Press Conference 11 October 2002

1. Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi to the Russian Federation
2. Statement on local assembly elections in Kashmir
3. Statement on a repeated ballistic missile launch test by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
4. Second Meeting of the Joint Committee established under the Agreement on Mutual Recognition between Japan and the European Community
5. Questions concerning the return of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea
6. Questions on the situation concerning Iraq
7. Questions in relation to the upcoming APEC forum

1. Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi to the Russian Federation

   Assistant Press Secretary Jiro Okuyama: Good afternoon. Press Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima left shortly past noon with Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi for the Russian Federation.

   My first topic today is Foreign Minister Kawaguchi's visit to Russia. We made an announcement through a press release that Foreign Minister Kawaguchi would be visiting Russia from today, 11 October until 14 October.

   In Moscow, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi will have talks with Foreign Minister Igor Sergeevich Ivanov and will pay a courtesy call on President Vladimir Putin. Foreign Minister Kawaguchi will exchange views on bilateral relations and other issues with them.

   Foreign Minister Kawaguchi will hold the Sixth Meeting of the Japan-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Issues with Mr. Viktor Borisovich Khristenko, Vice Chairman of the Government.

   For your information, I may add three points about the Foreign Minister's visit to Russia this time around.

   First, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi will be there in order to prepare for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Russia next year in January. We are planning to produce an action plan on the occasion of Prime Minister Koizumi's visit. Foreign Minister Kawaguchi will also likely discuss the program of Prime Minister Koizumi's visit.

   The second point will be peace treaty negotiations. Foreign Minister Kawaguchi agreed in New York in September with her Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Ivanov, that they would discuss peace treaty issues.

   The third point is that there will be lots of discussion on international issues. We have already seen exchanges taking place between the two Foreign Ministers, and this time around also they will exchange views on various issues, firstly, probably, the Korean Peninsula. There have been six discussions in total at the summit level, as well as between the Foreign Ministers, and this includes telephone conversations, on the Korean Peninsula. There may be a reference to the six party consultations on the security of North East Asia. We expect there will be references to Iraq, too.

   And, of course, one important pillar for them both to discuss is further economic cooperation between Japan and Russia.

   Related Information (Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi's Visit to Russia)
   
2. Statement on local assembly elections in Kashmir

   Mr. Okuyama: I would like to now refer to Press Secretary Takashima's statement issued today on the local elections in Kashmir.

   The Government of Japan values that, despite a number of terrorist disturbances, the local assembly elections in Kashmir were conducted as scheduled with efforts made by the election commission, and many voters cast their ballots.

   The Government of Japan hopes that all parties concerned will make efforts to promote peace and the welfare of the people of Kashmir.

   The Government of Japan hopes that a dialogue between the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will be resumed soon following the completion of the local assembly elections in Kashmir and the general election in Pakistan.

   Related Information (Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the local assembly elections in Kashmir)
   
3. Statement on a repeated ballistic missile launch test by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

   Mr. Okuyama: Next, about the missile testing in Pakistan, which Press Secretary Takashima touched on in the last press conference, on Tuesday, just before the actual launch took place. Press Secretary Takashima issued a statement after the launch dated 9 October.

   The Government of Japan expresses its regret that Pakistan's ballistic missile launch test on 8 October, following the recent test conducted on 4 October, could worsen the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan and intensify the missile development race in South Asia.

   Related Information (Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on a Repeated Ballistic Missile Launch Test by Pakistan)
   
4. Second Meeting of the Joint Committee established under the Agreement on Mutual Recognition between Japan and the European Community

   Mr. Okuyama: I have one additional announcement to make, and this is about the Agreement on Mutual Recognition between Japan and the European Community.

   The Second Meeting of the Joint Committee established under the Agreement on Mutual Recognition between Japan and the European Community will be held on 15 October in Brussels, Belgium. There is a press release on this that I would like to draw your attention to.

   The meeting will be headed by a team on the Japanese side headed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and joined by the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and their counterparts on the European Commission side.

   The joint committee, established for the effective functioning of the agreement, will confirm the progress of the implementation of the agreement and conduct an interim review of the preparatory work on the sector of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for medical products.

   The first meeting of the Joint Committee was held in March this year in Tokyo.

   I will touch on the salient points of the Agreement on Mutual Recognition between Japan and the European Community.

