Press Conference 2 December 2005
- Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso to the United States of America (US)
- Visit by Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhisa Shiozaki to Europe
- Visit by Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Katsutoshi Kaneda to the Republic of Korea (ROK)
- Visit by Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Kiyohiko Toyama to the Republic of Indonesia
- Visit to Japan by Prime Minister Ibrahim Al Ja'fari Al Eshaiker of Iraq
- Grassroots human security grant aid to Samawah, Iraq
- Postponement of visit to Japan by Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Kofi Annan
- Presidential election in Gabon
- Dispatch of Japanese election observers to the presidential election of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- FY2005 Reunion of Former Students in Japan from Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern and Central Asian Countries
- Grant aid to the Republic of Mali
- Provision of yen loans to the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
- Signing of Agreement on Technical Cooperation between the Government of Japan and the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro
- Grant aid to the Republic of Benin
- Upcoming appearances of Foreign Minister Aso at the Japan National Press Club and the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan
- Follow-up questions concerning postponement of UN Secretary-General Annan's visit
- Follow-up question concerning grassroots human security grant aid to Samawah
- Follow-up question concerning visit of Iraqi Prime Minister
- Question concerning dispatch of Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to Iraq
- Question concerning Japan's stance on the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abductions
- Follow-up questions concerning Foreign Minister Aso's visit to the US
- Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso to the United States of America (US)
Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good afternoon. There are four announcements to make about the visits of ministers and secretaries.
The first item is about a visit to the United States of America (US) by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso from today, 2 December, to Sunday, 4 December. He is going to have talks with Vice President Richard B. Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Stephen Hadley.
- Visit by Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhisa Shiozaki to Europe
Mr. Taniguchi: Secondly, Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhisa Shiozaki is going to visit Europe from 4 to 9 December.
Mr. Shiozaki will visit the Republic of Slovenia, Kingdom of Belgium and the United Kingdom (UK) to attend the 13th Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council as well as the closing event for the 2005 EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges and for other purposes.
In Slovenia, Mr. Shiozaki will take part in the 13th OSCE Ministerial Council to be held on 5 and 6 December and, as the head of the delegation, will deliver a statement and exchange views with other participants of the meeting.
In Belgium, Mr. Shiozaki will attend the closing event for the 2005 EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges to be held on 7 December at the European Union (EU) headquarters.
Taking this opportunity, Mr. Shiozaki will exchange views on such issues as bilateral relations with key European officials during his stay in Belgium and the UK.
- Visit by Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Katsutoshi Kaneda to the Republic of Korea (ROK)
Mr. Taniguchi: Thirdly, Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Katsutoshi Kaneda is making a visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK).
Mr. Kaneda will visit the ROK from 6 to 8 December to attend the closing ceremony of the "Japan-Korea Friendship Year 2005."
As you know, both of these yearlong events will come to an end pretty soon, and Mr. Kaneda will attend the reception at the finale of the "Japan-Korea Friendship Year 2005" to be held in Seoul on 7 December, and also intends to exchange views with leading figures of the ROK Government.
- Visit by Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Kiyohiko Toyama to the Republic of Indonesia
Mr. Taniguchi: Fourthly, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Kiyohiko Toyama is making a visit to the Republic of Indonesia from 5 to 8 December.
During his stay in Indonesia, he will attend the General Conference of the Council for Security and Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP), which is a Track II forum, and deliver a keynote speech on security in Northeast Asia.
He will also have talks with leading figures of Indonesia, and visit the sites of Japan's economic cooperation projects.
- Visit to Japan by Prime Minister Ibrahim Al Ja'fari Al Eshaiker of Iraq
Mr. Taniguchi: The next item is about a visit to Japan by Prime Minister Ibrahim Al Ja'fari Al Eshaiker of Iraq. Prime Minister Al Ja'fari will visit Japan from 5 to 6 December.
During his stay in Japan, Prime Minister Al Ja'fari will meet with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and others to exchange views on such matters as Japan's assistance for the reconstruction of Iraq, Japan-Iraq relations, and Iraq's political and economic situations.
- Grassroots human security grant aid to Samawah, Iraq
Mr. Taniguchi: The next item is about Japan's extending grassroots human security grant aid to Samawah, Iraq.
The Government of Japan has decided to extend a grassroots human security grant aid totaling about 57 million yen, which is about US$531,000, to the Governorate of Al-Muthanna, in the southern part of Iraq, in order to contribute to the improvement of the basic infrastructure, such as road and sidewalk, lighting and drainage system, on Samawah Girls' School Street, in the central part of Samawah city, as part of the "Samawah Promenade Project."
It is expected that by the implementation of this Project, the main street in the central part of the city will be improved, contributing to securing passage ways for emergency vehicles, as well as to stabilizing people's livelihood and better public order for the 250,000 residents of Samawah. This includes high school students who use this street for their commute.
- Postponement of visit to Japan by Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Kofi Annan
Mr. Taniguchi: About the visit of Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the UN Kofi Annan was supposed to visit Japan, but it is being postponed.
