Press Conference by the Press Secretary February 24, 1998
- Press conference announcements
- Negotiations for the conclusion of the Japan-Russian Federation peace treaty
- Possible Japan-United States-China-Russia dialogue
- Overall assessment of the visit to Moscow by Minister for Foreign Affairs Keizo Obuchi
- Results of the visit to the Republic of Iraq by Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations
- Japan's intention to provide an untied Export-Import Bank of Japan yen loan to the Russian Federation
- Japan-Russian Federation relations
- Change in the visa process for Japanese business people
- Japan's foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region
- Press conference announcements
- Visit to Moscow by Minister for Foreign Affairs Keizo Obuchi
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sadaaki Numata: Minister for Foreign Affairs Keizo Obuchi was in Moscow from last weekend until yesterday. He met President Boris Yeltsin, Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, First Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov and Minister of Foreign Affairs Evgenni Maksimovich Primakov of the Russian Federation. Firstly, in his meeting with President Yeltsin on 23 February, they agreed that President Yeltsin will be visiting Japan to have a Japan-Russian Federation Summit Meeting with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto from 11 to 13 April in Kawana. Secondly, they reaffirmed the agreement in Krasnoyarsk between Prime Minister Hashimoto and President Yeltsin that both sides will make the utmost effort toward the conclusion of the peace treaty on the basis of the Tokyo Declaration by the year 2000. Thirdly, Foreign Minister Obuchi conveyed to President Yeltsin Japan's intention to provide an untied Export-Import Bank of Japan yen loan worth US$1.5 billion. This loan will be co-financed with the World Bank. Through these discussions, the Foreign Minister successfully charted the course for the meeting to take place between the two leaders in April. In Foreign Minister Obuchi's meeting with Prime Minister Chernomyrdin, which also took place on 23 February, the two leaders agreed that the Government of Japan will be working together with the Russian Government through the diplomatic route toward the realization of the visit to Japan by Prime Minister Chernomyrdin in June. Also, Foreign Minister Obuchi had extensive discussions with Foreign Minister Primakov. One part of these discussions was the Co-Chairmen's Meeting of the Japan-Russia Joint Committee on the Peace Treaty Negotiation. The other part of these discussions was the Regular Foreign-Ministerial Consultation between our two Governments. Through these meetings, we feel that we are able to give a substantial impetus toward the further progress of Japan-Russian Federation relations as we approach the bilateral Summit Leaders' Meeting in April.
- Efforts by Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations toward a diplomatic solution to the situation in the Republic of Iraq
Spokesman Numata: Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations has made intensive efforts with respect to the situa- tion in the Republic of Iraq. Secretary-General Annan signed this document which incorporated the results of his consultation with the Iraqi Government on 23 February (Japan time). We value highly Secretary-General Annan's efforts in this regard. In fact, Japan is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council at the moment. In that capacity, we are privy to the document that has been signed. But, that does not mean that I am at liberty to be able to disclose to you what is in it. We have been specifically requested by the United Nations not to disclose the contents, so I cannot share it with you. In any event, we understand that the Iraqi side has made a commitment to provide immediate, unconditional and unrestricted access for the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) weapons inspectors to all the suspect sites. We do feel that it is important for Iraq to comply with the results of the consultation with the Secretary-General and to scrupulously implement these results. We understand that Secretary-General Annan is to arrive in New York on the morning of 24 February (New York time), and is to immediately proceed to the United Nations Security Council and make his report to the Security Council. We expect this to be around midnight this evening (Tokyo time). On the basis of the report to be made by Secretary-General Annan to the Security Council, we will be considering appropriate responses to that.
- Visit to Moscow by Minister for Foreign Affairs Keizo Obuchi
- Negotiations for the conclusion of the Japan-Russian Federation peace treaty
Q: My understanding is that you have an understanding with the Russian Government that you should be able to conclude the peace treaty by 2000. Will this peace treaty continue to be tied or conditioned on the resolution of the northern islands issue?
Spokesman Numata: Prime Minister Hashimoto and President Yeltsin agreed in Krasnoyarsk that they would make utmost efforts to conclude the peace treaty by 2000 on the basis of the Tokyo Declaration. That is what we shared with the Government of Russia. The Tokyo Declaration did specifically refer to the question of the four northern islands which have been under dispute. That is what will be negotiated with the Russian side.
Q: Does that mean that the island issue comes first?
Spokesman Numata: I have not said that. What I did say was that as far as the negotiation on the Peace Treaty is con- cerned, we will be going into the negotiations on the basis of the Krasnoyarsk Agreement, which in turn mentions the Tokyo Declaration. But, at the same time, if you look at the whole range of our bilateral relations with Russia, especially in recent months, another highly important factor has been the very pragmatic and practical cooperation which is being promoted on various fronts such as entering into negotiation on investment protection and inviting Russian business managers to Japan to undergo on-the-spot training. We intend to invite about 500 individuals. We had the first group last month consisting of approximately 55 individuals. We intend to invite another 200 or 300 by May, and so forth. There are a number of factors that are ongoing, all of which will take place at the same time.
