Press Conference 17 September 2004

1. Signing ceremony for Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Japan and Mexico
2. Upcoming visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi to the United States of America
3. Grant assistance to Iraq
4. Question concerning weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq
5. Question concerning possibility of Japan-Russia foreign ministers' meeting

1. Signing ceremony for Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Japan and Mexico

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

   The first announcement is on the signing ceremony for the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Japan and the United Mexican States. It will be held in Mexico City on the occasion of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Mexico tomorrow. The Government of Japan hopes this EPA will further enhance the economic relations between Japan and Mexico and will result in the enlargement of trade between the two countries.

   Related Information (Japan-Mexico Relations)
   
2. Upcoming visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi to the United States of America

   Mr. Takashima: The second announcement is about Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi's visit to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

   Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi will visit New York from 19 to 25 September to attend the 59th United Nations General Assembly. Taking this opportunity, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi will be meeting with those related to the UN, including members of the High-level Committee established by Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Foreign Minister Kawaguchi will also have bilateral talks with her counterparts as well as multilateral talks including those of foreign ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) countries.

   In addition, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi will attend the "Friends of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)" Foreign Ministers' Meeting as well as the Preparatory Meeting for the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative under the name of "Forum for the Future."

   Foreign Minister Kawaguchi will be returning to Tokyo on 26 September.

   Related Information (Ms. Yoriko Kawaguchi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, to Visit the United States of America)
   
3. Grant assistance to Iraq

   Mr. Takashima: The third announcement is about the provision of 32 ambulance vehicles to the Governorate of Al-Muthanna in southern Iraq.

   The Government of Japan today decided to provide the Governorate of Al-Muthanna, the southern part of Iraq, a grant assistance of US$1.35 million to purchase 32 ambulance vehicles. The hospitals in this area have been having difficulty transporting patients from one medical facility to the other to provide better medical service due to the inadequate transportation system. We hope that this assistance will alleviate this problem and that the medical situation in the Governorate of Al-Muthanna including the city of Samawah will be greatly improved.

   Related Information (The Issue of Iraq)
   
4. Question concerning weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq

   Q: What is the reaction of the Japanese Government to the remarks made by Secretary of State Colin Powell of the US to the effect that it is less likely to find weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq that have been detected? Does that not jeopardize the Japanese Government's rational for supporting the military action in Iraq conducted by the US and others?

   Mr. Takashima: The Japanese Government made its decision based upon a series of UN Security Council resolutions. We took note of the fact that the UN inspection team in Iraq had filed a report saying that a vast amount of chemical weapons including VX gas and others had been missing from Iraq and that there was no viable explanation from Iraqi authorities. Therefore, we were led to conclude that there was a strong possibility that Iraq had still been concealing chemical weapons and other WMD and that Iraq must comply with the series of UN Security Council resolutions. We used US and UK information as a reference, but the basis for our consideration was this UN report.

   Related Information (The Issue of Iraq)
   
5. Question concerning possibility of Japan-Russia foreign ministers' meeting

   Q: Is Foreign Minister Kawaguchi meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation in New York during her visit there? If so, what is the purpose of it?

   Mr. Takashima: The arrangement is being done right now between Japan and Russia to have a foreign ministers' meeting between Japan and Russia, possibly on 20 September in New York. This meeting will be a part of the regular contact between the foreign ministers of Japan and Russia. This meeting will enable the two foreign ministers to hold a preparatory discussion for the forthcoming visit by President Vladimir Putin of Russia to Japan.

   Related Information (Japan-Russia Relations)