Press Conference 8 January 2002

1. Announcement on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's trip to South-East Asia
2. Announcement regarding the Ministerial Level Conference on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan
3. Announcement on a statement concerning the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
4. Question about the New Year's message between Prime Minister Koizumi and President Kim Dae Jung of the Republic of Korea
5. Question on Vice-Minister positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
6. Question concerning Afghanistan
7. Question concerning military activities
8. Questions on free trade agreements
9. Question regarding the availability of information on Prime Minister Koizumi's travel schedule
10. Question regarding Japan's policy on the Middle East
11. Question concerning travel advisories
12. Questions on translations

1. Announcement on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's trip to South-East Asia

   Press Secretary Norio Hattori: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Happy New Year. Prime Minister Koizumi will visit five Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries starting tomorrow. Visits will be made first to the Republic of the Philippines, then Malaysia, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Indonesia, and finally the Republic of Singapore where Prime Minister Koizumi will make a speech on Japan's policies towards ASEAN and East-Asia. At each capital city Prime Minister Koizumi will hold talks with the respective leaders of each country and end the visit by giving a policy speech and holding a press conference in Singapore.

   Related Information (Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Visit to the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore)
   
2. Statement regarding the Ministerial Level Conference on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan

   Mr. Hattori: The final number of participating countries for the Ministerial Level Conference on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan, to be held 21 January and 22 January in Tokyo, has not been finalized. However, it is expected that more than 50 countries, as well as international financial institutions, the United Nations, and the interim government in Afghanistan will take part. The conference is not intended to be a "pledging" conference; the first objective of the conference is to give a political message to the people of Afghanistan and the world that the international community is not backing away from the issues in Afghanistan. The international community has an ongoing interest in the political stability and economic and social reconstruction of Afghanistan.

   The second aim of the conference is to deliberate on the issues of tackling the reconstruction of Afghanistan and it is expected that the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and Asian Development Bank will report results of research and surveys on aid needs for Afghanistan. On the basis of those reports there will be further detailed discussions on the reconstruction of Afghanistan. It is hoped that participating countries will come to Tokyo with their contributions as concrete as possible.

   Related Information (Japan-Afghanistan Relations)
   
3. Announcement on a statement concerning the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

   Mr. Hattori: A few minutes ago the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement regarding the relations between the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

   Related Information (Japan-India Relations)
   Related Information (Japan-Pakistan Relations)
   
4. Question about the New Year's message between Prime Minister Koizumi and President Kim Dae Jung of the Republic of Korea

   Q: I apologize for being late, I brought my assistant and it took him five minutes to clear the entrance.

   My first question, there was a New Year message exchanged between Prime Minister Koizumi and President Kim Dae Jung. Do you have the text available?

   Mr. Hattori: There is no text. There was a briefing to the press after the telephone call between both leaders. There was an exchange of greetings for the New Year, and bilateral relations were discussed. As you know, this year is important for both Japan and the Republic of Korea. I understand that President Kim presented an invitation to Prime Minister Koizumi to visit the Republic of Korea. Prime Minister Koizumi responded that he wishes to seek the best possible moment to visit the Republic of Korea. It was not an occasion to negotiate or discuss bilateral issues but to pass New Year's greetings and to reflect on the year to come.

   Related Information (Japan-Republic of Korea Relations)
   
5. Question on Vice-Minister positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

   Q: It was reported in Japanese newspapers that Vice-Ministers were going to be appointed. Do you have any Vice-Minister to be appointed for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

   Mr. Hattori: You may be referring to the small-scale re-shuffling of the Senior Vice-Minister posts. However, with regards to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs there will be no change of a Senior Vice-Minister.

   Related Information (List of Senior Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
   
6. Question concerning Afghanistan

   Q: Concerning the Conference on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan: Do you think it would be good for the conference if military activities are ceased until the conference makes progress?

   Mr. Hattori: When the Afghanistan issue is taken up, it is inevitable for us to address various issues in tandem. You are quite right that the military activities are continuing, but at the same time the political and economic issues need to be tackled to help Afghanistan get back on the road to recovery. The continuing military activities do not hamper dealing with the problems of the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Simply because the military activities are continuing, it is, in fact, more necessary to address these issues, in order to send a strong message from the international community regarding solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.

