Press Conference 12 November 2004

1. Dispatch of Ambassador on Special Mission to offer condolences to the Palestinian people on the death of Mr. Yasser Arafat, Ra'ees of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
2. Adoption of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Prevention and Suppression of Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia
3. Questions concerning Japan-North Korea working-level talks in Pyongyang, North Korea
4. Question concerning the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Republic of Korea's nuclear program
5. Questions concerning unidentified submarine

1. Dispatch of Ambassador on Special Mission to offer condolences to the Palestinian people on the death of Mr. Yasser Arafat, Ra'ees of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)

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

   The first one is about the dispatch of an Ambassador on Special Mission to the funeral ceremonies of Chairman Yasser Arafat.

   On the demise of Mr. Yasser Arafat, Ra'ees of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), who passed away on 11 November in France, the Government of Japan has decided to dispatch Ms. Yoriko Kawaguchi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister and also former Minister for Foreign Affairs, as Ambassador on Special Mission to the funeral ceremonies. The ceremonies are to be held in Cairo on 12 November.

   She will attend the ceremonies to be held in Ramallah in the West Bank. Because of the flight schedule, she cannot be in Cairo in time to attend the funeral ceremonies there. Therefore, the ceremonies will be attended by Japanese Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt Mr. Kunihiko Makita.

   On behalf of the Palestinian people, Mr. Arafat signed the Oslo Agreement, known as a historic peace accord, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 because of this courageous decision. In 1996, he was elected as the first Ra'ees of the Palestinian Authority in a direct election by the Palestinians, and has played a leading role in the nation building process. He visited Japan six times from October 1981, and deepened his friendship with many people in Japan. Considering this background, the Government of Japan has decided to dispatch an Ambassador on Special Mission.

   Incidentally, Ms. Kawaguchi, as the Foreign Minister, met with Chairman Arafat in Ramallah last year.

   On the passing away of Chairman Arafat, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi issued a statement of condolence yesterday and sent a personal message to Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority. In addition, Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura also sent a message to his counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Shaath of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority.

   Related Information (Dispatch of Ambassador on Special Mission to Offer Condolences to the Palestinian People on the Death of Mr. Yasser Arafat, Ra'ees of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO))
   
2. Adoption of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Prevention and Suppression of Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia

   Mr. Takashima: The other announcement is about the anti-piracy agreement.

   The Government of Japan welcomes the adoption of the anti-piracy agreement in Asia at the intergovernmental conference that was held in Tokyo yesterday. The conference was attended by representatives of 16 Asian nations. This agreement, officially called the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Prevention and Suppression of Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia, was proposed by Prime Minister Koizumi at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus Three (ASEAN+3) Summit Meeting in 2001 and has been negotiated since July 2002. This agreement will establish a network of cooperation and information sharing among maritime safety and coastguard institutions of 16 Asian nations.

   The intergovernmental conference also decided yesterday that an Information Sharing Center to administer this agreement will be set up in the Republic of Singapore. The Government of Japan expects that this agreement will strengthen the anti-piracy activities in Asia, especially in the Malaccan and Singapore Straits and become a leading model of regional cooperation in Asia.

   Related Information (Piracy)
   
3. Questions concerning Japan-North Korea working-level talks in Pyongyang, North Korea

   Q: Could you tell us whether today's session for Japan-North Korea talks in Pyongyang has started already?

   Mr. Takashima: Actually, because of the lack of communication between Tokyo and Pyongyang today, I do not have any precise information, but I assume that they are continuing their scheduled activities. They include consultations with the North Korean authority who deals with abduction issues. Today, they are also scheduled to make an on-site inspection of the places that have some connection with the abduction cases as well as have direct face-to-face interviews with the personnel who are connected to these cases. Other than that, I do not have any information, and I assume that those activities are still going on.

   Q: Do you know if the talks will be extended or will it finish today?

   Mr. Takashima: That is something we have to find out later today. We are expecting to communicate with the Japanese delegation hopefully this evening to find out if they will be coming back to Tokyo tomorrow or will extend their stay in Pyongyang.

   Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
   
4. Question concerning the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Republic of Korea's nuclear program

   Q: I would like to get your reaction on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report that was made public yesterday. The report says that the Republic of Korea (ROK) produced a minute amount of highly enriched uranium and plutonium. What is your reaction to this report?

