Press Conference 13 December 2005
- Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso to attend the 6th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference
- National Awareness Workshop on the Chemical Weapons Convention
- Japans Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Iraq grassroots cultural aid
- Emergency grant aid for the Iraq Reconstruction and Employment Program III
- Questions concerning the meetings and talks between the Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, President Roh Moo-Hyun of the Republic of Korea and Premier Wen Jiabao of the Peoples Republic of China on 12 December
- Questions concerning the details of a senior level military meeting
- Questions concerning Japan-China bilateral relations
- Remarks concerning this week's political calendar
- Follow-up question concerning Foreign Minister Aso's trip to Hong Kong
- Final remarks by Deputy Press Secretary Mr. Taniguchi
- Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso to attend the 6th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference
Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good afternoon. As usual let me just walk you through the announcements that have come out since the last conference.
The first is about the visit of Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso to Hong Kong.
Foreign Minister Aso will visit Hong Kong from Tuesday, 13 to Wednesday, 14 December, to attend the 6th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference.
During his stay in Hong Kong, Foreign Minister Aso will attend the general Conference on 14 December to demonstrate Japan's commitment toward the completion of the negotiations on the WTO Doha Development Agenda within the year 2006, thus contributing to the negotiations.
He will make a brief speech and he will see a number of his counterparts.
- National Awareness Workshop on the Chemical Weapons Convention
The next item is concerning something named the National Awareness Workshop on the Chemical Weapons Convention, which will be held from 13 to 15 December in Phnom Penn by Japan, the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Commonwealth of Australia and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Japan welcomes the efforts made by Cambodia to take the necessary measures to implement obligations under the Convention. Japan will continue to support Cambodia's efforts, which will contribute to strengthening peace and security in the region through efficient national implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
In order to ensure peace and security in Asia, it is essential to fully eliminate all chemical weapons in the region and promote universal adherence to the CWC. The stringent control of chemicals is important, since chemical weapons and chemical industries are interconnected in a broad and complex manner due to the existence of dual-use chemicals.
- Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Iraq grassroots cultural aid
Both items three and four will be concerning Japan's official development assistance (ODA) to Iraq.
The Government of Japan has decided to extend grassroots cultural aid of about 800,000 dollars in total (about 86 million yen) for the Youth and Sports Department in the Governorate of Al-Muthanna, Iraq to improve the field tracks of the Olympic stadium in the Governorate.
The stadium of the Governorate of Al-Muthanna is used for football and other sports. As the facility was extremely dilapidated from the long-lasting ravages of war and other causes, Japan, under its FY2004 Grassroots Cultural Grant Aid, provided assistance for the renovation of the structure of the stadium and the Japanese Self Defense Forces (SDF) to improve its pitch. However the bad condition of the field tracks is causing the detriment of track and field activities in the Governorate. The assistance will be extended to provide funds necessary to repair the field tracks of the stadium and to contribute to revitalizing the run-down athletic sports of the Governorate.
Japan has decided to extend the term of it SDF dispatch to Iraq. As part of Japan's reconstruction assistance for Iraq, this aid is expected to contribute to bringing up youth through promotion of sports, promoting sports exchange between Japan and Iraq, and to building up the morale of the Iraqi citizens engaged in creating a new state.
- Emergency grant aid for the Iraq Reconstruction and Employment Program III
Also as part of its reconstruction assistance for Iraq, the Government of Japan has decided to extend emergency grant aid, of approximately US$14.4 million in total (about 1,540 million yen) for the "Iraq Reconstruction and Employment Program III" (about 8 million US dollars, or about 860 million yen) and "the Muthanna Governorate Electricity Network Reinforcement Program" (about 6.4 million US dollars, or about 680 million yen) to be implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). This is with the aim of improving employment and electricity supply in the Governorate of Al-Muthanna, including the city of Samawah.
In Iraq, the Governorate of Al-Muthanna is the region where the problems of unemployment and electricity supply are particularly serious, and job creation and electricity supply are considered to be the foremost issues to be tackled. Although Japan has been implementing job creation and electricity-related programs out of its ODA, the present cooperation is intended to continue and further strengthen it in these fields.
- Questions concerning the meetings and talks between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, President Roh Moo-Hyun of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Premier Wen Jiabao of the Peoples Republic of China on 12 December
Q: I think it was yesterday the leaders of the Republic of Korea (ROK), the People's Republic of China, and Japan met together and talked briefly for about 10 to 15 minutes. There are some reports from the ROK side that they talked about cultural issues, and the Chinese side that they asked Prime Minister Koizumi not to go to Yasukuni Shrine. Can you give me an idea of what actually went on here?
Mr. Taniguchi: They were engaged in a very much private discussion and it was difficult for others to get closer to really listen to what was being discussed. However I hear that the issue is not about the Shrine, or anything related to history, but mostly about the "Korean Wave," like how ROK TV soap operas are famous and popular in Japan. I do not know if the Chinese leader Wen Jiabao said the same, but he could have, as the Korean wave and popular culture is also famous and well received in China. So it is my understanding that mostly they talked about cultural issues, mainly the "Korean wave."
Q: Are there any other opportunities that you have heard of that Prime Minister Koizumi may have talked with Premier Wen Jiabao about something else?
Mr. Taniguchi: Over lunch, because at the table Prime Minister Koizumi was sandwiched between the ROK leader and the Chinese leader. However, again, what was discussed at this time was very much inaudible for others. But according to Mr. Koizumi's secretary mostly they were talking about food, certainly not about anything political.
Q: Any chance of a one to one meeting with Premier Wen Jiabao or President Roh Moo-Hyun during the meetings in Malaysia? They are there until 14 December right?
Mr. Taniguchi: You mean a China-Korea Bilateral meeting?
Q: Prime Minister Koizumi and Premier Wen Jiabao one to one.
Mr. Taniguchi: One to one no. Or do you mean in the future from now on?
Q: During the meetings in Malaysia, anytime from today to 14 December.
Mr. Taniguchi: I cannot tell you because it is too early for that, whether there is going to be anything bilateral or not. The meeting is going to continue until tomorrow and there may or may not be, it is too early to tell.
Related Information (Japan-ROK Relations)
Related Information (Japan-China Relations) - Questions concerning the details of a senior level military meeting.
Q: On a different topic I understand that there has been a senior working-level military meeting?
Mr. Taniguchi: Yes it is still going on.
Q: I thought that I heard it is going to wrap up by lunch?
Mr. Taniguchi: I think it is still going on.
Q: Any ideas what they are talking about?
Mr. Taniguchi: It is to follow up the agreement that was forged last time and there are a number of issues technically that should be looked into. It is my understanding that Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asian Policy Mr. Richard Lawless and Deputy Director-General Kazuyoshi Umemoto from the North American Affairs Burea, and Mr. Shotaro Yamamoto from the Defense Agency are talking about such matters as how to reduce the number of marines from Okinawa. They are for instance talking about reducing as many as 7,000 marines from Okinawa. To say it is easy, but to do it is actually very difficult and involves a number of technical issues and procedural things, so they are talking about those things.
Q: Will there be any possibility that there will be some adjustments or some reviews?
Mr. Taniguchi: Well, to review is a vague word, they are certainly looking at the situation. I am not going to be surprised if the local concerns are the ones that are being talked over by the two parties. But I am not familiar with what exactly has been talked about as I have not heard the results of the discussion. The point is that it is to follow up latest agreements from the practitioners' point of view.
- Questions concerning Japan-China bilateral relations
Q: I have heard that Deputy Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi has said that neither Japan nor China have acknowledged that they are locked in rivalry which will last for a long time or that they are struggling over leadership. Do you know when and where he said it?
Mr. Taniguchi: Yes, he said it yesterday when he gave a press conference to the Japanese press reporters.
Q: So is that your view too, that Japan and China are not struggling over rivalry, especially at the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)?
Mr. Taniguchi: Well I cannot say on the Chinese government's behalf, but it is true that Chinese leader Premier Wen Jiabao said that China would not seek leadership in the frame of ASEAN+3. As far as the case of Japan, I urge you to take another look at the speech that Foreign Minister Aso gave at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) in which he stated that Japan would have a "P2P" namely "peer to peer", which is computer jargon that Foreign Minister Aso is fond of using, relationship with ASEAN nations. It means that Japan is going to be a partner on equal footing with all ASEAN nations. It is going to have friendly relationships with ASEAN nations. That is what Foreign Minister Aso said, and that is actually the position that the Japanese government has adhered to since long ago. In 1979 the then Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda made a famous remark later to be called the Fukuda Doctrine, the crux of which was exactly that. I think that answers a lot to your question.
- Remarks concerning this week's political calendar
Mr. Taniguchi: So it has been an eventful week and Prime Minister Koizumi is having the inaugural meeting for the East Asia Summit tomorrow, and later today Foreign Minister Aso is headed for Hong Kong to join the WTO meeting, so you will see a lot of announcements and results of these meetings.
Related Information (East Asia Summit)
Related Information (Japan and WTO) - Follow-up question concerning Foreign Minister Aso's trip to Hong Kong
Q: Talking about Foreign Minister Aso's trip to Hong Kong, what is on the agenda?
Mr. Taniguchi: The agenda is again to ensure and once again confirm the commitment among the WTO members to gain steam for the completion of the Doha Round, and the clock is ticking. By the time the trade promotion authority is going to expire in July of next year in the United States (US), many things must happen between now and then. There is something called modality in the negotiations of the trade round that are the rules in terms of the procedures of reducing tariffs and things like that, and they have to agree on the modality as soon as possible, which actually has been very much difficult to do, so once again they have to pressurize themselves together.
But equally importantly, this Hong Kong WTO meeting is about development, The Doha Development Agenda is the prime focus. So Foreign Minister Aso is once again going to reiterate the pledges that Prime Minister Koizumi said a few days ago by pulling together all the African Ambassadors in his Official Residence. That is a well thought out plan, and Foreign Minister Aso is going to introduce it fully once again to the members of the WTO. It is Japan's blueprint in assisting the developing nations in general and the least developed countries in particular. So the agenda is about trade and development, that is two-fold.
- Final remarks by Deputy Press Secretary Mr. Taniguchi
Mr. Taniguchi: Well if you are interested in knowing what has been discussed between Foreign Minister Aso and his counterparts from ASEAN nations plus the Republic of India, Australia and New Zealand over the past couple of days. When he was in Malaysia to attend the ASEAN+3 Meeting and EA Summit Preliminary Ministerial Meeting I would be happy to brief you in a more detailed fashion perhaps later.
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