Press Conference by the Press Secretary 4 April 2000

1. Expression of gratitude for messages received for the recovery of Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi
2. The position of the United States of America with respect to the enlargement of the Security Council of the United Nations
3. Reaction to the report by Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations concerning the Millennium Summit
4. Report on the visit to the Middle East by Senior State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Shozo Azuma
5. Questions on Senior State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Shozo Azuma's return to Japan from the Middle East
6. Questions concerning the situation with respect to Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi
7. Talks with North Korea

1. Expression of gratitude for messages received for the recovery of Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi

   Press Secretary Ryuichiro Yamazaki: Good afternoon. With respect to the unfortunate illness of Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, Chief Cabinet Secretary and Acting Prime Minister Mikio Aoki is the spokesman on behalf of the Government. I have nothing to add to what he has been making public to the press. However, let me just say that we here in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan are very grateful and indeed deeply moved by the many messages from virtually all over the world wishing Prime Minister Obuchi a speedy recovery from his sudden and unfortunate illness.

2. The position of the United States of America with respect to the enlargement of the Security Council of the United Nations

   Mr. Yamazaki: I have several items that I would like to share with you, including two items relating to developments in the United Nations (UN) in New York. Security Council reform is an issue of great interest to Japan, and of course to many other UN member countries, and the issue has been debated in the Working Group on Security Council Reform. Recently, we have been encouraged by what Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, said yesterday in New York on this issue. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke made it clear at the open-ended Working Group on Security Council Reform that the Government of the United States has changed its position with regard to the issue of the number of seats of the enlarged Security Council; the United States is now prepared to consider proposals that would result in a slightly larger number of seats than its previous position, which was "20 or 21," provided that this contributes to a more effective Security Council.

   As you know, there are 15 member countries of the Security Council right now, five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members, who are elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. One of the major issues is what the maximum enlargement of a reformed Security Council could be, given the fact that you must give due consideration to preserving the effectiveness of the Council, in other words, not enlarging it in an unlimited manner. The United States had been adhering to 20 or 21 as the enlarged Council, but as I have just said, they will consider proposals that would result in a slightly larger number of seats provided that it contributes to a more effective Council.

   Although there are other issues to be solved in order to realize the reform of the Security Council, this decision will remove one of the major obstacles for progress of the reform and will thus open the prospect toward the realization of the reform. The Government of Japan therefore highly appreciates that the Government of the United States made this decision.

   The Government of Japan, building on the decision made by the Government of the United Sates, will make efforts to further advance the Security Council reform, utilizing such important occasions as the forthcoming Millennium Summit of the United Nations.

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3. Reaction to the report by Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations concerning the Millennium Summit

   Mr. Yamazaki: The second topic concerning the United Nations relates to the Millennium Summit which I just referred to, to be held in New York in early September of this year. Many leaders of the UN member countries are invited to participate. There have been many discussions within the UN as to how to prepare the substance for this Millennium Summit. Monday 3 April, New York time, Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations announced his own report suggesting various directions for the Millennium Summit. We value this report as very comprehensive and well-balanced, and we hope that it will contribute greatly to further discussion within the United Nations so as to make the Millennium Summit a success. We value highly this effort by Secretary-General Annan.

   The report starts off by laying out "New Century, New Challenges," such items as globalization, governance, freedom from want (the battle against poverty), achieving sustained growth, freedom from fear -- including conflict prevention and other elements regarding this area of security. Following that is sustaining our future, which deals with coping with climate change and other environmental aspects as well. And finally renewing the United Nations, so as to make it more effective for the twenty-first century.

