Press Conference 16 December 2005
- Assistance to the Tsunami-hit areas in the Republic of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives
- Message from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafaari and President Jalal Talabani of the Iraqi Transitional Government on the National Assembly Election of Iraq
- Visit of Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Katsutoshi Kaneda to Hong Kong to attend the 6th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference
- Tokyo Donor Conference in support of the peace process in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
- Car bombing in the Republic of Lebanon
- Youth Invitation Program from Israel and the Palestinian Territories
- Japan-ROK Director-General Level Consultation on Middle East Policy
- Visit to Japan by Mr. Angelo Gnaedinger, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
- Follow-up questions concerning Japan-ROK Director-General Level Consultation on Middle East Policy
- Follow-up question concerning Tokyo Donor Conference in support of the peace process in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
- Questions concerning East Asia Summit
- Assistance to the Tsunami-hit areas in the Republic of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives
Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Thank you very much for coming. I am going to say a few words before making the announcements for today's press conference.
You may have heard or read stories in Japanese publications that made an assertion, in sum, that the assistance and money Japan has offered and given to the rescue of tsunami victims and the area they live, Ache, Republic of Indonesia, have largely been underutilized or even left unused. I should take the liberty now to say that these assertions have not only been totally ungrounded, but also even humiliating for the men and women who have continued to get engaged in the rebuilding effort in Ache and other tsunami-hit areas in Indonesia.
As for the grant aid of 24.6 billion yen, or approximately US$220 million, that the Government of Japan has pledged to offer to those countries, I can say the following to you.
As of 12 December, a number of contracts to rebuild the areas or to purchase such products as medical goods and earth-movers have already been completed. The total amount of them stands just a half of the total pledge we made, i.e., 12.3 billion yen.
As for the other half, you should be rest assured that it is not squandered or underutilized, because what projects the money should cover is already clearly laid out.
Each yen and sen of taxpayers' money should not be used unwisely, and knowing this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a meeting on 15 December, inviting 36 people from the media as well as from the non-governmental organization (NGO) community, some of whom have been critical of the conduct of the Ministry's official development assistance (ODA) affairs.
Later, after the meeting, however, most of them came out in favor of the Ministry's handlings of assistance toward Indonesia.
A straw poll was conducted at the closing of the meeting, and from the 36 people, we have gotten 28 responses and 24 people out of the 28 respondents came out very much in favor of the assistance that the Japanese Government has so far extended vis-à-vis Indonesia.
If you are interested in more details, I would be very much happy to tell you far more about this story.
- Message from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafaari and President Jalal Talabani of the Iraqi Transitional Government on the National Assembly Election of Iraq
Mr. Taniguchi: Now, the ordinary conference.
First, there is a message issued by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi about the election held in Iraq.
The Government of Japan has sent a message from Prime Minister Koizumi to Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafaari and President Jalal Talabani of the Iraqi Transitional Government. Its gist is as follows:
On behalf of the Government of Japan and its people, I extend my congratulations on the smooth implementation of the National Assembly election held yesterday, 15 December.
I hope that the new government will be formed promptly in harmonious coordination among religious and ethnic groups.
The Government of Japan decided on 8 December to extend the period of the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to Iraq, taking into account the request of the Government of Iraq.
Japan will continue providing active support for the Iraqi people's nation-building efforts.
A similar statement was released by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso. This statement is already uploaded on the webpage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Visit of Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Katsutoshi Kaneda to Hong Kong to attend the 6th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference
Mr. Taniguchi: Next, Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Katsutoshi Kaneda will visit Hong Kong on 16 and 17 December to attend the 6th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference.
During his stay in Hong Kong, Mr. Kaneda will attend the plenary session on 17 December, exchange views with officials concerned, and thus actively contribute to the progress of the negotiation for the WTO Doha Development Agenda by the end of the year 2006.
- Tokyo Donor Conference in support of the peace process in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Mr. Taniguchi: Next, Mr. Yasushi Akashi, the Representative of Government of Japan on Peace-Building, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, will attend the Tokyo Donor Conference in support of the peace process in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. This conference will be held on 19 December in Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium.
The aim of this conference is to promote the peace process in Sri Lanka after considering the presidential election on 17 November and the inauguration of His Excellency Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, the President of Sri Lanka.
- Car bombing in the Republic of Lebanon
Mr. Taniguchi: The next item is about the assassination of Mr. Gebran Tueni, member of the Lebanese Parliament and one of the most prominent figures in Lebanese journalism.
Let me just skip this because the statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations is already uploaded on the webpage of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was issued on 13 December.
- Youth Invitation Program from Israel and the Palestinian Territories
Mr. Taniguchi: The next item is about the invitation of Israeli and Palestinian youth delegations to Japan.
Under the Youth Invitation Program from Israel and the Palestinian Territories, ten young Israeli and Palestinian professionals from various sectors are now visiting Japan from 14 through 22 December.
The purpose of the Program is to promote mutual confidence-building between the Israelis and the Palestinians and to deepen their understanding of Japan's efforts for the Middle East peace, with a view to helping both parties realize a peaceful coexistence. The participants paid courtesy calls on 15 December on Mr. Shintaro Ito, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Dr. Tatsuo Arima, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for the Middle East. They will also meet with businessmen, academics, journalists, and Diet members to discuss various issues of mutual interest and visit Hiroshima and Kyoto.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been hosting this Program since 1997, and this year's program is the eighth. A total of more than 110 young people from both sides have participated in this program so far.
