Press Conference 17 March 2006
- Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso to the Commonwealth of Australia
- Visit to Japan by His Royal Highness Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Visit to Japan by Prime Minister Mari Bim Amude Alkatiri of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
- G8 Energy Ministerial Meeting in Moscow, Russian Federation
- Appointment of Japanese Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Nobuaki Tanaka as the new Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs of the UN
- Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on the violence in the Palestinian Territories
- Statement by Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on the opening of the National Assembly of Iraq
- Dispatch of election observers for the presidential election in the Republic of Belarus
- Water and Sanitation Broad Partnership Initiative (WASABI)
- Assistance for "Economic and Social Empowerment of Returned Victims of Trafficking" Project
- Seminar on Community Building in the Multi-ethnic Societies of the Western Balkans-From the Human Security Point of View
- Fourth meeting of New Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century
- Contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
- Oku-Inoue Commemorative Youth UN Visit Program to visit the UN Headquarters
- Training for Iraqis on environmental conservation of marshlands in Southern Iraq
- Grant aid to the Republic of Georgia
- Non-project grant aid to the Republic of Kiribati
- Follow-up question concerning visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso to the Commonwealth of Australia
- Follow-up question concerning visit to Japan by His Royal Highness Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso to the Commonwealth of Australia
Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good afternoon. I have a long list of announcements to make today.
The first is about Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso's visit to the Commonwealth of Australia. He is departing from Japan on 17 March and he will be coming back from Australia on 19 March. The purpose is to attend the Japan-US-Australia Ministerial Level Strategic Dialogue, and he will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister John Howard of Australia.
He will also have Japan-Australia foreign ministerial talks plus other meetings.
- Visit to Japan by His Royal Highness Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Mr. Taniguchi: There will be a visit to Japan by His Royal Highness Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, The Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
His Royal Highness Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, The Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, accompanied by a suite, will pay an official visit to Japan from 5 to 7 April 2006.
During his stay in Japan, His Royal Highness will have an Imperial audience with His Majesty The Emperor of Japan, and His Majesty the Emperor will host a court luncheon in honor of His Royal Highness.
His Royal Highness will also hold a meeting with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.
The Government of Japan sincerely welcomes the visit of His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which will further strengthen the friendly relations between Japan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Visit to Japan by Prime Minister Mari Bim Amude Alkatiri of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Mr. Taniguchi: There will also be a visit to Japan by His Excellency Prime Minister Dr. Mari Bim Amude Alkatiri of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.
He is going to be in Japan from 22 to 25 March. Prime Minister and Minister for Natural Resources, Minerals and Energy Policy Dr. Mari Bim Amude Alkatiri of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste will visit Japan at the invitation of the Government of Japan.
During his stay Prime Minister Alkatiri will be received in audience by His Majesty The Emperor of Japan. Prime Minister Alkatiri will also have talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and other senior government officials for a wide-ranging exchange of views on such issues as Japan-Timor-Leste bilateral relations, future assistance for Timor-Leste and United Nations (UN) reform.
He will also deliver a keynote speech at a symposium entitled "Japan and Consolidation of Peace in East Timor" co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Takushoku University.
Prime Minister Alkatiri's visit will be the first since he assumed his post as Prime Minister in May 2002. It is expected that this visit will further strengthen the friendly and cooperative relationship between Japan-Timor-Leste.
- G8 Energy Ministerial Meeting in Moscow, Russian Federation
Mr. Taniguchi: Vice-Minister (Parliamentary) for Foreign Affairs Dr. Kiyohiko Toyama attended the G8 Energy Ministerial Meeting that was held in Moscow, Russian Federation on 15 and 16 March.
The purpose was to prepare for the G8 Summit Meeting which will be held in St. Petersburg later on.
- Appointment of Japanese Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Nobuaki Tanaka as the new Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs of the UN
Mr. Taniguchi: The next item is about the appointment of Mr. Nobuaki Tanaka, Japanese Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, as the new Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs of the UN.
Mr. Nobuaki Tanaka, current Ambassador to Pakistan, is expected to be appointed as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs on 17 March in New York.
The Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs superintends the UN Department of Disarmament Affairs, which is engaged in promoting disarmament activities. We recognize that this is an important post, whose assignment includes supporting the UN General Assembly on the Conference on Disarmament (CD), tackling issues of weapons of mass destruction and conventional arms, promoting regional disarmament activities, and providing information on UN disarmament activities.
We hope that Ambassador Tanaka will contribute proactively to UN disarmament activities drawing on his broad experiences as a diplomat.
