Press Conference 4 February 2003

1. Question concerning the reinforcement of United States Armed Forces in the Western Pacific
2. Question concerning an article in a Japanese monthly magazine by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi
3. Question concerning the administration of smallpox vaccine to the Self-Defense Forces of Japan
4. Question concerning the meeting with the Middle East Research Institute of Japan
5. Questions concerning the Government of Japan's position on the situation in the Republic of Iraq

1. Question concerning the reinforcement of United States Armed Forces in the Western Pacific

   Press Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima: Good afternoon, thank you very much for coming to this briefing. Today I have no announcements I would like to make. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

   Q: It looks like the United States of America is going to redeploy some of its armed forces to the Western Pacific as a very visible force in regard to North Korea. Does Japan welcome this redeployment of armed forces in the Western Pacific, and do you think you could send a useful sign to the North Korean regime?

   Mr. Takashima: We recognize that the Government of the United States is studying a plan to increase the capability of American forces in the Pacific area. This is a decision to be made by the Government of the United States and US Armed Forces. We do not have any comment on the deployment of the forces, because we understand that if the reinforcements are of a very big scale, then we would have prior consultations. We have not received any sort of approach from the US side on this matter.

   Q: As a matter of protocol, these reinforcements would include fighters based in Japan. In that case, does the US have to consult Japan if they change their force composition on Japanese territory?

   Mr. Takashima: If the size of the deployment is within the framework of the prearrangement of prior consultations, then there is no need for consultation.

2. Question concerning an article in a Japanese monthly magazine by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi

   Q: I understand that Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi is considering sending the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to join the multinational army. Is it possible under the Japanese Constitution?

   Mr. Takashima: There is no such plan at all.

   Q: It has already been published.

   Mr. Takashima: The article she wrote for the Japanese monthly magazine is something like food for thought. In other words, she raised the question of the status of Japanese participation in peacekeeping operations in that article. She put her thoughts into that article, but it is simply a matter of discussion at this stage and not of implementation at all.

   Q: It is possible as an idea?

   Mr. Takashima: She thought that it would be advisable from her viewpoint that the current arrangement of dispatching the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to participate in peacekeeping operations of the United Nations should be reviewed and revised to meet the challenge of the international community, especially after the September 11 terrorist attacks two years ago.

   Q: She is active as the current Foreign Minister, and people may take it as the official word. This is a problem, I think.

   Mr. Takashima: Yes, you are right that Mrs. Kawaguchi is the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of Japan, and she wrote that article while holding that title.

3. Question concerning the administration of smallpox vaccine to the Self-Defense Forces of Japan

   Q: There are some reports about the Japanese Government providing a vaccine, namely for smallpox, to some of its forces to be deployed to the area and that it will also give citizens in the Middle East such a vaccine. Can you confirm this report?

   Mr. Takashima: Actually, the members of the Self-Defense Forces who participate in the UN peacekeeping operation at Golan Heights have been vaccinated with the smallpox vaccine. It is a kind of routine precaution for the health and safety of the members of the Self-Defense Forces, but further I have no comment on that.

   Q: But it has nothing to do with the Republic of Iraq? The report said it is expecting Iraqi biological weapons. Are they participating?

   Mr. Takashima: This has nothing to do with the situation in Iraq, and they are not operating in Iraq.

   Q: On this issue, there are some reports in the Arabic press saying that the United States might use uranium arms. Also, some US officials talked about using nuclear weapons if necessary. Does the Japanese Government take these reports seriously?

   Mr. Takashima: I am not aware of this press report, and I have no comment since I do not know anything about it.

4. Question concerning the meeting with the Middle East Research Institute of Japan

   Q: I understand Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda made a comment today about the meetings between the Middle East Research Institute of Japan and Iraqi officials who are against President Saddam Hussein's regime. Do you have any details about their meeting?

   Mr. Takashima: I understand that the Middle East Research Institute of Japan has been inviting some people who have connections with the anti-Government movement in Iraq. As a routine part of active information gathering, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, if there are any opportunities, might examine and discuss the Middle Eastern situation with them or some of the visitors. I have no further comment on that.

   Q: You will also have officials from the Government?

