Press Conference 30 August 2005
- Grant aid to the Republic of Ecuador
- Visit to Japan by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of the Kingdom of Thailand
- Meeting between Mr. Motohide Yoshikawa, Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr. Fouad Siniora, President of the Council of Minister (Prime Minister), and Mr. Fawzi Salloukh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, of Lebanon
- Passing away of Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Said Abdella of the State of Eritrea
- Global Festa Japan 2005
- Grant aid to the Republic of Ghana, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of Indonesia and the Kingdom of Cambodia
- Questions concerning Six-Party Talks
- Questions concerning Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in Iraq
- Questions concerning Japan-United Arab Emirates (UAE) relations
- Question concerning oil prices
- Grant aid to the Republic of Ecuador
Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good afternoon. May I just welcome friends from the Republic of Ecuador and the Republic of Bolivia who are visiting Japan now. In terms of your nation, Ecuador, I am pleased to announce that the Government of Japan is going to extend grant aid to Ecuador that is a non-project grant aid and a general project grant aid. The total amount is going to be up to US$11.0 million. The non-project part is going to be US$4.4 million, and another US$6.2 million is going to be granted to Ibarra City to improve water supply facilities.
- Visit to Japan by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of the Kingdom of Thailand
Mr. Taniguchi: The second item is about the rescheduling of the visit of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of the Kingdom of Thailand to Japan. Prime Minister Thaksin was originally scheduled to come to Japan on 31 August to spend one night in Japan, but he has now decided to spend one more night. Therefore, he is coming to Japan on 30 August and leaving Japan on 1 September.
During his stay, Prime Minister Thaksin is going to visit the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan and also have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Between them there is going to be a broad agreement on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Japan and Thailand. As I have said before, this EPA is richer in content and broader in coverage compared to other Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) that are being forged among many nations. It is broad because it covers investment and rich because it covers services and a wider range of products. I would be more than happy to discuss further the bilateral EPA if you are interested.
- Meeting between Mr. Motohide Yoshikawa, Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr. Fouad Siniora, President of the Council of Minister (Prime Minister), and Mr. Fawzi Salloukh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, of Lebanon
Mr. Taniguchi: Also important is what the Japanese Government is going to do with the country of the Republic of Lebanon after the so-called Cedor revolution.
The country of Lebanon has been struggling hard to stabilize the situation. The Japanese Government, in order to help with the investigation of the case involving the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri of Lebanon, is sending three criminal identification experts of the Metropolitan Police Department of Japan to the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) which now operates in Lebanon for the investigation of the assassination of Mr. Hariri.
This intention was expressed during the meeting between Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Bureau Motohide Yoshikawa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President of the Council of Minister (Prime Minister) Fouad Siniora of Lebanon, and prior to that, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Fawzi Salloukh of Lebanon. In the meeting, Mr. Yoshikawa expressed Japan's stance of supporting Lebanon's new administration established in July this year and offered Prime Minister Siniora an invitation to Japan.
Prime Minister Siniora highly valued Japan's support and expressed gratitude for the invitation. The timing of his visit is going to be discussed between the two governments. That is about Lebanon.
- Passing away of Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Said Abdella of the State of Eritrea
Mr. Taniguchi: On 28 August, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Said Abdella of the State of Eritrea passed away, leaving his wife and four children. Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura has sent his condolences to the surviving family members and to the people of Eritrea.
- Global Festa Japan 2005
Mr. Taniguchi: Next, about "Global Festa Japan 2005 - from 'knowledge' to 'action': Challenge to Millennium Developmental Goals" that is going to be held for two days on 1 and 2 October. It is a festival co-organized by the Foreign Ministry, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC). The festival aims to boost public awareness about the common concerns of many people in the world and about the Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs).
We are going to have a goodwill ambassador to Global Festa Japan 2005. About this and more, I would be happy to tell you afterwards.
- Grant aid to the Republic of Ghana, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of Indonesia and the Kingdom of Cambodia
Mr. Taniguchi: There are four announcements to make in terms of Japan's official development assistance (ODA).
The first is the grant aid of up to 300 million yen to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for the Project for Infectious Disease Prevention for Children in the Republic of Ghana.
Next is the grant aid of up to 403 million yen to UNICEF for the Project for the Eradication of Poliomyelitis in the Arab Republic of Egypt.
So as you see, through UNICEF, the Japanese Government is trying to help prevent and eradicate these diseases in some of the African nations. This is an important part on the side of the Japanese to contribute toward the betterment of the health situation in Africa.
