Press Conference by the Press Secretary 18 December, 1998

1. Comment by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi concerning the use of military forces against the Republic of Iraq by the United States of America and the United Kingdom
2. Japanese support of the military action against the Republic of Iraq
3. Possible reaction on the part of the Republic of Iraq to the military action
4. Support by the Government of Japan to enforce United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions
5. Comment on the announcement by the Republic of Iraq of civilian casualties
6. The Government of Japan's knowledge of the military action against the Republic of Iraq by the Government of the United States of America
7. Possible further support by the Government of Japan for the military action against the Republic of Iraq
8. Possible effects of the military action against the Republic of Iraq on dialogues on security issues in Northeast Asia
9. Comment of the state of military alertness by the Defense Agency
10. State of relations between the Government of Japan and the Government of the Republic of Iraq
11. Possible meetings between officials from the Government of Japan and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran

1. Comment by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi concerning the Use of Military Forces against the Republic of Iraq by the United States of America and the United Kingdom

   Deputy Press Secretary Masaki Okada: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Firstly, I would like to restate the comment made by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi yesterday concerning the situation in Iraq. I quote as follows. I understand that some time before 7 a.m. on December 17 (Japan time), joint forces of the United States of America and the United Kingdom carried out air strikes on military targets in the Republic of Iraq.

   As indicated in the letter of the Executive Chairman of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM), one has to conclude Iraq's resumption of cooperation with UNSCOM is not sufficient. Iraq's behavior constitutes a serious violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions including Resolution 687 which stipulated the conditions for the cease-fire of the Gulf War of 1991, as well as the Memorandum of Understanding signed in February this year by Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq.

   Up to now, the UNSC and the countries concerned have worked strenuously to persuade the Government of Iraq to cooperate fully and unconditionally with UNSCOM and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and to ensure Iraq's full compliance with the relevant UNSC resolutions. Japan for its part, has made numerous démarches to the Government of Iraq and has made various efforts in cooperation with other states concerned, in the UNSC and elsewhere, in order to correct Iraq's behavior. To our strong regret, however, Iraq has failed to provide its full cooperation to UNSCOM, leading to the consequences we had today.

   In view of the course of events as stated, Japan supports the action taken by the US and the UK.

   Japan strongly urges the Government of Iraq to comply immediately and unconditionally with all the obligations under the relevant UNSC resolutions and strongly hopes that, as a result, Iraq will be able to normalize its relationship with the international community and international peace and security will be attained at the earliest possible date. Japan also strongly hopes the plight of the Iraqi people will be alleviated as soon as possible.

   Related Information (The Situation in the Republic of Iraq, and Measures Taken by Japan)
   
2. Japanese support of the military action against the Republic of Iraq

   Q: You have said that the Government of Japan supports the military action of the United States and the United Kingdom against Iraq. What do you think about the legal basis of such kinds of actions. Do you think the US and the UK had the legal right to do that?

   Mr. Okada: Yes. We understand that, first of all, the UNSC Resolution 678 allows all necessary means in order to restore international peace and security. There is another resolution, Resolution 687, that is as I quoted in the Comment by Prime Minister Obuchi. That is the basis for peace in the Gulf area. In that context, I would like to underline again that the inspection of the facilities is also regulated in that resolution. The acceptance of the inspection teams was also agreed to by the Iraqi side. These are new actions of refusal, or rather sabotage, of accepting inspection. This nonacceptance of the inspection is a violation of Resolution 687. This interpretation was rather clearly made when Resolution 1205 was adopted earlier this year. The basis is established by Resolutions 678 and 687. This is what we understand.

   Q: Do you think that any country in the world has the right to attack Iraq militarily just because Iraq does not hold to the Resolution of the United Nations?

   Mr. Okada: When there is a violation of an obligation under UNSC Resolutions.

   Q: So, any country in the world has this kind of right?

   Mr. Okada: Yes, that is the spirit of the UNSC Resolution 678.

   Q: So not just only the US or the UK? Including Japan, for example or China or Russia?

   Mr. Okada: They are entitled to do so.

   Q: Just by their own judgment? Without any kind new --?

   Mr. Okada: By an objective judgment. We think this judgment is correct. There was a violation.

   Q: Japan usually procrastinates before expressing such support as the latest action for at least a few days. This time around, Japan expressed its support immediately after the latest attack on Iraq. What is the difference? Why such an instant response?

   Mr. Okada: I think that is your interpretation. We express our support or our refusal of support whenever we find it necessary and at the time we deem appropriate. This time, we have been consulting with the countries concerned for quite a long time. I can say that the situation did not occur recently, but we have been engaged with these issues since the beginning of this year, if not much earlier. Therefore, I can say that we have studied these kinds of things quite a lot before this new situation happened yesterday.

   Q: Were there any kinds of requests from the United States to Japan for any kind of support other than verbal? Any financial?

   Mr. Okada: No.

   Q: I wanted to make sure once more that Japan supports the US action against Iraq because there is a suspicion of Iraq making nuclear bombs. Does this mean that a suspicion is a good enough reason to attack a country?

