Press Conference by the Deputy Press Secretary, 30 September 2010

1. Reports of the visits of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister to New York
2. High-technology clothing sent to Chilean miners trapped underground
3. Meeting between Prime Minister Kan and President of Ghana, His Excellency Professor John Evans Atta Mills
4. VIP Visits
5. Questions concerning the US House Resolution and the Hague Convention
6. Questions concerning the status of the Japanese nationals detained in China
7. Questions concerning the Senkaku Islands
8. Follow-up questions concerning the status of the Japanese nationals detained in China
9. Questions concerning cooperation for South Asian countries
10. Questions concerning the G4 Meeting and reform of the Security Council
11. Questions concerning gas field development in the East China Sea
12. Questions concerning stationing of SDF Forces near the Senkaku Islands
13. Questions concerning dissemination of information on activities for international cooperation and for foreign communities living in Japan
14. Questions concerning the reported intention of the Russian President to visit the Northern Territories
15. Questions concerning the role of the United States in Japan-China relations
16. Questions concerning reports of pressure from Russia and China with regard to territorial issues
17. Questions concerning the United States' policies regarding biodiversity
18. Questions concerning China's participation in APEC meetings

Reports of the visits of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister to New York

Deputy Press Secretary Hidenobu Sobashima: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Today I have several topics to share with you before inviting your questions.

We have distributed the papers, basically the papers relating to the visits of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister to New York. Let me first explain these. First you have the address by Prime Minister Kan at the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations on 22 September. In fact, the Prime Minister not only participated in this General Assembly meeting, but also he made statements in the MDGs meeting as well as the Security Council meeting. He referred in the General Assembly meeting to the issues of development assistance, global environment, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, peace keeping and peace building. Those four areas he covered. Particularly we have separate sheets for your information. He announced what he called the "Kan Commitment". That includes two areas or two specific measures. The first is what he called "EMBRACE", which stands for "Ensure Mothers and Babies Regular Access to Care". He committed to provide from 2011 for a period of five years roughly 5 billion US dollars to help progress on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) number 4, number 5, and number 6. This is the first measure.

The second measure is what he called the "School for All" initiative, and you have on the next page, the amount is 3.5 billion US dollars, again for the same five years. Prime Minister Kan made these commitments in New York.

We have also the papers for the Foreign Minister. The first, I think, a joint statement by Foreign Ministers on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. This is the statement of the Ministers participating in this group, which was hosted and established jointly by Japan and Australia. Canada, Chile, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates participated. So in total ten countries participated in this meeting, and as a result, this joint statement was issued. If you have a look at Paragraph 2, it says that we reaffirm our shared commitment to the NPT and Paragraph 3 says that we welcome the successful outcome of the NPT and renew our determination to achieve the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and Paragraph 5 says that with a view to enhancing international peace and security, we have decided to work together on concrete and practical measures for a world of decreased nuclear risk as a milestone on our path towards realizing a world without nuclear weapons. With those preambles, there are specific paragraphs for nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation, peaceful use of nuclear energy, and also reference to the next steps. And the next document is remarks of the Foreign Minister at the Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change hosted by the Government of Mexico. There, if you look at Paragraph 3, Japan once again reiterated the goal. The goal is early adoption of a new and comprehensive legal document that establishes a fair and effective international framework in which all major economies participate. If you turn the page, also we have affirmed our commitment to support developing countries, saying "Japan has already implemented approximately 5.3 billion dollars out of 15 billion dollars announced as the Hatoyama Initiative to tackle the problems of Climate Change". Next is the address by the Foreign Minister at the high-level meeting as a contribution to the International Year of Biodiversity. As you know, Japan will be hosting COP10 of the Convention on Biological Diversity so he requested the cooperation of other countries for the success of COP10.

Finally, we didn't distribute the paper but he also had what is called a G4 meeting, meaning the group of four countries that is, in alphabetical order, Brazil, Germany, India and Japan. The Foreign Ministers of the four countries discussed the issue particularly of the UN Security Council Reform. They agreed that with a view to achieving concrete results on the Security Council Reform during the current session, meaning the session starting this September, ending August or September next year. The four countries reaffirmed their readiness to reach out to other countries and to work in close cooperation with them toward this goal.

