Press Conference 2 September 2005
- Hurricane Katrina
- Messages from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura concerning incidents in Baghdad
- Cancellation of visit to Japan by President Paul Biya of the Republic of Cameroon
- Visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs Kantathi Suphamongkhon of the Kingdom of Thailand to North Korea
- Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
- Meeting between police authorities of Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK)
- Third policy evaluation paper of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Global Fund Replenishment for 2006-2007: London Meeting
- Grant aid
- Guests and national/special days of the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan (3 to 9 September)
- First Japan-Mexico Cultural Summit
- Exhibition at the Diplomatic Record Office: Japan-Russia Relations, 1855-1916
- Press conference by Dr. Sawako Takeuchi, Candidate for the position of OECD Secretary-General
- Question concerning situation in Iraq
- Follow-up question concerning Hurricane Katrina
- Follow-up questions concerning meeting between Japanese and ROK police authorities
- Hurricane Katrina
Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good afternoon, and let me begin.
Of course we have all been appalled by the degree of devastation that we have seen caused by Hurricane Katrina in the states of the United States of America (US). There are letters sent by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura.
The letter from Prime Minister Koizumi was to express deep condolences and sympathy on behalf of the people of Japan for the loss of lives and tremendous damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in the south of the US.
Also from Foreign Minister Machimura, there was a letter sent on the same day, 31 August, to convey his feeling of sympathy to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of the US, whose home state is Alabama, one of the states which sustained damages, and to the governors of the four states-Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama.
Seeing the scenes of devastation on TV I was reminded yesterday of what it must have been like 82 years ago on 1 September in 1923 when Tokyo was hit by the Great Kanto Earthquake. There was a friendship between an American scholar and then Mayor of Tokyo, Shinpei Goto. Mr. Goto sent a telegram to Mr. Charles Beard, a well-known academic who pioneered in US studies, especially US history. In response, Mr. Beard sent a telegram on 5 September to Mr. Goto saying that new roads should be constructed, no buildings should be allowed to be built in the blocks and train stations be combined. Those were the tips that immediately came from Mr. Goto's friend who was Mr. Charles Beard. It is now time, therefore, for the Government of Japan to think of how best to support the rescue effort of the US, there are a number of things that I have to say.
First, Japan will extend US$200,000 in assistance to the American Red Cross which is undertaking operations of maximum scale and hurricane assistance for those affected by the disaster. If the Government of Japan while confirming the needs in the affected areas through the federal government receives requests for assistance, the Japanese Government is ready to provide emergency assistance in kind that consists of tents, blankets, electric generators, portable water tanks and so on and so forth up to US$300,000.
I should note that there are three facilities in the world run by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) that stockpile these goods for rescue efforts. Indeed in the state of Florida, in Miami, there is a facility that stockpiles a million dollars worth of goods such as blankets, electric generators and the like. From there, those goods will be shipped upon the request of the US. So they are ready to be used.
That is about the hurricane and what the Japanese Government is willing to do. This has to be followed by another rather sad announcement, that is about the incidents in Baghdad, Iraq.
- Messages from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura concerning incidents in Baghdad
Mr. Taniguchi: Prime Minister Koizumi's message which I am going to read now is as follows:
Japan was shocked to learn that hundreds of people were dead and injured while they were attending religious ceremony in Baghdad on 31 August.
We would like to convey heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the Iraqi government, to the victims and to the bereaved families. Japan also offers sincere sympathy to those injured.
We believe that the Iraqi people are able to overcome this hardship with mutual cooperation among your people.
Japan intends to continue its support for the nation re-building efforts of the Iraqi people.
Similarly, Foreign Minister Machimura's message said as follows:
I was shocked to learn that hundreds of people were dead and injured while they were attending religious ceremony in Baghdad on 31 August.
I would like to convey heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the Iraqi government, to the victims and to the bereaved families. I also offer sincere sympathy to those injured.
I believe that the Iraqi people are able to overcome this hardship with mutual cooperation among your people.
That is about Iraq and its terrible incidents.
Related Information (Prime Minister's Message)
Related Information (Foreign Minister's Message)
- Cancellation of visit to Japan by President Paul Biya of the Republic of Cameroon
Mr. Taniguchi: The next announcement is a rather simplistic one, which is about the cancellation of the visit to Japan of President Paul Biya of the Republic of Cameroon. The official working visit to Japan of President Biya was announced on 12 August, but I must say that it has been cancelled upon the request of the Government of Cameroon. That was announced yesterday, 1 September.
- Visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs Kantathi Suphamongkhon of the Kingdom of Thailand to North Korea
Mr. Taniguchi: Some of the items that I am going to introduce now are about bilateral relations between Japan and other countries.
First, between Japan and the Kingdom of Thailand. There was an interesting visit made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Kantathi Suphamongkhon of Thailand to North Korea. This year commemorates the 30th anniversary of the start of the official relationship between the two sides. In July this year, the North Korean Foreign Minister made a visit to Thailand, and in response, the Thai Foreign Minister made a visit to North Korea. He was there between 27 and 30 August. He came back to Thailand and called Foreign Minister Machimura to let him know what he had heard about the Six-Party Talks while he was in North Korea.
According to Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi, his North Korean counterpart told him that they would be able to come back to the negotiating table in the week of 12 September. That was one of the things that the Thai Foreign Minister told Foreign Minister Machimura. In response, Foreign Minister Machimura expressed his appreciation for the host of efforts that have been made by Thailand, such as the efforts made by Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn. He is the special rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. That is the gist of the conversation between the two foreign ministers.
Related Information (Japan-Thailand Relations)
Related Information (Japan-North Korea Relations)
- Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
Mr. Taniguchi: Speaking of Thailand, needless-to-say there was an important bilateral meeting yesterday between Prime Minister Koizumi and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. As you know that was about the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). A Joint Press Statement was issued yesterday and it is already available so please refer to that. Please do carefully look at the statement on which I would rather not touch upon for time's sake.
- Meeting between police authorities of Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK)
Mr. Taniguchi: There was a meeting between the police authorities of Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK). The meeting took place on 31 August and 1 September in Tokyo, and it was about crime prevention.
As a footnote, there are a number of people who remain on the soil of Japan after their visas have expired. Among them, Korean people make up the biggest number with approximately 43,000 people. They are the ones of concern for both Governments, Japan and ROK. From both nations there were a number of participants including the Deputy Director General for Overseas Resident Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Government of the ROK.
- Third policy evaluation paper of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Taniguchi: Another announcement is about the publication of the policy evaluation paper of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As you may be aware, there have been a number of new initiatives taken by a host of ministries of the Japanese Government to be more accountable and to explain further about what have been occurring at the ministries and what sort of policies have been pursued by each of the government ministries. So on 31 August, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published its third policy evaluation paper based on the government policy evaluation. It is already uploaded in Japanese on the Foreign Ministry website. I am afraid it is not going to be available in English because it is a very thick paper. If you are interested, it is already uploaded. There are a number of interesting examinations about the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
- Global Fund Replenishment for 2006-2007: London Meeting
Mr. Taniguchi: Now, the next item is about the Global Fund Replenishment for 2006-2007. The Global Fund Replenishment Meeting, that is what it is called, for 2006-2007 will be held on 5 and 6 September in London with the participation of 30 countries, two international organizations and two private-sector organizations.
From Japan, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Mitoji Yabunaka and Deputy Director-General of the Global Issues Department Shigeki Sumi of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will participate in the meeting. Also attending the meeting will be Director of "Friends of the Global Fund, Japan" Tadashi Yamamoto at the request of the secretariat of the Global Fund.
As a main donor country in Asia, Japan has so far donated about US$327 million to the Global Fund. Furthermore, Prime Minister Koizumi expressed at the end of June this year a commitment that Japan would contribute an additional US$500 million for the Global Fund in the coming years. This is obviously one of the important meetings for Japan. At the forthcoming meeting, Japan will renew its commitment to fight against three major infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria that are seriously threatening human security.
- Grant aid
Mr. Taniguchi: Now about some of the official development assistance (ODA) policies: 1. debt relief measures in the form of rescheduling to the Dominican Republic, 2. non-project grant aid to the Republic of Guatemala of up to 500 million yen, 3. cultural grant aid to Guatemala for the Project for the Improvement of Audio-visual Equipment of the National Palace of Culture of up to 37 million yen, and 4. cultural grant aid to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for the Project for the Improvement of Sound Equipment of the Central University of Venezuela of up to 42 million yen.
- Guests and national/special days of the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan (3 to 9 September)
Mr. Taniguchi: Before touching upon some of the remaining rather important issues, let me just briefly introduce who is scheduled to visit the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan for the week of 3 to 9 September.
