Top > Announcement > Press Conference by the Press Secretary of MOFA > 9 December 2010

Press Conference by the Assistant Press Secretary, 9 December 2010

  1. Ministerial Trilateral Meeting between Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States
  2. Visit to Russia by Mr. Akitaka Saiki, Director-General, Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau
  3. Visit to Indonesia by Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara
  4. Visit to Tunisia by Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara
  5. Visit to Algeria by Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara
  6. VI. Adoption of the Draft Resolution on Nuclear Disarmament Submitted by Japan to the United Nations General Assembly
  7. Attendance at the OSCE Summit by Mr. Yutaka Banno, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan
  8. VIII. Visit to Japan by Mr. Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
  9. Statement by the Press Secretary on the Presidential Election in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
  10. Statement by the Press Secretary on the Presidential Election in the Republic of Guinea
  11. Statement by the Press Secretary on the Suicide Attack in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
  12. Completion of the Legal Review on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

  1. Ministerial Trilateral Meeting between Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States

    2. Assistant Press Secretary Mr. Takeshi Matsunaga: Good afternoon. I have a number of issues for announcement. First the Foreign Minister's visit to the United States earlier this week. Second his visit to Indonesia, Tunisia and Algeria later this week and next week. I will also touch on several other issues.

    Mr. Matsunaga: First, in the United States, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara had a ministerial trilateral with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Kim Sung-hwan, and Secretary of State of the United States Hilary Clinton. The meeting was held on December 6 at the US Department of State. The three Foreign Ministers issued a trilateral statement. The text is circulated for your ready reference and also available on our website.

    As you see in the statement, the three Foreign Ministers pledged to maintain and enhance coordination and consultation on DPRK-related issues and strongly condemned the North Korea 23 November artillery attack on Yeongpyeong Island. They urged North Korea to cease its provocative behavior and abide by the terms of the 1953 Armistice Agreement to preserve peace and stability, not only in Northeast Asia but also in the wider region. The ministers also affirmed that North Korea's provocative and belligerent behavior threatens all three countries and will be met with solidarity from all three countries.

    The Ministers further condemned North Korea's construction of a Uranium enrichment facility highlighting that this was a violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874 and North Korea's commitment under the September 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks.

    I would also like to mention that the Ministers reaffirmed that resumption of the Six-Party Talks will require North Korea to make sincere efforts to improve efforts with the ROK as well as to take concrete steps to demonstrate a genuine commitment to complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. The Ministers also looked forward to further enhancing cooperation with China and Russia, in particular within the Six-Party Talks framework on ways to deal with North Korea-related issues, including an appropriate response to its recent provocative actions and denuclearization. The Ministers looked forward to China's efforts to urge North Korea to adhere to its commitments as articulated in the September 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks. Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara announced that in order to strengthen coordination with Russia and China, he would dispatch Mr. Akitaka Saiki, Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs.

    Besides the North Korean issues, the three Foreign Ministers confirmed that the three countries would cooperate closely on various regional and global issues. Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara and his Korean counterpart welcomed the United States' full participation in the East Asian Summit from 2011. At the same time, Madam Secretary Clinton highlighted the success of the recent G20 Summit hosted by the ROK and the APEC Leaders' Meeting hosted by Japan. The Ministers pledged to cooperate in deepening regional economic integration under the US chairmanship of APEC next year.

  2. Visit to Russia by Mr. Akitaka Saiki, Director-General, Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau

    3. Mr. Matsunaga: As a matter related to the issue I have just explained, I would also like to announce that today, Mr. Akitaka Saiki, Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs is visiting Russia in order to have a meeting with Mr. Borodavkin and have a meeting regarding North Korean issues.

  3. Visit to Indonesia by Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara

    4. Mr. Matsunaga: Next, following his visit to Washington D.C., Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara visits Indonesia today in order to take part in the Third Democracy Forum to be convened in Bali. This Democracy Forum is the initiative of Indonesia, a country with progressing democracy and increasing stature in the international community, with a view to promoting and further developing democracy in Asia. The forum has been held at the Ministerial level and its first meeting was held in 2008. Today, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara presents his statement at the forum, explaining Japan's basic ideas on democracy in Asia. The text of his statement will be available very shortly on our website.

    In his visit to Indonesia, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara has three agendas in mind. First he will demonstrate Japan's intention to contribute to the promotion of democracy in Asia. Second he intends to strengthen Japan's strategic partnership with Indonesia. Third Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara will explain Japan's position on the recent North Korean artillery attack on Yeongpyeong Island.

  4. Visit to Tunisia by Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara

    5. Mr. Matsunaga: After Indonesia, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara will continue on his visits. This weekend on Saturday and Sunday he will visit Tunis in Tunisia and attend the 2nd Japan-Arab Economic Forum. This forum is aimed at strengthening the economic relationship between Japan and Arab countries through cooperation in a wide range of areas such as energy, environment, scientific technology, trade and investment. The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Mr. Akihiro Ohata, will also attend this Economic Forum. Participants from the Arab side will include Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Mr. Amre Moussa. Economic organizations and business people in the private sector will also participate in the Forum.

    Japan expects that this forum will be an excellent opportunity for further active economic exchanges and cooperation between Japan and Arab countries, which are becoming a more and more attractive destination for Japan's exports and investment.

  5. Visit to Algeria by Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara

    6. Mr. Matsunaga: Further on, on Monday next week, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara will visit Algeria. It will be the first visit of a Japanese Foreign Minister to the country since the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relationship in 1962. During the visit Minister Maehara will have meetings with dignitaries of the government of Algeria.