   Mr. Okada: As I told you there are UNSC Resolutions and Iraq, in refusing the acceptance of the inspection by the UN and IAEA, is violating these resolutions. Why the resolutions were adopted by the UNSC is because the international community thought that the possible building of this capability of producing weapons of mass destruction would really be harmful to the international peace and security. This is the judgment of the UNSC.

   Related Information (The Situation in the Republic of Iraq, and Measures Taken by Japan)
   
3. Possible reaction on the part of the Republic of Iraq to the military action

   Q: Returning to the Iraqi issue. Do you think military force will force Iraq to fulfill its obligations?

   Mr. Okada: We have been trying to persuade Iraq repeatedly and, unfortunately, we have not been successful in persuading Iraq. And, Iraq has refused to fulfill its obligations and sabotaged or obstructed the inspections. Therefore, I think, this was the last possibility for the countries concerned to take.

   Q: Do you really think that the settlement is going to be easier after the attacks?

   Mr. Okada: I cannot say. It depends on the Iraqi side. As is stated in the Comment by Prime Minister Obuchi, we strongly urge the Iraqi side to accept the UN Resolutions. They are still valid.

   Q: Do I understand correctly that there are a number of countries which do not comply with the UNSC Resolutions? Does this mean that any given country can start bombing them?

   Mr. Okada: When there is a legal basis for action, it is possible. That was also the basis for the UN engagement in the Gulf War. We think that, first of all, Japan cannot accept the building of weapons of mass destruction by those countries such as Iraq and which are apparently supporting terrorism. These kinds of things are incorporated in the UNSC Resolutions. That is our understanding.

4. Support by the Government of Japan to enforce UNSC Resolutions

   Q: Japan did nothing to stop Israel which is not complying with the UNSC Resolutions from developing weapons of mass destruction.

   Mr. Okada: Do you think that there is a resolution which allows us to undertake these kinds of operations vis-B-vis the State of Israel? I do not think so. This is the only case where we are allowed to take these kinds of operations under the UNSC Resolutions.

   Q: Is it not up to the Security Council to decide?

   Mr. Okada: Yes. That is the system of the UN.

   Q: May I have a confirmation? So, the Government of Japan believes that any country in the world has the legal right to conduct military strikes on Iraq because Iraq has violated the resolutions of the Security Council?

   Mr. Okada: Provided that such action is in compliance with the UN Security Council Resolutions.

   Q: So far, most of the members of the Security Council seem to be opposed to the strike. Should it not be up to the Security Council to decide?

   Mr. Okada: I disagree with that kind of interpretation. As far as I understand, there are many countries which support the actions taken by those two countries. I think we can still discuss within the Security Council, but we think that our interpretation is correct.

   Q: So you do not see the need for any kind of new resolutions of the Security Council?

   Mr. Okada: No, not in this context. We already have this Resolution 678.

   Q: What does it say about the military strikes against Iraq?

   Mr. Okada: It does not explicitly say military strikes, but all necessary means The interpretation of this "all necessary means" includes military action.

   Q: By the Security Council?

   Mr. Okada: It allows any country to take that kind of action. That was Resolution 678. On that basis, many countries united and took defensive measures against Iraq when it invaded neighboring countries in 1991.

   Q: All necessary measures if Iraq violates resolution? In what kind of case?

   Mr. Okada: Resolution 678 stipulates all necessary means can be used to restore international peace and security in relation to Iraq. There is another one, Resolution 687. A violation of Resolution 687 constitutes that there is a violation of resolution 678.

   Q: But each country has the right to judge which kinds of actions are violating the resolutions.

   Mr. Okada: The resolutions do not refer to the interpretation itself. We think that if the interpretation is right then such kinds of action can be taken.

   Q: So, the judgment itself can be made by any country?

   Mr. Okada: Nothing is referred to in the resolution.

   Q: If it is wrong? If the interpretation is right, then it is okay. If the interpretation is wrong?

   Mr. Okada: We think it is right.

   Related Information (The Situation in the Republic of Iraq, and Measures Taken by Japan)
   
5. Comment on the announcement by the Republic of Iraq of civilian casualties

   Q: What is your comment of the Iraqi announcement that among the casualties of this action were civilians?

   Mr. Okada: We are not in a position to endorse an announcement by Iraq. We have been trying to ascertain the number of casualties, but we have not been able to do so yet.

6. The Government of Japan's knowledge of the military action against the Republic of Iraq by the Government of the United States of America

   Q: Did the US inform Japan before it began its attack on Iraq?

   Mr. Okada: Yes, yesterday morning, shortly after 06:00 Tokyo time, we were informed in Washington, DC.

   Q: Can you tell us how Japan was informed?

   Mr. Okada: It was from the Under-Secretary of Defense Slocombe of the United States to Ambassador Kunihiko Saito to the United States. The information was given shortly after 06:00 yesterday. I heard that President William Jefferson Clinton of the United States wanted to contact Prime Minister Obuchi, but the Prime Minister was in Hanoi, in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and due to some technical reasons, he could not. Ambassador Saito was instead informed first. Therefore, at 10:00 yesterday, Ambassador Thomas Foley of the United States to Japan brought a message to Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura. Through the Foreign Minister, Ambassador Foley wanted the message passed to Prime Minister Obuchi.