First, Minister of Culture and Information Pham Quang Nghi of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam will visit Japan from 4 to 8 September to attend the National Day event that is scheduled for 5 September. Also, Prime Minister Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos of the Republic of Angola will visit Japan from 5 to 8 September to attend the National Day event. From the Republic of Uzbekistan, Minister of Culture and Sport Alisher Abbasovich Azizkhodzhayev is going to visit Japan from 6 to 9 September also for the National Day event. From the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Minister of Commerce and Industry Hashime Bin Abdullah Yamani will visit Japan from 4 to 9 September to attend the National Day event on 9 September. From the Republic of Uganda, who is going to visit is still under discussion.
- First Japan-Mexico Cultural Summit
Mr. Taniguchi: The First Japan-Mexico Cultural Summit will be held not in Japan but in Mexico City, United Mexican States for two days, on 7 and 8 September. The summit is an outcome of the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Koizumi and President Vicente Fox of Mexico that took place in September last year, and it will be held to deepen the cultural exchanges and ties between the two nations. A number of people from Japan will be attending this cultural summit.
- Exhibition at the Diplomatic Record Office: Japan-Russia Relations, 1855-1916
Mr. Taniguchi: Next, from 5 September to 27 December, there is going to be a very interesting exhibition at the Diplomatic Record Office, one of the affiliated organizations of the Foreign Ministry. That is "Japan-Russia Relations, 1855-1916."
This year has been in many respects a very important year in terms of the Japan-Russia bilateral relationship. This year commemorates a number of things like the official ending of the Russo-Japan War and the signing of the peace treaty. The signing took place on 5 September one hundred years ago. Also, obviously 60 years have passed since the end of the Second World War, which in other words also means that 60 years have passed since the siege of the Northern Territories by the then Soviet Union.
As you may know, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation is scheduled to come to Japan in November this year. I would like to let you know that Japan will continue its negotiations with Russia toward President Putin's visit in November this year based on the common policy of concluding a peace treaty through resolving the issue of to which country these four islands belong. I have to ask you to take a copy of this pamphlet. It is all about Japan's Northern Territories.
- Press conference by Dr. Sawako Takeuchi, Candidate for the position of OECD Secretary-General
Mr. Taniguchi: I have another important announcement to make, and that is about Professor Sawako Takeuchi who Japan is very much pushing as a candidate for the next Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic and Co-Operation and Development (OECD). There is going to be a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Ginza on 6 September from 15:00 to 16:00, so please do make yourself available for this press conference. She is going to have a lot of things to tell you about how she plans if you like to create a new OECD if she is elected as the OECD Secretary-General. Needless-to-say, if she does become Secretary-General, she is going to be the first OECD Secretary-General from this part of the world of Asia.
- Question concerning situation in Iraq
Q: This is concerning the situation in Iraq. Was any special instruction given to Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in Samawah in light of what happened?
Mr. Taniguchi: Not that I know of.
- Follow-up question concerning Hurricane Katrina
Q: On the hurricane, is the Japanese Government considering extending additional support to the US such as sending people there?
Mr. Taniguchi: I am not aware of that.
- Follow-up questions concerning meeting between Japanese and ROK police authorities
Q: Could you give us the number of ROK people who are overstaying their visas? Could you tell us from when this figure was taken?
Mr. Taniguchi: The number once again is 43,151 people. That is the number of people from the ROK. It is followed by 32,683 people from the People's Republic of China and 30,619 people from the Republic of the Philippines. Those numbers are as of 1 January 2005.
Q: What is the figure for the People's Republic of Bangladesh?
Mr. Taniguchi: It is not in here, which means that the number is relatively small compared to these countries.
Also, as a footnote, for your reference, these police officers and relevant government officials from both Japan and the ROK are going to talk not only about the overstay of people but also about a variety of crimes that are being conducted by ROK people in Japan. The number of people who were arrested after conducting some of the illegal activities from ROK amounted to, in total, 14,031 people for the first half of this year. From Bangladesh, if you are interested, the corresponding figure amounted to 233 for the first half of this year.
Q: What kind of crimes are they?
Mr. Taniguchi: I cannot tell you what sort of crimes. You should definitely ask the National Police Agency. These figures are already disclosed, they are not classified information.
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