   There is one sentence I would like to quote, which says that "we also need to adapt the UN itself, notably by reforming the Security Council so we can perform effectively and enjoy unquestioned legitimacy." This message is repeated again towards the end of the report. The Secretary-General identifies four areas for consideration by the Summit. The first area is "that we must spare no effort to free our fellow men and women from abject and dehumanizing poverty. "How to tackle poverty is laid out in more detail in the report itself. Secondly, "we must spare no effort to free our fellow men and women from the scourge of war," that pertains to security, conflict prevention, etc. Thirdly, "we must spare no effort to free our fellow men and women, and above all our children and grandchildren, from the danger of living on a planet irredeemably spoilt by human activities and whose resources can no longer provide for their needs. "Environment is a central issue here. Finally, "we must spare no effort to make the United Nations a more effective instrument in the hands of the world's peoples" for pursuing all three of the aforementioned priorities. The first sub-item is "to reform the Security Council in a way which both enables it to carry out its responsibilities more effectively and gives it greater legitimacy in the eyes of all the world's peoples." We hope that this important report has provided "good food for thought." It is also mentioned in the report that the perspective of human security should also be injected, which is in line with our thinking. In conclusion, we welcome the report and hope that it will provide a very important impetus as we move into the final stage of preparing for the Millennium Summit.

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4. Report on the visit to the Middle East by Senior State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Shozo Azuma

   Mr. Yamazaki: My next announcement relates to the visit to the Middle East by Senior State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Shozo Azuma, which I commented on last week. As a matter of fact, due to the political situation in Japan, Senior State Secretary Azuma had to cut short his visit. He had talks with Israeli officials, and also with President Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority. I will give you a quick sketch of his meetings.

   Firstly, he met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs David Levy of the State of Israel, and others in the Israeli administration. Foreign Minister Levy expressed appreciation of Japan's contribution in the Middle East, including participation in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), the multilateral consultation process, and others, and sought the continuing involvement of Japan in this area. Senior State Secretary Azuma responded that we certainly would continue our engagement in the Middle East process. There was some disappointment on the side of Foreign Minister Levy vis-a-vis the recent meeting between President William Jefferson Clinton of the United States of America and President Hafez Al-Assad of the Syrian Arab Republic. It was his view that the ball was now on the Syrian side, and there was a need to wait and see what reaction comes. Foreign Minister Levy also confirmed the fact that the Israeli Cabinet had unanimously decided to withdrawal from South Lebanon, and that they are undergoing the necessary preparation for meeting the scheduled time framework. In addition, a bilateral civil air agreement has already gone into effect from January of this year, and the Israeli side showed interest in El Al Airways flying to Japan. Furthermore, on the bilateral side, Senior State Secretary Azuma reconfirmed the open invitation to Prime Minister Ehud Barak to visit Japan at his convenience, and also an invitation for Foreign Minister Levy to do so. That in short was the meeting with Foreign Minister Levy on 29 March.

   The meeting with President Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority took place on 30 March. President Arafat was very appreciative of Japan's involvement in assisting the Palestinian cause, and he looked forward to further assistance in this regard. He and others who were at the meeting from the Palestinian Authority side mentioned the fact that the Palestinian Track at the meeting in Washington was scheduled to reconvene on 6 April, and they noted that the atmosphere was rather good at the meetings leading up to that. However, they also said that in order to come up with tangible results it was their view that the Israeli negotiators needed to have some higher authority in order to move things forward. He deemed the recent round as more of a brain-storming session and looked forward to more in-depth discussions in the coming round of negotiations.

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5. Questions on Senior State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Shozo Azuma's return to Japan from the Middle East

   Q: Concerning Mr. Azuma's visit, is he a representative of the Foreign Ministry or the Government? Why did he have to cancel, because he is not a party member?

   Mr. Yamazaki: He is Senior State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and a member of parliament.

   Q: What is the connection between the visit and the Liberal Party situation?

   Mr. Yamazaki: There is no direct connection between this visit and Senior State Secretary Azuma's political affiliation. When he was in the region, he was officially there as Senior State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, a representative of the Government with responsibilities at that level.

   Q: Is it the case that he had to come back because of the Liberal Party's policy to withdrawal from the Government?