Next, the Government of Japan has decided to extend grant aid of up to 938 million yen to the Republic of Indonesia for the Project for Bridge Construction in the Province of NUSA TENGGARA TIMUR.
Lastly, the Government of Japan has decided to extend grant aid of up to 1,471 million yen to the Kingdom of Cambodia for the Project for the Construction of Primary Schools in Phnom Penh.
- Questions concerning Six-Party Talks
Q: Could you comment on the North Korean proposal to resume the Six-Party Talks in the week of 12 September?
Mr. Taniguchi: What we have heard about the so-called proposal is that possibly the week of 12 September is going to be the week when there is going to be a resumption of the Six-Party Talks. The Japanese position is as follows.
It is regrettable and it has certainly not been constructive that the North Korean Government, by using a lot of excuses, postponed the scheduled resumption of the Six-Party Talks. It was viewed that there was going to be a resumption this week, but it was again postponed by North Korea. We regret it and we think that has not been constructive. That is the statement that I can give you.
Q: Has the Government of the People's Republic of China already informed the Japanese Government about North Korea's intention to resume the Six-Party Talks?
Mr. Taniguchi: It is our understanding that Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Dawei of China, still in North Korea, is talking to his counterpart in North Korea in order for the Six-Party Talks to begin as soon as possible. That is what we understand. We strongly hope and expect that the North Korea-China talks will result in the early resumption of the Six-Party Talks. It is vitally important for each and every party in the Six-Party Talks to decide when exactly the negotiations are going to start.
- Questions concerning Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in Iraq
Q: First, I heard that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, at the request of the Iraqi so-called government, would like to extend the mission of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF). Is that the official stance of the Japanese Government? And how do you explain why the SDF are now in Iraq or at least after December?
Mr. Taniguchi: In terms of the request, Prime Minister Koizumi said yesterday during the joint press conference at the Japan Press Club that he received a letter from the Foreign Ministry of Iraq. It is true that a letter dated 22 August was sent to Foreign Minister Machimura. In that letter, a couple of things were stated. First of all, the Foreign Minister of Iraq thanked the Japanese Government for its generous support, warm attitude and friendly cooperation to the people and nation of Iraq and officially requested that the stay of SDF troops in Iraq be extended.
Q: There is no reply yet?
Mr. Taniguchi: As you may know, the relevant law is going to expire on 14 December. What the Japanese Government is going to do afterwards with regard to sending SDF to Iraq should be decided by taking into consideration many aspects like the process of democratization in Iraq, the recovery of the nation and certainly the demand from the Iraqi Government. Of course we will be looking at the international situation overall. By taking these things into consideration, we will be deciding ourselves what we should do.
- Questions concerning Japan-United Arab Emirates (UAE) relations
Q: My question is about an incident that is causing some reaction in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Two citizens of that country arrived on 9 August to Narita Airport on a tourist visa, but they were deported on the basis that they were not convincing tourists and they later caused a lot of trouble. According to an interview by a newspaper there, they were humiliated during the process. It is causing some negative reaction. Are you aware of this incident and what is your comment?
Mr. Taniguchi: Certainly we are aware of the incident. Also, we are aware that that has been reported by the local newspaper. What I can tell you is this. The officers at passport control are the first faces that incoming visitors to Japan are going to see. They have become very much friendly. So it is unfortunate that these people cannot make an entry into Japan.
Having said that, that is only my personal view because I cannot speak on behalf of the ministry in charge of passport control. The relevant ministry is not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but the Ministry of Justice. Having been aware of this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been in contact with the Ministry of Justice and the Immigration Office. That is all I can say at the moment to you.
Q: How do you describe the relations between the two countries?
Mr. Taniguchi: You mean Japan and the UAE?
Q: I ask this question because it has been reported that from an immigration point the relations are worsening because of certain factors of which I will not go into detail. Also, last month I think former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto went there on an official mission.
Mr. Taniguchi: Well I have to learn more about the ongoing tensions if there are any.
- Question concerning oil prices
Q: Do you have any comment on oil prices? This may be an issue of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, but is the Foreign Ministry thinking about this issue?
Mr. Taniguchi: Well, in general terms, oil or petroleum is a marketable good whose market is one of the most transparent. So you could ask the same question to a bunch of analysts and economists, and they will give you lots of thoughts.
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