High-technology clothing sent to Chilean miners trapped underground

Mr. Sobashima: These are the reports of the visit by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, and just for your information we have several other items of my oral presentation. The first is the sending of clothing to Chilean miners held underground.

Japan has sent five sets of 33 high-technology clothing which can be used in space, for the use of those unfortunate miners, and also other equipment for their use. This was last Tuesday that we sent them. I hope they will arrive soon.

Meeting between Prime Minister Kan and President of Ghana, His Excellency Professor John Evans Atta Mills

Mr. Sobashima: Secondly, yesterday there was a meeting between Prime Minister Kan and the visiting President of Ghana, His Excellency Professor John Evans Atta Mills, yesterday evening. Prime Minister Kan explained to the President of Ghana that Japan is willing to assist Ghana in its development efforts and Japan intends to resume ODA loans, which had not been provided since the year 2000. So Japan will consider the projects for ODA loans, after a ten year interval. He also said that for the purpose of human resources development Japan intends to invite 100 Ghanaian people for the coming three years as a trainee in Japan. Also the two leaders envisaged to develop the relations in terms of trade and investment. President Mills said that Ghana is ready to cooperate with Japan on various international issues including the reform of the Security Council of the United Nations.

VIP Visits

Mr. Sobashima: These are the topics, and for the visits of VIPs, as you know, Prime Minister Kan announced that he will be traveling to Brussels to participate in ASEM 8 on 4 and 5 October. We have APEC-related ministerial level meetings. On 1 October we have a Women's Entrepreneurship Summit in Gifu City, and also we have the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Ministerial Meeting, also in Gifu City from 2-3 October.

These are the topics and information I would like to share at the beginning. Now I would like to invite your questions.

Questions concerning the US House Resolution and the Hague Convention

Q: Overnight, Japan time, the United States House of Representatives has taken a Resolution, and it was calling on Japan to act on the issue of parental abductions, on American citizen children who are here in Japan. What is the government reaction to that passage of the Resolution?

Mr. Sobashima: Yes, we know that, in fact as you stated, the Resolution was adopted in the plenary session of the House of Representatives of Congress of the United States, so we are aware, and we recognize the passage. As for the issue of taking children away, crossing national borders, we are aware of the seriousness of this issue. The Government of Japan intends to continue to address this issue of taking children away seriously, attaching importance to the welfare of children in difficult situations. So this is our basic position. We have been considering, and we will continue to address this issue.

Q: Any movement on signing the Hague [Convention]?

Mr. Sobashima: We are seriously considering the possibility of concluding the Hague Convention. Just for your information, we have consultation bilaterally with the United States on this issue also.

Q: If you could clarify, what is the hesitation of Japan in signing the Hague [Convention]? What are the issues that are still under consideration?

Mr. Sobashima: In order to sign and eventually ratify the Convention, we should implement, of course, the articles of the Convention, so we need to identify the issues that we should ensure in order to honor the Convention. As I explained, the possibility of concluding this Convention is under consideration among the ministries and agencies concerned. As you know, it will take some time. Of course, pending what may happen, we should address this issue on an individual basis. If there is a need to address specific issues we are ready to address them. But that is without necessarily becoming a party to the Hague Convention.

Q: I want to make sure whether I understand correctly. So you are seriously considering signing the Hague [Convention], it will take time...

Mr. Sobashima: I said the possibility of concluding the Hague Convention, but it will take time to identify what sort of internal domestic measures we should implement in order to become a party to the Convention. So the consideration is underway among the ministries and agencies concerned of the Japanese Government.

Q: But no timeline of when that decision might be made.

Mr. Sobashima: I am not in a position to indicate the timeline, but we are seriously considering the possibility.

Questions concerning the status of the Japanese nationals detained in China

Q: Can I ask about the status of the Japanese nationals in China?

Mr. Sobashima: We have just confirmed that three out of the four detained have been released.

Q: Where are they?

Mr. Sobashima: In China. I don't know exactly where they are, but we have confirmed that three members of Fujita Corporation were released.

Q: Any more information about their status?

Mr. Sobashima: We don't know, or at least I don't have the details. We are not in a position to comment, because we have just confirmed the fact that the three people out of the four who had been detained, were released.

Q: And what is the status of the person who remains in custody?