   Mr. Yamazaki: He is back in Japan. I cannot say on his behalf what he intends to do. However, his status when he met with the people I just mentioned was Senior State Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

   Q: Do you have plans to reschedule visits to the countries that were not visited?

   Mr. Yamazaki: We had very good discussions as far as Senior State Secretary Azuma's visit was concerned in that part of the Middle East. For the visits to the countries that he had to cut short, we will have to consider what can be done. I cannot give you any immediate reaction on that. We will consider what could be possible.

   Q: Did he decide himself to return?

   Mr. Yamazaki: Physically, he had to cut his trip short and come back. As I said, it was more due to the domestic situation rather than the countries he was about to visit.

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6. Questions concerning the situation with respect to Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi

   Q: We all wish Mr. Obuchi a speedy recovery. There is a probability that he will be succeeded by Mr. Mori as far as reports go. We all know that the recent approach [in relations between Japan and the Russia Federation] was continued by three people mostly, Mr. Hashimoto, Mr. Yeltsin, and Mr. Obuchi. The contribution of Mr. Obuchi was extremely essential. Taking this into consideration, could you comment on Mr. Mori's position on Russia and if he differs with Mr. Obuchi on this point?

   Mr. Yamazaki: There are many reports in the Japanese press, and we are not in any position to make any comment, speculation, or hypothetical theory. Therefore I would not want to address your question, which is based on two or three hypothetical assumptions.

   Q: There are reports that the Prime Minister's condition has worsened since this morning. Can you confirm that?

   Mr. Yamazaki: I can only quote what Chief Cabinet Secretary and Acting Prime Minister Aoki said at 11:00 this morning, and that was that Prime Minister Obuchi's state was the same as when he had reported at the press conference at 16:00 yesterday. "There is no change" is what he said then.

   Q: Is it government policy that the statements on Mr. Obuchi's health come from only one person, Mr. Aoki?

   Mr. Yamazaki: Yes, that is correct.

   Q: Will there be any problems with the scheduled talks with North Korea if Cabinet members have to return?

   Mr. Yamazaki: They will go on as scheduled.

   Q: What about the Japanese diplomatic schedule over the next two or three weeks?

   Mr. Yamazaki: Ever since the illness was announced, all Government ministries have been united under Acting Prime Minister Aoki and their respective Ministers, in our case Minister for Foreign Affairs Kono, to go about their job as required.

   Q: There is no change in diplomatic activities?

   Mr. Yamazaki: There is no change in our foreign policy. Continuity exists in our foreign policy.

   Q: What about activities, programs, or meetings and so-forth?

   Mr. Yamazaki: Basically, the meetings and other events are going on with the people who are supposed to be attending.

   Q: I have also heard that Mr. Kato is visiting the Middle East.

   Mr. Yamazaki: I do not have anything of substance on his visit yet.

   Q: Do you think there is a chance that he may also cut his visit short at this time?

   Mr. Yamazaki: I cannot say at this time. There may be a chance of that.

   Q: Is there a chance also that some of those in the delegation in Pyongyang may also have to cut short their stay?

   Mr. Yamazaki: No, I am not implying that. This is an individual visit by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Ryozo Kato. The negotiations in Pyongyang will go ahead as scheduled.

   Q: What is Mr. Kono's schedule now?

   Mr. Yamazaki: I would have to check with his office to confirm his schedule.

   Q: Did he cancel any meetings or meetings in general?

   Mr. Yamazaki: General Fu Qunyou, Chief of Staff of the People's Liberation Army, is visiting Japan right now. I would have to check with his office for any specific meetings.

   Q: You mentioned the appreciation felt given the messages for the recovery of Mr. Obuchi. Can you elaborate more about this?

   Mr. Yamazaki: I would just like to keep it at that and not go into details.

7. Talks with North Korea

   Q: Do you have any other information regarding talks with North Korea?

   Mr. Yamazaki: They are about to start from tomorrow. They are moving from Beijing to Pyongyang this afternoon, and the talks themselves will start from tomorrow.

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