Press Conference 27 February 2001
- Statement on an article appearing in the South German Newspaper Magazine (Sueddeutsche Zeitung Magazin)
- Visit to Japan by Admiral William J. Fallon as Special Envoy of the Government of the United States of America
- The establishment of the Coordination Office for the Ehime Maru Accident
- Follow-up questions on the article appearing in the South German Newspaper Magazine
- Questions in relation to the situation of former President Alberto Fujimori of the Republic of Peru
- Questions on developments in the Ehime Maru case
- Follow-up question on Admiral Fallon's visit to Japan
- Questions on recent comments by Governor Keiichi Inamine of Okinawa Prefecture and Governor Shintaro Ishihara of Tokyo
- Question on the state of Japan-US relations
- Statement on an article appearing in the South German Newspaper Magazine (Sueddeutsche Zeitung Magazin)
Press Secretary Norio Hattori: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. It is rather regrettable on my part that I have to start with a rather unpleasant statement.
The South German Newspaper Magazine (Sueddeutsche Zeitung Magazin) of 23 February carried a feature article on imperial succession, which was extremely insulting to the Imperial Household. We consider the cover, the title, and some contents of the article to be extremely discourteous.
In this connection, Japanese Ambassador to Germany Kunisada Kume immediately sent a letter of protest to the editors of the newspaper and the magazine. Japanese Consul General in Munich Takeshi Nakane also sent a protest letter to the editor of the magazine.
In Tokyo, on 26 February, Director-General Kazuhiko Togo of the European Affairs Bureau conveyed strong regret to Ambassador Uwe Kestner of the Federal Republic of Germany, and requested the German side to recognize the seriousness of the problem. Ambassador Kestner expressed his deep regret for the article.
Director Daisuke Matsunaga of the International Press Division also expressed protest to the newspaper's Tokyo bureau chief. Mr. Henrik Bork, the bureau chief, apologized for the cover, the use of photographs and any other parts of the article that may have caused unpleasant feelings.
On 26 February, Editor-in-chief Jan Weiler of the South German Newspaper Magazine sent a letter of apology to Ambassador Kume, Consul General Nakane, and Director Matsunaga. The Tokyo bureau chief has said that an article of apology will appear in today's newspaper and in the next edition of the magazine.
The South German Newspaper published an article on 26 February reporting that Ambassador Kume had made a protest to the newspaper and the magazine. The newspaper also reported the apology of the editor of the South German Newspaper Magazine. The newspaper is also due to publish an article today referring to the official issuance of an apology to the Japanese Ambassador by the editor-in-chief of the magazine.
Related Information (Japan-Germany Relations)
- Visit to Japan by Admiral William J. Fallon as Special Envoy of the Government of the United States of America
Mr. Hattori: My second announcement is with regard to the Ehime Maru.
Admiral William J. Fallon, serving as Special Envoy of the Government of the United States of America, is scheduled to arrive in Japan at the Yokota Air Base this afternoon at 15:30. Admiral Fallon will visit Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori this evening.
Admiral Fallon's schedule for tomorrow is now being arranged. A meeting with the families of those involved in the Ehime Maru incident will be one of the activities on Admiral Fallon's schedule. Admiral Fallon will leave Japan on 1 March from the Yokota Air Base.
Related Information (Japan-The United States Relations)
- The establishment of the Coordination Office for the Ehime Maru Accident
Mr. Hattori: My next announcement is also in regard to the Ehime Maru incident.
The Government of Japan has established the Coordination Office for the Ehime Maru Accident in the Prime Minister's Office to take charge of matters in relation to the Ehime Maru incident. This body will be chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda and be comprised of representatives of the various agencies and ministries concerned. This body will organize and carry out work in relation to resolving the issues arising from the Ehime Maru incident.
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- Follow-up questions on the article appearing in the South German Newspaper Magazine
Q: I would like to know, the fact that you made this announcement today referring to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, does it mean that the Japanese Government considers this incident as an incident with the potential to damage the bilateral relationship between Japan and Germany?
Mr. Hattori: My answer to that is very simple: of course not. This is an article carried by a private newspaper in Germany, it has nothing to do with the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Government of Japan does not wish to see any harmful effect on the Japan-Germany bilateral relationship as a result of this incident.
Q: May I add one more question?
Mr. Hattori: Certainly.
Q: But since you called the German ambassador to the Foreign Ministry, it seems, and it looks like, that there is a relationship, or that you see the German Government also involved. Why did you invite the ambassador to hear your protest if it is only an incident between the Foreign Ministry and the magazine?