Mr. Sobashima: Apart from he is still in custody, we do not know the detail. This is the news today, but yesterday the officials of the Embassy of Japan had a meeting with the four people for the purpose of consular protection, and we have confirmed that the four people's conditions were good, that they were healthy. That was yesterday afternoon, which was the second meeting for consular protection.

Q: Do you know if they are being charged with anything?

Mr. Sobashima: We heard earlier, I think last week, that they were detained for the charges of violation of the domestic law relating to the protection of military facilities.

Q: Do you release the names of those released?

Mr. Sobashima: Sorry I am not in a position to do so, but perhaps Fujita may. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not in a position to disclose their names.

Q: What is the reaction to having three of them released?

Mr. Sobashima: As I said, because we don't have the detailed information, other than the three were released, we may be not in a position to comment on this yet. Perhaps at a later stage we may have more information and that we are in a better position, however, at this point, apart from confirming that the three were released, I have no further comment to offer.

Q: Can you state what Japan's position is at this point on the detention and the release? I know you are not going to have much comment on it, but the current position of the Government of Japan with China in relation to these Fujita employees.

Mr. Sobashima: We had already communicated to the Chinese side that those people detained should be given due consideration for humanitarian purposes, and they should be treated in accordance with their law, and so we requested appropriate treatment. But apart from that, because they said the Chinese side detained the Japanese nationals on these charges, we have been watching closely what will be the conclusion, what will be the detailed situation, but we don't have information enough to comment further on the current situation.

Questions concerning the Senkaku Islands

Q: Can I come back to the starting point of the Senkaku Crisis, if I may call it that. At that time, it seemed that Mr. Maehara as Transport Minister was somehow in charge and handled this issue. Can you explain a little bit when the decision was made to arrest the captain, who was involved in this decision making process? Ministers from the Foreign Ministry, the Transport Ministry, and who was in charge, actually?

Mr. Sobashima: The arrest was executed by the Coast Guard authorities. At that time, yes, our minister himself confirmed that he was at that time Minister for Land, Infrastructure and Transport, who is supervising the Coast Guard authorities as well. However, in his press conference, he stated clearly that it was not his responsibility but the responsibility of the Coast Guard authorities to take actions, and with the arrest warrant obtained from the relevant court, the Coast Guard arrested the fishermen. As you know, only the captain continued to be detained, however the other members of the boat were released. Does this answer your question?

Q: Not directly. Before the arrest warrant was finalized, were there any consultations between Ministers from the Foreign Ministry, the Transport Ministry, and the Justice Ministry, and who was in charge during this process?

Mr. Sobashima: I presume the information was shared by the relevant government authorities, however I would like to refrain from identifying what specific person, but the information about the collision of the Chinese fishing vessel was shared by the relevant authorities of the Government of Japan, but the decision to arrest was made by the Coast Guard.

Q: Asahi Shinbun ran a story yesterday saying that [then] Transport Minister Maehara insisted that the captain should be arrested, and Prime Minister Kan could not be informed because he was campaigning for the election, and [then] Foreign Minister Okada was in Germany changing trains when he in passing heard about it, and said "If Maehara insists then let's do it", and then the first reaction of the Foreign Ministry was that we have to act calmly, and Maehara stayed in charge of this issue, although he was not the Foreign Minister at that time. Do you think that the Asahi story is wrong?

Mr. Sobashima: At least a part of the information is wrong. I accompanied then Foreign Minister Okada to Germany, and we did not use trains, he only used cars. What I would like to say is to repeat that the relevant authorities of the government were informed of the incident, but the decision was made by the Coast Guard authorities. Because you asked the question, my colleague may be able to distribute the paper on the basic stance on this issue of the Senkaku Islands. As you may have already read, the statement of the Press Secretary, Director General of Press and Public Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the collision between Japan Coast Guard patrol vessels and a Chinese fishing trawler in Japan's territorial water of the Senkaku Islands, let me explain this: The first paragraph states about the basic position on the Senkaku Islands. There is no doubt that the Senkaku Islands are clearly an inherent territory of Japan, in light of historical facts and based upon international law. Indeed the Senkaku Islands are now under the valid control of Japan, and there exists no issue of territorial sovereignty to be resolved concerning the Senkaku Islands.