   Mr. Takashima: We have already received the report. However, we are not at liberty to disclose the content of it because it is classified. Therefore, we are not in a position to make any comments on the findings of the report. I can say, however, that the Government of Japan is studying the content of the report. Also, my understanding is that based upon this report, the IAEA Board of Governors Meeting will discuss the issue of ROK's nuclear experimentation.

   The Government of Japan is appreciative and also satisfied with the state of cooperation extended by the ROK Government to IAEA inspections. Also, we understand that the ROK Government made it very clear that they have no intention of developing nuclear weapons and that they are not conducting any sort of experiments to develop nuclear weapons. Therefore, we hope that this issue will be resolved at the IAEA Board of Governors Meeting in an appropriate manner.

   Related Information (Japan-Republic of Korea Relations)
   Related Information (Atomic Energy)
   
5. Questions concerning unidentified submarine

   Q: Reports say the unidentified submarine moved out of Japan's air-defense identification zone this morning. The report said that it could be a Chinese submarine. Could we ask you whether you have contacted the People's Republic of China or are you planning to contact China?

   Mr. Takashima: My understanding is that the nationality or the identification of that submarine has not been established yet. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) surveillance plane is still following the activities of the submarine with the hope that it can find out the approximate destination of the submarine.

   On the issue of contact with China, former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto is in Beijing and has been meeting with various high-level officials of the Chinese Government. He raised this issue in accordance with the Japanese Government's announcement that the Self-Defense Forces have been taking the necessary measures to prevent the intrusion or entry of unidentified submarines into the Japanese territorial waters by conducting maritime security measures. Other than that, there is no official word or communication between Japan and China because as I have said, the identification or the nationality of the submarine has not been established yet. Once it is established, then we will take the necessary diplomatic measures.

   Q: Just to confirm, to identify, are you planning to ask for cooperation to find out? Have you already contacted related countries other than China to identify the submarine?

   Mr. Takashima: The operation is still going on. We have not done anything other than that operation. Regarding that operation, I am not in a position to disclose the exact nature of the operation.

   Q: Following up on this question, a television report states that on 3 November, the Taiwanese side was informed about the submarine. Do you have any comments on this?

   Mr. Takashima: I am not aware of that report or the communication between Japan and Taiwan.

   Q: Can you confirm that this submarine is out of the air-defense identification zone?

   Mr. Takashima: My understanding is that the Japanese SDF is following the submarine to the point where it can establish approximately in which direction it is moving away from the vicinity of the Japanese archipelago.

   Q: In 1999 and 2001, there were two incidents involving North Korea. Some suspicious ships entered the area of Japan. At the time, the Japanese Government said it could fire at these ships. The Japanese Government did not do that this time. What is the difference? Newspaper reports state that the ASDF aircraft asked the submarine to identify itself or at least come to sea level so that it could identify from which country the submarine came from. But it did not respond at all which is actually very serious or dangerous in terms of the nation's security. How come this time the Japanese Government did not take stronger measures toward this submarine? What is the major difference this time?

   Mr. Takashima: The SDF and the Japanese authorities have been taking the necessary measures on a case-by-case basis. Other than that, I have no comment, and I would like to refer you to the Defense Agency.

   Q: In terms of diplomatic measures, you said that once you identify the nationality of the submarine, the Government will take the necessary measures. What would be the possible measures regarding this?

   Mr. Takashima: The Government is considering various types of measures, but we have not come to a point where we can make public what sort of measures we would take.

   Q: There is a lot of information going around saying that this submarine, from a technical point of view, is from China. So a lot are asking why we still cannot announce the nationality. So far, it is a political consideration instead of purely a military consideration. What is the Japanese Government's view on this?

   Mr. Takashima: As far as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is concerned, we do not have any political consideration concerning this case. This issue is now being handled mostly by the SDF and the Defense Agency. They are taking the necessary measures to find out in which direction it is moving and also to try to establish the identity or nationality of this submarine. Since the operation is still going on, we believe that we are not in a position to disclose anything other than what we have been saying.

   Q: Everybody thinks that this is a nuclear-powered submarine so it might never come to sea level. It is also possible that it will go to an area where Japanese aircrafts cannot enter because it is a Chinese area. So the only two hypotheses that we have are that it will either come to sea level or we will see in which direction it is going. If these two hypotheses cannot be realized, will things just be over like this or would you take some other measures?

   Mr. Takashima: My understanding is that this submarine is still in high seas and that it has not entered any territorial border yet, so it is hard to say anything on what is considered to be a hypothetical situation.

   Related Information (Japan-China Relations)