Press Conference by the Press Secretary 12 January 2000

1. Announcement on the launching of the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit Meeting 2000 homepage
2. Visit to Southeast Asia by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and details of his meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen of the Kingdom of Cambodia
3. Details of the visit to Europe by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono
4. Details of the meetings held between Minister of Defence George Fernandes of the Republic of India and Chief Cabinet Mikio Aoki and Director-General Tsutomu Kawara of the Defense Agency
5. Administrative handling of the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit
6. Issues relating to North Korea

1. Announcement on the launching of the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit Meeting 2000 homepage

   Director Yasuhisa Kawamura: Good morning and Happy New Year. Welcome to the first foreign press briefing of the year 2000. We should start with great irregularities, since Mr. Numata and Mr. Harada are away accompanying Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono respectively on their visits to foreign countries. I will take part today as a sort of temporary speaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

   A couple of issues. First, as you are probably aware, at the start of the year 2000, we have been kicking off the preparatory works for the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit Meetings, and we have opened a homepage for the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit. This shows the logo for the Summit 2000. The motif of this logo is the sun, or sunlight. Okinawa is always under sunlight. The center round is blue, which represents ocean, and the ocean is surrounded by eight small red circles, which represent the enthusiasm or passion of each participant in the G8 Summit Meeting. The content of the message refers to the history, culture and the Government of Japan's position. We would suggest that you access this homepage through this address; it is already available for information.

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2. Visit to Southeast Asia by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and details of his meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen of the Kingdom of Cambodia

   Mr. Kawamura: The second announcement you are probably more interested in is Prime Minister Obuchi and Foreign Minister Kono's visits to Southeast Asia and European states. Detailed explanations have already been done by respective spokespersons in Cambodia as well as in Italy, so I will touch upon the crux of each of the meetings. Let me start with Prime Minister Obuchi's trip to Southeast Asia.

   Prime Minister Obuchi left Tokyo on Monday, 10 January, arriving in Bangkok in the afternoon. He met with Prime Minister Hun Sen of the Kingdom of Cambodia yesterday, and talked about a variety of issues, including bilateral relations, the G8 Summit and Khmer Rouge tribunal issues. He will fly to the Lao People's Democratic Republic this afternoon and will continue his trip to the Kingdom of Thailand. He is arriving in Bangkok on the afternoon of Thursday, 13 January, and he will come back to Tokyo on Saturday 15 January.

   In the meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday, Prime Minister Obuchi referred to the bilateral relations with Cambodia. He described the past ten years for Cambodia as years of peace and compromise. He said that the coming ten years should become years of development and prosperity for Cambodia, and Japan on its part is prepared to assist Cambodia in its efforts to that end. The second point, in relation to the Government of Cambodia's efforts for administrative and financial reforms, as well as the eradication of corruption, Prime Minister Obuchi expressed his readiness to cooperate, supposing the Government of Cambodia continues its existing efforts in these areas. More particularly, Japan is ready to send experts in taxation and debt management areas, and it is also considering to provide non-project grant aid amounting to two billion yen to the Government of Cambodia.

   Prime Minister Hun Sen appreciated Japan's cooperation and assistance provided in the past years and pledged yesterday, and he went on to explain the current positions and policies of the Government of Cambodia. He explained how his so-called triangular strategy has been successful. The triangular strategy means: the stability of the country, regional integration, as well as social and economic reforms.

   As for the issue of Khmer Rouge tribunals, Prime Minister Hun Sen explained that Cambodia is now entering into the implementation stage by acquiring international cooperation. He also mentioned his new proposal to Prime Minister Obuchi, that is the Government of Cambodia is now studying a possible cooperation between foreign investigating judges and domestic Cambodian investigating judges. This element, according to Prime Minister Hun Sen, is being considered to incorporate into a bill which the Government of Cambodia is considering to submit to Parliament.

