Press Conference 1 October 2002

1. Statement on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from President Yasser Arafat's Ramallah compound
2. Appointment of Deputy Vice-Minister as the head of crisis management
3. Return of the investigation team to North Korea
4. Visit to Japan by Mr. Nong Duc Manh, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
5. Flood assistance to the Republic of Albania
6. Follow-up questions regarding the investigation team to North Korea
7. Question on meeting between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi and Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohsen Aminzadeh of the Islamic Republic of Iran

1. Statement on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from President Yasser Arafat's Ramallah compound

   Press Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima: Good afternoon, and thank you very much for coming to this briefing despite the inclement weather. I really appreciate your attendance. Today I have some announcements and information that I would like to share with you.

   Firstly, the Government of Japan expressed its appreciation of the Israeli decision to stop the siege of President Yasser Arafat's compound and withdraw from the compound. The Government of Japan will continue closely monitoring the situation.

   Related Information (Japan-Israel Relations)
   Related Information (Japan-Palestinian Authorities Relations)
   
2. Appointment of the Deputy Vice-Minister as the head of crisis management

   Mr. Takashima: Secondly, yesterday the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed the Deputy Vice-Minister as the head of crisis management. The establishment of this position was included amongst the recommendations given by the Foreign Ministry Reform Advisory Board to Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi. The Deputy Vice-Minister will be in charge of heading the crisis management team in the event of a crisis.

3. Return of the investigation team to North Korea

   Mr. Takashima: Thirdly, regarding the team carrying out investigations into the abduction cases in North Korea, the 11-man team departed Pyongyang this morning and arrived in Beijing around 13:00 this afternoon, and they are scheduled to return to Narita shortly after 19:00 this evening. The team will report to the Cabinet Office on the results of its investigation and expeditiously report the findings to the families concerned.

   Related Information (Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Visit to North Korea)
   
4. Visit to Japan by Mr. Nong Duc Manh, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

   Mr. Takashima: Just as a reminder to you, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Mr. Nong Duc Manh, will be arriving in Japan, as announced previously, tomorrow, and he will be staying in Japan until 5 October.

   During his stay, Mr. Nong Duc Manh will have an audience with His Majesty The Emperor and meet with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who will host a welcome dinner in honor of the General Secretary.

   Related Information (Visit to Japan of His Excellency Mr. Nong Duc Manh, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam)
   
5. Flood assistance to the Republic of Albania

   Mr. Takashima: The fifth item that I would like to share with you is about emergency assistance for the flood disaster in the Republic of Albania.

   In response to a request from the Government of Albania, the Government of Japan has decided to extend emergency assistance of approximately 14 million yen, including 20 tents and approximately 4,000 blankets and so forth, to Albania for the flood victims in that country.

   Related Information (Emergency Assistance for Flood Disaster in Albania)
   
6. Follow-up questions regarding the investigation team to North Korea

   Q: Regarding the mission to Pyongyang, have you received any reports from Beijing?

   Mr. Takashima: We just received confirmation of their arrival in Beijing, nothing more than that, and we expect that on their return to Tokyo they will first of all start compiling their report, which will be submitted to the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office will expeditiously provide the information to the families of the victims.

   Q: Are there any briefings scheduled this evening after the mission returns?

   Mr. Takashima: Not at this moment. There is no scheduled briefing.

   Q: Is there a possibility of a scheduled briefing?

   Mr. Takashima: I do not think so, but this matter will be handled by the Cabinet Office instead of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

   Q: What about a meeting with the families? Is that likely to be tomorrow, briefing the families?

   Mr. Takashima: The way the information will be given to the members of the families has not yet been decided, so we will have to wait and see what is decided. The ways and means, as well as the date and time, have not been fixed.

   Q: Have you received any interim reports from the mission about the results or about what they have found?

   Mr. Takashima: Due to the difficulty of communication and also the fact that they were working with a very hectic schedule, very little information has been provided by the team to the Ministry or to the Government in general. My understanding is that the members of the team have exercised their utmost efforts to fulfill their mission, that is, to meet with the victims of the abduction cases who are still reportedly alive in North Korea and collect as much information as possible on the victims who are reportedly dead, according to reports given by the North Korean side.

   Q: Would you say that, from the information received from the mission, you have gotten a positive response as far as the mission is concerned?

   Mr. Takashima: That is something we will have to find out, because none of the detailed information has yet been conveyed to us.

   Q: Are there any plans for the report to be made public today?

   Mr. Takashima: I do not think so, but as I said, this issue will be handled by the Cabinet Office, not the Foreign Ministry.

   Related Information (Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Visit to North Korea)
   
7. Question on meeting between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi and Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohsen Aminzadeh of the Islamic Republic of Iran

   Q: Last Friday there was a meeting between Foreign Minister Kawaguchi and Vice Foreign Minister Aminzadeh of Iran. Do you have any information about the results of the meeting?

   Mr. Takashima: We understand that the meeting was very cordial and that both sides were satisfied with the results of the talks. The main thrust of the discussion was bilateral issues, and also some exchange of information on the region, that is, Iran and Iraq, among others.

   Related Information (Japan-Iran Relations)