The scheduled visit to Japan by Secretary-General of the UN Kofi Annan from 9 to 12 December as Guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan has been postponed due to circumstances on the UN side.
- Presidential election in Gabon
Mr. Taniguchi: The next item is about the statement about the presidential election in the Gabonese Republic.
The Government of Japan extends congratulations to the people of Gabon as well as to His Excellency Mr. El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba on the fact that the presidential election in the country has been conducted in a peaceful manner and that President Bongo has been re-elected.
Japan hopes that under the leadership of President Bongo Ondimba, Gabon will further advance its democracy and continue to promote its socioeconomic development. Japan also hopes that the country will play a more important role in ensuring peace and stability not only in the central African region but also in the entire Africa.
- Dispatch of Japanese election observers to the presidential election of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Mr. Taniguchi: The next item is about the Republic of Kazakhstan. Japan is going to dispatch Japanese election observers to the presidential election of Kazakhstan.
The Government of Japan has decided to have four persons, comprising three staff members from the Japanese Embassy in Kazakhstan and Mr. Takeshi Yuasa, Senior Research Fellow of the National Institute for Defense Studies, who is an expert on Kazakhstan, join the Election Observation Mission for the presidential election of Kazakhstan, which is going to be held on 4 December.
- FY2005 Reunion of Former Students in Japan from Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern and Central Asian Countries
Mr. Taniguchi: A couple of other announcements. The first one is about a "FY2005 Reunion of Former Students in Japan from Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern and Central Asian Countries." The Reunion will be held from 4 to 10 December at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo.
- Grant aid to the Republic of Mali
Mr. Taniguchi: Secondly, Japan is going to extend non-project type grant aid and food aid to the Republic of Mali, the total amount of which is about US$9.3 million or 1.1 billion yen. This is a non-project grant aid, and 290 million yen or about US$2.4 million will be given as food aid to the Republic of Mali.
- Provision of yen loans to the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
Mr. Taniguchi: Thirdly, Japan is going to extend yen loans to the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. Japan will extend up to 2.5 billion yen or about US$21 million to Viet Nam as co-financing for Poverty Reduction Support Credit 4 (PRSC4), which is implemented by the World Bank.
- Signing of Agreement on Technical Cooperation between the Government of Japan and the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro
Mr. Taniguchi: The next item is about the Agreement on Technical Cooperation between the Government of Japan and the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro which was signed on 30 November. The concluding of this agreement is further expected to contribute to the smooth implementation of Japan's technical cooperation in Serbia and Montenegro and to the economic and social development of the country.
- Grant aid to the Republic of Benin
Mr. Taniguchi: The next item is about Japan's extending food aid to the Republic of Benin. Japan will extend up to about US$2.3 million or 250 million yen as food aid to the Republic of Benin.
- Upcoming appearances of Foreign Minister Aso at the Japan National Press Club and the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan
Mr. Taniguchi: Last but not least, one of the most important announcements for today is that on 7 December, Foreign Minister Aso is going to make an appearance on two occasions, one at the Japan National Press Club, followed by another event at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ). He is going to deliver a fairly long speech tentatively entitled, "Japan's New Asia Policies." I cannot tell you further about the gist of the speech because you have to be there to listen to him and write stories.
- Follow-up questions concerning postponement of UN Secretary-General Annan's visit
Q: Could you elaborate a little bit more on the surprise cancellation of the UN Secretary-General's visit? Were you given any sort of affinitive explanation as to why there was a last minute cancellation?
Mr. Taniguchi: I wish I could elaborate still further, but all I can say is that it was cancelled due to their own concerns. I am afraid I should not speculate further on that. But as a minor footnote, this is not the first time for him to cancel his trip either to Japan or to any other nation.
Q: Are there any plans to reschedule his visit?
Mr. Taniguchi: Not at the moment, we are working on that.
- Follow-up question concerning grassroots human security grant aid to Samawah
Q: You mentioned about extending the aid for human security in Samawah. Should we take that as a precursor to an announcement next week that the troop deployment is also likely to be extended? Also, will that be one of the subjects of discussion with both the Foreign Minister going to Washington and the Iraqi Prime Minister coming here?
Mr. Taniguchi: The Iraqi Prime Minister is coming only to Japan this time. He is a frequent traveler and a world trotter and we all know that 15 December is going to be the most important day for the Iraqi people-it is the election day. So we are confirming our commitment to continuing to support Iraqi development. We have always maintained that the dispatch of the troops and the extension of aid of various forms make up the two wheels on which Iraqi development should go forward. We have made this decision to extend aid to Iraq for that purpose.
When it comes to what sort of announcement we are going to make about the continuation of the troop deployment, I should refrain from making comments now.
Also, I should have added that the Prime Minister of Iraq is going to be accompanied by another minister, who is actually a minister for oil. He is going to meet his counterpart here in Japan, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshihiro Nikai. I cannot tell you what they are actually going to talk about, but obviously given his title, the energy situation is going to be discussed between the two people.
Q: Is this meeting between Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nikai and the Iraqi oil minister going to take place on Monday?