   Concerning Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, Cambodia is ready to support Japan's qualification.

   In response to Prime Minister Obuchi's request for inputs for the G8 Summit Meeting, Prime Minister Hun Sen replied that the Southeast Asian countries are expecting Japan to function as an engine for the economic and social development of the entire Asian region. According to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Japan is expected to play a major role for easing the economic gaps which exist among those regional countries, especially around the Mekong Delta region.

   On the issue of the Khmer Rouge tribunals, in response to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Prime Minister Obuchi stressed that Japan's basic position is that the Khmer Rouge tribunals should be conducted on the basis of the understanding of the Cambodian people and the international community's appropriate assistance. Prime Minister Obuchi also conveyed his expectation that this issue should be resolved through dialogue with the United Nations. Prime Minister Obuchi mentioned that after agreement with the United Nations is reached, Japan will consider the possibility of sending personnel to the tribunal, including judges.

   On landmines, Prime Minister Obuchi stressed that from the standpoint of human security, the issue of landmines and anti-personnel landmines are very important. Prime Minister Obuchi is launching the so-called comprehensive anti-personnel landmine projects seeking zero victims. This project is comprised of a couple of elements, including victim assistance, technical support for the mine clearance, support for NGOs and education for zero victims. In this regard, Japan is prepared to provide grant assistance to hospitals, mechanical devices and to send experts to the region.

   As for the issue of the economic gap among the members of the ASEAN states, Prime Minister Obuchi disclosed his idea to provide US$2.5 million to the ASEAN Secretariat, to promote smoother and more frequent communications among the newly-joining members of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat. Through this contribution to the ASEAN functionalities, Prime Minister Obuchi expects that the solidarity among the states will be strengthened.

   Related Information (Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's Visit to Cambodia, Laos and Thailand)
   
3. Details of the visit to Europe by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono

   Mr. Kawamura: The next announcement is on Foreign Minister Kono's visit to European countries. Foreign Minister Kono left Tokyo on Saturday, 8 January and arrived in Rome on the same day. He met with Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema of the Italian Republic on Monday, 10 January, and then he had a meeting with his counterpart Minister for Foreign Affairs Lamberto Dini of the Italian Republic. Then he flew to Brussels on 10 January and met with former Secretary-General Javier Solana of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and current Secretary-General The Rt. Hon. George Robertson of NATO. On Tuesday, 11 January, Foreign Minister Kono the Japan-European Union (EU) Ministerial Meeting with other members of the Cabinet, including Minister of International Trade and Industry Takashi Fukaya and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Tokuichiro Tamazawa. Let me introduce the first meeting between Foreign Minister Kono and Prime Minister D'Alema.

   Foreign Minister Kono and Prime Minister D'Alema discussed a few issues, including the G8, North Korea and United Nations reforms. On G8, Foreign Minister Kono stressed three points. Firstly, Foreign Minister Kono stated that the Asian perspective should be reflected in the upcoming G8 Summit Meeting; that a new millennium message for a brighter future for mankind should be issued at the Summit Meeting; and that the G8 Foreign Ministers' Meetings should adopt the issue of conflict prevention. Conflict prevention is one of the most important issues. The second point was North Korea. Foreign Minister Kono welcomed Italy's recent establishment of diplomatic relations with North Korea, and he expected Italy's continuous initiative in engaging North Korea to play a more constructive role in the international community. The third issue was United Nations reform. Foreign Minister Kono and Prime Minister D'Alema agreed on two points. First, Japan and Italy playing quite important a role in the United Nations. Second, the United Nations reforms need to be accomplished. Following the Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Foreign Minister Kono and Foreign Minister Dini picked up on similar issues as in the meetings with Prime Minister D'Alema.

