Press Conference 15 March 2005

1. Incident in the Malacca Strait
2. Upcoming visit to Japan by President Horst Köhler of the Federal Republic of Germany
3. Visit to Japan by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship Juan Ignacio Siles del Valle of the Republic of Bolivia
4. Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on the Anti-Secession Law
5. Japan-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) negotiations concerning economic partnership agreement (EPA)
6. Visit to Japan by Joint Visiting Groups to Support Reconstruction in Sudan
7. Grant assistance for Iraq
8. Follow-up questions concerning Malacca Strait incident
9. Questions concerning Japan's territorial disputes

1. Incident in the Malacca Strait

   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 first announcement is about the incident in the Malacca Strait.

   A Japanese-registered tugboat Idaten was attacked by an unknown group yesterday in the Malacca Strait, and three crew members including two Japanese were captured and taken away. The Government of Japan has asked the Governments of Malaysia, the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of Singapore for their cooperation to secure a safe release of the three crew members and conduct necessary investigations.

   At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an emergency task force headed by Director-General of the Consular Affairs Bureau Yoshinori Katori of the Foreign Ministry has been set up last night, and it has been making utmost efforts to gather information and maintain communication between the parties concerned, including the three governments I mentioned.

   As one of the leading nations of maritime activities in the world, Japan finds it most important to take the necessary action to maintain safety in the sea lines of communication, especially in an international strait like Malacca.

   In the wake of this incident, the Government of Japan is determined to make further efforts to cooperate with those nations in the area to strengthen the measures to combat against piracy.

2. Upcoming visit to Japan by President Horst Köhler of the Federal Republic of Germany

   Mr. Takashima: The next announcement is about the visit of the German President.

   The President of the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Prof. Dr. Horst Köhler, will visit Japan from 3 to 6 April at the invitation of the Government of Japan.

   President Köhler will attend the opening ceremony of "Germany in Japan 2005/2006" as the honorary president on the German side. President Köhler will also be visiting the 2005 World Exposition during his stay in Japan.

   Related Information (H.E. Prof. Dr. Horst Kohler, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, to Visit Japan)
   
3. Visit to Japan by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship Juan Ignacio Siles del Valle of the Republic of Bolivia

   Mr. Takashima: The next one is about the visit of the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Bolivia.

   Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship Juan Ignacio Siles del Valle of Bolivia is paying a visit to Japan from today, 15 March, to 20 March as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

   Minister Siles will meet with Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura to discuss bilateral issues and cooperation in multilateral arenas. Minister Siles will also visit the Aichi Exposition.

   Related Information (Japan-Bolivia Relations)
   
4. Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on the Anti-Secession Law

   Mr. Takashima: The next one is about a statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China.

   The Government of Japan is concerned about what is stipulated in the Anti-Secession Law adopted on 14 March at the National People's Congress, that China must use non-peaceful means as a last resort should there be any move by Taiwan toward independence, as the Law might exert a negative influence over peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and also relations between the two sides of the straits, which have been improving recently.

   On the other hand, the Government of Japan takes note of what is stipulated in the Law, namely, that China would make its utmost efforts to peacefully solve the issue between China and Taiwan. The Government also takes note of the four opinions announced by President Hu Jintao at the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on 4 March, which stated that China "will never abandon its efforts to achieve peaceful reunification."

   A peaceful solution through dialogues between the parties concerned is necessary for the issues concerning Taiwan, and Japan strongly hopes for an early resumption of the dialogue for that purpose. Being consistently against use of force, Japan is against any means of solution other than a peaceful one.

   The stance of the Government of Japan on Taiwan is as stated in the Japan-China Joint Communiqué of 1972 and has not changed at all.

   Related Information (Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Anti-Secession Law)
   
5. Japan-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) negotiations concerning economic partnership agreement (EPA)

   Mr. Takashima: The next one is about the commencement of negotiations between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to reach an economic partnership agreement (EPA).

   The Government of Japan and ASEAN agreed to commence the negotiations for an EPA from 13 April in Tokyo. The first round of negotiations will last for three days.

   Related Information (Japan-ASEAN Relations)
   
6. Visit to Japan by Joint Visiting Groups to Support Reconstruction in Sudan

   Mr. Takashima: The next one is about the visit of the group from the Republic of the Sudan.

   From 15 to 18 March, Joint Visiting Groups to Support Reconstruction in the Sudan composed of state ministers of the Government of the Sudan, members of Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in the south and officials concerned of the Government of the Kingdom of Norway and the World Bank will visit Japan.

   This will be the first occasion on which both the Government of the Sudan and SPLM/A, the parties involved in the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement, will visit Japan together. The visiting groups will exchange views with officials concerned of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on such issues as the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in January 2005, the future development of the political process and the support measures for reconstruction since the Agreement was signed.

   Related Information (Visit to Japan by Joint Visiting Groups to Support Reconstruction in Sudan)
   
7. Grant assistance for Iraq

   Mr. Takashima: The next one is about the presentation of ambulances and electric generators in Iraq.

   Thirty-two ambulances which were purchased using Japanese grant assistance have been presented to the Governorate of Al-Muthanna, in the southern part of Iraq.

   The provision of these ambulances will improve the medical transportation system in the Governorate of Al-Muthanna, enabling its residents, who were unable to receive adequate medical services, as well as residents in the suburbs, to receive appropriate treatment.

   In addition, nine electric generators have been presented to the Governorate of Al-Muthanna yesterday to alleviate the hardships caused by the shortage of electricity in that area, especially in the area where poor people reside. These electric generators have been purchased by using Japanese grant assistance. This will improve the living conditions of the people concerned.

   Related Information (Presentation Ceremony of Thirty-two Ambulances to the Health Department of the Governorate of Al-Muthanna (including Samawah), Iraq)
   
8. Follow-up questions concerning Malacca Strait incident

   Q: Can you confirm the reports that say all or most of the members of the armed group that assaulted the Japanese boat in the Malacca Strait are Indonesians?

   Mr. Takashima: No, I do not have that information.

   Q: Reports say the assault group might take the two Japanese and one Filipino away into Indonesian territorial waters. Can you comment on that information?

   Mr. Takashima: There has been an unconfirmed report that the boat which took the three crew members away from of the Idaten was heading to the direction of Indonesia, but there was no confirmation of the exact destination of the boat. We believe that the governments and authorities of the three nations including Malaysia and Indonesia are making efforts to locate the boat.

9. Questions concerning Japan's territorial disputes

   Q: People in Shimane Prefecture are not satisfied with how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is handling the Takeshima Island issue in comparison to the Northern Territories issue. Can you comment on this issue?

   Mr. Takashima: There is no difference between the Northern Territories and Takeshima Island in terms of importance. Those are two important territorial issues the Government of Japan has been making efforts to resolve peacefully and diplomatically. The Government of Japan has been dealing with the Takeshima Island issue in a cool and reasonable manner.

   Q: What is the reason for not having a national Takeshima Day while a Northern Territories Day has been set up by the Government of Japan?

   Mr. Takashima: The Northern Territories issue and the Takeshima Island issue are both very important territorial issues, but the Government of Japan deals with these issues on a case-by-case basis.

   Related Information (The Issue of Takeshima)