Press Conference 7 September 2004

1. Third Donor Committee meeting and Expanded meeting of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) in Tokyo
2. Grassroots human security grant aid to Iraq
3. Meeting between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mustafa Osman Ismail of the Republic of the Sudan
4. Visit to Japan by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lakshman Kadirgamar of Sri Lanka
5. Upcoming visit by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Brazil, Mexico and the US
6. Follow-up questions concerning Prime Minister Koizumi's upcoming visit to Brazil, Mexico and the US
7. Questions concerning the Republic of Korea's uranium enrichment experiment
8. Questions concerning bilateral talks between Japan and North Korea
9. Questions concerning number of Japanese people in Iraq
10. Questions concerning training of Iraqi people
11. Question concerning visit to Japan by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers
12. Questions concerning possible reform of UN Security Council

1. Third Donor Committee meeting and Expanded meeting of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) in Tokyo

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

   The Government of Japan will host the Third Donor Committee meeting and Expanded meeting of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) on 13 and 14 October in Tokyo. These meetings will be attended by senior officials from donor countries, potential donors including the French Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Russian Federation as well as representatives of the World bank and the United Nations (UN). From Iraq, Dr. Mehdi Al-Hafedh, Minister of Planning and Development Cooperation, will participate.

   These meetings will review the current state of the pledges made at the International Conference on Reconstruction in Iraq in Madrid about a year ago and discuss the challenges facing the Interim Government of Iraq with regard to the elections that are to be held in January 2005 while strengthening international solidarity to assist Iraq's reconstruction and rehabilitation.

   Related Information (Third Donor Committee meeting and Expanded meeting of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) in Tokyo)
   
2. Grassroots human security grant aid to Iraq

   Mr. Takashima: The Government of Japan today decided to provide grant aid of US$5.55 million to the Governorate of Al Muthanna in southern Iraq where Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) are providing humanitarian assistance.

   This grant aid will be used to improve the water supply, conduct road repairs and provide equipment to restore roads and bridges.

   Related Information (Grassroots Human Security Grant Aid to Iraq (Governorate of Al Muthanna including Samawah))
   
3. Meeting between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mustafa Osman Ismail of the Republic of the Sudan

   Mr. Takashima: Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Mustafa Osman Ismail of the Republic of the Sudan, who is the first Sudanese foreign minister to visit Japan, yesterday in Tokyo. The two foreign ministers discussed the current situation in Sudan, especially the situation in Darfur as well as the bilateral relations between the two countries.

   Foreign Minister Kawaguchi urged Foreign Minister Ismail to make the utmost effort to bring about a peaceful solution of the military conflict and humanitarian crisis in Sudan and informed that the Government of Japan will dispatch Ambassador in Charge of Conflict and Refugee-related Issues in Africa Keitaro Sato as a special envoy to Sudan to find out what sort of assistance Japan can provide to assist Sudan's efforts for peace and rehabilitation.

   Related Information (Japan-Sudan Relations)
   
4. Visit to Japan by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lakshman Kadirgamar of Sri Lanka

   Mr. Takashima: Minister of Foreign Affairs Lakshman Kadirgamar of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka will pay a visit to Japan from 7 to 12 September. During his stay in Tokyo, Foreign Minister Kadirgamar will meet with Foreign Minister Kawaguchi, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan Yasushi Akashi for Sri Lankan peace, among others. This is the first visit to Japan by a member of the newly formed Sri Lankan cabinet. The Government of Japan expects that this visit will strengthen the relations between Japan and Sri Lanka.

   Related Information (Japan-Sri Lanka Relations)
   
5. Upcoming visit by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Brazil, Mexico and the US

   Mr. Takashima: Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will visit the Federative Republic of Brazil, the United Mexican States and the United States of America, namely New York and the UN from 13 to 23 September.

   Related Information (Japan-Brazil Relations)
   Related Information (Japan-Mexico Relations)
   Related Information (Japan-The United States Relations)
   
6. Follow-up questions concerning Prime Minister Koizumi's upcoming visit to Brazil, Mexico and the US

   Q: I would like to know the details of Prime Minister Koizumi's visit. When is he going to visit where? Who will he be seeing in the US.

   Mr. Takashima: The details are still being arranged. We expect that in Brazil, Prime Minister Koizumi will be meeting with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and that in Mexico, he will be meeting with President Vicente Fox Quesada of Mexico. In New York, Prime Minister Koizumi will attend the UN General Assembly meeting and make a speech there.

   Q: Is it likely that he will meet with President George W. Bush of the US?

   Mr. Takashima: It is being arranged, but nothing concrete has been set yet.

7. Questions concerning the Republic of Korea's uranium enrichment experiment

   Q: Regarding the Republic of Korea's uranium enrichment experiment issue, the press reported that ROK scientists conducted this experiment three times. I think it has a different meaning depending on whether or not the ROK conducted the experiment once or three times. What do you think about that?

   Mr. Takashima: It is our position that this kind of thing should not happen. This issue has been reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and has also been discussed between the IAEA and the ROK Government. We think this is the most appropriate way to resolve this issue.

   Q: I understand that it was basically what you said after the first report. However, the press is reporting that the ROK conducted the experiment three times. What does it mean?

   Mr. Takashima: We were informed about the original announcement by the ROK Government in advance. Other than that, I am not in a position to discuss in detail about the communication between the Governments of Japan and the ROK.

   Related Information (Japan-Republic of Korea Relations)
   
8. Questions concerning bilateral talks between Japan and North Korea

   Q: Are there any developments in the bilateral talks between Japan and North Korea about Japan's proposal to have another round of senior-level talks on abduction issues?