Related Information (Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation) - Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on the violence in the Palestinian Territories
Mr. Taniguchi: Next, there was a statement issued by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on the violence in the Palestinian Territories and the Israeli military operation. The gist of it goes as follows:
Japan expresses its regret at the military operation conducted on 14 March by the Israeli Defense Force against the prison in Jerico as an act to heighten the tension in the region.
At the same time, Japan expresses its regret at the kidnapping of foreign nationals in the Palestinian Territories, including aid staff, and the destruction of foreign facilities, which would seriously hamper the international aid activities for the Palestinians.
Japan is deeply concerned that the Israeli military operation and the ensuing violence in the Palestinian Territories may negatively affect the future efforts towards peace. Japan calls on both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides to exercise their utmost self-restraint to prevent further deterioration of the situation, to end the violence, and to restore quiet.
Japan will continue to make its best efforts towards peaceful co-existence and co-prosperity of both nations.
- Statement by Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on the opening of the National Assembly of Iraq
Mr. Taniguchi: There is also a statement by the Press Secretary on the opening of the National Assembly of Iraq. It goes as follows:
Japan welcomes the opening of the National Assembly of Iraq on 16 March as a positive step towards the establishment of a new government.
Japan strongly hopes that Iraq will overcome many difficulties and that the Iraqi citizens, respecting each ethnic group and religious party, will promptly inaugurate a stable government based on national reconciliation. I also hope for the acceleration of the movement of setting up a new government.
Japan intends to continue active support for the efforts of the Government of Iraq and its people.
- Dispatch of election observers for the presidential election in the Republic of Belarus
Mr. Taniguchi: The next is about the dispatch of election observers for the presidential election in the Republic of Belarus.
The Government of Japan has decided to dispatch four election observers from among the officials of the Japanese embassies in the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Poland to the International Election Observation Mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to support the fair implementation of the presidential election in the Republic of Belarus which is scheduled to take place on 19 March.
Approximately 400 election observers will attend the OSCE/ODIHR International Election Observation Mission for this presidential election. The Government of Japan has decided to dispatch these observers as a part of the Japanese contribution to democracy and stability in Belarus.This presidential election is the first to be held since a constitutional ban on a third term for a president was lifted as a result of the referendum which was held in October 2004.
- Water and Sanitation Broad Partnership Initiative (WASABI)
Mr. Taniguchi: Next is an announcement about the Water and Sanitation Broad Partnership Initiative (WASABI).
Taking the opportunity of the 4th World Water Forum and the Ministerial Conference that is going on from 16 March in Mexico City, Japan will announce its new official development assistance (ODA) policy initiative on water and sanitation, Water and Sanitation Broad Partnership Initiative (WASABI). Needless to say, WASABI is a Japanese horseradish that grows more with purer water.
Improved access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation is a target of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), constituting a vitally important element for attaining other goals such as eradication of poverty and hunger. There are, however, about 1.1 billion people without access to safe drinking water and about 2.6 billion people without basic sanitation.
Japan is the world's largest donor on water and sanitation. During 2000-2004, Japan implemented ODA amounting to US$4.6 billion, which accounted for 41% of the DAC members' total in this field.
This initiative aims at strengthening support to the self-help efforts of the developing countries by making use of Japan's experience, expertise and technology concerning water and sanitation based on a broad partnership with international organizations, other donor countries, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), etc. To this end, Japan will implement comprehensive measures such as promotion of integrated water resource management (IWRM), provision of safe drinking water and sanitation, and the like. - Assistance for "Economic and Social Empowerment of Returned Victims of Trafficking" Project
Mr. Taniguchi: The next is about an assistance for the "Economic and Social Empowerment of Returned Victims of Trafficking" Project.
On 15 March, the Government of Japan and the UN decided to extend assistance totaling US$1,977,116.36 (approximately 211.55 million yen), through the Trust Fund for Human Security to a project entitled "Economic and Social Empowerment of Returned Victims of Trafficking" that will be implemented by the International Labor Organization (ILO).
This project is expected to restore the dignity of victims of human trafficking in the Kingdom of Thailand and the Republic of the Philippines as well as to improve their livelihood.
- Seminar on Community Building in the Multi-ethnic Societies of the Western Balkans-From the Human Security Point of View
Mr. Taniguchi: The next is about a seminar on Community Building in the Multi-ethnic Societies of the Western Balkans-From the Human Security Point of View.
The date and venue will be 22 March at Mita Kaigisho, Tokyo.
Participants will include government officials and researchers from the Western Balkan countries (Republic of Albania, Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Republic of Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro) and the provisional institutions of the Self-Government of Kosovo. Representatives from the European Union (EU) member states and candidate countries, G8 countries, international organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), and the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe will also attend.
