Press Conference 22 October 2002

1. Statement on recent bombing in Israel
2. Statement on the election of Mr. Hisashi Owada as a Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
3. Question regarding Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea
4. Question regarding a condolence system in the event of future terrorist attacks
5. Follow-up questions in relation to Japanese abductees
6. Question concerning Japan-China talks
7. Question regarding Japan-North Korea relations
8. Follow-up question regarding the 14th Ministerial Meeting of APEC
9. Question on Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO)

1. Statement on recent bombing in Israel

   Press Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima: Good afternoon, thank you very much for coming to this briefing. I have two statements that I would like to begin with. The first is about another suicide bombing in northern Israel.

   The Government of Japan expresses its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and heartfelt sympathy to the injured from the suicide bombing on a bus traveling in northern Israel on 21 October.

   Terrorism cannot be justified for whatever reason. The Government of Japan feels strong indignation and resolutely condemns such an act of terrorism against innocent civilians. It is extremely unfortunate that a series of such incidents has occurred again when efforts are being made by the Israelis and the Palestinians, as well as by the international community, to achieve peace.

   Japan once again strongly urges Chairman Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority to clamp down on extremists and expects that both Israelis and Palestinians will maintain their dialogues for peace and exercise maximum restraint.

   This statement is issued under my name, Hatsuhisa Takashima, Press Secretary and Director General for Press and Public Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

   Related Information (Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Suicide Bombing in Israel)
   
2. Statement on the election of Mr. Hisashi Owada as a Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)

   Mr. Takashima: The second statement I would like to read is a statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi concerning the election of Mr. Hisashi Owada as a Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

   Foreign Minister Kawaguchi today issued a statement welcoming the result of the election of a judge of the International Court of Justice at the election held at the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations on 21 October, in which Japan's candidate, Mr. Hisashi Owada, was elected.

   Mr. Owada, as you know, is the President of the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and former Permanent Representative to the United Nations of Japan.

   Given the increasing role of the ICJ, the most authoritative judicial organ in the international community, in the peaceful settlement of international disputes, the contribution of Japanese judges in the ICJ is extremely significant.

   Foreign Minister Kawaguchi expressed in her statement that she expects much of Judge Owada's contribution as a Judge of the ICJ, following Judge Shigeru Oda, Mr. Owada's predecessor, who has been playing this important role for 27 years (three terms).

   The Government of Japan is determined to continue its cooperation for the further development of the ICJ and actively make its contribution in the field of international law.

   Related Information (Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi concerning the Election of Mr. Hisashi Owada as a Judge of the International Court of Justice)
   
3. Question regarding Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea

   Q: Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe expressed to Mrs. Nakayama that he would like to meet with the families of the abductees who are currently in Japan. Have you heard anything about what he is going to say?

   Mr. Takashima: I do not have any dates yet, but my understanding is that Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe expressed his wish to see those abductees, who have the opportunity to express their wishes as to whether they would permanently reside in Japan, before returning to North Korea.

   Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
   
4. Question regarding the expression of condolences

   Q: Yesterday, I read a newspaper report from the United States about the terrorist bombing in Bali, and it said that US Secretary of State Powell and Mrs. Powell visited the Australian Embassy to sign a book of condolences. I checked with the Australian Embassy here in Tokyo, and they do not have such a book, but they will have a church service the day after tomorrow, and they asked the press to publicize this. If there was a terror attack overseas and many Japanese were killed, would the Japanese Embassy have a similar system?

   Mr. Takashima: This is a very hypothetical question, and I have no answer to that. Thank you for the information.

   Q: For this church service, the day after tomorrow, will the Ministry of Foreign Affairs send someone to attend?

   Mr. Takashima: I do not know.

   Related Information (Response of the Government of Japan to the Bombing Incident in Bali, Indonesia)
   
5. Follow-up questions in relation to Japanese abductees

   Q: The Japanese Government seems to be looking at finding out the intentions of the abductees regarding whether they want to live permanently in Japan. The father of one of the abductees was concerned about the difficulty for the abductees to state their true feelings, due to the fact that their families, their children, are still in North Korea. Do you have any opinion of this?

   Mr. Takashima: Yes, I am aware of that press report, but I have no comment. The only thing I can say is that we would respect the wills of the people who are involved in this case, including the abductees and their families, so we would not force the issue one way or the other for those involved.

   Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
   
6. Question concerning Japan-China talks

   Q: Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will be attending the APEC Summit Meeting in Mexico. Are any arrangements being made for Prime Minister Koizumi to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin?

   Mr. Takashima: Discussions are under way but no time has been set yet.

   Related Information (APEC 2002)
   
7. Question regarding Japan-North Korea relations

   Q: Has the revelation from the US side that North Korea has a nuclear program put the Foreign Ministry in a difficult position? Until the revelation, we had been told that the main topic of the normalization talks would be the abductees issue. Will having to deal with the nuclear issue collide with dealing with the abductees issue?

   Mr. Takashima: The information regarding North Korea's attempt to develop other nuclear capabilities using nuclear enrichment devices was given to the Japanese side prior to Prime Minister Koizumi's visit to Pyongyang. Therefore, Prime Minister Koizumi was fully aware of North Korea's deeds and actually raised this topic during the course of his discussions with Chairman Kim Jong-Il and demanded that this attempt be dropped or stopped.

   This nuclear issue has already been included in the agenda, so far as Japan is concerned, and the disclosure by the US side has not changed Japan's negotiation position. We will continue to press the North Korean side to resolve this security issue, as well as the abduction cases, before getting into the normalization of relations.

   Related Information (Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration)
   Related Information (Basic Policy On Japan- Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Normalization Talks)
   
8. Follow-up question regarding the 14th Ministerial Meeting of APEC

   Q: You said that Prime Minister Koizumi, US President George Bush, and Korean President Kim Dae Jung will be discussing the issue of North Korea at the upcoming APEC Summit Meeting. What will Japan's message to other leaders be?

   Mr. Takashima: I would expect that this will be a main topic when those three leaders meet in Los Cabos, Mexico. Prime Minister Koizumi will certainly raise the issue and also certainly raise other topics including the commencement of the talks to resume normalization of relations with North Korea, highlighting the abduction issue and also the security issue. And this nuclear development issue will be the number one priority topic to be raised by the Japanese side, which will press the North Korean side very hard.

   Q: Has it been decided whether the issue will be dealt with in a joint statement?

   Mr. Takashima: I do not think it has been decided.

   Related Information (Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration)
   Related Information (Basic Policy On Japan- Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Normalization Talks)
   
9. Question on Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO)

   Q: Has the Japanese Government made any definite decisions regarding KEDO?

   Mr. Takashima: We have not decided anything yet on the future of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO). But KEDO will be there as long as our position has not been changed in accordance with the decisions of other partners. My understanding is that the US side has not decided yet on what to do with the agreed framework on which the KEDO project is based. Nothing has been decided yet.

   And if I may add one thing, Japan's position is that if the North Koreans do not comply with the international promise and commitment to have inspections, to halt development of their nuclear arsenal capability, and so forth, then it will become very difficult, and certainly at some point impossible, for Japan to cooperate with North Korea in such a project as KEDO or any other type of assistance.

   Related Information (The Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO))