Press Conference, 18 December 2007

Assistance to the Chadian Police for Humanitarian Protection (PTPH)
Appointment of a liaison officer to the Office of the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Kabul, Afghanistan
Questions concerning Japan-People's Republic of China relations
Question concerning Japan's diplomacy in 2007
Question concerning Prime Minister Fukuda's prospective visits
Question concerning Japan's SM3 testing
Questions concerning the fishermen detained by the authorities of the Russian Federation
Questions concerning Japan-Republic of Korea relations

I. Assistance to the Chadian Police for Humanitarian Protection (PTPH)

Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good afternoon. Thank you for coming. I have two announcements to start with.

First, last Friday, the 14th, Japan decided to provide assistance amounting to approximately 2.2 million US dollars to launch the activities of the Chadian Police for Humanitarian Protection, or PTPH.

The assistance is to respond to the dire humanitarian situation at the refugee camps in eastern Chad, caused by the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan and violent clashes in Chad. This assistance by Japan will be utilized to provide facilities and equipment necessary for the establishment of the PTPH headquarters in N'Djamena and an academy to train Chadian police personnel.

Japan hopes that this assistance will contribute to peace and stability in Chad and neighboring countries, including Sudan.

Related Information (Press Release)

II. Appointment of a liaison officer to the Office of the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Kabul, Afghanistan

Mr. Taniguchi: Second, last Thursday, the 13th, Japan appointed an official of the Japanese Embassy in Afghanistan as a Japanese liaison officer to the Office of the NATO Senior Civilian Representative, or NATO SCR in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The Japanese liaison officer will work closely with the NATO SCR to implement the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security projects on the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan. So far, 13 projects have been launched in the areas of primary education, vocational training, health and medical care, water and sanitation.

Related Information (Press Release)

III. Questions concerning Japan-People's Republic of China relations

Q: My question is Japanese media are saying that Prime Minister Fukuda will be leaving for Beijing on the 27th, and returning to Tokyo on the 30th: can you elaborate on this trip?

Mr. Taniguchi: I'm afraid I can't. I know a number of reports and articles have touched on that and I am fully aware of that, but there is nothing that I can confirm at this point.

Q: I believe you wish to resolve the dispute in the East China Sea, regarding the natural resources before Mr. Fukuda leaves for Beijing. I was wondering if there is any progress or any plan to hold another meeting any time from today until the end of this month with Chinese officials.

Mr. Taniguchi: That is a two part question. The first one is? Say it again please.

Q: It is about the East China Sea issue. Do you intend to do something to resolve the issue?

Mr. Taniguchi: How likely is it going to be?

Q: Yes, how likely, and also are there any plans from today to maybe the end of this month to have a meeting with Chinese officials?

Mr. Taniguchi: There is no plan at the moment for both countries to have a meeting from now until the end of this month, subject to change of course. Whether or not the East China Sea Gas Field dispute is going to have any successful resolution any time soon, I have to say it is very unlikely that both nations can have that kind of resolution. And it has been reiterated by Foreign Minister Koumura this morning, again, when he said that these kinds of disputes need firm political determination and dedication from the top, rather than constructing from below.

Q: Also regarding China, a couple of weeks ago your minister as well as other ministers were visiting Beijing and meeting their counterparts. You issued a statement on what you were able to achieve there, but as a result I believe China did not include a specific area regarding its currency, and you wished that China had put that in. What I was wondering was if you had asked China about that issue, and whether there has been any development since?

Mr. Taniguchi: Whether we have asked the Chinese to make a correction about it, the answer is: yes, through the diplomatic channel. Twice, the Japanese Government made a request that the appropriate lines be reinstalled to the document, and we have so far seen and heard no answer from the Beijing side.

Q: Are you going to keep on asking China to do something about this or are you going to stop here?

Mr. Taniguchi: I can't say yes or no at the moment.

IV. Question concerning Japan's diplomacy in 2007

Q: If I may have one, since this is the last press conference for this year. If I may ask you for kind of a review of Japan's diplomacy in the past year, what kind of achievements, and what kind of major obstacles or hurdles that Japan faced. And then also the prospects for next year, especially Japan's relations with China and then also with TICAD and the G8 Summit coming up next year.

Mr. Taniguchi: In terms of the prospect for the upcoming year of 2008, that is going to be a very much memorable year, in that Japan is going to host two major events all within the same year: the TICAD IV and the G8 Summit meeting in Hokkaido Toyako. If you look at them, TICAD takes place once in every five years, and Japan hosts the G8 Summit meeting, by definition, once in every eight years. So the year in which Japan is going to host two of those events comes once in every 40 years. That is telling how important the Japanese Government views the year of 2008.

For both of these events the Japanese Government is going to pursue some of its signature policies, if I may say so. One of them would be the climate change issue, and the other is the development issue. We have been satisfied rather about the conclusion of the Bali process of the COP13 (Conference of the Parties), because the end result has proven to be almost identical to the initial proposal that the Japanese Government brought forward. We have been encouraged by that, and the Japanese Government's diplomacy is going to be tested further next year: whether it could successfully implement the Bali proposal and the process, so that Japan can be a catalyst to include major emitters and growing emitters such as India and China. So, that is about the next year.

Next year is also going to be important in terms of Japan's regional diplomacy, because if this year has been the 35th anniversary of Sino-Japan rapprochement, next year is going to be another commemorative year, because it will make the 30th anniversary of the signing of the treaty between China and Japan. The Chinese side made a proposal that both nations should celebrate the year 2008 by enhancing still further already burgeoning exchange relationships between the two nations, by giving a further boost to the juvenile exchanges between the People's Republic of China and Japan. And so, we are once again flexing diplomatic muscle, if you like, in order for us to successfully implement that.