Let me explain a little bit about the history. I think in this morning's parliament session there was also a similar explanation made by our minister, Minister Maehara, for the Diet members. From 1885 onwards, the Senkaku Islands had been thoroughly surveyed by the Government of Japan through the agencies of then Okinawa Prefecture and by way of other methods. Through these surveys, it was confirmed that the Senkaku Islands had been uninhabited and showed no trace of having been under the control of China. Based on this information the Government of Japan made a Cabinet Decision on 14 January 1895 to erect a marker on the islands to formally incorporate the Senkaku Islands into the territory of Japan. Since then, the Senkaku Islands have continuously remained as an integral part of the Nansei Shoto Islands which are the territory of Japan. These islands were neither part of Taiwan nor part of the Pescadores Islands which were ceded to Japan from the Qing Dynasty of China in accordance with Article II of the Treaty of Shimonoseki which came into effect in May of 1895.

So, I earlier explained the Cabinet Decision to incorporate the Senkaku Islands to Japan was made in January 1895, and then the Treaty of Shimonoseki was concluded in May of 1895, in any event. Accordingly the Senkaku Islands are not included in the territory which Japan renounced under Article II of the San Francisco Peace Treaty. The Senkaku Islands have been placed under the administration of the United States of America as a part of the Nansei Shoto Islands, as I referred to, in accordance with Article III of the said treaty, and are included in the area, the administrative rights over which were reverted to Japan in accordance with the Agreement Between Japan and the United States of America Concerning the Ryukyu Islands and the Daito Islands signed on 17 June 1971. The facts outlined, as I explained, clearly indicate the status of the Senkaku Islands being part of the territory of Japan. The fact that China expressed no objection to the status of the Islands being under the administration of the United States under Article III of the San Francisco Peace Treaty clearly indicates that China did not consider the Senkaku Islands as part of Taiwan. It was not until the latter half of the 1970s, when the question of the development of petroleum resources on the continental shelf of the East China Sea came to the surface, that the Government of China and Taiwan authorities began to raise questions regarding the Senkaku Islands. So this is the history. Just I explained some supplementary information with respect to Paragraph 1. Paragraph 2 is our position on this specific incident. The Government of Japan handled the most recent incident, that is the collision, arrest, and release of the captain, duly and strictly under the jurisdiction and in accordance with domestic law, as a case involving the obstruction of the execution of official duties by a Chinese fishing trawler. Thus the demand by the Chinese side for an apology and compensation, which were made at that time, is completely groundless and is utterly unacceptable for Japan. This is the position on the recent incident.

And thirdly, our stance for the future. Steady development of Japan-China relations is extremely important, not only for both countries, but also for the region, as well as the international community. It is important for both Japan and China to continue making efforts to maintain the mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests from a broader perspective. So this is our position. We repeat this according to necessity.

Q: There was a Tokyo High Court decision in 1944, when Naha and Taipei had an argument about the Senkaku Islands, and the Tokyo High Court decided that the Senkaku Islands belonged to the Taipei authorities, and not to Naha. So in that sense, the Tokyo High Court in 1944 decided that the islands were part of Taiwan. Would you comment on that please?

Mr. Sobashima: I am sorry, I don't have the materials to answer that legal question, but we may be able to come back if we have data. But as far as our understanding is concerned the Senkaku Islands have been an inherent territory of Japan. So I will check that later.

(N.B. Such court decisions on the Senkaku Islands can not be confirmed. In any event, the alleged demarcation of the jurisdiction among parts of Japan in 1944 does not affect the legal status of the Senkaku Islands, as referred to in this question. This information was provided to the journalist who has asked this question.)

Follow-up questions concerning the status of the Japanese nationals detained in China

Q: I would like to go back to the Fujita employees who were just released, and once again I would like to ask the government reaction on that, because as you know the Japan-China relationship has been stagnated, apparently. So in the midst of that now you have got this confirmation of at least three of them released. Do you see it as a development of the stagnation?

Mr. Sobashima: Sorry, I already responded to the earlier questions that, yes, we have confirmed the release, however, because we don't know the detailed information we are refraining at this point from commenting. If we have more information we may be able to comment or respond to that kind of question, however, at least when I came into this room, at that time the only thing we were able to confirm was the release of the three people. So because we would like to know more about this piece of news, I would like to refrain from commenting on that. We may be able to comment later with more information if more information is obtained. But yes, I think this should be the fact that we should recognize with interest. But apart from that I would like to refrain from commenting officially.

