Press Conference by the Press Secretary 13 October, 1998

1. The 19-28 October visit by State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura to Southeast Asia
2. The 12 October Japan-European Union Ministerial Meeting
3. Arrest of the owner of a Japanese trading company under allegations of illegal export to North Korea
4. Situation in the Republic of Turkey and the Syrian Arab Republic
5. Possible upcoming visit to Japan by President Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of China
6. Protest by the Government of Japan to the Government of the Russian Federation regarding fishing by North Korean vessels off the coast of the Northern Islands
7. December 1998 Summit by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Hanoi

1. The 19-28 October visit by State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura to Southeast Asia

   Press Secretary Sadaaki Numata: Good afternoon. I have a couple of things to say at the beginning. The first concerns the visit by State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura to Southeast Asia. He will be visiting the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of the Philippines, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Kingdom of Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam from Monday, 19 October to Wednesday, 28 October. The purposes of his visit are, firstly, to explain the efforts of the Government of Japan for Japan's economic revitalization and to express Japan's posture to cooperate positively with Asian countries which have been faced with an economic crisis. Secondly, to express Japan's efforts to assist sub-regional development in Indochina. State Secretary Machimura is expected to meet leading government figures in each of the countries that he is visiting. He is also scheduled to attend the Sixth Consultations on the Restructuring of Economic Relations between Japan and Thailand, in Thailand, and the Phnom Penh International Forum on Demining and Victim Assistance, in Cambodia. He will be giving keynote speeches at these two meetings.

2. The 12 October Japan-European Union Ministerial Meeting

   Press Secretary Sadaaki Numata: The second announcement is about the Japan-European Union (EU) Ministerial Meeting which took place yesterday at Iikura House. There were seven Ministers attending from the Japanese side -- that is the highest number of ministerial attendance ever, in the context of the Japan-EU meetings. The seven ministers are Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura, Minister of International Trade and Industry Kaoru Yosano, State Minister and Director-General of the Economic Planning Agency Taichi Sakaiya, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Seiko Noda, Minister of Justice Shozaburo Nakamura, Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission and Minister of Home Affairs Mamoru Nishida, and State Minister and Director-General of the Environment Agency Shinji Manabe. Apart from the seven ministers, State Secretary for Finance Mahito Nakajima and Deputy Minister, International, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Hideaki Kumazawa. From the EU side, Vice President of the European Commission Sir Leon Brittan, who is the Deputy-Commissioner in charge of external relations, attended, as well as Commissioner Martin Bangemann, who is in charge of Industrial Affairs, Information and Telecommunications Technologies, and Commissioner Anita Gradin who is in charge of Immigration, Home Affairs and Justice. Without going into too much detail of the wide range of subjects that were discussed, let me mention a few of the salient points of this meeting. There was considerable interest on the Japanese side in the developments in the EU as they anticipate the introduction of the euro and as the EU's role in the international economic and financial system becomes even more important. That interest was reflected in the discussions.

   Secondly, the Ministers engaged in exchanges of views on a broad range of subjects -- not just covering respective trade and investment issues, but also ranging from the actual state of the economy in both Japan and the EU, as well as to covering such new areas as electronic commerce, international crimes and environmental issues. With respect to the Japanese economy, the Japanese side explained its own efforts to revitalize the economy and to put the economy back on the track to growth. The EU side expressed its understanding and support for the measures that Japan is undertaking to revitalize its economy. There was considerable emphasis placed by the EU side on deregulation as one of the important elements in economic revitalization. Both sides exchanged the "wish lists" on deregulation to be undertaken by the other side. As is also the case with the United States of America in talking about deregulation, they had various emphases placed on this sort of exercise being two-ways.

   There was considerable progress in one specific field, which is the efforts to conclude a mutual recognition agreement. You may start wondering what it is all about. This is mutual recognition of test results and standards and so forth with respect to telecommunications equipment, electric appliances, medical and pharmaceutical products, as well as chemical products, and you may somewhere have heard about such expressions as "GMP" with respect to medical and pharmaceutical products and "GLP" -- that stands for "good laboratory practice," if my memory is correct, with respect to chemical products. If each side accepts the tests results, for example, conducted by the other side with respect to these products, that will considerably facilitate trade in these areas. We are now engaged in a very intensive effort with the EU to conclude an agreement on this and both sides shared the recognition that it is important to accelerate this work. They also discussed the World Trade Organization (WTO) and agreed they shared the importance of Japan and the European Union working closely together to work out a common position as we face the next round of liberalization negotiations in the context of the WTO.

   Roughly similar things were taken up in the meeting between Sir Leon Brittan and Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, which took place yesterday, in which they confirmed the importance of the Japan-EU dialogue and cooperation extending to ever-broader areas including political subjects as well as cultural subjects. With respect to the Japanese economy, Sir Leon Brittan expressed the EU's appreciationg for the efforts made by Japan with respect to the financial revitalization bills as well as efforts to stimulate the economy, including the plans for tax reduction. They also talked about the WTO and with respect to the European single currency, Prime Minister Obuchi expressed the hope that the EU will continue to be open towards the outside world, even after the introduction of the euro.

   Related Information (Japan-EU Relations)
   
3. Arrest of the owner of a Japanese trading company under allegations of illegal export to North Korea

   Q: Today, the owner of a trading company registered here in Japan was arrested under allegations of illegal export to North Korea, especially for this upcoming treaty. What is the position of the Japanese Government in this regard?

   Mr. Numata: I only have sketchy details about this. I only have this information that the owner of this trading company, as far as I can gather from the name of the company, has been arrested by the police -- I believe this is the Tokyo metropolitan police -- for the suspicion that they exported certain products without obtaining the license or permission of the Minister of International Trade and Industry to North Korea. The sort of equipment that they are talking about seems to be related to diving, that is, underwater diving. Those are all the details that I have at this time, and I think that my response at this moment is that I am aware of the fact that such an arrest has been made, but I think it is a bit premature for me to go further on that. Among other things, the investigation will go on.

