Press Conference 5 December 2003

1. Updated information on murder of two Japanese diplomats in Iraq
2. Telephone conversation between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the death of the two Japanese diplomats
3. Posthumous honors conferred upon officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local staff member of the Embassy of Japan in Iraq
4. Pledge and policy statement made by the Government of Japan at the Consultative Group Meeting for Vietnam
5. Reaction to US announcement on lifting of special import tariffs on steel
6. Upcoming Japan-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Commemorative Summit
7. Question concerning Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC)
8. Questions concerning possible dispatch of former Foreign Ministers as Special Envoys of the Prime Minister
9. Question concerning upcoming Japan-ASEAN Commemorative Summit
10. Question concerning ratification of the Kyoto Protocol
11. Questions concerning possible connection to terrorism

1. Updated information on murder of two Japanese diplomats in Iraq

   Press Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima: Good afternoon and thank you for coming to the briefing. Today I have several announcements I would like to make before I take questions.

   Firstly, the bodies of two Japanese diplomats killed by the ambush in Iraq on 29 November when they were traveling near the city of Tikrit by Embassy car, driven by an Iraqi driver who was also killed, returned to Japan yesterday with their families. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the two families will hold an official funeral ceremony tomorrow at the Aoyama Funeral House in Tokyo which will be attended by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi and many members of the Diet, the Government, diplomatic corps and the general public.

   The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the National and Tokyo Metropolitan Police, is trying to establish the facts of this tragic incident. One of the pieces of information we have obtained so far is a set of photographs of the car the diplomats were using. These show about 30 bullet marks mainly on the left side of the car with some on the front and the back of the car but none on the right side. With this and other information, the Foreign Ministry is leaning toward the belief that the diplomats were attacked while driving down the road, and not when they stopped at a food stand to get food and drinks as it was originally mentioned by the American military spokesperson in Iraq.

   Related Information (The Issue of Iraq)
   
2. Telephone conversation between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the death of the two Japanese diplomats

   Mr. Takashima: In conjunction with this incident, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi had a telephone conversation with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan this morning.

   Foreign Minister Kawaguchi thanked Secretary-General Annan for his letter of condolences on the death of the two Japanese diplomats and told him that there would be no change in Japan's basic policy of active engagement in reconstruction assistance to Iraq and of fighting against terrorism.

   Foreign Minister Kawaguchi deplored indiscriminate acts of terrorism and said that the international community should not be daunted by terrorism and called on the UN Security Council to issue a message to condemn terrorism. She stressed that the role of the UN was very important now.

   Secretary-General Annan expressed again his sympathy with the victims and said that Japan's approach to the Security Council would be responded to by the Council.

   The Foreign Minister asked the Secretary-General to visit Japan to discuss responses to new threats of terrorism and other issues, and Secretary-General Annan replied that he would like to seek an appropriate timing in his schedule.

   Related Information (Counter Terrorism)
   
3. Posthumous honors conferred upon officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local staff member of the Embassy of Japan in Iraq

   Mr. Takashima: In addition to these, I would like to announce that national order of merits have been awarded to the three victims of the incident.

   The Government of Japan at its Cabinet Meeting today decided to confer orders on the two officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and on one local staff member (driver) of the Embassy of Japan in Iraq who were killed in Iraq in the pursuit of their duties:

   The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon is awarded to Ambassador of the Embassy of Japan in the UK Katsuhiko Oku who was promoted to the ambassador level from the councilor level on the day of the incident.

   The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays is awarded to First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in Iraq Masamori Inoue who was promoted to First Secretary from Third Secretary on the day of the incident.

   The Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays is awarded to the late Mr. Jerjees Sulaiman Zura, the driver, who worked for the Embassy of Japan in Baghdad for 20 years. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considering giving a special award to Mr. Jerjees at a later date.

   Related Information (Posthumous Honors Conferred upon the Foreign Ministry Officials and Local Staff Member of the Japanese Embassy in Iraq)
   
4. Pledge and policy statement made by the Government of Japan at the Consultative Group Meeting for Vietnam

   Mr. Takashima: Next, I would like to make an announcement about the Consultative Group Meeting for Vietnam which was held in Tokyo on 2 and 3 December.

