Top > Announcement > Press Conference by the Press Secretary of MOFA > 24 February 2011

Press Conference by the Deputy Press Secretary, 24 February 2011

  1. The Earthquake in New Zealand
  2. Visit to Japan of His Excellency Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
  3. Japan's Economic Partnerships
  4. Journalists Symposium 2011
  5. VIP Visits

  1. The Earthquake in New Zealand

    2. Deputy Press Secretary Hidenobu Sobashima: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. First, on the earthquake in New Zealand.

    Mr. Sobashima: Last Tuesday, a heavy earthquake hit New Zealand. Immediately afterwards our Ministry established a headquarters on the earthquake. On that day, Prime Minister Kan sent to Prime Minister John Key and Foreign Minister Maehara sent Foreign Minister Murray McCully a message of condolences and sympathy. The Japanese side expressed its intention to offer assistance if the New Zealand side wished.

    Later in the afternoon, Foreign Minister Maehara invited the Ambassador of New Zealand, Mr. Ian Kennedy to his office and had a meeting. Foreign Minister Maehara, representing the Government of Japan, expressed our heartfelt condolences to the Ambassador. And on that occasion, Foreign Minister Maehara explained that Japanese were in the buildings that collapsed as a result of the earthquake, and he hoped that the people of New Zealand and foreigners, including Japanese, will be rescued as soon as possible. On that occasion, Ambassador Kennedy requested formally emergency assistance from Japan, and the Government of Japan decided to send a rescue team.

    We have distributed a paper entitled, "Dispatch of Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) Rescue team in Response to the Earthquake in the Southern Island of New Zealand."

    Yesterday, in response to the request by the Government of New Zealand, the Government of Japan dispatched a Japan Disaster Release Rescue Team of about 70 people, consisting of the officials and experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Police, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the Coastguard, and JICA as well as, doctors and other experts. Mr. Hisashi Tokunaga, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs joined the Team as its advisor. Early this morning the rescue team arrived in Christchurch, New Zealand, and they have started their activities.

    Today Prime Minister Kan and Prime Minister John Key of New Zealand had a phone conversation. Prime Minister Kan expressed his heartfelt condolences and sympathy, and explained that in response to the request by New Zealand Japan had dispatched the Japan Disaster Relief Rescue Team. Prime Minister Kan expressed his appreciation for the efforts of New Zealand to rescue as many people as possible, particularly the Japanese students who were in the buildings which collapsed. While understanding that there are still many people to be rescued, Prime Minister Kan sincerely requested the Government of New Zealand to make its utmost efforts for the rescuing. Prime Minister John Key appreciated the warm words from Prime Minister Kan and also appreciated the support offered from Japan. The New Zealand Prime Minister said that the Japanese rescue team is cooperating with the authorities of New Zealand, and that the rescue team is engaged in rescue activities in the place of the collapsed buildings where the Japanese students studied. Prime Minister John Key committed to continuing to provide as much information as available.

    Foreign Minister Maehara had a phone conversation with Mr. Murray McCully, Minister for Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, also this morning. Because Japan's Disaster Relief Rescue Team is now there doing their activities, we will make announcements of these developments in due course, particularly those relating to Japanese students.

    As for the headquarters established on the earthquake in New Zealand, headed by Foreign Minister Maehara himself, until this morning, we had five rounds of meetings to assess the situation and consider measures to be taken. So this is about the earthquake in New Zealand.

  2. Visit to Japan of His Excellency Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

    3. Mr. Sobashima: Next, we have distributed a paper on the visit of the President of Pakistan to Japan. Last Tuesday, February 22, President Asif Ali Zardari had a meeting with Prime Minister Kan. After the meeting, a joint statement was issued. We have distributed the joint statement. The two leaders discussed various issues including regional stability and counter-terrorism measures (including Afghanistan), economic relations between the two countries, economic cooperation measures between the two countries, and North Korea, among others.

    We have distributed the Joint Statement, and there, you will notice that such issues as Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation. For example, in paragraph 16, "Prime Minister Kan stated that the Government of Japan will continue to support Pakistan's efforts in the development of the power sector, management and administration of water resources and infrastructure development."

    Paragraph 17 says "Prime Minister Kan pointed out the significance of the concept of human security and expressed the readiness of the Government of Japan to provide Pakistan assistance in the field of education, human resource development, promotion of employment and health, including for the Pakistan Polio Initiative, through the implementation of the Kan Commitment announced at the High-level Plenary Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Millennium Development Goals last year."