   Q: According to Kyodo Wire, it has been said that they exported to North Korea some sort of submarine parts which could be used for many different uses. If that is true, is there even the slightest possibility for this issue to affect the Japanese Government's position or attitude toward sanctions?

   Mr. Numata: I think it is a bit early in the day to extrapolate from the fact of the arrest to the sort of points that you have mentioned. The facts that I have are that an arrest has been made for suspicion of exporting without permission or license. The items involved, apparently have to do with diving equipment. Beyond that, I think we will have to see how the investigation goes.

   Q: Getting back to the submarine equipment matter -- it is my understanding that the Republic of Korea found certain equipment on board that grounded North Korean submarine that they traced back to this Japanese trading company run by North Koreans in Japan. Is the Japanese Government at least somewhat concerned about this potentially diplomatic incident? Are you working with the Republic of Korea to try and identify more information about it?

   Mr. Numata: Let us say that the arrest has been made and that the investigation will go on. I am sure that the authorities concerned will be looking into all the relevant background, possibly including the sort of points that you have just mentioned. The fact is that in the eyes of our police authorities, they apparently established the suspicion that these equipment were exported to North Korea and that, apparently, is in contravention of relevant laws. So that is where we stand. I again say that it would be a bit premature for me to speculate on the possible course of the investigation.

   Q: Is the Japanese Government concerned about this?

   Mr. Numata: We will be concerned about an incident in which there has apparently been a contravention of the relevant laws. If the facts are established as you described it -- but I am not in a position to be able to say that the facts have been established -- that might give us some other cause for concern, but I think it is a bit premature for me to speak in sort of authoritative terms about that aspect.

   Related Information (North Korea's Missile Launch)
   
4. Situation in the Republic of Turkey and the Syrian Arab Republic

   Q: Concerning the recent tensions in relations between Turkey and Syria, what is the position of the Japanese Government?

   Mr. Numata: I have to give you an honest answer. I try to traverse all over the world before my press conference, but my particular trip this time has not extended to the Republic of Turkey and the Syrian Arab Republic, so I'll have to take that question later.

   Related Information (Japan-Turkey Relations)
   
5. Possible upcoming visit to Japan by President Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of China

   Q: Have any further details been worked out on the schedule of President Jiang Zemin's visit? Are you any closer to setting a date? And what about the question of an apology?

   Mr. Numata: We are still working intensively to coordinate the dates of the visit. Both the People's Republic of China and Japan side share this very strong wish that the visit by President Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of China can take place within this year, but we have not been quite able to identify a certain set of dates which suit mutual convenience. The coordination is still going on, intensively, I might add. With respect to what I would call the question of how we might express our recognition of history with respect to China on the occasion of President Jiang's visit, without using the words that you used, that is still being coordinated. We are in the process of discussing this with the Chinese side, including the possibility of perhaps reflecting that in a certain document, but we have not come to any sort of conclusion on that yet. So let us say that it is under intensive consideration.

   Related Information (Japan-China Relations)
   
6. Protest by the Government of Japan to the Government of the Russian Federation regarding fishing by North Korean vessels off the coast of the Northern Islands

   Q: I would like to ask about the recent protest of Japan to Russia concerning North Korea fishermen near the Northern Islands. Why was this protest brought about through the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, not through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

   Mr. Numata: Of course we are coordinating this with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. I am not quite sure whether we did this only through the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries -- I am not quite sure if that is correct. In fact, our embassy in the Russian Federation did get in touch with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on 1 October to ascertain the facts, when we heard reports that these North Korean vessels were operating within the 200-mile zone around the island of Shikotan, since we have a well-known position with respect to these islands. If those were indeed facts, we would find it regrettable, so that is why we asked for clarification of facts. And that request for clarification was conveyed by our embassy in Moscow to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on 1 October. Then we received a reply from the Russian Federation side, and I believe this is from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, on 7 October, that North Korean fishing vessels were operating within the 200-mile zone of the four Northern Islands with Russian Federation permission. That is where we stated our position that we would find it regrettable because it is incompatible with our legal position. That is where the matter stands. So, to answer your question, there have been communications through the diplomatic channel on this issue.

   Q: Yes, but I would like to know why this protest was announced through the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries?

   Mr. Numata: They are free to announce it. I am announcing it now, and we announced it yesterday in this building as well, in Japanese.

   Related Information (Japan's Northern Territories)
   
7. December 1998 Summit by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Hanoi

   Q: There is going to be a Summit of ASEAN nations in Hanoi in mid-December this year. Will anyone from Japan be going to this, and might that include Prime Minister Obuchi?

   Mr. Numata: The answer to both your questions is yes, quite possibly yes. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit is being contemplated in Hanoi in December. We have been invited and we are considering the invitation rather positively, but we have not come to the stage of actually saying in firm terms that yes, Prime Minister Obuchi will attend, but that can very well be within the realm of possibilities.

   Q: What subjects is the Summit likely to cover? Would Japan be there to express its willingness to help ASEAN nations?

   Mr. Numata: Thank you for answering your own question -- so that, I think, would certainly be one of the points. We have been quite active in helping our Asian neighbors overcome the current economic and financial difficulties. And not just the economic and financial side of it, but the matters of shared interest to us and the ASEAN countries with respect to the regional political situation in general and the security situation, possibly, as well. I am sure there will be a whole lot of subjects that we can discuss. We will be giving a closer look to it as we come closer to the day, as it were.

   Related Information (Japan-ASEAN Relations)