  6. VI. Adoption of the Draft Resolution on Nuclear Disarmament Submitted by Japan to the United Nations General Assembly

    7. Mr. Matsunaga: I have further important announcements. I would like to announce that a resolution on nuclear disarmament was adopted with overwhelming approval at the General Assembly (of the United Nations) early this morning. The title of the resolution is "United Action towards the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons". The draft resolution enjoyed the largest number of co-sponsors. The number of co-sponsors was 90 and the outcome of the voting was approval of 173, objection of only one, and abstention of 11. The number of co-sponsors and supporters of the resolution was the largest since Japan has started to advance a resolution on nuclear disarmament every year since 1994.

  7. Attendance at the OSCE Summit by Mr. Yutaka Banno, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan

    8. Mr. Matsunaga: Next I would like to touch briefly on the recent participation of Mr. Yutaka Banno, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan, at the OSCE Summit on 2 December. OSCE stands for Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

    In his statement in the summit, State Secretary Banno focused on two points. First Mr. Banno emphasized that Asia and the transatlantic are inseparably linked in terms of security. North Korea's development of missiles and nuclear weapons poses a direct threat to the security of Japan and the Asia-Pacific region, and proliferation of these weapons will also endanger Europe and the entire international community, he argued.

    Second, Mr. Banno stated that in addressing security challenges, the OSCE has placed importance on adopting various perspectives inclusive of economy, environment and human rights, rather than focusing only on political and military affairs. This approach coincides with the concept of human security which Japan is advocating.

    He further stated that Japan welcomes the enhancement of the OSCE's involvement in Afghan reconstruction. He also reiterated Japan's commitment to contribute to the peace and stability of the international community acting as a bridge between the OSCE region and the Asia-Pacific, and in cooperation with Australia as a new Asian partner. The entire text of State Secretary Banno's statement is available on our website for your reference.

  8. VIII. Visit to Japan by Mr. Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)

    9. Mr. Matsunaga: Next, Mr. Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will visit Japan from 15 to 19 December as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During his stay, Director-General Üzümcü will meet Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara and other Japanese high-ranked government officials. He is also scheduled to give a speech at Keio University. It is expected that Director—General Üzümcü's visit to Japan will further deepen the cooperative relationship between Japan and the OPCW. This is his first visit to Japan since assuming office in July this year.

  9. Statement by the Press Secretary on the Presidential Election in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire

    10. Mr. Matsunaga: The next two items concern the African continent. Yesterday Japan expressed in its Press Secretary's statement, its concern over the situation in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, where in the runoff voting for the Presidential election, two candidates, incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, and leader of the opposition party, Alassane Ouattara, have both declared victory and taken the Presidential oath. Japan hopes that the outcome of the election, which resulted in Mr. Ouattara's election victory, as shown in the announcement by the independent election commission, will be respected. Japan also urges all interested parties to take responsible action conducive to the consolidation of peace and democracy without resorting to violent means.

  10. Statement by the Press Secretary on the Presidential Election in the Republic of Guinea

    11. Mr. Matsunaga: Also on the African continent, on December 3, the final result of the Presidential election in the Republic Guinea was announced, in which Mr. Alpha Conde was elected to the next President. On that subject the Press Secretary also issued a statement. In his statement, the Press Secretary stated that Japan welcomes and celebrates the major progress made in the process of the transition to civilian rule through the election of the next President, Mr. Conde, in the first democratic Presidential election held in Guinean history. Japan hopes that the people of Guinea will continue to make efforts towards consolidation of peace and the progress of democratization in the country.

  11. Statement by the Press Secretary on the Suicide Attack in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

    12. Mr. Matsunaga: Going back to Asia, I will introduce another statement by the Press Secretary regarding the suicide attack in Pakistan. The government of Japan is shocked and outraged by the many deaths and injuries caused by the suicide bomb attack on December 6 in Ghalanai, Mohmand Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan. Japan mourns the victims and expresses its condolences to their bereaved families. Japan also offers its sympathy to those wounded in the attacks. This was an abhorrent act targeting innocent people and Japan strongly condemns it.

    Japan condemns terrorism in all forms and for all purposes, and strongly reiterates that no act of terrorism can be justified. Japan hopes that the people of Pakistan will recover quickly from this ordeal and intends to support efforts by the government of Pakistan to combat terrorism in cooperation with the international community.

  12. Completion of the Legal Review on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

    13. Mr. Matsunaga: Finally on economic affairs I would like to announce that participants in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiation completed the legal review on the text of the Agreement in the meeting held in Sydney from November 30 to December 3. The text is available on our website for your reference.

    I will briefly touch on the background. The 11th and final round of the negotiation for ACTA was concluded successfully in Tokyo on 2 October. The government of Japan hosted the negotiations. Participants in the negotiations included Australia, Canada, the EU, represented by the European Commission and its member countries, as well as Japan, Korea, Mexico Morocco, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United States of America.

    ACTA aims to establish a comprehensive, first time international framework that will assist parties to the Agreement in their efforts to effectively combat the infringement of intellectual property rights, in particular the proliferation of counterfeiting and piracy, which undermines legitimate trade and the sustainable development of the world economy.

    It will include state of the art provisions on the enforcement of intellectual property rights, including provisions on civil, criminal and border enforcement measures, and robust cooperation mechanisms among ACTA parties, to assist in their enforcement, and establishment of best practices for effective intellectual property right enforcement. Now that participants have completed the legal review on the text for the Agreement they will proceed to domestic procedures to conclude the Agreement pursuant to the text.

    That's all from me. Thank you very much.

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