Press Conference by the Press Secretary 14 March 2000

1. Details of the meeting held in Beijing between Japanese and North Korean Red Cross officials
2. Meeting between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngyuyen Dy Nien of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
3. Meeting between Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and President Theo-Ben Gurirab of the 54th United Nations General Assembly
4. Japan's role in negotiating with the parties concerned in the conflict in the Islamic State of Afghanistan
5. Upcoming visit to Japan of Secretary of Defense William Cohen of the United States of America
6. Question on the possible resumption date for normalization talks with North Korea

1. Details of the meeting held in Beijing between Japanese and North Korean Red Cross officials

   Press Secretary Ryuichiro Yamazaki: Good afternoon. I would like to begin my press conference by drawing your attention to several points.

   The first announcement is on what took place yesterday in Beijing between the Red Cross of Japan and the Red Cross of North Korea. The results have already been widely reported in both the Japanese and non-Japanese press, so I will not repeat too much in detail. Let me say, though, that we are pleased with the outcome because it lays the rail as we move into the normalization talks to be held in the first part of April. If I may, I will briefly recap along the lines of the joint announcement made in Beijing between Vice-President Tadateru Konoe of the Japanese Red Cross and his counterpart, Vice-President Ho Hae-ryong of the North Korean Red Cross.

   First, both sides agreed to conduct the third visit by the Japanese wives to Japan sometime in the spring -- April or May -- and they intend to continue such visits to Japan giving due regard to the wishes of their relatives in Japan. Second, the North Korean side said that they have already started investigations to locate the missing Japanese and had informed the relevant authorities, in this case both local governments and Ministry of Public Safety officials at the local level, as well as the Red Cross officials throughout the country. If, as a result of the investigation, any of the missing persons are located, they will take appropriate measures. It is our understanding that this means that if the individual wishes to return to Japan, they will allow the individual to do so. In order to keep abreast of how the investigations are progressing, both sides agreed to continue to take the issue up at the Red Cross talks to be held in the future. Third, the North Korean side asked the Japanese side to try and locate the whereabouts of North Koreans missing in Japan before 1945. The Japanese side expressed their sincere will to do their best in this investigation. Finally, the Japanese side informed the North Korean side that on 7 March the Government of Japan had decided to give North Korea 100,000 tons of food through the World Food Program, and the North Korean side expressed their gratitude. This is what I have for you on the Red Cross talks.

   Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
   
2. Meeting between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngyuyen Dy Nien of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

   Mr. Yamazaki: As announced before, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngyuyen Dy Nien of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is now in Japan. Last week, on the 10th, he had talks with Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono. Foreign Minister Nien expressed gratitude to the people and Government of Japan for the economic assistance that has been rendered to them and hoped that further assistance could be offered in the form of yen credits, grants and assistance to Vietnamese students studying here in Japan to enhance human resources development as a follow-up to the Obuchi Plan. Foreign Minister Nien also extended an invitation on behalf of the Government of Vietnam for His Majesty The Emperor to make a visit to their country. Foreign Minister Nien also expressed their support for Japan's permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.

   Foreign Minister Kono replied that he looked forward to further acceleration of the various reforms in Vietnam and that we were willing to render assistance for helping their economic reform through yen credits and other ways to facilitate their transition to a market economy. These would include areas such as intellectual fields, introducing relevant legislations, and enhancing human resources development. We also proposed to hold politico-military talks between our two Governments composed of Foreign Ministry and defense officials. The Vietnamese side will consider the proposal and come back with a reply.

   Two other points were raised. Foreign Minister Kono mentioned the fact that at the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit to be held in July, Japan was interested in injecting an Asian perspective, and asked Foreign Minister Nien whether he had any comments on this as a new member of ASEAN. Foreign Minister Nien said that globalization has its positive and negative aspects, but especially for a developing country, the negative aspects tend to loom larger. He mentioned that this point was referred to by many countries at the recent Tenth Meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Bangkok. Foreign Minister Nien hoped that as the Chair of the upcoming G8, Japan could keep this concern in mind. The second point was on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Foreign Minister Kono encouraged a prompt ratification by Vietnam, who have already signed the CTBT. Foreign Minister Nien said that they were not sure whether it would be in time for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to be held in spring, but they would try to do their best toward a speedy ratification of the Treaty.

