Internet Press Chat Conference 23 February 2006
- Landslide disaster in Indonesia
- Dispatch of experts to the landslide in Leyte of the Philippines
- Sri Lanka's Peace Promotion Tour in Japan
- Cooperation for the Sakhalin Region
- Second meeting of the Joint Governmental Study for strengthening economic relations between Japan and Switzerland
- MOFA/IOM Symposium: "How Should Japan Respond to the Issues of Foreigners? Towards the Integration of Foreigners into Japanese Society"
- Question concerning Japan-Russia territorial dispute
- Follow-up question concerning MOFA/IOM Symposium
- Question concerning whaling issue
- Question concerning telephone conversation between Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari of Iraq
- Question concerning visit by Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshihiro Nikai to China
- Questions concerning visit to Japan by Minister of Foreign Affairs Manuchehr Mottaki of Iran
- Question concerning situation in the Palestinian Authority
- Landslide disaster in Indonesia
Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Let me start today's Internet Press Chat Conference. Today, I would like to make several announcements before I take questions.
The first is about the landslide disaster in the Republic of Indonesia.
Regarding the landslide disaster that occurred in Manado, North Sulawesi Province in Indonesia from 12 to 21 February, Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso sent a message of sympathy to Minister for Foreign Affairs N. Hassan Wirajuda of Indonesia, in which Foreign Minister Aso expressed his condolences for the many people who lost their lives and wished for the early recovery of those who suffered as well as for the reconstruction from the disaster.
- Dispatch of experts to the landslide in Leyte of the Philippines
Mr. Taniguchi: The next is about the dispatch of experts to the landslide in Leyte of the Republic of the Philippines.
On 21 February, the Government of Japan announced, in response to the request from the Government of the Philippines, that two natural-disaster-management experts will be dispatched to the southern part of Leyte Island, in which the massive landslide caused serious disasters on 17 February.
The two experts, both from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), together with Filipino Government officials, will visit the Island from 22 to 24 February, in order to study and weigh the risk of secondary disaster in restoration and victim-support activities.
This dispatch of experts follows the Japanese emergency assistance in kind equivalent to approximately 25 million yen which was delivered on 21 February.
- Sri Lanka's Peace Promotion Tour in Japan
Mr. Taniguchi: The next is about Sri Lanka's Peace Promotion Tour in Japan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is inviting nine youths from the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (4 Sinhaleses, 3 Tamils, 2 Muslims) to Japan from 21 to 28 February for Sri Lanka's Peace Promotion Tour in Japan.
The tour will be conducted with an aim to contribute to the peace and stability of Sri Lanka based on the view that providing opportunities for wide-ranging exchanges between young people who shoulder the future of Sri Lanka and Japanese parties, amid the ongoing Sri Lankan peace process, will help build trust among ethnic groups who share conflicting emotions.
- Cooperation for the Sakhalin Region
Mr. Taniguchi: The next is about the cooperation for the Sakhalin Region
The Government of Japan has decided to extend technical grant aid equivalent to 150 million yen to the Administration of the Sakhalin Region, Russian Federation, with a view to promoting economic and social reform in Sakhalin.
Notes Verbales to this effect were exchanged on 22 February between the Embassy of Japan in Russia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. The signing for the implementation agreement took place between Mr. Hiroyuki Imahashi, acting Consul-General in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and Mr. Ivan Pavlovich Malakhov, Governor of the Sakhalin Region.
- Second meeting of the Joint Governmental Study for strengthening economic relations between Japan and Switzerland
Mr. Taniguchi: The next is about the second meeting of the Joint Governmental Study for strengthening economic relations between Japan and the Swiss Confederation.
The second meeting of the Joint Governmental Study for strengthening economic relations between Japan and Switzerland will be held in Bern on 27 and 28 February.
The meeting will be attended by government officials and experts from Japan and Switzerland.
At the meeting, there will be presentations and discussions on free trade agreement (FTA)/economic partnership agreement (EPA) policies of Japan and Switzerland, legal systems, Swiss-European Union (EU) relations, and trade in goods.
The launch of the Joint Governmental Study was agreed upon at the Summit Meeting between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President Samuel Schmid of Switzerland in April 2005. The first meeting was held on 31 October and 1 November 2005 in Tokyo.
- MOFA/IOM Symposium: "How Should Japan Respond to the Issues of Foreigners? Towards the Integration of Foreigners into Japanese Society"
Mr. Taniguchi: The next and last is about a symposium organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be holding a symposium titled "How Should Japan Respond to the Issues of Foreigners? Towards the Integration of Foreigners into Japanese Society" in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on 9 March at the United Nations University.
Mr. Kazuaki Tezuka, Professor at the Law School of Chiba University, and Mr. Brunson McKinley, Director General of IOM, are scheduled to participate in the symposium as keynote speakers.
- Question concerning Japan-Russia territorial dispute
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a protest on Wednesday regarding Foreign Minister Aso's remark on the disputed islands last Saturday during a town meeting. From the Foreign Ministry's viewpoint, what remark is Russia referring to and what steps does the Japanese Foreign Ministry intend to take or has taken to address this latest move by Russia?
