Press Conference 1 March 2002

1. Statement concerning the omission of Japan from a US Department of Defense fact sheet listing countries contributing to the campaign against terrorism
2. Dispatch of political staffer to the United Nations Special Mission in Afghanistan (UNSMA)
3. Dispatch of a preparatory mission for supporting Afghanistan
4. Preparations for dispatching an electoral observer mission for the upcoming presidential election in East Timor
5. Dispatch of election observers for the presidential election in the Republic of Zimbabwe
6. Questions regarding personnel changes at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
7. Question on the Middle East peace proposal announced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
8. Question regarding an Asahi Shimbun report of a satellite image
9. Comment on dissemination of information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1. Statement concerning the omission of Japan from a US Department of Defense fact sheet listing countries contributing to the campaign against terrorism

   Deputy Press Secretary Joji Hisaeda: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I have several announcements to make today. My first announcement concerns a US Department of Defense fact sheet on the campaign against terrorism.

   At his regular press conference on 26 February, US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield referred to the contribution from other nations to the US-led campaign against terrorism and distributed a fact sheet listing contributing nations. Japan was not included in the list.

   The Japanese Embassy in Washington D.C. expressed regret over this omission, and after 16:00 on 27 February, the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Japan expressed his apology to the Director-General of the North American Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

   Furthermore, around 15:30 on 28 February, US Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker telephoned Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi, stating that the omission had been caused by a simple mistake within the US Defense Department, and offered his regret and apology. Ambassador Baker added that the mistake in the US Defense Department website and other documents had already been corrected.

   In response, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi reiterated Japan's concern and requested that such a mistake not happen again.

   The fact sheet was corrected on 27 February, and the corrected sheet was placed on the US Defense Department website.

   Related Information (Japan-The United States Relations)
   
2. Dispatch of political staffer to the United Nations Special Mission in Afghanistan (UNSMA)

   Mr. Hisaeda: My second announcement is on the dispatch of a political staffer to the United Nations Special Mission in Afghanistan (UNSMA).

   The Government of Japan decided to dispatch Mr. Hiroshi Takahashi, Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Uzbekistan, to the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan (UNSMA) from 28 February to 31 July. Mr. Takahashi will assume the post of Head of the Political Affairs Division within UNSMA.

   Mr. Takahashi is one of our experts on Afghanistan, and is proficient in the local language. This is the second time that Mr. Takahashi has been dispatched as a political staffer to UNSMA. This dispatch is a part of our support of the efforts being undertaken by the United Nations to restore peace and stability in Afghanistan.

   Related Information (Japan-Afghanistan Relations)
   
3. Dispatch of a preparatory mission for supporting Afghanistan

   Mr. Hisaeda: My next announcement concerns the dispatch of a preparatory mission for supporting Afghanistan.

   The Government of Japan will dispatch a preparatory mission for supporting Afghanistan from 1 to 15 March. This mission is being sent as a follow-up to the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan held in January in Tokyo.

   Related Information (International Conference on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan)
   
4. Preparations for dispatching an electoral observer mission for the upcoming presidential election in East Timor

   Mr. Hisaeda: My fourth announcement is on the preparations for dispatching an electoral observer mission for the upcoming presidential election in East Timor.

   In response to a request from the United Nations, the Government of Japan has decided to proceed with the preparations necessary to dispatch an electoral observer mission for the presidential election in East Timor for a period centering on the election day, 14 April, based upon the International Peace Cooperation Law.

   Together with the dispatch of a Self-Defense Forces (SDF) Engineer Unit and other assistance, this dispatch constitutes a major pillar of Japan's cooperation for East Timor towards independence.

   Related Information (Timor-Leste Situation (Archives))
   
5. Dispatch of election observers for the presidential election in the Republic of Zimbabwe

   Mr. Hisaeda: The Government of Japan has decided to dispatch five election observers from 3 to 14 March for the presidential election to be held on 9 and 10 March in the Republic of Zimbabwe. The members of the mission will include Mr. Katsumi Sezaki, former Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, and Mr. Kazuyoshi Aoki, a Professor at Nihon University.

   Related Information (Japan-Zimbabwe Relations)
   
6. Questions regarding personnel changes at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

   Q: Concerning the scandal involving Mr. Suzuki and Government officials, including the Ambassador to the Netherlands, there have been a lot of rumors in the press this last week suggesting that the Ambassador might be dismissed or removed from his position. What is going on?

   Mr. Hisaeda: I know there have been such reports, however, we do not comment on specific personnel changes. As to the relationship between Government officials, especially officials belonging to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Muneo Suzuki, Member of the House of Representatives, an investigation headed by Special Assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Itsuo Sonobe, former Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan, is being conducted.

   Q: Last week Foreign Minister Kawaguchi announced that, in terms of reforms, she might consider transferring several people to different positions. She has already announced that she will transfer people to new positions. You just mentioned that you do not want to comment on specific cases, but when can we expect specific transfers or action? I have read that on 8 March some transfers will take place, but when might the next round of transfers be expected?

   Mr. Hisaeda: I cannot speculate on such things as far as personnel changes are concerned. However, as to the changes that you just mentioned, I refer to Foreign Minister Kawaguchi's statement. The Foreign Minister decided to make these change in order to renew the atmosphere of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hoping for genuine, positive reform of our organization.

   Q: Before I write my article, I just want to make sure if there were any questions between Mr. Togo, Mr. Nishimura, and the bureaucrats about the Suzuki case when they returned from Europe. Were they questioned about their relations with Mr. Suzuki during the period they worked in the European Affairs Bureau?

   Mr. Hisaeda: I do not know what kind of questions may have been asked with respect to relations with Mr. Suzuki. Since those two gentlemen had been Director-General of the European Affairs Bureau, I believe they were questioned by Special Assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Sonobe, but I cannot comment on the contents of the conversation until the whole report becomes available sometime next week.

7. Question on the Middle East peace proposal announced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

   Q: Is there any reaction from the Japanese Government on the recent idea from Saudi Arabia for Middle East peace?

   Mr. Hisaeda: Certainly, the Government of Japan appreciates a efforts toward a peaceful resolution of the Middle East problem, led by the United States, European countries, Arab countries, and the United Nations. In this regard, the Government of Japan welcomes the vision announced by Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We took the vision as a strong hope for the resolution of this problem by Saudi Arabia.

   Related Information (Japan-Saudi Arabia Relations)
   
8. Question regarding an Asahi Shimbun report of a satellite image

   Q: There was a report in this morning's Asahi Shimbun regarding a US satellite image that is reported to have been handed over to Japan. Do you have any comment on this?

   Mr. Hisaeda: I know the Asahi Shimbun report to which you refer. In general, we do not comment on what kind of information is exchanged between us and our allies. As to this question, the content of the Asahi Shimbun report differs from what is known by the Defense Agency. Japan routinely exchanges important information and intelligence relating to security with our allies, among them the United States, but we do not comment on the contents of such information or when it is exchanged.

9. Comment on dissemination of information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

   Q: We have a lot of news issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs every day. But most of the news comes too late. It is a good chance to change methods to speed up the dissemination of news. Could you please ask all sections to issue news with greater haste? In our case we publish daily news and it is no good if we receive it too late.

   Mr. Hisaeda: The press conference for the foreign press takes place twice a week, and I am responsible for the conference on Friday. It just so happens that today I did announce statements dated yesterday and the previous day, but you can always access our website to find out what is happening. I suggest that this conference is not the only source of news from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but I thank you for your suggestion.