Press Conference, 21 May 2009

Announcement of official events related to PALM 5
Questions concerning the expected appointment of Mr. John Roos as Ambassador to Japan from the United States
Questions concerning the negotiating text for the U.N. climate change negotiations

I. Announcement of official events related to PALM 5

Deputy Press Secretary Yasuhisa Kawamura: Good afternoon. Welcome. Let me start with one brief announcement.

As I introduced at last week's conference, the official events of the so-called "PALM 5," the Fifth Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, have just begun today.

Last night, Prime Minister of Tuvalu Apisai Ielemia joined the rest of the leaders of Pacific Islands, and all the leaders have gathered in Tokyo.

This afternoon, all the leaders are meeting with Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, to be followed by a welcome reception hosted by Foreign Minister Nakasone.

Tomorrow morning, they will all fly to Tomamu, a town in Hokkaido. There, the summit meeting will begin. At the end of the meeting, co-chairs Prime Minister Aso and Premier of Niue Toke Tufukia Talagi are scheduled to hold a press conference which will be announced around the late morning of Saturday, the 23rd.

At the press conference, we expect three documents will be released. The leaders' declaration and the other two attachments are, one, about the "Pacific Environmental Community" and the other, about Japan's action program. In the documents, the actions to be taken by the Pacific Island leaders would also be addressed along with the Japanese efforts in external programs. These three documents are to be uploaded on the Ministry's website soon after they are agreed by the leaders.

And, before I finish my announcement, let me reiterate the three issues to be addressed at the summit meeting.

The first is to agree to establish the "Pacific Environmental Community." This means the building of region-wide cooperation in the area in environmental and climate change.

The second area to address is to show the regional collective will and determination to overcome vulnerabilities and challenges to promote human security, in which we would particularly need to pay attention to human security in health, water supply, and education, with a focus on capacity building. This challenge and response at the summit is important in the sense that the area may be subject to difficult challenges caused by the ongoing global financial and economic crisis.

The third is to strengthen personnel exchanges as a foundation for further regional collaborations.

That's all from me, now I will invite your questions.

Related Information (PALM5)

II. Questions concerning the expected appointment of Mr. John Roos as Ambassador to Japan from the United States

Q: I have one question. California-based lawyer, Mr. John Roos, has emerged as President Obama's likely choice as next U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Can you confirm this report? What is your impression about this news report?

Mr. Kawamura: I have read many press reports about the possible nomination of Mr. Roos as the next U.S. Ambassador to Japan, but my understanding is that this has not been officially confirmed yet. We have a series of conversations and communications with the United States government, but at this moment, we have not confirmed that as the case.

Q: Is the name of Mr. Roos a surprise for the Foreign Ministry or did you expect his name to emerge as a potential candidate?

Mr. Kawamura: Well, as I said, the case has not been confirmed yet. We will expect that at the end of the day, the U.S. government will, of course, notify us of the new appointment about the Ambassador to Japan through certain legal procedures. Therefore, at this moment, it might not be the right moment to make any comment of views on this.

But, I believe that, in general terms, we have a very strong, credible relationship and trust with each other for maintenance of a workable relationship between the two countries. So, we believe that whoever is appointed as Ambassador to Japan, we hope we can strengthen collaborations in the coming years. That is my personal belief.

III. Questions concerning the negotiating text for the U.N. climate change negotiations

Q: Yesterday, a U.N. panel released a negotiating text for U.N. climate change negotiations up to the end of this year to Copenhagen. There are some references of some very, very ambitious emissions reductions targets for developed countries as well as some action plans for developing countries too. How does the Japanese government see this report, because these targets are much more ambitious than the six options the Japanese government is considering? What is your view on this matter?

Mr. Kawamura: Let me start with the character of the document which was released yesterday by the chair of the working group of the negotiations. This chair's text incorporates various options including reduction targets for the entire developed countries, and the mechanism of registration of action programs to be taken by developing countries as well. So, it is a collection of options and suggestions for the new regime which should take place after 2013.

The crucial point here is the responsible participation by all the major economies. We cannot take the argument that obligations of developed countries should be preceded without referring to other obligations or actions. Japan would continue to engage itself with the negotiations so that they lead to the establishment of an effective new framework in which all -- I need to underline -- all the major economic players or economies should join.

Getting back to the chair's text, again, this has various options. That is why it includes "ambitious" proposals and Japanese proposals as well, as you mentioned. We will continue to negotiate proactively towards that goal, in other words, that all the major economies, major economic players, should join in the framework. That is the crucially important point for Japan.

Related Information (Climate Change)

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