   Lastly is the Japan-EU Ministerial Meetings. The major topic was the relaunching efforts for the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. The document of the joint statement between the two parties is available. The crux of the meeting was summarized in the paper. I will touch upon those elements. The first element is the multilateral trade system, as the first paragraph of the paper says: "The two parties reaffirmed the importance of the multilateral trade system embodied in the WTO." The second part is the importance of the early relaunch of the negotiations. The launch of a new round of negotiations should remain the priority of the WTO, and to this end, the EU and Japan agreed for close cooperation. The key word is "get back on track as soon as possible."

   The third element is comprehensive negotiations. This element was already confirmed throughout the preparatory stages to the Seattle Conference. But this time again, the EU and Japan agreed and reaffirmed that the agenda for the new round should be "sufficiently comprehensive," to include not only built-in agenda issues, namely agriculture and services, but also market access, and improvement and reinforcement of existing rules and disciplines, such as anti-dumping, plus the establishment of additional rules for investment, competition and trade facilitation. Both parties also agreed to pay due regard to non-trade concerns as well as factors for sustainable use of natural resources and environmental aspects. The fourth element is so-called new issues, including labor and globalization. Japan and the EU will continue to have a dialogue in those new areas. The fifth element is transparency and efficiency. The key issue for the new round of negotiations is the balance of those two elements. Sometimes those two elements are conflicting. The sixth element is Less Developed Countries (LDCs). Both sides agreed that the WTO should secure active participation of developing countries, and respond appropriately to their concerns.

   More in practical terms, both parties agreed for improvement in market access and the capacity building of the LDCs, and they also agreed to take forward a preferential market access initiative for the least developed countries for essentially all products originating in LDCs. The seventh element is NGOs, or civil society's views. We will pay much attention to their voices. The eight element is welcoming the newly acceding members to the WTO, and support the early access of the present applications. The ninth element is important, for the EU and Japan in particular, and that is built-in agenda issues. Both parties agreed, in the agricultural negotiations, which will be based on Article XX of the Agreement on Agriculture, that they shared interest with regard to the multifunctional aspects of agriculture. It represents exactly what was discussed and agreed in the meeting quite eloquently.

   Related Information (Foreign Minister Yohei Kono's Visit Europe)
   
4. Details of the meetings held between Minister of Defence George Fernandes of the Republic of India and Chief Cabinet Mikio Aoki and Director-General Tsutomu Kawara of the Defense Agency

   Q: The Indian Defense Minister met with Mr. Aoki and Mr. Kawara yesterday. Can you brief us on their talks, and also whether there was any agreement on any issues?

   Mr. Kawamura: Yes. Minister of Defence George Fernandes of the Republic of India arrived in Japan and met with Chief Cabinet Mikio Aoki yesterday. They discussed a couple of issues. One was the hijack case, terrorist prevention, and Indian Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) participation issues. I do not know whether there is a clear-cut agreement or not, but they discussed those issues and shared a certain common understanding.

   The first element was the hijack case that happened last year. Chief Cabinet Secretary Aoki expressed thanks for the Government of India's rescue of the people aboard, including one Japanese female. He said that he hoped that both countries should work in cooperation towards the eradication of terrorism. Defence Minister Fernandes stated that the Malacca Straits is an important maritime route for Japan, therefore India is prepared to cooperate with Japan in security. Chief Cabinet Secretary Aoki said that joint cooperation is necessary.

   Concerning the Indian CTBT participation, Chief Cabinet Secretary Aoki stressed the participation by India in the CTBT will benefit not only the international community, but also India. Japan is expecting an early signature of the CTBT. Supposing India decides to put a signature on the Treaty, then Japan is prepared to review the existing economic measures applied to India, including new economic cooperation projects. Chief Cabinet Secretary Aoki urged the cooperation from India.

   Defence Minister Fernandes said that India is making the utmost efforts to build consensus in his country. Defence Minister Fernandes also mentioned that there are some differences in positions concerning nuclear policies, but both countries shared positions on many aspects. For example, on the question of regional security, India considers it necessary to have security dialogue among the two parties. In response, Chief Cabinet Secretary Aoki recognized the importance of furtherance of dialogue and exchanges between the two countries, and requested concrete measures at the sub-cabinet level. This is the kind of area where the two parties' minds are meeting.

