Press Conference by the Press Secretary 3 March 2000

1. Visit of Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress of Japan to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Sweden
2. Announcement on the visit to Japan of the President of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Theo-Ben Gurirab
3. Preparations for the implementation of international peace cooperation assignments for the international electoral monitoring activities in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
4. Overview of the Meeting of Japanese Ambassadors to Africa
5. Questions concerning Japan's proposals regarding anti-piracy patrols in the Malacca Straits
6. Questions relating to the informal talks held between Japan and North Korea and the resumption of food aid to North Korea

1. Visit of Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress of Japan to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Sweden

   Deputy Press Secretary Chikahito Harada: Good afternoon. I have four announcements to start with.

   First, on the visit of Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress of Japan to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Sweden. Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Prince Consort of the Netherlands and Their Majesties The King and Queen of Sweden have extended invitations to Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress of Japan to visit their countries.

   In view of the friendly relations existing between Japan and these two countries, the Government of Japan has advised The Emperor and Empress to pay official visits, and Their Majesties have accepted the invitations.

   On their way to the Netherlands, and from the Netherlands to Sweden, Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress will visit the Swiss Confederation and the Republic of Finland, respectively.

   The itinerary of the visits will be finalized after consultations with the Governments of the respective countries. It is expected Their Majesties will leave Tokyo on 20 May and will be away for about two weeks.

   Related Information (Japan-Netherlands Relations)
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2. Announcement on the visit to Japan of the President of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Theo-Ben Gurirab

   Mr. Harada: My second announcement is on the visit to Japan of the President of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab. President of the UN General Assembly Gurirab will visit Japan from 12-15 March as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the visit, President of the UN General Assembly Gurirab will meet with Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono, and other government officials, to exchange views on issues relating to the UN, including preparations for the Millennium Summit and Assembly of the UN this year. We hope that the visit of the President of the UN General Assembly will further strengthen the relationships between Japan and the UN.

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3. Preparations for the implementation of international peace cooperation assignments for the international electoral monitoring activities in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

   Mr. Harada: My third announcement is on the preparations for the implementation of international peace cooperation assignments for the international electoral monitoring activities in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

   Municipal elections are scheduled to be held in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 8 April this year, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will supervise the whole process of preparations and conduct of these elections. The OSCE has requested a contribution of personnel for its electoral monitoring activities from the countries concerned, including Japan, and Japan for its part intends to cooperate in accordance with the International Peace Cooperation Law. The conditions of consent of the receiving country and the cease-fire agreement between the parties to the conflict are considered to be fulfilled for the electoral monitoring activities by the OSCE.

   Japan has been studying a dispatch of personnel for the electoral monitoring activities and made an announcement on 1 March on the decision to proceed with preparations for the dispatch.

   About 850 personnel in total are to be dispatched from the relevant countries for the electoral monitoring activities of the OSCE. Taking into account its past experience, including three dispatches of monitoring personnel for the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Japan intends to examine the number of persons to be dispatched.

   Related Information (Japan-Bosnia and Herzegovina Relations)
   
4. Overview of the Meeting of Japanese Ambassadors to Africa

   Mr. Harada: My fourth announcement is on the Meeting of Japanese Ambassadors to Africa, which was held this week. I would like to briefly give you an overview of the outcome of this meeting. The ambassadors made recommendations consisting of three pillars.

   The first pillar is entitled "Japanese Diplomacy Toward Africa." It says that Japan should be actively involved in African conflict and development issues, based on the fundamental ideas endorsed at the Second Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD II) to support African self-help efforts. It also says that the international community should enhance its efforts to support Africa. Japan will cooperate with, and lead when necessary, the international community. Bearing this in mind, as the chair of the G8, Japan should extend further diplomatic efforts in this regard.

   The second pillar is entitled "Dealing with African Conflicts." It says that Japan should render as much cooperation as possible to the conflict prevention and conflict resolution efforts in Africa through intensifying political appeals; strengthening supports to the efforts by regional and sub-regional organizations, as well as the concerned states parties for conflict prevention and resolution; considering and implementing fine-tuned preventive measures in each conflict phase; and tackling the factors protracting conflicts, such as the influx of small arms, in coordination with the international community.

   The third pillar is entitled "Development Assistance and Promotion of the TICAD Process." It says that Japan should make strenuous efforts to move forward the follow-up activities of TICAD II, in particular with a view to enhancing Asia-Africa cooperation. Japan should continue efforts to maintain the momentum gained through the success of TICAD II. At the same time, Japan should endeavor to foster a philosophy of future assistance for African development.

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5. Questions concerning Japan's proposals regarding anti-piracy patrols in the Malacca Straits

   Q: Can you clarify the situation regarding anti-piracy patrols in the Malacca Straits? What exactly has Japan proposed?

   Mr. Harada: The Ministry of Transport announced or is going to announce the preparatory meeting for the Anti-Piracy Regional Conference, which is scheduled to be held at the end of April in Tokyo. This preparatory meeting is taking place in Singapore on 7-9 March. The participating countries are Japan, the Republic of Korea, the People's Republic of China, including Hong Kong, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, and the Republic of India. The main objective of this preparatory meeting is aimed toward the prevention of piracy and armed robbery against ships. They will study the possibility of cooperation and coordination among coast guards to strengthen law enforcement activities and investigation as well as search and rescue systems. From Japan, officials of the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency (JMSA), headed by the Director-General of the Guard and Rescue Department, will attend this meeting.

   Q: There has been a lot of talk about Prime Minister Obuchi actually proposing that Japan send patrol ships to the Malacca Straits. Is that actually the case?

   Mr. Harada: When we had the ASEAN+1 Summit Meeting last year, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi proposed that coast guard authorities of the countries concerned meet in the near future to discuss how best we can enhance coordination and cooperation among the countries concerned. The meeting to be held at the end of April will be a follow-up to this proposal. At the ASEAN+1 Summit Meeting, President Abdurrahman Wahid of the Republic of Indonesia proposed joint patrols in this regard. However, Japan's position is that we would first like to listen to the views of the coast guards of the countries concerned and examine what sort of possibility exists for joint patrols. It is necessary to study the possibility and feasibility of joint patrols from various aspects. I think it will require some time.

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6. Questions relating to the informal talks held between Japan and North Korea and the resumption of food aid to North Korea

   Q: I have two questions on North Korea.

   The Japanese media reported that unofficial talks had been held between North Korea and Japan and that dates for the normalization talks were set for mid-April. Can you confirm this information?

   My second question is regarding the food aid offered to North Korea. A story that went out today said that Japan hopes to restart food aid to North Korea. If so, when? Do you have any updates?

   Mr. Harada: We have been making informal consultations with the North Korean side, but I am not in a position to tell you anything decisive at this moment. That applies to both of your questions.

   Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)