Q: Can I follow up. So what do you want from the Chinese Government with regard to the three.

Mr. Sobashima: What I will be able to say at this time is that our side, the Prime Minister, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, my Minister, have been saying that we would address this issue in a calm manner, so we hope that the Chinese side would also address this issue calmly. We will continue this. Our position remains the same. We of course are waiting for further developments. Apart from that I would like to refrain from commenting as I said that although we have, yes, confirmed the release, but we want to know more about that. And we have other issues that we would like to have more information. I would like to refrain from specifying what sort of issues we have, so at this point I would like to refrain from commenting further than what I have already said.

Questions concerning cooperation for South Asian countries

Q: We are here for the South Asia journalist program. I have a different question. For a long time, for more than two decades, Japan has been a good friend of South Asia, from Bangladesh to Nepal and Sri Lanka. All the countries, we have a good relation with Japan, and still now we have. But nowadays we see that China is going to be a good friend. They are going to give more donations. Now they are the single largest donor in Sri Lanka. The same thing is happening in Nepal. And they are going to give more donations. After two or three years we will see that now China is stronger in South Asia. So do you have more friendly policies or more good policies to be friendlier toward South Asia? Do you have any policies for South Asia?

Mr. Sobashima: Thank you for the question. The fact that the Chinese are assisting the developing countries more and more should be welcomed. I would like to refrain from competing in the volumes between China and Japan. But yes, we intend to continue to extend our cooperation, particularly to Asian countries, including South Asian countries, according to the necessity. But as you know there is a limit to the budget. We hope that we will be able to obtain the budget. However, even in those situations, we will consider extending our cooperation in an efficient manner. Yes, Bangladesh and other countries, if you specify we will be able to give you more information, but I think you already know the specific information. Our position is to continue supporting the developing countries. As I referred to earlier, for example, for the climate change issues, we have the commitment of what we call the Hatayama Initiative, and recently we had the Kan Commitment for maternal health, child health, diseases, and also education. So we intend to continue cooperation to developing countries. I do not like to go into a comparison of the volume of Japan and the other countries, but we intend to keep cooperating with developing countries.

Q: I am also part of the same journalist training program. At the moment, there are growing Chinese activities in Sri Lanka, especially they are constructing a harbor in the southern part of Sri Lanka. They are also going to fund an international airport in the country. How concerned is Japan about this matter?

Mr. Sobashima: I will repeat my answer to the earlier question that I personally think it is good, the other countries like China assisting countries like Sri Lanka or Bangladesh. That does not mean that we will not keep cooperating with those countries. We intend to cooperate with those countries, particularly in the context of these MDGs—Millennium Development Goals. Yes, we need to concentrate on some priority issues like the MDGs, and if we concentrate on the MDGs, perhaps the volume of assistance in other areas may decrease. However, apart from those, we intend to keep cooperating with developing countries according to the needs of the particular countries.

Q: Have you identified any specific areas to be focused on in these countries under the Millennium Development Goals?

Mr. Sobashima: The Millennium Development Goals relating to maternal health and child health are part of this Kan commitment of 5 billion US dollars for five years. "School for All", I think this is Millennium Development Goal number two, is for education. Also, we have the commitment under the Hatoyama Initiative for climate change issues. Those – environment, health, education – at least we have recent commitments. We may be able to provide further information bilaterally, but at this moment, perhaps there may be some other questions. I hope you will bear with me.

Questions concerning the G4 Meeting and reform of the Security Council

Q: Can you please elaborate on the G4 meeting and Security Council reform. What are the chances for early reform, and how do you think the Senkaku Row and Mr. Maehara's strong words toward Russia affect the G4 goals?

Mr. Sobashima: What I can explain to you is the four ministers agreed that there is a need to expand the Security Council, both permanent members and non-permanent members, because the current composition of the Security Council will reflect the situation of the time when the decision was made for that composition. So the current composition of the Security Council does not reflect the present situation. Therefore, both permanent members' numbers and non-permanent members' numbers should be expanded. I think there was a consensus among the four ministers.