   Mr. Takashima: Actually, we have diplomatic relations with the Government of Iraq. The Government of Iraq has an embassy here, and we have our own embassy in Baghdad. Our officials who are assigned to the Japanese embassy in Iraq have regular contact with Iraqi officials. Indeed, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi recently met with Mr. Qasim A. Shakir of the embassy here in Tokyo to discuss the Iraqi issue, especially urging Iraq to comply with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

   Related Information (Japan's Diplomatic Efforts on the Issue of Iraq)
   
5. Questions concerning the Government of Japan's position on the situation in the Republic of Iraq

   Q: Tomorrow the US Secretary of State Colin Powell will talk to the UN Security Council. From what he said, he said that the evidence would be compelling, but it would not be a smoking gun and put things to rest. This might mean that the United States is saying that it would go ahead and attack without the UN, without a second Resolution, though it would prefer to have the UN on its side.

   Last week, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said that Japan's position was different from that of the French Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany, which I understand means it would support the US position that a UN Resolution is not necessarily needed to attack Iraq.

   In terms of offering support for a war in Iraq, as was the case in Afghanistan, would it lead to new legislation, as was needed to dispatch the Self-Defense Force troops or ships to the region to help logistically? Without the UN Resolution, would it be difficult for the Japanese Government to act? With regard to that, does Japan think that a new Resolution is necessary or is desired for Japan to be able to cooperate with any actions? Also, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi said that Iraq is still not complying enough to assist inspectors.

   Mr. Takashima: You asked several questions in one question, but to answer your first question, we have not seen the content or text of Secretary of State Powell's statement to the UN Security Council, because it will be given on 5 February, so I think we had better wait and see what sort of message Mr. Powell will be giving to the international community.

   For the second part, President George W. Bush himself indicated that he would welcome a Resolution if the Resolution has a clear message to the Iraqi regime that it has to comply with UN Security Council Resolutions and disarm itself. Let us wait and see what will happen and if a new Resolution will be produced by the UN Security Council. We have to wait and see the development of the discussion at the Security Council, especially after Secretary of State Powell's statement.

   Thirdly, as for the difference between Japan and some European countries, Prime Minister Koizumi repeatedly said that Japan would decide its own position independently, so it might be different from the positions of other countries. But no statement has been made, so I recommend that you wait and see.

   Q: What about Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi's statement that Iraq is still not doing enough for inspections?

   Mr. Takashima: She just pointed out that the UN inspection team has already reported to the Security Council that Iraq was not cooperating with the activities of the inspection team in Iraq. She also urged Iraq, when she met with Iraq's Mr. Qasim A. Shakir in Tokyo, that it was Iraq's responsibility to fully comply and cooperate unconditionally with the inspections conducted by the United Nations.

   Q: Do you consider it the United States' responsibility to abide by international law and consensus of the international community?

   Mr. Takashima: Every member of the international community has its obligation to abide by international law and the commitments they make.

   Q: So that means that the US can stage the war unilaterally.

   Mr. Takashima: I do not know if the US has any plan of staging the war in that way.

   Q: I mean, in principle.

   Mr. Takashima: The Charter of the United Nations specifically states that a member of the UN has the right to stage war preemptively if there is an actual threat of being attacked by some other countries.

   Q: That means if the US thinks that Iraq is going to attack, then the US has the right to attack, according to the United Nations?

   Mr. Takashima: It is not a question of the UN, but it is a question of the Iraqi regime. The Government of Iraq, since the end of the Gulf War, has also accepted the terms and conditions of the UN Security Council Resolutions to fully comply with the relevant Resolutions and disarm itself. But we understand that there is still strong evidence that Iraq still has not done what it should have done. The Government of Iraq causes a threat to the international community with its weapons of mass destruction.

   Q: So other countries with weapons of mass destruction do not cause a threat to the international community? It is only Iraq?

   Mr. Takashima: Iraq has the record in the past of using them against its own people and also in other countries that it was fighting against.

   Q: But also other countries use such arms and can use them against Japan.

   Mr. Takashima: We are urging the international community to realize what we have been advocating, namely nuclear disarmament.

   Q: So it means that Japan is a natural leader in such an offense. We hope that the Japanese Government's approach on this issue will eventually reach others.

   Mr. Takashima: We will try.

   Related Information (Japan's Diplomatic Efforts on the Issue of Iraq)