   At the 11th Meeting of the Consultative Group for Vietnam, the Government of Japan made a pledge totaling US$837 million for assistance to Vietnam.

   Japan is in a difficult economic and financial situation, but recognizing that Vietnam's stability and economic development are vital to the stability and development of not only Indochina but also the East Asian region, and that Japan-ASEAN relations are very important, Japan has pledged this assistance to continue its support for Vietnam's own development efforts. This assistance will be used for many projects, among others the construction of power plants and of bridges.

   Related Information (Pledge and Policy Statement made by the Government of Japan at the Consultative Group Meeting for Vietnam)
   
5. Reaction to US announcement on lifting of special import tariffs on steel

   Mr. Takashima: Another announcement is on the Japanese reaction to the US decision to lift the special tariffs on the import of steel.

   The Government of Japan welcomes that President George W. Bush of the United States of America announced on 4 December that it would lift the special import tariffs on steel.

   We highly appreciate the fact that President Bush upholds the spirit of free trade and hope that the United States will continue with holding to the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and play the leadership role to maintain the free trade system in the global economy.

   In View of the US decision the Government of Japan has decided not to implement rebalancing measures.

6. Upcoming Japan-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Commemorative Summit

   Mr. Takashima: The last announcement is on the Japan-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Commemorative Summit.

   The Japan-ASEAN Commemorative Summit will be held on 11 and 12 December at the State Guest House in Tokyo to be participated by all leaders of the ten ASEAN countries in addition to Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi.

   This Commemorative Summit is the crowning event of the ASEAN-Japan Exchange Year 2003 and will be a historical occasion on which all ASEAN leaders will come together outside of the region for the first time.

   Japan will announce its unwavering support for ASEAN and will promote sincere and open partnership with ASEAN to "act together and advance together" in the new era.

   Related Information (The ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit Meeting)
   
7. Question concerning Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC)

   Q: Is Japan going to sign this Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) with ASEAN?

   Mr. Takashima: We are considering it and hoping that all procedural matters will be cleared for the signing by the time of the Summit, but there are still some matters which are still pending, so we are just waiting and seeing. However, we are hopeful that we will be able to do it.

   Q: Can you explain what those matters that are pending are?

   Mr. Takashima: They are simply procedural, legalistic matters. In principle, we support the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and appreciate the treaty as very important and symbolic. If we are able to join it, it would enhance our close relations with ASEAN.

   Q: There were some reservations before about signing it. What led to the change in thinking on TAC?

   Mr. Takashima: Japan had not decided at all not to or to sign the treaty. This issue had been sort of floating in the air. However, after the ASEAN Summit held on the island of Bali, Indonesia in October, many ASEAN leaders urged the Government of Japan to join the treaty as a symbolic act of confirming the strong relations between Japan and ASEAN.

   We examined once again the treaty itself and made considerations, and we are now in a position to see it in favorable terms. If all the preparatory work can be completed by the opening of this Summit, then we hope that we will be able to sign it.

   Q: Was there any conflict with the Japan-US Security Alliance?

   Mr. Takashima: We studied it in relation to other things and came to the conclusion that this does not conflict with any of the treaties we have with any other countries.

8. Questions concerning possible dispatch of former Foreign Ministers as Special Envoys of the Prime Minister

   Q: We have heard that Japanese envoys, such as ex-Foreign Minister Koumura will visit the neighboring countries of Iraq? First, has this been confirmed? Second, which countries will he visit?

   Mr. Takashima: The Government is considering dispatching former Foreign Ministers Mr. Taro Nakayama and Mr. Masahiko Koumura in conjunction with its efforts to get the other countries to fully understand the intention of Japanese policy of assisting Iraq's reconstruction. This idea was announced by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda yesterday. However, the actual date of departure and itinerary have not been fixed yet and that includes the countries that they will visit. Those are the things for which we still have to make arrangements.

   Q: Is he going to deliver a message from Prime Minister Koizumi to the heads of state?

   Mr. Takashima: That is the idea.

   Q: How many countries?

   Mr. Takashima: We still have not finalized Mr. Koumura's nor Mr. Nakayama's itinerary. As soon as we know, we will make an announcement.

   Q: With neighboring countries, are the Arab and other countries meant? What about the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Turkey?