- Possible Japan-United States-China-Russia dialogue
Q: Were there any security issues discussed in the meetings over the weekend, for example, the framework dialogue among Japan, the United States, Russia and the People's Republic of China?
Spokesman Numata: This was discussed in passing. We are not sure what form this Japan-United States-China-Russia dialogue will take, that is, what type of framework it will be; it is not cast in concrete. What is being discussed is the general desirability of further dialogue among all the four countries, but that is not meant to be exclusive either. But, with that caveat, there is this reference to the general desirability of such a dialogue, which was mentioned in passing by Foreign Minister Primakov in his meeting this time with Foreign Minister Obuchi. As I understand, the way that this dialogue was referred to was that Foreign Minister Primakov referred to that fact that Russia will be a member of APEC and there might be a possibility for the four countries to meet in some way or another. One example might be at the APEC Leaders' Meeting. However, I do not believe that this was discussed in any greater depth.
Q: I thought that APEC was purely an economic forum.
Spokesman Numata: It is premature to speculate on this without knowing the form that the dialogue will take. However, the fact that the four countries will at least be there might provide an opportunity. There is also the question of security dialogue between Japan and Russia which has been on the table even before the Krasnoyarsk Meeting, but even more so after this Meeting. I believe that they did talk about the general desirability of promoting further contacts and dialogue between the defense authorities of our two countries, including some possibility for confidence-building measures.
- Overall assessment of the visit to Moscow by Minister for Foreign Affairs Keizo Obuchi
Q: How do you evaluate in general the results of the visit of Foreign Minister Obuchi to Moscow? Is Japan satisfied with the results?
Spokesman Numata: Yes, and I believe the Foreign Minister himself is satisfied, because he said this morning in his press conference that he had the sort of response that he had wished for, and that he was in general satisfied with the meeting.
- Results of the visit to the Republic of Iraq by Secretary- General Kofi Annan of the United Nations
Q: In regard to the agreement that Secretary-General Annan struck with Iraq, is Japan satisfied with this agreement?
Spokesman Numata: It is a bit early to tell. But at the same time, we value very highly the intensive diplomatic efforts on the part of Secretary-General Annan. We do hope that what is reported to be in the agreement, that is, the Iraqi acceptance of the immediate, unconditional and unrestricted access by the UNSCOM inspectors to all suspect sites will become a reality. The Security Council will have to look at this. They have not discussed this, so I think we need to look at the developments in greater depth. We do certainly appreciate the Secretary- General's efforts and we will eagerly await the outcome the deliberations to take place.
Q: So, does Japan's response to the agreement depend on what Secretary-General Annan says to the Security Council?
Spokesman Numata: We do not have the full details yet. We need to see how the international community might react. So at this moment, I will leave it at saying that we do appreciate highly Secretary-General Annan's efforts. But at the same time, until a formal report is made to the Security Council, it is perhaps best that I do not make any further comments on the substance of the matter.
- Japan's intention to provide an untied Export-Import Bank of Japan yen loan to the Russian Federation
Q: What does it mean that the World Bank is co-financing the loan to the Russian Federation?
Spokesman Numata: Yes, I did mention that the loan will take the form of co-financing with the World Bank. What this means is that, under this World Bank scheme, it is possible to extend untied Export-Import Bank of Japan loans for the purpose of helping the economic structural reform in Russia; the procurement does not have to be from Japan. So, we will be providing US$1.5 billion and the World Bank will providing money of its own. However, under this scheme, it is possible for us to extend this money to add to the foreign exchange reserves of Russia, which would have the effect of freeing the corresponding funds in the Russian coffers to be used for some other purposes. This makes it possible for the Russian side to use this money rather flexibly.
Q: Will this loan be direct and bilateral, without the money being routed through the World Bank?
Spokesman Numata: I believe that you could say that. If you focus on the effect of the loan, then that is true. However, I should mention that if you simply try to use the purely bilateral Export-Import Bank of Japan loan, the purposes for which these loans can be used can be rather limited. Extending the loan in conjunction with the World Bank provides Russia with more flexibility in using the funds. I believe that you can use the fungibility element in the sense that the fund, being fungible, could indirectly be used for such items as housing retired military personnel. This is in the sense that the money that we will be paying will help the foreign exchange reserve situation in Russia, which will in turn free up some money with which the Russian Government can use for the sort of projects that they prefer, which may include housing for retired military personnel.
Q: Could you explain more on the background of this loan agreement? Who initiated the loan? Was it the Government of Japan or was a letter sent from the Russian side? Lastly, how was the loan amount and form decided?