   Related Information (Japan-Afghanistan Relations)
   
   
7. Question concerning military activities

   Q: There were reports that Japan's position is reserved toward attacking countries in the Middle East. There were reports stating that America might attack Iraq or something, but also Defense Minister Nakatani expressed, last month, that Japan is not committed to supporting such actions. Do you have any comment on this?

   Mr. Hattori: The Government does not view that this is the moment for anybody, including the Japanese Government, to make a commitment to something that has not been decided upon yet.

8. Questions on free trade agreements

   Q: As has been reported in some Japanese newspapers, is there a possibility to discuss a Japan-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement as part of the agenda for Prime Minister Koizumi's visit to ASEAN countries?

   Mr. Hattori: There are some reports in the press about a possible discussion on a free trade agreement, such as that proposed by the People's Republic of China at the last ASEAN+3 meeting, but that is not under consideration at this time.

   Q: When Prime Minister Koizumi visits ASEAN countries he will sign a free trade agreement with Singapore. Are there any prospects with other ASEAN countries?

   Mr. Hattori: As you know, for a long time the Japanese Government and Singapore have been negotiating a bilateral free trade agreement and the Government is preparing for the signing of the agreement on this visit. With regard to the second part of the question, it is not the intention of the Japanese Government to propose a similar arrangement with other ASEAN countries at this time. It is not known at this time if there will be proposals or propositions from the ASEAN Governments.

   Related Information (Japan-ASEAN Relations)
   
9. Question regarding the availability of information on Prime Minister Koizumi's travel schedule

   Q: Minister for Foreign Affairs Tanaka is on a trip to Europe. Before departure, we received news issued on paper regarding which countries would be visited. With regards to visits by Prime Minister Koizumi, can we have the same information and where can we get this information?

   Mr. Hattori: The International Press Division can accommodate that request and provide you with that information.

   Related Information (Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Visit to the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore)
   
10. Question regarding Japan's policy on the Middle East

    Q: I would like to take the first few seconds to introduce myself as an Egyptian journalist from Cairo to replace my dear friend who returned to Cairo last week. Thank you for the coming days, weeks, months, and years. I hope you will encourage my mission here.

    My question is about the delegation going this week to Israel and Palestinian areas. Are there changes in the policy of Japan regarding this area? There are still problems in the area and people are suffering from Israeli attacks, as you can see. Is there any change in policies for the future?

    Mr. Hattori: The Secretary-Generals of the three governing parties will visit the region and will have bilateral talks with respective leaders, and they will visit various sites to see, with their own eyes, what is going on. It will be an important visit in the sense that in formulating foreign policy, the governing thereof, play an important role. The fact that these very important persons are visiting the region for the first time will be of great benefit to the Japanese Government and the region. It should be said that the overall policy for the region has not changed, but the Japanese Government would like to further contribute, within our capacity and capability, to solutions of issues in the region. The purpose of the visit is of course to witness what is going on and to try to sort out what more the Japanese Government can do to contribute to solving these difficult issues. The overall Government policy has not and will not change, but there is room to do more, within the Japanese Government's traditional policy.

    Related Information (Japan-Middle East Relations)
    
11. Question concerning travel advisories

    Q: There was a report saying that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs might replace the current warning system. Do you have any details?

    Mr. Hattori: Yes, it is true that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received criticism from countries concerned, the tourist industry, and Japanese businesses with regard to travel advisory policies. It is continually necessary to review our policies to discover if there is room for change. It is true that it is under study as to whether to change policies and which would be the best way to make changes. However, at this time no final decisions are been made. The Government hopes that in order not to disrupt bilateral relations, as well as Japanese business activities, better solutions will be found.

12. Questions on translations

    Q: My question might differ from foreign journalists because I am Japanese. When explaining Koizumi's policies, I am not sure how the Ministry translates his words into other languages. In Japanese, with such words askomehyappyoorhonebuto, how is that translated into other languages?

    Mr. Hattori: A "robust" policy.

    Q: Is it understood?

    Mr. Hattori: Your point is well taken. Even for Japanese people the terminology used by Prime Minister Koizumi is sometimes quite new and fresh. It may be best to find the correct English translation to give a clear understanding of Prime Minister Koizumi's policies.

    Q: Older people perhaps know, but it might be difficult for younger people to understand.