   Mr. Takashima: My understanding is that the plan is for Mr. Koumura to go to the Near and Middle East, and for Mr. Nakayama to the United Nations, the United States and others.

   Q: Is he going to discuss the big medical assistance project between Japan and the Arab Republic of Egypt? What is going on with this project? Was it stopped? What happened to this project?

   Mr. Takashima: We still do not know for sure whether Mr. Koumura will be visiting Egypt, but certainly, if he does, one of the main topics to be discussed will be the joint effort to assist Iraq's reconstruction. When Foreign Minister Kawaguchi visited Egypt recently, she had extensive talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Fayza Abul Naga, and we are very much pleased with the initial results of the first visit of the group of doctors from Iraq and also Egypt to Japan.

   Q: Do you think that this incident will interrupt the project?

   Mr. Takashima: As I have said in my opening remarks, the Japanese Government's policy to assist in Iraq's reconstruction has not been deterred or changed in any way, and we will continue to do so, including that project.

9. Question concerning upcoming Japan-ASEAN Commemorative Summit

   Q: Concerning ASEAN, there was a meeting recently between Japanese officials and ASEAN related officials to talk about terrorism issues. Do you have any update on the results of this meeting?

   Mr. Takashima: There was a meeting of senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ASEAN countries to do some preparatory work for this Commemorative Summit, and certainly, terrorism was one of the topics to be discussed during the course of the meeting.

   Apart from this, the Southeast Asia Counterterrorism Conference was held in Tokyo on 3 and 4 December. Officials from Japan from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Police Agency met with officials from all ten ASEAN countries, participated and held discussions on the assessment of threats from international terrorist network, domestic counter-terrorism measures in each Southeast Asian country, and counter-terrorism cooperation in this region. The Conference is intended to promote regional counter-terrorism cooperation for deterring acts of terrorism by transnational terrorist organizations. The Conference has been held annually since FY1996, and this is the eighth time this Conference is being held.

   Q: I know that there is ASEAN+2, ASEAN+3 and ASEAN-Japan. Are they related organizations? What is the difference between ASEAN, ASEAN+2, ASEAN+3 and so on?

   Mr. Takashima: As the name of this meeting explains, this is a Commemorative Summit celebrating the very good relations between Japan and ASEAN for more than 30 years, and this also commemorates the special ASEAN-Japan Exchange Year. When Prime Minister Koizumi visited the Republic of Singapore last year, the idea to have this kind of meeting to celebrate our good relations and envisage the future relations based upon these long outstanding good relations between us emerged.

   Q: Some of the concrete results include starting formal negotiations with the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of the Philippines and Malaysia on economic partnership. What kind of agreements are these?

   Mr. Takashima: In general terms, free trade agreements plus other arrangements for an economic partnership. This is not a topic to be discussed at the Commemorative Summit, but there will be bilaterals between Prime Minister Koizumi and the leaders of those countries. We hope that the agreement to start official negotiations on this subject, which we call economic partnership agreement, will be commenced after the Summit.

   Q: Is it fair to call them free trade talks?

   Mr. Takashima: Free trade is a part of it and a much wider concept is involved. However, the press often uses free trade agreement as a kind of common phrase.

   Q: And the process would be such as in the past? I mean with the Republic of Korea you had this study group and they created a report. Will such a report be created again?

   Mr. Takashima: Japan and the Republic of Korea have already agreed to start negotiations and are already in the process of negotiations. The same applies to Japan and the United Mexican States in conducting official negotiations. Therefore, we are very much hopeful that Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia will follow.

   Q: Will you have similar joint studies with those countries also?

   Mr. Takashima: We have been doing some preliminary work with them.

   Q: And you have reports back and are ready to make a decision?

   Mr. Takashima: That is the case.

   Related Information (The ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit Meeting)
   
10. Question concerning ratification of the Kyoto Protocol

    Q: On another topic, Russia appeared to be wavering about whether it would ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Have you heard anything from Russia officially explaining their position?

    Mr. Takashima: We have been discussing this issue on a number of occasions and are still hoping that Russia will ratify it because it is the key nation for the actual activation of the Kyoto Protocol.

    Q: Is there any action from Japan to Russia to convince it after these statements were made?

    Mr. Takashima: I do not know if there was any official statement made by any officials from the Russian side which indicates that it will not ratify it, but rather our understanding is that it is still considering that matter.