Spokesman Numata: It has been our desire to help Russia proceed with its economic reform and put its economic house in order. I think the general desirability of this has been recognized, and it has been a question of trying to figure out the best way in which we can do it. I might mention that US$1.5 billion is a very considerable amount compared to some of the earlier Export-Import Bank of Japan loans. I believe that the last Export-Import Bank of Japan loan which we extended was US$500 million. US$1.5 billion would in fact be roughly one-third of the total accumulated commitment by Japan in terms of aid to Russia. So as I was saying earlier, we are trying to find a way in which we can provide substantial assistance to Russia in a manner which would give some flexibility as far as use is concerned. The answer that we have come up with is this form of joint-financing with the World Bank.
Q: So, can I understand it that the Japanese Government received no requests from the Russian Government or the Russian President in regard to this kind of aid?
Spokesman Numata: I do not know whether or not there was a letter. When you talk about how we can best cooperate on this sort of matter, there may be all sorts of communications. However, I think that the important thing is that we have made a decision to extend the loan.
- Japan-Russian Federation relations
Q: From Japan's viewpoint, which is more important, resolving the sovereignty issue or developing economic relations?
Spokesman Numata: What is important for us is to promote our relations with Russia in a multi-faceted or multi-layered fashion. That is what is taking place. We are moving forward with the negotiation on the conclusion of the peace treaty in the spirit shared by Prime Minister Hashimoto and President Yeltsin at the Krasnoyarsk Meeting. At the same time, we are working hard to expand our relations and enrich our relations further on a number of fronts, including trade, economic and security dialogue and other matters, especially in regard to implementing the Hashimoto-Yeltsin Plan.
Q: So, what is the focal point of this upcoming Summit Meeting?
Spokesman Numata: The focal point of the Summit will be the focal point of any Summit Meeting, which is the matters of common interest to the two leaders. I think that this will include the question of the peace treaty negotiation, because they did talk about this at the time of the Krasnoyarsk Meeting, and I am sure that their shared concerns also extend to how best we can promote bilateral relations on a number of fronts. Furthermore, as two leading actors on the international scene, it would not be surprising if they discussed some global issues, as well.
Q: You just said that you have been trying to move forward the negotiations on the peace treaty? Can you tell us if there was any advance over the weekend?
Spokesman Numata: I cannot tell you now, because this is subject of intense negotiation -- the substance of which I do not think that I am liberty to share with you. However, this was the first meeting of the Co-Chairmen of the Japan-Russia Joint Committee on the Peace Treaty Negotiations. One of the ideas that has been discussed by the two sides is that a subcommittee should be set up at the vice-ministerial level to have further discussion based on the results of the meeting of the Joint Committee. This sub-committee will probably meet in March. In terms of the scheduling of meetings, the following meetings have been mapped out. In terms of the political dialogue between our two Governments, Foreign Minister Obuchi visited Moscow this month. There will be a meeting of the Subcommittee of the Co-Chairmen of the Japan-Russia Joint Committee at the vice-ministerial level likely to take place in March. President Yeltsin will visit Japan in April. And, in June, Prime Minister Chernomyrdin will be coming to Japan. Therefore, along with our colleagues in Russia, we look forward to a busy and fulfilling time.
- Change in the visa process for Japanese business people
Q: It was reported in the newspapers this morning that Japan is making it easier for Japanese businessmen to get foreign visas. Could you tell us more about this?
Spokesman Numata: In the course of the meeting between Foreign Minister Obuchi and Foreign Minister Primakov, Foreign Minister Obuchi explained this change in the visa system that we are going to effect. This is a part of the Hashimoto-Yeltsin Plan under the heading of investment cooperation initiative, because the idea is to promote person-to-person exchanges between the two countries and thereby to promote economic and investment activities. In the past, those people from Russia who wanted to come to Japan for commercial purposes needed about seven days for their visas to be processed and to be issued. The arrangement is that we will be shortening the process to three days. That is, individuals can get their visas after three days. Further, for those visitors from the business sector who come to Japan very frequently, we will be able to issue multi- ple re-entry visas that are valid for one year. These changes will come into effect around April.
- Japan's foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region
Q: Is it fair to describe this as a new pragmatism in your foreign policy, a new approach to dealing with sovereignty disputes? There are a number of these disputes with countries in the region.
Spokesman Numata: I think that that is one element, but not the only element, because I believe that as we look back on the development of our relations with Russia going back to last year and the months before Krasnoyarsk, we were talking about the need for mutual trust, mutual benefit and approaching matters from a long-term perspective. This is in the context of trying not to leave the territorial issue unresolved into the next century. These three factors can be translate into many forms. Perhaps pragmatism has something to do with mutual benefit.
Q: Would I be correct to say that Japan has softened or changed its stance toward Japan-Russian Federation relations in matters of economic cooperation?
Spokesman Numata: What I have been trying to say is that in terms of trying to manage our relations on the basis of trust, mutual benefit and long-term perspective, there will be an overall positive effect on the relationship. It is not up to me to say whether it means softening or hardening.
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