    In paragraph 15, "President Zardari welcomed the decision by the Government of Japan to approve import of mangoes from Pakistan" which was recently announced.

    In paragraph 19, "The two leaders directed their officials to review measures to strengthen their economic relations, including in the areas of trade, investment and infrastructure development."

    The other areas they discussed include culture, the international agenda such as nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, climate change, and reform of the UN Security Council. I already mentioned that they discussed the issue of North Korea.

    So this is about the visit, particularly the summit meeting between the Pakistani and the Japanese leaders.

  3. Japan's Economic Partnerships

    4. Mr. Sobashima: Then, we have distributed three papers. These all relate to economic partnerships. As you know, the Government of Japan decided last year on the basic policy on comprehensive economic partnerships.

    The first material is the "Launch of the Joint Study on the Possibility of a Japan-Canada Economic Partnership Agreement."

    "The Japan-Canada Joint Study on Benefits and Costs of Further Promotion of Bilateral Trade and Investment" covering overall economic relationship between Japan and Canada completed in October 2007 states that: "Canada and Japan decided to revisit the possibility of a FTA to follow up the Joint Study report, through appropriate channels such as the next Joint Economic Committee (JEC)."

    Accordingly, the possibility of a Japan-Canada Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) has been discussed on various occasions. Based on the "Basic Policy on Comprehensive Economic Partnerships," I just mentioned, Prime Minister Kan concurred with Prime Minister Harper to positively consider promotion of economic partnership between the two countries in their meeting in November last year.

    In light of the above development, the two sides discussed the issue of a joint study at the JEC meeting on February 17th in Ottawa, Canada. Based upon the discussion, the Government of Japan and the Government of Canada have reached a consensus to launch a "Joint Study on the Possibility of a Japan-Canada Economic Partnership Agreement."

    This is the newest piece of information on economic partnerships. And then we have "Agreement in principle on the re-consultation of the Japan-Mexico EPA."

    On February 21, the sixth meeting of the Joint Committee established under the Agreement between Japan and the United Mexican States for the Strengthening of the Economic Partnership (Japan-Mexico EPA) was held in Mexico, which Mr. Ikuo Yamahana, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Ms. Beatriz Leycegui Gardoqui, Vice-Minister for Foreign Trade of Mexico co-chaired. In the meeting, Japan and Mexico reached an agreement in principle on the re-consultation of the Japan-Mexico EPA that started in September 2008, with the attached Joint Press Statement released. We attached the statement. The main points of the agreement are as follows:

    1. Improvement of market access: First, Mexico decided to eliminate tariff imposed on automobile parts and paper for ink-jet printers exported from Japan. Second, Japan decided to expand tariff rate quota and to reduce in-quota tariff applied to beef, pork, chicken, orange and orange juice, etc. exported from Mexico. Third, both countries decided to apply most-favored-nation (MFN) applied rate under WTO, in the cases where the MFN applied rate on a particular good is lower than its Japan-Mexico EPA applied rate.

    2. Introduction of the approved exporter system: In order to facilitate procedures of certificate of origin and to mitigate the burden of exporters, both countries decided to introduce the approved exporter system, where exporters that satisfy certain requirements are allowed to issue certificates of origin by themselves.

    These are the main points of the agreement explained in the joint press statement we distributed.

    We redistributed a paper that we distributed at an earlier occasion, which is "Signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and the Republic of India." The signing took place on February 15.

    On the next page we listed the ten countries and one region, ASEAN, which Japan has EPA/FTAs effective. Singapore, Mexico, Malaysia, Chile, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, Switzerland, Viet Nam, and ASEAN except Indonesia. So we have ten countries and one region already with which Japan has an EPA effective, and then we have signed a Comprehensive EPA (CEPA) with India. So this is the current situation of Japan's economic partnership agreements.

  4. Journalists Symposium 2011

    5. Mr. Sobashima: Then we have also distributed information on Journalist Symposium 2011. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host Journalists Symposium 2011 on Thursday, March 3.

    So these are the topics I would like to share.

  5. VIP Visits

    6. Mr. Sobashima: As for visits, we will be receiving the President of Serbia from 7-10 March.

    As for the visits from Japan, I already explained that Parliamentary Vice-Minister Yamahana co-chaired a meeting with Mexico. State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Mr. Banno is in Saudi Arabia now from the 21-24 February to attend the special anniversary ministerial meeting of the International Energy Forum. So he is in Saudi Arabia now.

    These are the pieces of information on visits.

    Thank you very much.

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