Also, we should consider both developed countries and developing countries as the candidates for those permanent and non-permanent members. There is a convergence that consideration for the representation of Africa is important. As I already mentioned when I explained that four countries agreed to do outreach activities to talk with other countries, and we are aiming for some concrete result during the current session. We will perhaps presently, I do not know when it will be, have another meeting for the four ministers to review the progress after last week. This is the gist of what the four ministers discussed.

Q: Does what is going on with China and Russia affect the chances for reform of the Security Council.

Mr. Sobashima: We are rather concerned about the joint declaration of China and Russia made on the occasion of the visit off the Russian President to China. We have difficulty understanding this kind of joint declaration coming 65 years after the end of the war. There is concern on some of the elements, but I would like to refrain from going into detail. The answer to your question is we hope not. We hope that China and Russia will be able to share the need to change the composition of the Security Council to match the current situation of the international community.

Questions concerning gas field development in the East China Sea

Q: There is a report that Uchiro Niwa, Japan's ambassador to China, has told China not to unilaterally develop a gas field in the disputed area in the East China Sea. Can you confirm that?

Mr. Sobashima: I think it is the consistent position of the government of Japan that the agreement for the development between the two countries should be honored. For this purpose, a legal agreement should be concluded. A first meeting for the purpose of concluding a legal agreement was conducted, but the second meeting scheduled was postponed. There are two elements. One is the investment of Japanese companies in the particular project that China is now planning. The other element is joint exploration and development. There are two elements on two sectors of the agreement in principle between the two governments, so we hope that the progress will be made to make this political agreement into a legal document. Therefore, unilateral measures, which are not in accordance with this agreement of investment and joint exploration and development, will not be conducive for the two countries. We are therefore concerned if there is a move in that direction. That concern had been conveyed from the Japanese side to the Chinese side.

Q: By the ambassador?

Mr. Sobashima: Including at the ambassador level.

Questions concerning stationing of SDF Forces near the Senkaku Islands

Q: Can you also confirm one of the reports, while we are going through reports here? There is a report in the Nikkei yesterday about whether or not the SDF will be stationed on an island near the Senkaku Islands. Can you confirm that report?

Mr. Sobashima: I know that report, but I am not in a position to comment on each and every report of that sort. Basically, if something is under consideration, of course the consideration will be made with some proposal and counter-proposals. When we have reached the conclusion, we will announce it. This is a general comment. I am not saying that this issue is actually under consideration, I am just explaining it in general terms. If something is under consideration, we will announce it only after a conclusion is made. Apart from that, what I wanted to say is that we are not in a position to comment on each and every report. That is kind of premature, for the government to comment on.

Questions concerning dissemination of information on activities for international cooperation and for foreign communities living in Japan

Q: I don't know where my question fits or whether it fits or not. This is about MDGs. I just saw this information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There are a lot of activities done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for international cooperation and foreign communities living in Japan. Actually I am also the secretary-general of one of the organizations. It is an association, but we never get – I hear a lot about the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the foreign communities like this one – but we never get any information about such activities as a foreign community in Japan. Though, according to my information, there is a division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the Foreign Nationals Bureau, but we do not get any information about such activities.

Mr. Sobashima: Excuse me, I am not following. I am sorry, I may be slow, but I am not following your question properly.

Q: It is about this pamphlet which is distributed in this briefing. It is about international cooperation here and as for what you can do for international cooperation. I think it is distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the foreign communities living here. This pamphlet, I think, it has been distributed here at the press briefing.

Mr. Sobashima: Is this about the festival? The ODA festival?

Q: Yes, that is right.

Mr. Sobashima: Yes, sorry, I forgot to mention about that. This is about ODA. We designated 6 October, 20 years ago: International Cooperation Day. Ever since we have had events in Hibiya Park on Saturday and Sunday. This coming Saturday and Sunday we have various events to celebrate Japan's ODA to developing countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JICA, and an NGO network group called JANIC; these three organizations co-host this event for the coming Saturday and Sunday. There will be lots of events. If you visit Hibiya Park...

Q: Of course I will visit.

Mr. Sobashima: This has been already 20 years. We changed the name to Global Festa 2010. I am sorry, we should have mentioned about that. This is on our website already. This is just an event, so please visit Hibiya Park

Q: I will do it because I am here, but otherwise I wouldn't have.

Mr. Sobashima: Perhaps earlier we may have called it ODA Festival or something like that. We changed the name.