   Related Information (Japan-Viet Nam Relations)
   
3. Meeting between Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and President Theo-Ben Gurirab of the 54th United Nations General Assembly

   Mr. Yamazaki: My third announcement is concerning the visit to Japan by President Theo-Ben Gurirab of the 54th United Nations General Assembly. President Gurirab also happens to be Minister of Foreign Affairs of Namibia. He met with Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi yesterday. Prime Minister Obuchi emphasized that he has taken a long-standing interest in the United Nations, and he is the chairman of a parliamentarian study group on how to contribute to the United Nations. Prime Minister Obuchi said that with the Millennium Summit of the United Nations scheduled in the autumn, it was very important that the United Nations implement its reforms so that it could be more effective in the twenty-first century. In this connection, Prime Minister Obuchi also mentioned that he often emphasizes the notion of human security when coping with the various issues within the UN context. Prime Minister Obuchi also underlined the importance of Security Council reform, and that unless Security Council reform takes place, the credibility of the Security Council and the United Nations in the international community at large will be undermined. President Gurirab is not only the President of the General Assembly but also President of the Working Group on Security Council Reform. That is why Prime Minister Obuchi specifically mentioned this point.

   President Gurirab mentioned greetings from the President of Namibia and that Japan was very active in its dialogue with the African group at the United Nations, as exemplified by the African lunch on the occasion of the General Assembly, as well as the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). He said that Africa has both positive and negative problems. The negative side includes poverty and the lack of development, while on the other hand there are positive signs, such as the advancement of human rights, good governance, and the trend toward democratization. These positive signs can be seen in Namibia and in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). President Gurirab added that the Millennium Summit, to be held sometime in early September, is also very important. Many leaders from around the world will participate. He mentioned that Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations will submit a report later this month that is expected to set forth a certain direction for the Millennium Summit. The main theme of the Millennium Summit is how to strengthen the United Nations. President Gurirab also expressed the hope to achieve advancement in the Security Council reform exercise.

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4. Japan's role in negotiating with the parties concerned in the conflict in the Islamic State of Afghanistan

   Mr. Yamazaki: My final announcement is just a short note, because it is still in process. Japan has been trying to play a role in the conflict in the Islamic State of Afghanistan. We announced last week that we have invited both the Taliban, the so-called Northern Alliance, and also a staff of the king who has been in exile in Italy, to have separate and individual dialogues with us with a view to explore ways to proceed on the track of peace. Ever since 1996 Japan has been proposing a conference for peace and reconstruction for Afghanistan. But unfortunately the parties concerned have not yet reached the stage where they can all come to the table. That is why this time Japan has taken the initiative to have separate meetings. We have just finished meeting with the Taliban side, and today we are meeting with the Northern Alliance.

   We are also very much interested in preserving the cultural sites, especially Buddhist relics, in an area called Bamian and in the arts museum in Kabul. Officials from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as well as the famous Japanese painter Ikuo Hirayama also met with the Taliban side to discuss how we could cooperate in preserving these very precious works of art.

   Related Information (Japan-Afghanistan Relations)
   
5. Upcoming visit to Japan of Secretary of Defense William Cohen of the United States of America

   Q: I would like to ask about the upcoming visit of US Defense Secretary Cohen. What will be the major agenda for discussion between the two Governments?

   Mr. Yamazaki: First of all, Secretary of Defense William Cohen of the United States of America is scheduled to come to Japan from 15-17 March. He visits Japan around once a year, often at this time of year in the early spring. I think you should take this in the context of a continuing dialogue between Japan and US high-level security officials. You will remember that in January Minister of State for Defense Tsutomu Kawara visited Washington D.C. and had bilateral talks with Secretary Cohen. A couple of months has now passed, and so it is timely for Secretary Cohen to come to Japan. I cannot give you much detail at this present time. I would like to debrief you after the meeting has taken place. Two major items -- bilateral security issues and the regional situation -- will be discussed. For instance, on the regional situation, Secretary Cohen was the first US Secretary of Defense to visit Vietnam, and he will be coming to Japan from there after a successful visit. I just mentioned to you that Foreign Minister Nien was in Japan last week and that we have proposed to them politico-military talks. The Japanese Defense Minister already visited Vietnam in January 1998. On a personal note, I was seconded to the Defense Agency at the time, so I accompanied him on that visit. As a return visit last year the Minister of Defense of Vietnam came to Japan. I think that Secretary Cohen's visit to Vietnam was very constructive, and I am sure he had constructive talks. Back to your basic question, I cannot go into too much detail at this present time. I would like to address that later when the meeting is over. I would not like to prejudge the outcome of what they are going to talk about.

   Q: Host-nation support could be an important issue to be discussed, because they will revise this agreement in March next year. Is that going to be one of the major issues?

   Mr. Yamazaki: I think if I said it could, you would report that it is, so I am hesitant to comment on that. I can only say that bilateral security relations will be discussed.

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6. Question on the possible resumption date for normalization talks with North Korea

   Q: Have Japan and North Korea set the date for normalization?

   Mr. Yamazaki: As you know, an announcement was made that indicated normalization talks would be held in the first part of April. Nothing more than that has been decided yet.

   Q: When they resume normalization talks, will Japan raise the issue of the Japanese Red Army members who hijacked a Japan Airlines plane in 1970?

   Mr. Yamazaki: The normalization talks will cover a broad range of issues of interest to the respective sides. I cannot directly comment on that question at this present time.

   Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)