Mr. Taniguchi: Given his extremely short stay in Japan I believe so.
- Follow-up question concerning visit of Iraqi Prime Minister
Q: I was wondering about the timing of the Iraqi Prime Minister's visit. I mean, the Iraqi Foreign Minister just came here, and the Prime Minister is coming just before the supposed decision to extend troops. Is this a message that Japan is going to extend the dispatch of its troops?
Mr. Taniguchi: That is beyond my speculation, but I should perhaps remind you that the Iraqi Foreign Minister has extended a rather serious gratitude to the continued presence of Self-Defense Force (SDF) troops in Iraq. As you mentioned in your question, the time gap between the two visits is rather narrow. That might indicate, I am saying "might" but that might indicate how important Japan is taken by the Iraqi Government. It would be fair to assume that the continued presence of Japanese troops there is once again going to be appreciated by the Iraqi Prime Minister, but I am only speculating here because I cannot tell you now obviously on whether or not the issue is really going to be raised. But given the timing, that this visit is scheduled just prior to their election on 15 December, this once again reconfirms the importance of Japan's contribution both in terms of financial aid and in terms of sending troops to that country.
- Question concerning dispatch of Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to Iraq
Q: On that subject, can you sort of tell us what Foreign Minister Aso or other senior officials of the Foreign Ministry have been saying publicly? Or what is the mood of the Foreign Ministry as far as within the Japanese Government toward the extension of the troop deployment vis-à-vis three-quarters of the public are expressing reservations about it. Different ministries I think bring different concerns to the table. What has the Foreign Ministry put forward about its opinion as to whether the deployment should be extended?
Mr. Taniguchi: I am speaking objectively. First, the election campaign of the Koizumi government included the continuation of sending troops to Iraq, whereas the campaign platform of the opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), included a rather staunch opposition to this direction. And given the landslide victory that Mr. Koizumi had, objectively it is safe to assume that the current Government's decision to continue to send troops to Iraq has been largely endorsed by the Japanese public electorate. That is one thing.
Secondly, it would be a rather stupid kind of thing if we were to say now that we are not interested in doing the sort of things we are doing just before they are to undergo the most critical stage of their development. But that does not automatically mean that we are going to continue sending troops to Iraq. On that point, we have repeatedly made sure that the decision is going to be reached, taking into consideration such factors as the development of their democracy, societal infrastructure, and Japan will make an independent decision about it.
That is perhaps all I can say at the moment. It is rather, I think, exceptional for the Iraqi Government to send first the Foreign Minister and then the Prime Minister within such a short period of time to Japan. And that, I think, is a powerful, once again, confirmation about how important Japan has been viewed by those people and how important a contribution Japan has been making to the development of Iraq.
- Question concerning Japan's stance on the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abductions
Q: On an entirely different subject, I heard that Ms. Maura Harty, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the US, met up with some Foreign Ministry officials to discuss the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abductions. Do you have any information about it? Also, what is Japan's stance with regard to the Hague Convention?
Mr. Taniguchi: I have no knowledge at the moment so I will be telling you more about it later, at the next conference.
Q: What is Japan's basic stance on the Hague Convention?
Mr. Taniguchi: If it is about international child abductions or kidnapping or human trafficking, the answer is very much clear. It is one of the most devastating crimes that the world is now faced with, and Japan has been fiercely opposed to any sort of human trafficking involving babies, women and the labor force. If Japan and the US can cooperate on this matter, that is going to be a very wonderful thing to do. Indeed, the Japan-US alliance is about security, but the significance or the meaning of security has been made wider than before to include exactly such factors as human trafficking and we are packaging it with human security. The renewed Japan-US security alliance relationship is going to be effective, I hope and we hope, to tackle the non-traditional sort of dangers and terrors. In that sense, it should only be celebrated if Japan and the US can cooperate on that issue.
- Follow-up questions concerning Foreign Minister Aso's visit to the US
Q: Do you have any list of items on Foreign Minister Aso's agenda for his talks with Vice President Cheney and Secretary of State Rice? What essentially is the purpose of the trip at this time?
Mr. Taniguchi: I can speculate on that issue, but I should refrain from making any concrete observations on that because it involves the other party, which in this case is the US. They should really hammer out what sort of issues they are going to discuss. Until that point I should refrain from making comments on that.
What I can say to you is that for Foreign Minister Aso, this is going to be the first official visit that he is going to make as Foreign Minister. I should also add that former Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura has rather successfully communicated directly with Secretary of State Rice. Mr. Machimura, as far as I know, has made as many as four or five phone calls on a single day at maximum to Secretary of State Rice, so this good working relationship between the two Governments, and especially between the new foreign minister, Mr. Aso, and his counterpart and other related officials involving foreign and defense policies, should be established and kept in tact. Well obviously that is the most important thing that Foreign Minister Aso should do.
Q: He is there for how many days?
Mr. Taniguchi: Well it is a short trip. He arrives in the US today and is leaving on Saturday, so he is going to come back on Sunday.
You have to be tough in order to do this.
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