The purpose is to make this a follow-up to the "Ministerial Conference on Peace Consolidation and Economic Development of the Western Balkans" which was held in Tokyo in 2004. This will discuss measures for community building in the multi-ethnic societies from the human security perspective, with a view to contributing to the promotion of ethnic reconciliation in the Western Balkans, where difficulties arising from its multi-ethnicity continue to exist after the end of the conflicts.
- Fourth meeting of New Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century
Mr. Taniguchi: The next is about the fourth meeting of the New China-Japan Friendship Committee for the 21st Century.
The fourth meeting of the New Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century will be held from 23 to 24 March in Kyoto.
The meeting will be attended on the Japanese side by a committee headed by Chairman of the Board of Fuji Xerox Mr. Yotaro Kobayashi, and on the Chinese side by a committee headed by former Executive Vice-President of the Central Party School Mr. Zheng Bijian.
At the forthcoming meeting it is expected that intellectuals from Japan and the People's Republic of China will have a frank and animated discussion covering the theme of the ideal mode of Japan-China relations in the 21st century and enhance both countries' common interests.
Prior to the meeting Japan and China set up a website on 17 March to send out information on the committee's activities and essays on Japan-China relations written by committee members.
- Contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Mr. Taniguchi: Next the Government of Japan contributed 13.9 billion yen (approximately US$130 million) to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on 15 March.
This is part of the additional contribution to the Global Fund announced in June 2005 by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who pledged an additional Japanese contribution amounting to US$500 million in the coming years, at a symposium commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit. This brings the Japanese total contribution to over US$480 million.
Japan made the contribution on 15 March with the recognition of the important role the Global Fund is playing in the fight against the killer diseases in developing countries while expressing Japan's commitment to continue assistance in this global endeavor.
- Oku-Inoue Commemorative Youth UN Visit Program to visit the UN Headquarters
Mr. Taniguchi: Next the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan will dispatch two high school females, three junior high school females, two high school males, and one junior high school male student, which equals eight students, to the United Nations Headquarters from 21 to 27 March.
The eight students are prize winners in creative writing contests. They will visit the UN, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Permanent Representative Offices of other nations.
This project was started in FY2001 by the initiative of the late Mr. Katsuhiko Oku, then Director of the UN Policy Division, who was killed in Iraq during his mission in November 2003.
- Training for Iraqis on environmental conservation of marshlands in Southern Iraq
Mr. Taniguchi: Also Japan will give 13 Iraqi government-related persons training on the environmental conservation of marshes in the southern part of Iraq, as part of the training program of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), from 15 to 24 March in Japan.
This program is intended to deepen their understanding of the environmental conservation of marshes through lectures on marsh preservation and visits to related facilities in Japan.
- Grant aid to the Republic of Georgia
Mr. Taniguchi: The next two items are about ODA.
First, grant aid to the Republic of Georgia.
The Government of Japan decided to extend 800 million yen to the Republic of Georgia for the purpose of alleviating debt issues and economic difficulties. An exchange of notes was held on 16 March in Tblisi, Georgia between Ambassador to Georgia Tadahiro Abe and Minister of Finance Alekski Aleksishvili of Georgia.
- Non-project grant aid to the Republic of Kiribati
Mr. Taniguchi: Next is grant aid to the Republic of Kiribati.
The Government of Japan decided to extend a non-project grant aid of 100 million yen to the Republic of Kiribati.
Letters were exchanged on 17 March.
- Follow-up question concerning visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso to the Commonwealth of Australia
Q: You mentioned about the strategic dialogue in Australia, what does the Foreign Ministry aim to get out of the meetings?
Mr. Taniguchi: This, first of all, has been a long overdue trilateral ministerial level meeting and the three nations decided earlier to launch this security-related strategic meeting between the three ministers from Australia, Japan, and the United States of America (U.S.).
So they will certainly look at the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region and exchange views about what is going on and what they deem important related to the security situation.
But the word "strategic" is a broad term covering many aspects. So they will certainly look at issues such as North Korea, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and lots of other issues of their concern.
- Follow-up question concerning visit to Japan by His Royal Highness Princess Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Q: Regarding the Saudi visit, what issues will be coming up?
Mr. Taniguchi: Actually, this is also a long overdue visit. But clearly as was mentioned by the speech that Foreign Minister Aso delivered of late regarding economic diplomacy, we are going to launch a discussion to have a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), of which Saudi Arabia is one of the most important members.
So overall, His Royal Highness and the Japanese side will discuss issues related to FTA and furthering the economic ties between the GCC and Japan.
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