   This agreement is intended to promote trade between Japan and the European Community by lessening the burdens on the private companies involved in the trade of certain products. The agreement actually concerns four areas: telecommunications equipment, electrical appliances, good laboratory practice for chemical products, and good manufacturing practice of medical products. The agreement provides a framework that will enable the necessary procedures on the part of the importing country to be actually carried out in the exporting country. This agreement is also important as it is the first of its kind for Japan.

   Related Information (Second Joint Committee Meeting established under the Agreement on Mutual Recognition between Japan and the European Community)
   
5. Questions concerning the return of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea

   Q: I would like to ask you about the schedule for the returning abductees from North Korea. Can you give me an outline of the schedule?

   Mr. Okuyama: We are now making preparations for the five surviving members to return to Japan, and they are supposed to return four days from now, on 15 October. This is the extent to which we have prepared so far.

   Q: What sort of media access will there be? They will arrive at Haneda Airport, and from there onwards how will the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrange media access, because I heard a report that the Ministry intends to move each of the members to his or her home town as quickly as possible?

   Mr. Okuyama: As you are aware, there is now a team established for the reception of these surviving members of the abduction cases, and the matter is being looked after under the supervision of Ms. Kyoko Nakayama, Special Assistant of the Cabinet Secretariat. The team consists of personnel from various ministries and is headed by Mr. Akitaka Saiki, Deputy Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

   As for the media coverage, I understand that coordination and consultation is now taking place. I think we need to strike a good balance between the need for privacy for the returning survivors of the abduction cases and the need to respond to the attention from the public and the media that is related to these five people. We will announce the details in due course.

   Q: When do you foresee that announcement?

   Mr. Okuyama: Well, it is a matter for interagency coordination, and I cannot tell you now exactly when we will make that announcement.

   Q: I believe the Government announced that it would respect each individual member's decision to stay, the circumstances, and how they are going to spend their time here. Have you already coordinated how long each member will stay in Japan?

   Mr. Okuyama: We have to listen to the intentions of those returning first. We need to ascertain this, but we expect it will be something like one to two weeks.

   Q: Will you be asking about this upon their arrival?

   Mr. Okuyama: That I cannot confirm here.

   Q: So at this point we cannot make sure whether each of the members will stay overnight near Haneda Airport?

   Mr. Okuyama: All the arrangements are still under consideration.

   Q: Can we contact the families directly, even after the arrival of the members?

   Mr. Okuyama: We are still discussing it, and so we cannot say for sure what the arrangements are going to be.

   Q: When the family reunions took place between the Koreas there were many media events. Are you planning to do something like that?

   Mr. Okuyama: Once again, I can only say at this moment that the press arrangements relating to the five surviving members returning to Japan are under consideration.

   Q: Have the travel documents for the five been issued already?

   Mr. Okuyama: I understand that they will be issued travel documents, but I do not know whether they have already been issued.

   Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
   
6. Questions on the situation concerning Iraq

   Q: The US Congress passed a resolution on the situation concerning Iraq. What would the Japanese Government's stance be if an armed attack against Iraq actually took place? And how, in concrete terms, would the Japanese Government react to this situation?

   Mr. Okuyama: I would rather refrain from answering hypothetical questions, hypothetical in the sense that the question actually presupposes an armed attack taking place, and that is something which is not happening now. I would also like to refrain from commenting on what Japan's actual reaction would be if an armed attack against Iraq takes place.

   As for our recognition of what is currently happening with the resolution passed by the US Congress, we understand that the purpose of this resolution is to convey a very clear message to the Iraqi establishment that their only choice would be to implement totally the series of existing UN resolutions relating to Iraq. And as this is the case, we understand that the situation remains as it has been, that we need the collaboration and cooperation among the international community to wipe out the concerns that are expressed in the relevant UN resolutions.

   Related Information (Japan-Iraq Relations)
   
7. Questions in relation to the upcoming APEC forum

   Q: On 26-27 October, the APEC Leaders' Meeting will be held in Mexico. Mr. Koizumi will be attending. On this occasion, are there any arrangements for Mr. Koizumi to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of any other countries, such as China?

   Mr. Okuyama: We expect some bilateral meetings to take place between Prime Minister Koizumi and his counterparts. Details are being coordinated at the moment, but since we have not finished our coordination with our counterparts yet, we cannot say for sure who Prime Minister Koizumi will actually meet.

   Q: Is Foreign Minister Kawaguchi still deliberating whether she will attend?

   Mr. Okuyama: I think it depends on the Diet schedule. There is a possibility that her deputy may attend on her behalf, in the ministerial segment of these events.

   Related Information (APEC 2002)