   Mr. Takashima: It is Japan's position that a meeting should be held as early as possible between the Japanese and North Korean representatives to discuss various issues including the fate of those ten Japanese people who were supposedly abducted by North Korean agents.

   Q: Are there any signs suggesting that North Korea is positive about having another round of meetings?

   Mr. Takashima: At this moment, nothing has been set yet. My understanding is that the Governments of Japan and North Korea are in touch. As I said, nothing has been set yet. The situation is the same for the other meetings including working-level and Six-Party Talks.

   Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
   
9. Questions concerning number of Japanese people in Iraq

   Q: Can you update us on the number of Japanese civilians like those in the non-governmental organizations (NGOs), journalists and government officials who are in Iraq? What sort of activities are they undertaking?

   Mr. Takashima: We have some figures, but because of security reasons, we do not disclose the actual figures except to say that there are more than ten Japanese in Baghdad. Most of them are members of the Japanese Embassy as well as journalists or representatives of the media. In Samawah, around 500 Japanese are there - all of them are members of the SDF.

   Q: Has the number of Japanese people decreased since the hostage crisis in April? Has anything changed?

   Mr. Takashima: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been issuing a travel advisory calling for all Japanese to evacuate or not to go into Iraq. Therefore, we are urging Japanese journalists and other Japanese to stay away from Iraq. This is the basic position of Japan. However, it is a fact that some representatives of the Japanese media are in Iraq as well as diplomats and members of the SDF.

   Q: You have no account of whether there are any NGOs that are active in Iraq?

   Mr. Takashima: We believe that no Japanese NGO staff are in Iraq at this moment.

   Q: At what point will you decide to allow NGOs and people to go help the Iraqi people?

   Mr. Takashima: We are not instructing. Rather, we have been advising people not to go to Iraq. That is the situation. We hope that the security situation in Iraq improves so that civilians, including members of NGOs, government officials and representatives of corporations, can go to Iraq to assist the Iraqi people. Unfortunately, Iraq is not as safe as we would like it to be. Therefore, we are now currently deploying our SDF who have the means to protect themselves from any hostile attacks.

   Related Information (The Issue of Iraq)
   
10. Questions concerning training of Iraqi people

    Q: There are people from Iraq visiting Japan including diplomats from Iraq. Can you give us an overall summary of what kind of people have been or are invited to Japan to receive training or to understand about Japan and the purpose of it?

    Mr. Takashima: We have several projects to help the Iraqi people empower themselves. One of them is a joint training operation done by the Japanese and Egyptian Governments to train medical staffs including doctors, nurses and medical engineers.

    The other project that is currently underway is the training of Iraqi diplomats. That is being done in Tokyo. The training of Iraqi television staff is also being done in Tokyo.

    Prior to that, we gave an opportunity for Iraqi judo athletes to receive training. They participated in the Olympics in Athens.

    Q: Are there future plans regarding training of Iraqi people?

    Mr. Takashima: Some plans are being discussed, but nothing concrete has been set yet except for those things which I have just described.

    Q: Is the main purpose of such training programs to improve relations with the Iraqi people and Japan?

    Mr. Takashima: Since the commencement of reconstruction and rehabilitation work in Iraq, Japan has been trying its best to make the Iraqi people feel much closer to the Japanese people by providing TV programs, disseminating leaflets, pamphlets and printed matters as well as through TV advertisements, introducing Japan and the role of SDF in Iraq.

    Related Information (Japan's Assistance Measures)
    
11. Question concerning visit to Japan by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers

    Q: UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Ruud Lubbers will be in Japan this week. Will he be meeting with anybody from the Foreign Ministry? What will the agenda be?

    Mr. Takashima: Mr. Ruud Lubbers, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will visit Japan from 7 to 11 September. During his stay in Japan, Mr. Lubbers will discuss a broad range of issues related to refugees in various parts of the world with government officials, including Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda and Minister of Justice Daizo Nozawa. Mr. Lubbers will also visit the Kansai region. The visit to Japan by Mr. Ruud Lubbers is expected to further enhance the cooperation between Japan and UNHCR.

    Related Information (Refugees)
    
12. Questions concerning possible reform of UN Security Council

    Q: Regarding Japan's efforts to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, what kind of specific efforts has Japan been making?

    Mr. Takashima: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently set up a taskforce to proceed with the idea of promoting Japan's candidature to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

    Q: When was this discussed?

    Mr. Takashima: A few weeks ago. With strong conviction, we believe that Japan is eligible to become a permanent member based upon the fact that Japan has been contributing both physically, financially and by other means for the work of the UN.

    When Foreign Minister Kawaguchi recently visited the Republic of India, she and Minister of External Affairs Natwar Singh of India both agreed to support each others' candidatures to become permanent members of the Security Council.

    Q: Who are the members of the taskforce?

    Mr. Takashima: Foreign Minister Kawaguchi is the head. Members include vice-ministers, senior deputy ministers and others - senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Q: Is the taskforce also related to Japan's efforts to reform the UN?

    Mr. Takashima: Without reforming the UN, especially the Security Council structure, there is no possibility for the expansion of the Security Council and an increase in the number of permanent and non-permanent members. It is a very high time for that reform because UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has already set up a high-level study group to provide him with a proposal on UN reform. One of the main agendas or the work of the high-level study group is to find a way to change the structure of the Security Council. Therefore, the Government of Japan thought that it was the appropriate time to start working hard in promoting Japan's candidacy for that very important gathering.

    Related Information (Japan and the United Nations)