This year, the most regrettable event for this year is the termination of the operation that Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has long been engaged in the Indian Ocean. Japan continued to do that for six years, since December 2001, in part because Japan wanted to take part in the joint effort to contain terrorist activities in the region. But more importantly, in order for Japan to pursue its national interest, because at the end of the day, Japan cannot live a day without a peaceful environment along the sea lane of communications that stretches from the very region in which Japan provided maritime assistance to Japan and the East Asian region. So the termination of the operation is very much regrettable, and one should hope that the current session of the Diet will bring out a resolution by which Japan can restart the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean.

Apart from that, many events took place in the year 2007 which expanded Japan's diplomatic horizon, I think rather substantially. If you look at the Australia-Japan relationship, that has gained even more strategic salience.

Prime Minister Abe's trip to India ended in very much a success. I can remember when he made a speech in the Indian parliament, he was applauded more than 30 times. The speech ended in a standing ovation, and so on and so forth. The India-Japan relationship should only grow.

The NATO-Japan relationship is, I think, still in the formative period of time, but as I said in the opening statement, it is moving forward perhaps slowly but steadily. All in all, positive developments I think outclassed the negative. But, once again, the refueling mission, I hope very much, is going to be given permission by the Diet to restart.

Lastly, I think a few words may be in order about the Japan-China relationship. I think both governments have worked enthusiastically and very hard to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relationship between Beijing and Tokyo. Japan's initiative to invite some 2,000 high school students from China to Japan is still an ongoing process, and I have to say I am the one who has been very much encouraged by the reservoir of goodwill that's actually been enriched day in and day out by those young people from both sides.

So, that will be a quick summing up of what I think has been important if you look back at the year 2007.

V. Question concerning Prime Minister Fukuda's prospective visits

Q: Since Japan is going to take the G8 presidency next year, what major countries is the Prime Minister hoping or planning to visit next year, at least in the first half of next year?

Mr. Taniguchi: If I can name the countries that Prime Minister Fukuda may want to visit, that will be not a handful but more than 10. But you have to take into consideration that the situation in the Diet is the most important factor that Prime Minister Fukuda should think about when planning the visits overseas next year.

Certainly Prime Minister Fukuda wants to reach out as much as possible to the member nations of the G8 Summit meeting next year, and, if possible, to the nations that will be joining the TICAD meeting in May, given the importance, as I said, of the year 2008 for Japan's diplomacy. I hope the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and other leaders of the Japanese Government will be able to make as many trips abroad as possible with the permission and approval from the Diet.

Q: You called the most regrettable event of the year the termination of the refueling operation in the Indian Ocean. Given the falling approval rating of Prime Minister Fukuda's cabinet, it seems like people want the Government to prioritize, to resolve the pension fiasco instead of putting much energy into the refueling issue. What is your opinion on that?

Mr. Taniguchi: The Japanese Government, and for that matter any government, is not a single issue activist. It has got to pursue many issues, but certainly the fact that people are interested in domestic issues does not mean that the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean has lost its importance.

Q: How are you going to show the people the importance of the refueling mission?

Mr. Taniguchi: "How" is a difficult question. I think the Japanese Government, certainly the Foreign Ministry included, tried hard to show to the people of Japan that the refueling mission has been well-received, well-appreciated by the international community, and that the Pakistani naval force has been unable to conduct the kind of operation that it was possible to do before, since the termination of Japan's refueling mission. I do not think there is any other way for people like me other than by trying to make the case again and again in a very patient fashion.

VI. Question concerning Japan's SM3 testing

Q: If I may change the subject, today I heard reports that Japan has been successful with its SM3 testing. I was wondering whether there has been some sort of reaction from other countries on this testing, or if you needed to explain to neighboring countries about what Japan was doing.

Mr. Taniguchi: I have heard no response, as of yet, of that kind. I think the successful launch of the sea-based mid-course missile against the enemy missile is certainly a very much positive development in order to provide further shield to Japan.

VII. Questions concerning the fishermen detained by the authorities of the Russian Federation

Q: Regarding the fishermen caught by Russia, what is the reaction by the Russian Government, because I understand that you have been asking Russia.

Mr. Taniguchi: It seems that the Japanese fishermen have been moved to Kunashiri island from Shikotan island, and that they have been moved to Kunashiri has been noticed by the diplomatic representative of the Russian Government to Japan's consular office in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. So, that is it, basically.

We have been telling the Russians that they be released as soon as possible, and that they should take into consideration that some of the crew members have chronic illnesses. Mr. Shigemi Fujimoto of a ship called Hoyu Maru No. 31 has got some kind of chronic illness that needs constant medical care. That is basically it. It is a very regrettable development, and I think the Russians should release them as soon as possible.

Q: They are not showing any attention?

Mr. Taniguchi: Not at present.

VIII. Questions concerning Japan-Republic of Korea relations

Q: I have another question. Tomorrow, in South Korea, the presidential election will take place. I was wondering, depending on who becomes the president, do you think ties with Japan will improve.

Mr. Taniguchi: It is a tricky question. I do not think I can comment on that sort of question.

Q: How closely are you paying attention to their policy?

Mr. Taniguchi: Very closely, of course. It is the closest neighbor, and one of the most important for Japan.

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