Mr. Taniguchi: The Russian side was not necessarily clear as to what part of Foreign Minister Aso's speech they were referring to. Yet they noted that Foreign Minister Aso's remarks on the Japan-Russia relationship would not help contribute to the betterment of the bilateral relationship.
In response, Charge d'Affaires Akimoto said that he would convey the message to Tokyo, adding that it was unclear as to which part the Russian side was referring to but that it would remain important that both parties continue to develop the cooperative relationship they have.
- Follow-up question concerning MOFA/IOM Symposium
Q: Regarding the symposium titled "How Should Japan Respond to the Issues of Foreigners?" what is the nature of this meeting? Is this intended to tackle immediate issues faced by foreigners in Japan or is it a general type of discussions? What issues will be tackled there? If you could kindly elaborate.
Mr. Taniguchi: You can see the details on the Foreign Ministry's website. Who is organizing and who will be attending are all there. If you could kindly have a look.
- Question concerning whaling issue
Q: There have been media reports that surplus whale meat is being sold as pet food. Is this true? What is the Foreign Ministry's reaction to such reports?
Mr. Taniguchi: I am not aware of the reports such as those. In any event whaling is being conducted in compliance with the internationally agreed framework, and the existence of over supply is a function of demand and supply in the marketplace. The activities that Japan is doing are important and necessary to collect vital information about cetacean resources.
- Question concerning telephone conversation between Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari of Iraq
Q: Let me ask you about the telephone conversation between Foreign Minister Aso and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari of Iraq yesterday. Could you tell us what the ministers mainly discussed? Did the talks cover the schedule of the withdrawal of the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) from Iraq and the resumption of yen loans to Iraq?
Mr. Taniguchi: Foreign Minister Aso gave a ring to Foreign Minister Zebari firstly to encourage that the newly formed government be as wide-ranging as possible to include people of different religious orientations and the people in the Kurdish region. Secondly, he also encouraged Foreign Minister Zebari to do their best to launch the party as soon as possible and to make it a successful one as the first ever federally organized government from the Arabic region.
Foreign Minister Zebari responded by saying that they would try to have no political vacuum in the course of government formation and said to Foreign Minister Aso that the government would be brought into existence sooner rather than later.
As for the schedule you are referring to and the yen loans I do not know whether they talked about them.
- Question concerning visit by Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshihiro Nikai to China
Q: In Beijing, Premier Wen Jiabao of the People's Republic of China met with Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshihiro Nikai, not Foreign Minister Aso. Does the Foreign Ministry of Japan see this as a message from China that it is not pleased with recent remarks by Foreign Minister Aso? Apart from China, the Republic of Korea (ROK) has also criticized Foreign Minister Aso in the past, and Russia has now become the latest country to fire a salvo against Foreign Minister Aso. How does the Foreign Ministry take all these criticisms about its foreign minister and how does it see these events affecting Japan's diplomacy with these countries?
Mr. Taniguchi: There is no correlation between the visit of Minister Nikai and Foreign Minister Aso's schedule.
As I have said before, the doors on our side have always been wide open. I have noted the meeting between the two ministers with delight and hope that there will be even more such exchanges.
May I ask you to remember that in 1998 when then Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited Japan both countries issued what was called a joint declaration. You might want to know that both countries agreed that the leader of each country would regularly visit each other's country.
- Questions concerning visit to Japan by Minister of Foreign Affairs Manuchehr Mottaki of Iran
Q: The Iranian Foreign Minister will be visiting Tokyo next week. Given the good relations Japan has with the Islamic Republic of Iran, do you think Foreign Minister Aso or any of the Japan's top brass will be able to play a role to convince Iran to halt its nuclear activities?
Mr. Taniguchi: We do have that aspiration indeed. The Japanese side, by using as many opportunities as possible, has continued to send the same single message that you should not alienate yourself even further from the international community by sticking to your nuclear ambition which the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the world at large have been opposed to.
As you say the relationship between the two nations has remained and is very much cordial and friendly. Foreign Minister Aso, I am sure, will encourage Foreign Minister Mottaki to halt suspicious nuclear activities.
Q: Are you able to give any advice as to Foreign Minister Mottaki's likely schedule?
Mr. Taniguchi: I can only say at the moment that Foreign Minister Mottaki will come to Japan on 27 February and leave the nation on 1 March. We will let you know more details before long.
- Question concerning situation in the Palestinian Authority
Q: Concerning the situation in Palestine, Hamas nominated Mr. Ismail Haniyeh to be the Palestinian Prime Minister. May I know how the Japanese Government is going to deal with Palestine's incoming government? Will Japan review its aid policy for the Palestinian Authority or most likely continue offering funds under certain conditions?
Mr. Taniguchi: No violent means can be justified by any means. This cardinal principle has no exception. And it applies to Hamas, which itself is a product of a very much democratic process. The other thing we are paying keen attention to is whether the Hamas-led government will endorse the Roadmap.
The way in which we deal with the Hamas-led government will be to say if you do this you will be given this and that, not to say if you do not do this you will lose this and that.
Related Information (Japan-Palestinian Authorities Relations)
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