   Director-General Tsutomu Kawara of the Defense Agency and Defence Minister Fernandes discussed basically three issues yesterday: regional situations, defense policy and exchanges between defense personnel. First, the regional situation. Director-General Kawara explained the Asia-Pacific security situations, referring to the Korean Peninsula and territorial issues of Asian countries. He stressed that there still remain uncertain elements in the area, and also expressed his appreciation for the Indian Navy's cooperation in the early resolution of the seajack case. He explained the Japan-US Security Arrangements and the current efforts on the side of Japan for strengthening the security environment and the regional stability.

   Defence Minister Fernandes said that Japan and India are situated in similar security environments, and both countries share the concerns of Asia-Pacific security. For instance, in the case of the missile launch by North Korea, India is always concerned with the assault by missile attacks on them. Defence Minister Fernandes also said that he understands the role played by the United States of America for peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region, and that India will positively involve itself in the Asian Regional Forum (ARF) process, with the notion that its engagement with the ASEAN region will contribute to regional peace and development.

   The second element was defense policies. Defence Minister Fernandes said that Indian defense policy is defensive. They will continue to stay defensive in their defense policymaking. In return, Director-General Kawara urged Indian understanding and cooperation for the early signing of the CTBT, and also requested India to restrain its missile launches and exercises. Defence Minister Fernandes replied that India is surrounded by two nuclear-armed countries. India is wishing for the eradication of nuclear arms, but believes that nuclear arms could work as a deterrence. He also explained India's basic stance of no first attack, and no use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-armed countries. In addition, Defence Minister Fernandes said that he will continue to make efforts to create a national consensus for the signing of the CTBT.

   Q: So there were no actual agreements on any issues?

   Mr. Kawamura: It depends upon the terminology of "agreement." In the meeting between Chief Cabinet Secretary Aoki and Defence Minister Fernandes, they agreed for some kind of mechanism between the two parties, and further details will be discussed at the sub-cabinet level.

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5. Administrative handling of the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit

   Q: Which officials in the Foreign Ministry are handling the preparation and policy implementation for the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit?

   Mr. Kawamura: We have established a Task Force for the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit, but this does not necessarily mean that the remaining divisions are free from the Summit process. In other words, the Kyushu-Okinawa is the collective work of all Foreign Ministry officials. We have a technical division of labor among officials, but in essence, we all, from the Minister to the bottom, are united with a single heart and are ready for dedication for the successful conclusion of the Summit Meeting.

   Q: My second question was not covered in today's press conference. At the beginning of this year, President Kim Dae Jung sent a New Year's message to Japanese citizens. Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi also sent a message to Korean citizens which was very well received in Korea. Do you have the full text of the speech available?

   Mr. Kawamura: Yes, we do have the text in Japanese.

   Q: When I met Mr. Obuchi at a New Year party, I congratulated him and told him that it was the first time a Japanese Prime Minister had ever sent a direct message to Korean citizens. He was so pleased. I heard the news on the television and would like to read the full text.

   Mr. Kawamura: Thank you very much for your kind words. I appreciate your comment, and I would be happy to send you a full text of Prime Minister Obuchi's statement.

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6. Issues relating to North Korea

   Q: Is there any development with Mr. Sugishima, who is being detained in North Korea? And have you set the date for the next preliminary talks?

   Mr. Kawamura: We do not have any change in the information concerning Mr. Sugishima. We are now asking the Government of North Korea the situation with Mr. Sugishima, and are waiting for a response. As for the timing of the preparatory talks, at this moment I do not have any more updated information, but we have not decided yet.

   Q: Is that likely to be in Beijing again?

   Mr. Kawamura: We are still considering the timing and location.

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