Press Conference by the Press Secretary 11 September, 1998

1. Visit to Japan by President Kim Dae Jung of the Republic of Korea and Mrs. Kim from 7 to 10 October
2. Visit to the United States of America by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi
3. Visit to Japan by President Kim Dae Jung and Mrs. Kim in light of the North Korean missile launch
4. Reported visit by Prince Abdullah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Japan
5. Position of the Government of Japan regarding the deaths of diplomats of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Islamic State of Afghanistan
6. Continued participation of Japan in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights
7. Measures imposed by the Government of Japan in response to North Korean missile launch

1. Visit to Japan by President Kim Dae Jung of the Republic of Korea and Mrs. Kim from 7 to 10 October

   Deputy Press Secretary Masaki Okada: Good afternoon. I have one announcement to make concerning the visit of President Kim Dae Jung of the Republic of Korea to Japan. President Kim and Mrs. Kim, accompanied by a suite, will pay a state visit to Japan from 7 to 10 October 1998. During their stay in Japan, President Kim and Mrs. Kim will make a call on Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress of Japan, and also will attend a state dinner hosted by Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress in their honor. President Kim will hold official talks with Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. Prime Minister Obuchi and Mrs. Obuchi will also host a dinner in honor of President Kim and Mrs. Kim. The Government of Japan sincerely welcomes the visit of President Kim and Mrs. Kim, which will further strengthen the friendly relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea.

2. Visit to the United States of America by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi

   Q: What can you tell us about Prime Minister Obuchi's schedule going to the United States and what does Japan hope to achieve with this visit?

   Mr. Okada: We are still coordinating the schedule of Prime Minister Obuchi's visit to the United States of America, therefore I am not in a position to offer any concrete dates for the time being. As you may know, this is Prime Minister Obuchi's first visit to the United States as the Prime Minister. Therefore, firstly, the aim would be to establish personal relations between Prime Minister Obuchi and President William Jefferson Clinton of the United States, and of course as usual we are going to have a meeting on various issues including bilateral issues and international situations.

3. Visit to Japan by President Kim Dae Jung and Mrs. Kim in light of the North Korean missile launch

   Q: In view of the latest development with North Korea, I think this visit by President Kim may attach more and new significance to Japan-Republic of Korea relations. What is your position on this?

   Mr. Okada: Excuse me, what do you mean by "latest development?"

   Q: The North Korean missile firing.

   Mr. Okada: Today we are just ready to announce that President Kim will be accompanied by his wife and the itinerary was not clear until now. As for the relationship between the recent incident in the Korean Peninsula and this visit of President Kim to Japan, certainly one of the topics we are going to discuss will be this matter of the missile launch by North Korea. However, I am not yet aware of the context of what the two leaders are going to talk about. Concerning the North Koran issues, we are going to cooperate closely with the countries concerned, including the Republic of Korea and also the United States. Therefore on Monday, 14 September, Director-General Koreshige Anami of the Asian Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is going to have a meeting with his counterparts in the Republic of Korea and also the United States and we are going to talk about those issues at the meeting of the three Foreign Ministers of the countries concerned; Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura, Foreign Minister Hong Soon Yung of the Republic of Korea and Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright of the United States, respectively. We are still coordinating the date of that meeting, but we are going to talk about those issues in that context. Also during this visit of President Kim to Japan we will surely discuss those issues.

   Q: Is there any sort of economic aid anticipated during this visit? Of course as we know, the Republic of Korea is in very dire economic straits.

   Mr. Okada: Concerning the contents of this visit, I am not in a position to explain that to you for the time being.

4. Reported visit by Prince Abdullah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Japan

   Q: There are news reports that Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia will visit Tokyo late next month. Can you confirm that?

   Mr. Okada: There was such a report. However, we understand that we received a request from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that Prince Abdullah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wants to visit Japan in October. Within the Government of Japan, we are now considering this visit, and concerning a concrete date, we are now coordinating through diplomatic channels.

   Q: So no decision yet about when?

   Mr. Okada: Not yet. However we are consulting with the Saudi Arabian side concerning a concrete date.

   Q: But he will actually visit Tokyo?

   Mr. Okada: When an official decision is made we will announce that. We are now consulting about the concrete date of the visit.

5. Position of the Government of Japan regarding the deaths of diplomats of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Islamic State of Afghanistan

   Q: Nine Iranian diplomats were killed in northern Afghanistan. What is the response of the Government of Japan?

   Mr. Okada: As you know, recently a spokesman for Taliban admitted that nine of the 11 missing diplomats of the Islamic Republic of Iran were found dead. Yesterday, the President of the United Nations Security Council, Swedish Ambassador Hans Dahlgren, announced a press statement condemning the acts of Taliban. Also, Japan associated itself with the press statement of the President of the Security Council, and we condemn this act of the Taliban and we expressed our condolences to the families of the Iranian diplomats who were killed there. At the same time, we also continue to appeal to the countries and the parties concerned to exercise self-restraint in this context. If the United Nations makes efforts, for example by sending survey teams and so on, Japan intends to cooperate with those United Nations efforts.

6. Continued participation of Japan in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights

   Q: Regarding the UN force in the Middle East, does Japan intend to continue its presence in the Golan Heights?

   Mr. Okada: Concerning the peace process in the Middle East, United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has been operating in the Golan Heights, the major area of issue in the peace talks between the State of Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic, and the focal point of Middle East peace negotiations. We think that UNDOF plays a major role in preventing conflict between the two countries, therefore the participation of Japan, Japanese personnel and the platoon in UNDOF also constitutes a very important element in the comprehensive measures taken by Japan directed to the peace and stability of the Middle East. We understand that this participation has the appreciation and meets the expectation for further cooperation, expressed by the international society, concerning the efforts of Japan towards peace in the Middle East. Japan is determined to continue to participate actively in this peace process conducted by the United Nations through participation in the peace keeping operations and other international efforts.

7. Measures imposed by the Government of Japan in response to North Korean missile launch

   Q: It was stated that the North Korean act is a threat and that possible retaliatory measures may be taken by Japan. Do these possible measures still stand at the moment?

   Mr. Okada Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka announced several measures on 1 September in response to this missile test or satellite launch by North Korea. Chief Cabinet Secretary Nonaka also announced additional measures on 2 September. Those are measures that we are now taking and for the time being we are not considering taking any further measures.

   Q: What has already been announced still holds?

   Mr. Okada: Yes.

   Q: The Government has not changed or softened its position?

   Mr. Okada: No. So long as the North Korean side does not show us satisfactory explanations and acts, we will maintain our measures which we already announced several days ago.

   Q: Could you provide us with an update of the KEDO talks?

   Mr. Okada: Concerning the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) talks, there has not been any development in recent days. We announced that after consulting with the United States and the Republic of Korea, progress on KEDO will be suspended for the time being. That is our position and we announced that on 1 September, and as I explained to you, so long as we have not seen any satisfactory explanations and acts, we cannot change our stance regarding KEDO.

   Q: There was a report that an official in the Government of the Republic of Korea said that it actually was a satellite that was launched by North Korea. Has the Government of Japan received any kind of information from the Republic of Korea about this report?

   Mr. Okada: We only know the newspaper report. We have not received any direct explanation from the Government of the Republic of Korea.