Mr. Hattori: We asked Ambassador Kestner to see us because we thought it was necessary to bring the seriousness of the problem to the ambassador's attention. In that sense this is not a protest by the Government of Japan to the German Government. We were quite happy that Ambassador Kestner was amenable to listening to what we had to say on this issue.
Q: You said that you also took offense not only with the title, with the cover page, but also with some part of the contents of this article. Could you specify them?
Mr. Hattori: The cover is the gross insult to the Imperial Household. We found some factual errors with regard to the contents of the article. We understand that the article itself had already appeared in some other magazine or newspaper some time ago. There are some parts of the content that may offend the Imperial Household.
Q: Is this incident now, with apologies by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, settled, or do you expect some further complaints, say, from the Imperial Household Agency?
Mr. Hattori: To my understanding, at this point in time, the South German Newspaper Magazine and the South German Newspaper itself have acted in a very swift manner to bring their apologies to the Government of Japan and, through us, to the Imperial Household.
Q: So no further reactions from the Japanese side? It is settled now?
Mr. Hattori: I am not exactly sure what you mean by settled. We have made a protest, and in response to our protest the publication in question responded in a very satisfactory manner, by way of the apologies already made and in the article scheduled to appear today.
Q: You mentioned some errors in this article. Could you elaborate a little bit on that? What kind of errors?
Assistant Press Secretary Daisuke Matsunaga: For example, the article states that there has never been a woman emperor or female empress in Japanese history. That is not true. Also, there are some other statements that might trouble members of the Imperial Household.
Mr. Hattori: It is not our intention to point out every factual error in question right now. But as my assistant said, the statement about female emperors is one example.
Q: Can I add one comment myself on your introduction to this incident?
Mr. Hattori: Yes.
Q: You mentioned the correspondent of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. I think it is only fair to say that the correspondent, Henrik Bork, was first of all not the author of this article, nor is there any relationship between the Sueddeutsche Zeitung and the magazine. Of course it is in the same house, but referring to the editorial staff and so on, they do their own job, so Sueddeutsche Zeitung's Mr. Bork, the correspondent, was totally uninvolved in this incident. I think it is only fair to note this.
Mr. Hattori: Thank you very much for your clarification.
Q: Did you react to this article when it appeared a year ago?
Mr. Hattori: We did not take notice of that at the time.
Related Information (Japan-Germany Relations)
- Questions in relation to the situation of former President Alberto Fujimori of the Republic of Peru
Q: The Peruvian Congress recently said that they wanted to put Fujimori on trial. Now, as Fujimori is a Japanese national, does he have to go back to Peru or has the Peruvian Government made any requests?
Mr. Hattori: We are not in a position to comment on the action taken by the Congress of the Republic of Peru.
Q: But in the event that they do decide that he has to go back, does he have to go back, as he is a Japanese national?
Mr. Hattori: In the event that there are any requests or demands made by the Government of the Republic of Peru, we will deal with the case in accordance with our legislation.
Related Information (Japan-Peru Relations)
- Questions on developments in the Ehime Maru case
Q: Concerning the Ehime Maru accident, there was a Kyodo News article on Sunday saying that Mr. Kono requested that Mr. Bush himself should visit the families of the victims. Is this article correct?
Mr. Hattori: I do not think that Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono has made such a statement on that issue.
Q: Are the other points of this article correct?
Mr. Hattori: What are they?
Q: I have a list that I can elaborate on. The article also said that Mr. Kono also urged Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice "to allow the Japanese Government to participate in the salvage of the sunken Japanese trawler."
Mr. Hattori: You mean the raising of the sunken ship?
Q: It is not clarified in this article, but they cited a letter from Mr. Kono to the American Government.
Mr. Hattori: Excuse me, but I did not get your question there?
Q: I just want to confirm the facts in this article.
Mr. Hattori: I am not aware of the article. What are you looking at?
Q: An article from Kyodo News from 25 February.
Mr. Hattori: What was the last part of your question?
Q: In this article it said that Mr. Kono also urged Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice "to allow the Japanese Government to participate in the salvage of the Japanese trawler Ehime Maru."
Mr. Hattori: All kinds of efforts to explore the possibility of raising the vessel are now being carried out, principally by the United States. We have assembled a mission to contribute our technical viewpoint to the work being done by the US side. In that sense, I can say that the research that is now underway is being carried out jointly between the US side and Japan. The research is still proceeding, and it may take several weeks to produce findings on whether it is possible to raise the vessel.
