Press Conference 4 July 2003

1. Upcoming meeting between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi and Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win of the Union of Myanmar
2. Use of Japan Self Defense Forces (JSDF) aircraft for transportation assistance for World Food Programme (WFP)
3. Emergency assistance for the rehabilitation of the central power distribution station by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
4. Dispatch of Japan-Egypt joint medical survey team
5. Ambassador Kuniko Inoguchi, Permanent Representative of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament, to chair United Nations First Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms
6. Upcoming visit to Japan by Prime Minister John Winston Howard of Australia

1. Upcoming meeting between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi and Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win of the Union of Myanmar

   Press Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima: Good afternoon, today I have six announcements I would like to make.

   The first announcement is that Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi will have a meeting with the Special Envoy of the Union of Myanmar, Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win, from 17:10. In addition to this meeting, Mr. Khin Maung Win will be meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda and Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Tetsuo Yano this afternoon. As I understand, Mr. Khin Maung Win will be leaving Tokyo for Malaysia tomorrow morning.

   Related Information (Japan-Myanmar Relations)
   
2. Use of Japan Self Defense Forces (JSDF) aircraft for transportation assistance for World Food Programme (WFP)

   Mr. Takashima: The second announcement is about the dispatch of C-130H transport planes of the Self Defense Forces.

   The Government of today decided to provide airlifts by C-130H transport planes of the Japan Self Defense Forces (JSDF) to the World Food Programme (WFP) based upon UN Security Resolution 1483. The two C-130H aircraft along with approximately 100 members of the Self Defense Forces will be dispatched to Amman, Jordan, and they will conduct the airlifting between the WFP's Logistics Base in Italy and Amman to transport humanitarian relief items such as medicine, plastic tanks, tents and so on.

   Related Information (Transportation by Japan Self Defense Forces (JSDF) Aircraft for Affected People in Iraq and the Neighboring Countries)
   
3. Emergency assistance for the rehabilitation of the central power distribution station by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

   Mr. Takashima: The third announcement is about the Japanese emergency assistance to Iraq to restore the central power distribution station.

   The Government of Japan today decided to provide US$5.56 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as emergency assistance to rehabilitate the central power distribution station in Iraq. This power distribution station controls the power supply to the whole of Iraq, but since the end of major fighting in Iraq, the station became the target of plunder and arson, and faces the danger of shutdown.

   The Government of Japan hopes that this will restore the proper and stable supply of power to Iraq so that such basic human needs as medical service, hospitals, water supply and sewage treatment can be facilitated.

   Related Information (Emergency Assistance for the Rehabilitation of the National Dispatch Centre of Iraq through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP))
   
4. Dispatch of Japan-Egypt joint medical survey team

   Mr. Takashima: The fourth announcement is about the joint medical survey team from Japan and the Arab Republic of Egypt.

   The Governments of Japan and Egypt will dispatch a joint medical survey team to Iraq from 8 to 15 July. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt agreed to jointly provide humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Iraq when they met in Cairo on 24 May. This survey team will conduct the necessary investigation to realize the medical assistance in conjunction with the decision made by the two leaders.

   Related Information (Dispatch of a Japan-Egypt Joint Medical Survey Team to Iraq)
   
5. Ambassador Kuniko Inoguchi, Permanent Representative of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament, to chair United Nations First Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms

   Mr. Takashima: The fifth announcement is about the United Nations Conference on Small Arms.

   Ambassador Kuniko Inoguchi, the Permanent Representative of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament, will chair the UN First Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms which will be held from 7 to 11 July at the UN headquarters in New York.

   This meeting is a follow-up of the UN Small Arms Conference in 2001 to discuss the implementation of the "Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects."

   The Government of Japan will fully support Amb. Inoguchi's effort to bring about the Meeting's success because it believes that her chairmanship indicates the positive recognition by the international community for Japan's effort in the field of small arms.

   Related Information (The UN First Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action on Small Arms)
   
6. Upcoming visit to Japan by Prime Minister John Winston Howard of Australia

   Mr. Takashima: Last but not least, the sixth announcement is about the visit to Japan by Prime Minister John Winston Howard of Australia.

   Prime Minister Howard, together with his wife, will be visiting Japan from 15 to 17 July as a guest of the Government of Japan. Prime Minister Howard will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Koizumi and other members of the government as well as the private sector and exchange views on the bilateral relations between Japan and Australia as well as the multilateral issue relating to Asia and the Pacific region, among other subjects. This will be the fifth visit to Japan by Prime Minister Howard since he became Prime Minister in 1996.

   Related Information (Japan-Australia Relations)