7. Possible further support by the Government of Japan for the military action against the Republic of Iraq

   Q: Is Japan prepared to make financial contributions to this Anglo-American War against Iraq. Are you supporting this American War or UN action?

   Mr. Okada: As I answered the question from your colleague, there is no such request. That is not on the agenda.

8. Possible effects of the military action against the Republic of Iraq on dialogues on security issue in Northeast Asia

   Q: There is a huge gap in assessment of the military action against Iraq between such countries as Russia and China on one side, and Japan and South Korea on the other side. Do you foresee any negative effect in this gap towards future dialogue on security matters in Northeast Asia?

   Mr. Okada: It can happen that different countries have different opinions. Concerning our relations with the Republic of Korea or the People's Republic of China, we have just had some meetings in Hanoi and we decided to strengthen our communications and consultations in security areas in the future. I think that we can have even better communication in the future and not less communication. This is in my understanding.

   Q: It is my understanding that communication towards the United States from such countries as Russia and China is going to lessen after this kind of action. The prospects for multilateral dialogue --

   Mr. Okada: We have already started discussions within the context of the UNSC. We exchange opinions and this kind of procedure will continue. We think that we can work together in the future.

   Q: I do not mean the Security Council discussions, I mean the idea of having a dialogue on security matters between such countries as the United States, Japan, China and Russia, for example, and the idea of having a six-party structure which was expressed by Prime Minister Obuchi recently.

   Mr. Okada: Six-party talks concerning the Northeast Asian situation is totally different from this issue in Iraq. We have our own security issues in this region. I think if conditions allow us, we can have this kind of meeting in the future. But there is still a sort of opposition from a few of those countries, I think, which shall be involved in those six-party talks.

   Related Information (The Situation in the Republic of Iraq, and Measures Taken by Japan)
   
9. Comment of the State of Military Alertness by the Defense Agency

   Q: Can you tell me about the current contingency situation or state of alertness taken by the Defense Agency? On a scale of 1 to 5, is it a 4, military alert?

   Mr. Okada: I am not informed of that. I think concerning this situation in Iraq, we have not taken any. It would be better to ask the Defense Agency.

   Q: Has Japan considered the area of military actions now against Iraq and surrounding area according to the Defense Guidelines -- do you see this area as affecting directly Japanese Security?

   Mr. Okada: No, we do not think so.

   Q: Speaking of the level of alertness, there is something closer to home that happened this morning and that is the incursion -- a North Korean submarine off of South Korean borders. As Japan has experience of this the longest, what is the Japanese position on this latest incident and what is the level of alertness of the Japanese military?

   Mr. Okada: Concerning this incident which happened this morning, what I understand is according to an announcement made by the Defense Ministry of the Republic of Korea this morning. It said that the Army and the Maritime Police of the Republic of Korea detected yesterday evening at around 23:15, a small suspicious ship off the coast of Yosu City, Cholla-namdo and pursued and destroyed it at about 06:50 this morning in the sea about 100 kilometers south of Koje-do. We think that such action of a North Korean submarine does not contribute to the relaxation of tension between the Republic of Korea and North Korea. That is what we presently think and we continue to carefully watch the situation. As for the alertness of the Japanese Defense Agency, we do not exactly know what they are now doing, though I understand that they are alert.

   Q: What about the Japanese Self-Defense Forces' level of alertness?

   Mr. Okada: I do not know exactly.

10. State of relations between the Government of Japan and the Government of the Republic of Iraq

    Q: Yesterday, Foreign Minister Koumura made the statement that Japan will stand firm against terrorist countries. Do you consider Iraq a terrorist country?

    Mr. Okada: We think that Iraq is a country that supports terrorist activities.

    Q: How do you evaluate the relations between Japan and Iraq?

    Mr. Okada: We regret that Iraq repeatedly refused to fulfill its obligations under the UNSC Resolutions. The fulfillment of the obligations under the resolutions is the only way for Iraq to restore its credibility in the international society and cooperate with other countries

    Q: With the same government in Iraq now?

    Mr. Okada: It is up to the Iraqi side. We do not want to interfere in the internal affairs.

11. Possible meetings between officials from the Government of Japan and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran

    Q: Changing the subject, I would like your comment over a news report that Japan will invite the Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to visit Tokyo sometime next year.

    Mr. Okada: As you might know, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamal Kharrazi of the Islamic Republic of Iran is coming to Japan next week. Concerning the invitation to President Mohammed Khatami himself, I am not informed. I think there might be discussion on that issue when the two Foreign Ministers meet next week, but I am not informed of that kind of very concrete proposal.

    Q: Is there an expectation of a visit from a high-ranking Japanese official to Tehran?

    Mr. Okada: Already, a few months ago, Deputy Minister Minoru Tanba visited Tehran and had consultations. This time Foreign Minister Kharrazi will come to Japan next Monday. If he meets Foreign Minister Koumura, this will be the fourth meeting between the two Ministers this year. This is very frequent.

    Related Information (Japan-Iran Relations)