Top > Announcement > Press Conference by the Press Secretary of MOFA > 1 December 2011

Press Conference by the Assistant Press Secretary, 1 December 2011

  1. Statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan on the Intrusion into and Acts of Vandalism at the British Embassy by Demonstrators in Iran
  2. Japan-China Strategic Dialogue to be Held
  3. Support following the Great East Japan Earthquake (Holding of the Fukushima Reception)
  4. Japan's Vision and Actions toward Low-Carbon Growth and a Climate-Resilient World
  5. ODA Policy Consultation Meeting with the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
  6. Question concerning the Possibility of Additional Sanctions on Iran
  7. Question concerning a Possible Visit by Prime Minister Noda to the United States
  8. Question concerning Prime Minister Noda's Visit to the United States
  9. Question concerning US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma

  1. Statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan on the Intrusion into and Acts of Vandalism at the British Embassy by Demonstrators in Iran

    2. Assistant Press Secretary Mr. Masaru Sato: Good afternoon. Thank you very much for coming to the press conference today. Today, before I take your questions, I would like to make a few announcements on a few salient issues or events which were announced within the last week.

    Mr. Sato: First, I would like to draw your attention to the statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the intrusion into and acts of vandalism at the British Embassy by demonstrators in Iran.

    Japan expresses its regret at the intrusion into the British Embassy premises and acts of vandalism by some of the demonstrators. Japan emphasizes that Iran, as the receiving state, has a special duty under international law to protect the premises of foreign diplomatic missions and their members, and calls on the Government of Iran to deal with the issues in order to prevent such events from recurring. Japan intends to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of the Japanese nationals.

  2. Japan-China Strategic Dialogue to be Held

    3. Mr. Sato: Secondly, I would like to touch upon the holding of the Eleventh Japan-China Strategic Dialogue in Beijing. Tomorrow, December 2, The Japan-China Strategic Dialogue will be held in Beijing. This Dialogue will be held between Mr. Kenichiro Sasae, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr. Zhang Zhijun, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China.

    This is a series of regular strategic dialogues between China and Japan, but also, at this time, the Dialogue will be a good opportunity to prepare for the planned visit by Prime Minister Noda to China by the end of this year.

  3. Support following the Great East Japan Earthquake (Holding of the Fukushima Reception)

    4. Mr. Sato: Thirdly, I would like to refer to the event to be held soon in New York, which is related to the disaster response, in particular, in Fukushima Prefecture.

    On Friday, December 2, together with the organization called the Blue Sky Project Committee, established in New York by Japanese living in the city, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host a Fukushima Reception and roundtable discussion in the city for the purpose of encouraging the recovery of Fukushima. I would like to refer you to the relevant division indicated at the bottom for details.

  4. Japan's Vision and Actions toward Low-Carbon Growth and a Climate-Resilient World

    5. Mr. Sato: Next, concerning the COP17, which is now underway in Durban, South Africa. On November 29, the Government of Japan's Ministerial Committee approved the so-called "Japan's Vision and Actions toward Low-Carbon Growth and a Climate-Resilient World", and this was also announced in Durban.

    Regarding the COP17, Japan's ultimate goal is to establish a comprehensive international framework which is fair and effective, participated in by all the major countries in the world by promptly adopting a comprehensive, single, legal agreement.

    On the issue of the so-called Kyoto Protocol 2nd Commitment Period, our stance has not changed, as has been reiterated by the Japanese delegation: we will not participate in the extension of the Kyoto Protocol, in which only a limited number of countries participate, because that would not lead to the establishment of a fair and effective international framework. Japan will not participate in the so-called 2nd Commitment Period.

    Having said that, the vision that was announced two days ago is a demonstration by the Government of Japan to take leadership in order to effectively address the issue of global warming, in particular, in order for both developed and developing countries to achieve low-carbon growth all over the world by fully mobilizing technology markets and finance through public-private cooperation. So I have distributed the gist of the proposal, as well as some Powerpoint documents, which summarize Japan's basic policy, main issues at COP17 and major players' stances on the issue of COP17.

  5. ODA Policy Consultation Meeting with the Republic of the Union of Myanmar

    6. Mr. Sato: Finally, I would like to touch upon Myanmar. Last Monday, the ODA Policy Consultation Meeting was held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, between Japan and the Myanmar Government.

    This consultation was headed by, on the Japanese side, Mr. Kimihiro Ishikane, Deputy Director-General, Southeast &Southwest Asian Affairs Department, and by, on the Myanmar side, Daw Myat Myat So, Director-General, Foreign Economic Relations Department, Ministry of National Planning & Economic Development of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. At this ODA Policy Consultation Meeting, views were exchanged on the new development policy of the new administration of the Myanmar Government, as well as on Japan's current assistance policies on ODA.  They also discussed the formulation of future projects that can be implemented under the current Japan's economic cooperation policy to Myanmar.

