Press Conference, 3 October 2006

Announcements and documents available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website
Statement by the Press Secretary/Director General for Press and Public Relations on the elections in the Republic of Zambia
Telephone conversation between Mr. Taro Aso, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea (ROK)
Return of the Japanese skipper of a fishing boat by the Russian Federation
Questions concerning visits by Japanese officials to the People's Republic of China and the ROK
Questions concerning Japan's position regarding and negotiations for the Azadegan oil field
Question concerning free trade negotiations between Japan and the ROK
Questions concerning Japan's overseas public relations under the Abe Administration
Follow-up questions concerning the telephone conversation between Mr. Aso and Mr. Ban

I. Announcements and documents available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website

Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Sorry to be late. Let me begin today's conference with a couple of announcements.

Firstly, on Japan's assumption of the presidency of the United Nations (UN) Security Council. About this let me suggest that you look at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' English website. There, by the way, you can also see the policy speech that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made to the 165th session of the Diet .

II.Statement by the Press Secretary/Director General for Press and Public Relations on the elections in the Republic of Zambia

Soon to be uploaded is the statement by the Press Secretary/Director General for Press and Public Relations about the presidential election in the Republic of Zambia. The election took place successfully on 28 September. The statement is to express congratulations from the Japanese Government to the Zambian people and their president, Mr. Levy Patrick Mwanawasa.

Related Information (Press Release)

III. Telephone conversation between Mr. Taro Aso, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea (ROK)

Mr. Taniguchi: I have a couple of other items to talk about before taking questions.
The first one is about the telephone conversation between Mr. Taro Aso, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea (ROK). They talked to one another over the phone for about 15 minutes from 4:50PM yesterday, on 2 October.

During the conversation Mr. Ban said that the Government of the ROK would be inviting Mr. Aso to Seoul.

IV. Return of the Japanese skipper of a fishing boat by the Russian Federation

Mr. Taniguchi: Secondly, let me say that Mr. Noboru Sakashita, skipper of the fishing boat, who had been taken captive by the Russian Federation Authority was released earlier today and is now free. He is scheduled to arrive at Nemuro Port anytime soon. We are still urging the Russian side to return the vessel as well.

V. Questions concerning visits by Japanese officials to the People's Republic of China and the ROK

Q: I would like to ask about Prime Minister Abe's visit to the People's Republic of China and the ROK. NHK has reported this afternoon that the date has been confirmed and all set that for 8 October Prime Minister Abe will go to China and on 9 October to the ROK. I would like to hear your final word to confirm this.

Mr. Taniguchi: Nothing. NHK, Kyodo, and all others have been reporting this - and it may sound odd to you - but we are not allowed to make any concrete statement.

Q: Can you recap on where the initiative came from with respect to these visits to Beijing and Seoul? Which side did the initiative come from?

Mr. Taniguchi: Both sides - the Japanese side and the Chinese side.

Q: Was it simultaneous on both sides?

Mr. Taniguchi: The atmosphere between the two nations had already been warming up before Prime Minister Abe took office. So the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the Japanese side and its counterpart on the Beijing side started to talk about this well before this administration took office. I can tell you that the break came when Mr. Dai Binguo, Deputy Foreign Minister of China, came to Japan to talk to Shotaro Yachi, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and I think that was the meeting that was very important for both China and Japan to have this top-level meeting as soon as possible. So it is hard for me to say which side initiated this, it materialized almost simultaneously from both the initiatives of both nations.

Q: You said you could not confirm the date of it, could you confirm that a meeting definitely will take place?

Mr. Taniguchi: Well, that as well is still hard for me to deny or confirm. It is not an issue about which I can say anything concrete.

Q: Is Mr. Aso's visit to Seoul likely to precede the prime minister's?

Mr. Taniguchi: We are scheduling the prime ministerial visits. But as far as Mr. Aso's visit is concerned it is just an invitation voiced by the ROK side that came to the Japanese side yesterday, so I would be very surprised if that would materialize in a matter of weeks, it will probably take months.

Q: One more thing, has the Chinese side attached any specific conditions to accepting a visit from Prime Minister Abe?

Mr. Taniguchi: I am sorry to repeat what I said at the beginning, but about anything concrete, about Prime Minister Abe's visit to China I can say almost nothing in terms of the schedule, venue, not to mention the content of the possible talks between the two leaders.

Q: Is that because the timing has not yet been finalized?

Mr. Taniguchi: Certainly, we are not ready to make an announcement concretely or conclusively.

Q: I was going to ask is there the chance of there being no meeting this weekend between Prime Minister Abe and the Chinese side?

Mr. Taniguchi: About that as well I have to say nothing.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about who has really been in charge of the logistics? There have been some Japanese media reports that essentially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is out of the loop, that this has all been handled by the Prime Minister's Office, and that there are people in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who are quite bent out of shape that since the Abe Administration took office foreign relations are now really being handled inside the Prime Minister's Office.