- Japan-ROK Director-General Level Consultation on Middle East Policy
Mr. Taniguchi: Next, Japan-Republic of Korea (ROK) Director-General Level Consultation on Middle East Policy is being held today, 16 December, in Seoul.
The Consultation is taking place between Mr. Motohide Yoshikawa, Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr. Son Sejoo, Director-General of Middle East and African Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the ROK.
The purpose of the Consultation is to exchange views on policy toward Middle East, including Iraq, and it will be held as part of policy dialogues between Japan and the ROK.
- Visit to Japan by Mr. Angelo Gnaedinger, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Mr. Taniguchi: The last item is about the visit to Japan of Mr. Angelo Gnaedinger, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from 18 to 23 December.
During his stay in Japan, Mr. Gnaedinger will meet with Mr. Yasuhisa Shiozaki, Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, and other high-level officials of the Foreign Ministry, the Government of Japan, and executives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japanese Red Cross Society and others, to have wide-ranging exchanges of views on ICRC's cooperation with Japan in the fields of international humanitarian assistance and the dissemination and promotion of the International Humanitarian Law. He will also deliver a speech at a seminar held under the auspices of the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) from 13:30, 21 December, at the headquarters of JRCS. It is hoped that this visit to Japan by Mr. Gnaedinger will further strengthen cooperative relations between Japan and the ICRC.
- Follow-up questions concerning Japan-ROK Director-General Level Consultation on Middle East Policy
Q: Regarding this Japan-ROK Director-General Level Consultation on Middle East Policy, do you know what transpired? What happened?
Mr. Taniguchi: This is the first such meeting, and I am not sure if this is going to be a regular sort of meeting in the future but it is a rather ad hoc meeting. The topics that have been discussed are the ones that I have touched on such as Iraq and the Middle East peace process.
The initiative actually came from the ROK Embassy in Tokyo. They wanted us to have this dialogue, and we thought that it would be very useful for both parties to exchange views at this critical moment, knowing that there are many things that both parties have been paying a lot of attention to. So we accepted the offer and the Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Bureau Yoshikawa of the Foreign Ministry went to the ROK to join this discussion.
Q: Does the timing of the talks have anything to do with the deployment of the troops?
Mr. Taniguchi: Japan has decided to continue sending SDF personnel to Iraq. Iraq has just had its important election, so constitutionally speaking, Iraq is now reborn again. It would be fair to say that that constitution would be endorsed with the results that will come out from the election. So this is actually one of the most important points in their history of nation-building. It is very much sensible for neighboring nations, Japan and the ROK, that have been sending troops and personnel to Iraq, the number of which is actually sizable and very big, to have talks and exchange views with each other about the situation in Iraq and what should be the next critical steps that these nations should take.
I think generally speaking those would be the topics that the two countries are now talking about.
- Follow-up question concerning Tokyo Donor Conference in support of the peace process in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Q: What message is Mr. Akashi going to convey at the conference? There are two sides to this issue. The peace negotiations are virtually stalled now.
Mr. Taniguchi: It would be foolish to say that there is going to be a quick resolution of the conflict that you just mentioned. But Mr. Akashi is a talented and experienced person who has been engaged in many, many difficult situations like in Cambodia. So it is the hope of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Mr. Akashi, with his experience, once again will demonstrate his capacity as an honest broker and friend to Sri Lanka and tell them that Japan is always aside with Sri Lanka once the peace process starts, and that we are more than willing to help them rebuild their nation and start growth once again.
I think that would be the message that Mr. Akashi would earnestly try to convey to both parties.
- Questions concerning East Asia Summit
Q: I have a question concerning the East Asia Summit. Is Japan most optimistic that its proposal to include three countries-India, Commonwealth of Australia, and New Zealand-will be materialized or be the formal setup of this community, that members are all going to agree on it?
Mr. Taniguchi: Let's talk about the East Asia Summit.
First, it was agreed that this would be made an annual event, and a consensus was forged that the Republic of the Philippines would be the next host nation. So it is hoped that this would be a regular sort of meeting, pulling together heads of state from the member nations.
As for the member nations, there is no doubt that Australia, New Zealand, and India are already full-fledged members. There is no room for any doubt to question their eligibility. So the three nations are now already full-fledged members.
So perhaps you are wondering about what sort of future structure would emerge. I do not think anyone can be sure about this but one thing is for sure-these two important frameworks, namely, the East Asia Summit and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)+3 meeting, would be mutually complementary. As was said, if ASEAN+3 is a vehicle for the future creation of what is called an East Asian community, equally this East Asia Summit should play a significant role.
The other thing that should be mentioned about the East Asia Summit is that it has been specifically mentioned that the East Asia Summit is a framework of transparency and openness that would share the same sort of values. As far as the East Asia Summit is concerned, these three nations would continue to play very important roles as full-fledged members. It has been repeatedly mentioned by Prime Minister Koizumi and Foreign Minister Aso that Japan welcomes these three nations wholeheartedly.
Q: It has been reported that the Russian Federation would be excluded because of its nuclear power plant. Do you have any information about this?
Mr. Taniguchi: I have heard about the report, but at present, I do not think I can say anything further than that.
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