    They agreed to build upon this round of consultation meetings to further enhance bilateral cooperation from now.

    And I would like to reiterate the Government of Japan's policy toward Myanmar at this time.

    Japan believes that it is important for Myanmar, having just recently shifted to civilian rule, to become a democratic nation based on a market economy and social stability. And Japan commends recent positive development in Myanmar, and intends to implement economic cooperation while watching for improvements in democratization and human rights situations. This is because we believe it is very important for Japan to contribute to making the recent positive development in Myanmar in terms of democratization and national reconciliation irreversible.

    So this is what I wanted to touch upon at the outset, and I will now take questions from you. Thank you.

  6. Question concerning the Possibility of Additional Sanctions on Iran

    7. Q: I have a couple of questions. First of all, on Iran. The cabinet secretary, today, and also Foreign Minister Gemba, yesterday, said that Japan is thinking about imposing additional sanctions against Iran. If that happens, what kind of sanctions will they be and when will they be imposed?

    Mr. Sato: Well, on Iran and possible additional sanctions by the Government of Japan, we have been implementing, as a member of the United Nations, the relevant sanctions imposed against the Iranian government, which has been adopted at the United Nations Security Council. Our stance is to consider whether there is need for additional sanctions in consultation with the relevant countries in the world; and there are no concrete items on the table at this moment, but we will continue our deliberations internally, and if there is any development with this regard, we will make an announcement. We have a variety of items for the economic sanctions targeted at Iran, including those in terms of nonproliferation, finance, trade, energy, etc. We will review the current situation and sound out the relevant countries and make our decision in the future.

    Q: If that decision were made, when do you think that would be? Would it be in a few days or how long do you think it will take to make that decision?

    Mr. Sato: I should have said that there is no time table for making any new decision at this moment. This is part of our regular conduct of diplomacy, so I spoke in general terms. So, as I said, there are no specific items or ideas on the additional sanctions against Iran at this moment.

  7. Question concerning a Possible Visit by Prime Minister Noda to the United States

    8. Q: On a different topic, there are reports that Prime Minister Noda might be visiting the US in early January. What are the possibilities of this happening and if this visit happens, what kind of topics would he be covering with President Obama?

    Mr. Sato: Well, regarding the possible visit by the Prime Minister to the United States, I believe there is a high possibility that the Prime Minister will visit the United States at an early juncture in the future, because the Government of Japan has received an official invitation from the Government of the United States, and this still holds good. While we are preparing for a future visit by Prime Minister Noda at the working level, there is no truth to reports that the governments of both countries are coordinating the visit with specific dates in mind.

    Also, on the second question on the possible agenda, it will be premature for me to speculate on the agenda of the future bilateral meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Noda. It might be appropriate, however, to consider what was discussed between the two leaders in Honolulu as a basis for a future bilateral meeting.

  8. Question concerning Prime Minister Noda's Visit to the United States

    9. Q: Let me just check upon one point. You said that there is a high possibility that Prime Minister Noda might be visiting the United States sometime soon. Do you mean that there is a high possibility that he will be visiting in early January? Or are you saying that there is a high possibility that he will be visiting the United States in general?

    Mr. Sato: I did not say "soon". What I wanted to share with you regarding the prime minister's visit to Washington DC is that at this moment in time, there is no truth to media reports that both governments are coordinating his visit with specific dates.

    Q: But he will be visiting the United States some time soon?

    Mr. Sato: That depends on the definition of "soon". As I said, the official invitation to a Prime Minister of Japan is still good in our view. That is why both governments' officials are coordinating, but with no specific dates.

  9. Question concerning US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma

    10. Q: Just one more question. Regarding the Futenma issue, how do you think the recent remarks by the Ministry of Defense official stationed in Okinawa affect the process of the Futenma issue going forward? What do you think will be the impact of that remark?

    Mr. Sato: Foreign Minister Gemba yesterday commented on that issue. Our stance is that in implementing the US-Japan agreement on the relocation of US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma - there is no change in stances taken by both governments. We will make strenuous efforts to implement the bilateral agreement on this issue; but at the same time, as Prime Minister Noda stated, the Japanese government will make its utmost effort to gain the understanding of the people of Okinawa on this issue. In this process, we have to continue to receive cooperation from the United States on various issues, including reducing the burden on the people of Okinawa such as how to deal with the accidents and incidents in Okinawa, and noise and other environmental issues. There are a variety of issues, solutions of which will undoubtedly reduce the burden on the people of Okinawa.

    I do not see any other questions. This concludes today's press conference. Thank you very much for coming.

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