second talks have been held in Washington to discuss the sanctions against Iran. Could you tell us about the report you have received so far and your view on it?

Minister Gemba: I had discussed our policies for the consultation with the delegation members before they left for the U.S. So far as I have been reported, the talks were held in a good atmosphere and that they have made a steady progress. Needless to say, we find it highly important that we secure the cooperation of the international community where the concerns over Iran’s nuclear activities are shared. From this standpoint, we also discussed waivers, and as I have just mentioned, we have been able to achieve a steady progress in this regard. I hope that we will be able to complete the talks as early as possible.

Sakai, Sankei Shimbun: Could you be more specific about the “steady progress”? What kind of progress has been made?

Minister Gemba: Just before the delegation left for the U.S., one of you had asked me what the agenda of the meeting would be. At that time, I remember I replied that we have to discuss closely with the U.S. our oil and non-oil transactions, especially in relation to the interpretation and implementation of the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act. I cannot give you specific figures at the moment, but we have made proposals within the frameworks of international cooperation and I can say that, through consultation, the two sides are gradually coming to share the same perspective.

Sakai, Sankei Shimbun: Am I to understand that you have not reached an agreement on whether or not Japan should decrease its oil imports from Iran?

Minister Gemba: As I have been saying all along, the cooperation of the international community is a matter of great importance. As for the oil imports from Iran, I have been saying that we are working in the direction of reducing them. This time we mentioned a specific number. However, as we are still in the process of consultation, I am afraid I cannot announce it yet, but I can say that through close consultation with the U.S. we have been able to achieve a steady progress including the issue of waivers.

2. Questionnaire Survey Allegedly Conducted by the U.N. Body among Residents of the Northern Territories

Aiuchi, Hokkaido Shimbun: My question is about a media report concerning the Northern Territories. It has been reported that U.N. Development Programme, a U.N. body, launched a questionnaire survey among residents of Kunashiri Island with the aim of promoting tourism to draw site seeing visitors. The report also revealed that the survey was conducted at the request of the Russian government.

Minister Gemba: I have not been informed of the report. I am afraid but I will confirm it later.

3. The summit of Pacific Island Countries

Ikeda, Kyodo News: There has been a media report that says that Prime Minister Noda will be announcing the launch of the international insurance scheme at the summit of Pacific island countries scheduled for May to help countries deal with the risk of natural disasters. Is the government of Japan actually considering such plan?

Minister Gemba: Yes, we are working on it. The Pacific island countries all share the concerns over earthquakes and tsunamis, and we would like to discuss the response to natural disasters as one of the top agenda items in the summit of this year. So at that time we are planning to take up an issue like natural disaster risk insurance.

4. The Second Japan-U.S. Working-Level Talks on the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act

Ikegawa, NHK: Back to the talks about the issue of Iran, has the Japanese delegation been able to obtain an assurance from the U.S. side that Japan will be exempted from the implementation of the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act?

Minister Gemba: I am afraid I cannot tell you more than I already have as we are still discussing the issue with the U.S. All I can say at the moment is that we have been able to achieve a steady progress in a good atmosphere and that the two sides are beginning to share the same perspective on this issue.

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