Press Conference by the Deputy Press Secretary, 10 September 2009

Japan chairs the 4th Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia
Questions concerning a possible visit to China by new the Prime Minister
Questions concerning the fourth meeting of the Japan-China Joint History Research Committee
Questions concerning the 4th Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia
Questions concerning Japanese ODA policy

I. Japan chairs the 4th Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia

Deputy Press Secretary Yasuhisa Kawamura: Good afternoon and welcome. Let me start with one brief announcement about the anti-piracy efforts off the coast of Somalia.

Japan will chair the 4th Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia today in New York. This Contact Group was established as an international cooperation mechanism based on the UN Security Council resolution for anti-piracy activities in the region. For this fourth meeting, we have newly invited countries and 47 countries have responded to participate.

In this conference, we will discuss methods for more effective and concerted anti-piracy efforts including operational coordination and legal frameworks to prosecute pirates.

Japan has been joining in international efforts to tackle piracy off the coast of Somalia. Currently, two Japanese destroyers and two P-3C maritime patrol aircrafts are operating in the region. So far, our vessels have engaged in escorting more than 50 times for 200 ships.

That is all from me. Now is the time for your questions.

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II. Questions concerning a possible visit to China by new the Prime Minister

Q: Has the new Prime Minister's visit to China been decided upon?

Mr. Kawamura: Nothing on that point has yet been decided.

Q: Has there been any suggestion from the Chinese side?

Mr. Kawamura: I am not aware of such a suggestion.

Q: Yesterday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with Japanese business leaders in Beijing. Did the Premier convey any message through these leaders? Or, has the Chinese side extended their invitation through diplomatic channels?

Mr. Kawamura: Unfortunately, I cannot confirm this.

Q: I understand that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been contacting the Democratic Party of Japan to brief them on on-going foreign affairs. At these briefings, did they touch upon a possible visit to China by new the Prime Minister?

Mr. Kawamura: I will refrain from making any comments on what they have been discussing.

Q: Chinese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Wu Dawei visited Japan a couple of days ago, and met with his Japanese counterpart, Mr. Yabunaka and other senior officials. Did Mr. Wu Dawei convey any messages from the Chinese government?

Mr. Kawamura: Vice Minister Yabunaka met with his Chinese counterpart, Mr. Wu Dawei, on Monday, the 7th. The two mainly discussed bilateral issues between Japan and China, and agreed that they will continue to hold a close dialogue.

III. Questions concerning the fourth meeting of the Japan-China Joint History Research Committee

Q: Have the Japanese and Chinese sides agreed as to when they will hold the fourth meeting of the Japan-China Joint History Research Committee, which has been postponed once?

Mr. Kawamura: I understand that they continue to discuss the timing but I need to check to make sure about it. I will get back to you later.

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IV. Questions concerning the 4th Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia

Q: You said that 47 countries are participating in the 4th Contact Group. What are the names of those participating countries, especially the new participants?

Mr. Kawamura: I do not have the country list with me now, so I will get back to you with those names. However, 28 countries participated in the third meeting, and that makes 19 states that are newly joining the fourth meeting. This shows the increasing interests of the international community towards anti-piracy efforts off the coast of Somalia.

Q: How is the chair of the contact group usually decided upon?

Mr. Kawamura: Again, I have to get back to you on the exact procedure, but I assume that the chair will be decided upon by consensus of the participating countries. And for your reference, for the first meeting, the United States chaired the meeting in New York and Egypt chaired the second meeting in Cairo. The third meeting was again chaired by the U.S. in New York and this time, Japan is chairing the meeting in New York.

Q: Was this for the environment?

Mr. Kawamura: This mechanism was established within the framework of the United Nations Security Council resolution.

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V. Questions concerning Japanese ODA policy

Q: There was something in the newspaper saying that the new government would stop financial aid.

Mr. Kawamura: If I understand your question correctly, the initial press report was about the new expected minister's intention not to extend ODA to the needy countries?

To be honest, I am not aware of that particular article, and I will refrain from making comments on that. In any case, concerning the future Japanese ODA policy towards the developing countries, we will need to follow the instructions of the new Minister and Cabinet. With the guidance of the Minister, we will act and pursue the most effective method of ODA implementation.

Q: No policy as yet?

Mr. Kawamura: We have established and exercised policies concerning ODA for the past several decades. However, in this particular context on the eve of the establishment of a new Cabinet, we will act in accordance with the new guidelines and new policies under the new administration if we are to act.

Thank you very much.

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