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11. Questions concerning possible connection to terrorism

    Q: I would like to confirm on what happened in Tikrit, is it really confirmed now that it was a terrorist attack?

    Mr. Takashima: We are still trying to find out exactly what happened. We do not have enough evidence to establish that this was a terrorist attack but what we have learned is that this might not have been an act of burglary or any ordinary crime based on the information we have collected, including the photographs and others, such as that the valuables possessed by those two diplomats (cash, credit cards, passports, satellite mobile telephones) were left in the car after the incident and recovered by the local police and the Americans. We are in the process of recovering them to Japanese hands.

    Based on those sorts of information, we are inclined to believe that this might have been a kind of attack while they were driving in the car. However, who the attackers were still remains to be found out. We do not know who the perpetrators are.

    Q: Is there any relation to what happened to the Spanish, the Columbians and the Koreans? If we see it as attacks on those who are already fighting with the Americans, considering Japan, Japan is helping in Iraq' reconstruction. Do you think the Japanese people now are being targeted and that there will be another attack in the future?

    Mr. Takashima: Since we do not know the facts of this incident in detail, we cannot say whether the Japanese diplomats were targeted intentionally. However, since this incident occurred, we have enhanced our security at the Embassy in Baghdad as well as at other overseas missions. At the same time, we are trying as much as possible to collect information and trying to establish the facts. Of course, our position is that there is a possibility that terrorism was involved in this case, but we cannot say categorically that this was an act of terrorism because we still need more information to substantiate it.

    Q: A few weeks ago, there was an announcement by Al Qaeda specifically saying that an attack on Japan was possible. Does the Japanese Government take this seriously?

    Mr. Takashima: When there is any sort of announcement of this kind, we take it seriously and take the necessary precautions against it. However, at the same time, we do not know what the source of this information was, whether it was a real threat from Al Qaeda or any of the terrorist groups, and if there is any connection to the attack on the two Japanese diplomats in Iraq. My understanding is that the Americans and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), and the Iraqi police are all investigating this incident together with the attacks on the Koreans, Spaniards, Columbians and Italians.

    Q: When will you know?

    Mr. Takashima: We would really like to know as soon as possible and are trying our best to do that.

    Q: If I may take up the question I asked the last time. I asked why Foreign Minister Kawaguchi condemned terrorism at the same time she was announcing this tragedy. You had told me that it was just a posture, a principle. Do you not think that this gives an impression that this attack was terrorism or a terrorist attack? I mean, if you announce an attack and condemn terrorism in the same moment, it gives a very clear indication that you think that this was a terrorist attack. Now after a few days, however, you are saying that you do not have any clue about who or what is behind this attack. Why is it that Japan is trying to play on terrorism like a tune?

    Mr. Takashima: The most important task that we have at this moment, in this world situation is the fight against terrorism, and how to cope with and how to eliminate terrorism is the number one priority in our international policy. Since there are so many incidents of terrorism, not only in Iraq but also in Turkey and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other places, and also, as was indicated, there was a warning of an attack on a Japanese city, we have to be very cautious. As there is a possibility that this was an act of terrorism, there is no problem at all for us to condemn terrorism at this moment in conjunction with this incident and declare that our determination to fight against terrorism remains unchanged.

    Q: You started fighting the war against terrorism along with the United States since it was launched against Afghanistan and supported that war. How do you evaluate the result so far? There are still reports claiming that the so-called Al Qaeda is still carrying out attacks. Do you not feel that the campaign against this organization is basically a failure?

    Mr. Takashima: It is a very difficult task and may take time, but I believe that the international community is united in pursuing this goal and, as a member of the international community, we are part of it. We are trying our best to do what we do.

    Q: There are many reports in the Turkish press accusing parties other than Al Qaeda such as those related to the government in possibly being involved in the attack that took place in Turkey. Are you aware of such reports and do you take them seriously?

    Mr. Takashima: We do not have any information indicating that the terrorist attack in Turkey was an act of the government. We do not have that sort of information at all.

    Q: It was mentioned in many Turkish press reports.

    Mr. Takashima: There are many different types of press reports which very often contradict each other, and I am not in any position to give any comment on that.

    Related Information (The Issue of Iraq)
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