Mr. Taniguchi: Well it is one of the lines that seems to be very much in vogue within the media community in this nation. But the fact of the matter is that since the Abe Administration has come into office the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cabinet Office and Prime Minister's Office have been in very close consultation and collaboration to make this happen. As I said, before Mr. Abe became prime minister the discussion had already started. I should be very much opposed to the assertion or assumption that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is out of the loop for anything. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cabinet Office have been in close cooperation with each other to get this state visit prepared.

VI. Questions concerning Japan's position regarding and negotiations for the Azadegan oil field

Q: I want to ask what would Japan's position be if the United States (US) imposed sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran for its nuclear uranium enrichment program given that Japan imports about 15% of its oil from Iran?

Mr. Taniguchi: Right. Nuclear proliferation is the first, second, and third most important thing for Japan to care about. Certainly, Azadegan and the supply of oil are important for Japan, and Azadegan is one of the most important oil projects for Japan. But number one it is a private deal, even though Inpex is affiliated with the government in the shape of the government's holding a golden share so to say. Still, it is a private deal. Secondly, as I said, nuclear proliferation is among the most important policy issues that the Japanese Government has always cared very much about. So there is absolutely no reason for Japan to have any sort of reservation if the UN imposes sanctions against Iran.

Q: Sir, in a related question on Azadegan, how are the negotiations going on between the UN and Japan with regard to Azadegan? Are they still continuing right now?

Mr. Taniguchi: I know there have been various reports and articles about it, but in my official capacity I know nothing.

Q: What was that question related to?

Mr. Taniguchi: Azadegan.

Q: Sir, just a follow up question, Japan is calling for a one month extension for the negotiations, how do you see the prospects for this?

Mr. Taniguchi: I have no prospects, I have no information at all. It is a private deal, so I must ask you to go to Inpex to see what is going on.

VII. Question concerning free trade negotiations between Japan and the ROK

Q: Negations between Japan and the ROK on free trade have been effectively stalled for some time. Will that be a priority to re-launch or to restart those negotiations immediately in either Prime Minister Abe or Mr. Aso's visit?

Mr. Taniguchi: Well it is a far-fetched question. Certainly the re-launch or reactivation of the process for a Japan-ROK economic partnership agreement (EPA) is among the most important issues hanging between the ROK and Japan. There may or may not be an opportunity when Prime Minister Abe visits the ROK to re-launch this program. But I do not know anything yet whether Prime Minister Abe is actually going to address that issue. The same is true for Mr. Aso.

VIII. Questions concerning Japan's overseas public relations under the Abe Administration

Q: One question on the strategy of what Prime Minister Abe calls the strategy for overseas public relations, what is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' role in this?

Mr. Taniguchi: I am glad to answer your question because I am very much part of that program. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has got to be involved fully to enhance the public relations program, or public diplomacy program, in close cooperation with the Cabinet Office and Prime Minister's Office. Members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been in close contact with our counterparts right from the launch of this program, and we are thinking hard about how to brush up a public relations strategy that is suitable for a 21st century Japan. Further than that, we are thinking hard about new initiatives, but it is still too early for me to disclose anything. But one thing is for sure, this ministry has been collecting information and intelligence from all corners of the world so we are in a position to sell our programs earnestly to the most important customer, which is the Prime Minister's Official Residence and Office.

Q: You mentioned to brush up on the public relations strategy, say for example for Prime Minister Abe's speech on Friday the English did not come up on the internet until a full day later, until Saturday afternoon. Which I think is much later than in Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's time, how would you comment on that?

Mr. Taniguchi: Well it is very disappointing, I have to say, and using our limited resources we have to do much more to make available as much information as possible and as quickly as possible, not only into English but also into other languages like Chinese and Korean as well. But given the limited resources that is the utmost we have been able to do so far, but that is exactly one of the most important areas we are thinking about

Q: So does the government have any specific measures in mind? Also, you said you are in cooperation with the Prime Minister's Office, but it seems like Mr. Seko, the new Special Advisor, is in charge of briefing reporters now on telephone conversations for example?

Mr. Taniguchi: I think it is all the more natural for people like Mr. Seko to take charge of briefing on what has gone on between the prime minister and his counterparts. The new initiative coming from the Prime Minister's Office is more than welcome in that it could enhance the capacity for Japan to disseminate information and let the world know what is happening in this country. In terms of the measures with which we can perhaps speed up the dissemination of information in other languages, I have to say that it is long overdue for Japan to quickly send as much information as possible, firstly in English and then in other languages. I have to say we have to spend more money, time, and effort to find good translators and translation facilities with which we can do what you would like us to do.

IX. Follow-up questions concerning the telephone conversation between Mr. Aso and Mr. Ban

Q: On the conversation between Mr. Ban and Mr. Aso, has Japan now definitively endorsed Mr. Ban for the UN Secretary-General post?

Mr. Taniguchi: Mr. Aso was close to giving a formal endorsement before saying that the formal endorsement would come from Prime Minister Abe later on. He said during the stakeout interview this morning that the likelihood that Mr. Ban is really going to become the Secretary-General is something that the Japanese Government can feel happy about, because it has been the position of the Japanese Government that the next UN Secretary-General should come from an Asian nation. In addition he added by saying that official endorsement would come from Prime Minister Abe.

Q: Did Japan have a candidate in that position?

Mr. Taniguchi: No.

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