Questions concerning the reported intention of the Russian President to visit the Northern Territories

Q: I was wondering if you could give us some information on the situation regarding the Russian President's planned visit to the Northern Territories and what the Japanese reaction to that is. Do you think Russia is collaborating with China in terms of that, considering the timing of his announcement?

Mr. Sobashima: First, we have the information that the Russian President recently announced his intention to visit the Kuril Islands in the future. This is what we understand. As you know, we claim four sets of islands as our Northern Territories, as part of Japan, but currently those territories are under control of the Russian Federation. We intend to negotiate for the return of those four sets of islands. We feel that if the President of the Russian Federation visits the Northern Territories, it may not be conducive for the cordial, friendly relations between the two countries. We are concerned that if that takes place, there may be some negative impact on the bilateral relationship between the two countries. We are not able to go into detail of what was actually discussed between my minister, Minister Maehara, and the Russian Ambassador, who paid a courtesy call – I think it was yesterday morning.

Q: Was he suggesting also diplomatically approaching the President?

Mr. Sobashima: As I said, I am not in a position to explain the detail of what sort of exchanges were made. This particular issue of a possible visit to the Northern Territories by the Russian President was discussed, but I would like to refrain from going into further detail. Anyway, our basic position is that the leader's visit may have a negative impact.

Questions concerning the role of the United States in Japan-China relations

Q: Now this case is being handled by the US and Russia also.

Mr. Sobashima: I don't know...

Q: This is not under the control of Japan, this case is not under the control of Japan now.

Mr. Sobashima: I am sorry, I do not understand your question.

Q: This case is not under the control of Japan, now. It is being handled by the US.

Mr. Sobashima: The Northern Territories?

Q: This case of the ship.

Mr. Sobashima: Ship?

Q: The ship case.

Mr. Sobashima: The ship of the Coast Guard and the Chinese fishing vessel? You are referring to a different case?

Q: He wants to know the role of the United States in Japan-China relations in terms of the recent Senkaku Islands issue.

Mr. Sobashima: Thank you very much for your clarification. We have a security treaty. I forgot the full title, but the Japan-US security agreement. This covers the territories under effective control of Japan. Secretary Clinton confirmed the position. We already knew that the Senkaku Islands are part of the territory of Japan that is covered by this security pact. This is when my minister, Minister Maehara, had a meeting, I think in New York, with Secretary Clinton, and Secretary Clinton confirmed the already known position that the Senkaku Islands are part of Japanese territory and under Japan's effective control, which is covered by the security pact.

Questions concerning reports of pressure from Russia and China with regard to territorial issues

Q: There was news yesterday in one of the local papers about Russia and China putting more pressure on Japan – they actually used the word "pressure" - on territorial issues. Has there been a response from the government so far?

Mr. Sobashima: Again I will come back to it - we don't comment on each and every report. The journalists may be able to make stories about what is pressure and what is not, but we would like to refrain from commenting.

Questions concerning the United States' policies regarding biodiversity

Q: I have a different question. Japan is working for protecting biodiversity for a long time. It is a good thing, but the United States is the single country for emission of carbon. It is one of the countries that are eligible for losing biodiversity as a result of climate change. You are the ally of the United States. How do you fight against the United States to protect biodiversity? What is your policy?

Mr. Sobashima: We hope that the US will become party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and also, as I explained in the context of the statement by the Foreign Minister on climate change, we think it is important that all major countries participate in this legal framework. The United States, which is not a party to the Kyoto Protocol, and China, which was not expected to owe obligations under the Kyoto Protocol; we hope that both the US and China will be coming on board for this legal framework. Coming back to your question, yes, we hope that the US will be also coming forward.

Q: You can just hope.

Mr. Sobashima: We take appropriate opportunities to continue to urge the US to consider biological diversity.

Questions concerning China's participation in APEC meetings

Q: You mentioned the preparatory meetings for APEC, including the one in Gifu. China is apart of APEC. Is China taking part in these meetings and on what level? Is it on a level that was expected before September 17th?

Mr. Sobashima: I do not have new information. I do not have the information that China is not coming. I do not have the information that China changed the level of participation. My answer to your question is that we don't have the information that China has decided to lower. We do not have that sort of information.

Thank you very much for coming. I hope you will be able to come next week as well. Thank you.