Of course it is the strong hope of the families of those who were aboard the Ehime Maru and of the Government of Japan that the sunken vessel will be raised. Hopefully, the research being done will prove that raising the vessel is possible. If the Ehime Maru can be raised, the Government is prepared to extend further cooperation if required and necessary.
Q: An historical point on the Ehime Maru. Can you confirm that there was another boat called the Ehime Maru that was sunk in World War II? It might have been sunk by a US submarine. Are you aware of that? Can you confirm that?
Mr. Hattori: No, I was not aware of that. But I cannot see any relation between that and this current incident.
Related Information (Japan-The United States Relations)
- Follow-up question on Admiral Fallon's visit to Japan
Q: What do you expect from Mr. Fallon today in the meeting from Mr. Mori?
Mr. Hattori: We understand that Admiral Fallon has been dispatched by the US Government as a Special Envoy to Japan to offer apologies on behalf of the US Government, the US Navy, and the American people for the incident. We are expecting Admiral Fallon to deliver a letter from President George W. Bush to Prime Minister Mori and the Japanese people, and to reiterate the apologies of President Bush as well as the apologies of the Secretaries of State and Defense. In addition, Admiral Fallon will explain the progress of the ongoing investigations into the case, including the pending Navy Court of Inquiry and the many actions taken by the US side in response to this tragic accident. Admiral Fallon will also consult on the status of the ongoing search and possible salvage operations.
Q: Can you disclose what type of request Mr. Mori will deliver to Mr. Fallon?
Mr. Hattori: Prime Minister Mori will convey the wishes of the families together with the wishes of the Government and the people of Japan. What Prime Minister Mori will say will be consistent with what we have been saying up to now.
Q: I have to apologize, but I was on vacation for the last two weeks. Please, what is the official stance and what are the feelings...
Mr. Hattori: I am not in a position to go over what we have said in the past, and it would be rather time consuming. Please refer to the information that has been made available in your absence.
Q: I have. Is there any change of view? What are the main points, the official view? What should be done to solve this problem?
Mr. Hattori: The incident was a very tragic accident that should have been avoided--nine people remain missing. While the search is still going on, it is our strong wish that the sunken vessel be raised in order that we might learn more about the incident.
Q: Thank you very much.
Related Information (Japan-The United States Relations)
- Questions on recent comments by Governor Keiichi Inamine of Okinawa Prefecture and Governor Shintaro Ishihara of Tokyo
Q: Regarding the statements made recently by two governors in Japan, Mr. Ishihara and Mr. Inamine, on the rearrangement of the troops or the bases in Okinawa and Yokosuka, it increasingly looks like the governors of this country are aware of the latest discussion to relocate some parts of the US bases in Guam. What is the vision of this administration and this ministry regarding those governors' positions?
Mr. Hattori: All those issues related to bases in Okinawa are now on the agenda of the Special Action Committee on Okinawa (SACO). What I can say at this point in time is that all kinds of problems in relation to the bases on Okinawa are being discussed within the SACO framework.
Q: Meaning that you do not want to go beyond what has been decided? I think there are 15 points that are already framed. But regarding the specific question of the governor, who is an elected person, which is not the case for the administration of this ministry, how do you react to that? What is your opinion on that?
Mr. Hattori: Governor Keiichi Inamine of Okinawa Prefecture is representing the people of Okinawa, and he is making all kinds of points, points that are appropriate from his viewpoint and the view of the Okinawan people. The central government will take those points into consideration in formulating its position before sitting down to consultations with the US side.
Related Information (Japan-The United States Relations)
- Question on the state of Japan-US relations
Q: I think this question has been asked to you several times in the last weeks, do you think there is a crisis in the Japan-US military alliance, or is it something that you can deal with by way of some measures that will answer the needs or desires of people in Japan?
Mr. Hattori: The Japan-US bilateral relationship and the Japan-US Security Treaty are cornerstones of Japanese diplomacy. What we are doing in relation to the Ehime Maru for example, or the spate of incidents that occurred in Okinawa, is looking to ensure that such events do not hamper the bilateral relationship; it is our view that what has been occurring should not have any harmful effect on the bilateral relationship. I think there is a firm determination on this on both sides, not only on our part but on the part of the US side as well, because the US side also regards the Japan-US relationship as very important. To that end, the US has sent its Special Envoy and pursued all kinds of other measures in relation to the Ehime Maru based on the recognition of the importance of the bilateral relationship.
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