CHAPTER THREE
MAJOR DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS
MADE BY JAPAN DURING 1982
Section 1. Promotion of Relations with Other Countries
1. Asia
(1) General View
Japan as a member of Asia, makes it an important pillar of its foreign policy to positively fulfill its political and economic roles in the interests of peace and prosperity in this region.
In 1982, Asia enjoyed relative stability by and large, although there still persisted such destabilizing factors as the Cambodian problem, the problem of Indochinese refugees and the confrontation between North and South Korea. On the other hand, the Soviet Union continued to substantially build up its military strength in the region, while many Asian nations began to feel the adverse effects of the global recession, such as the slackening of economic growth and stagnation of exports. These developments also worked as destabilizing factors.
Under these circumstances, the then Foreign Minister Yoshio Sakurauchi visited Singapore (attending the ASEAN Ministerial Conference with Dialogue Partners) and Malaysia in June, and India and Pakistan from August to September. The then Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki visited China from September to October, and Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone visited the Republic of Korea in January 1983. In addition, Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe visited Burma in March 1983. In this way, Japan conducted a positive diplomacy toward Asia in a redoubled effort to promote peace and prosperity in the whole of Asia.
(2) Korean Peninsula
(a) The maintenance of peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula is important for the peace and security of East Asia, including Japan. Earnestly hoping for relaxation of tensions in the region through the resumption of substantive dialogue between the northern and southern halves of the peninsula, Japan strove to contribute to creating a favorable international environment for easing tension by deepening communication with such nations as China and the United States, which have great interests in the Korean Peninsula.
The exchange of views Japan had with major countries concerned from 1982 to the early part of 1983 regarding the Korean Peninsula included talks between Prime Minister Suzuki and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang, between Prime Minister Nakasone and ROK President Chun Doo Hwan, between Prime Minister Nakasone and U.S. President Reagan, as well as foreign ministerial talks with China, the Republic of Korea and the United States.
As to the North-South dialogue, ROK President Chun put forward a concrete proposal looking toward a peaceful reunification of the divided peninsula in January, 1982. Japan, on its part, supports such efforts by the Republic of Korea for a dialogue with the North, and is closely watching developments in the peninsula, hoping for the reopening of a substantive dialogue.
(b) Japan continues to place importance on the friendly and cooperative relationship with the Republic of Korea, and is endeavoring to establish unshakable ties with that country based on mutual understanding and trust between the two nations, through promoting exchange in all fields. Prime Minister Nakasone visited Seoul in January 1983 and confirmed, in his talks with President Chun, the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries. They also agreed on the necessity of further stepping up exchanges between their two countries.
(c) As regards the relations with North Korea, Japan maintains a policy of gradually building up exchanges with it in trade, economic, cultural and other fields.
(3) China
(a) Since the normalization of relations with China in 1972, Japan has made it a main pillar of its foreign policy to maintain and develop the friendly and stable relations with that country. Under this policy, it has endeavored to developing the relationship between the two countries. Fully cognizant that such friendly and stable ties between Japan and China will not only benefit the two nations, but also contribute to the cause of peace and stability in Asia and the world, Japan intends to continue its positive cooperation for China's modernization policy.
(b) 1982 was an important year for Japan and China as they greeted the 10th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral relations. To mark the occasion, the leaders of the two countries exchanged visits (Chinese Premier Zhao carne to Japan in May, while Prime Minister Suzuki visited China in September).
(c) In July, the so-called "textbook issue" broke out regarding the description of Sino-Japanese relations in Japanese school textbooks on history. However, this problem was diplomatically settled through the Chief Cabinet Secretary's statement and subsequent explanations to China.
(d) Trade between Japan and China in 1982 decreased from the previous year to $8.9 billion because of China's import restraint policy. Japan's economic cooperation with China was further expanded in various forms, such as yen loans, grant aid and technical cooperation.
(e) The exchange of people and the cultural exchange between the two nations also gathered added momentum. Especially in the field of cultural exchange, various events were held successfully to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the normalization of relations between the two countries. A project for the construction of a Japan-China Friendship House is in progress also as a commemorative undertaking. As to Japanese war orphans living in China, the third group visited Japan in February 1983 in search of their families and relatives with the cooperation of the Chinese side.
(4) ASEAN Nations and Burma
The ASEAN nations have achieved remarkable results in their efforts toward common goals in the political, economic, cultural and other fields through their regional cooperative organization ASEAN, which greeted the 15th anniverary of its founding in 1982. They are thus contributing to peace and development in the region as a stabilizing force in Southeast Asia. Japan makes it a key foreign policy to promote its friendly and cooperative relations with ASEAN nations with which it has close ties not only politically and economically, but also historically. Therefore, Japan provides maximum possible support to these nations' self-help efforts for economic and social development. Japan also attaches importance to the promotion of friendship and cooperation with Burma, a nation friendly to Japan, which is located on the boundary of Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia.
1982 saw the ASEAN nations unfolding brisk diplomatic activities in face of the Cambodian situation showing signs of becoming prolonged and deadlocked. As a result, the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea was formed in July to put up a united front against Viet Nam.
Highly appreciative of ASEAN's efforts to seek a comprehensive political solution to the Cambodian problem, Japan has all along been supporting and assisting ASEAN's position. At the UN General Assembly autumn session following the establishment of the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea, Japan again made a constructive contribution toward a peaceful settlement of the Cambodian problem in close cooperation with the ASEAN countries.
The problem of lndochinese refugees continued to be a major destabilizing factor in the ASEAN region in 1982. At the ASEAN Ministerial Conference with the Dialogue Partners, held in Singapore in June, Foreign Minister Sakurauchi noted that most of the Cambodian refugees came from the western part of that country, and proposed that a "voluntary refugees acceptance center" should be set up in the area under the management of an international organization in order to encourage voluntary repatriation mainly by air. He expressed Japan's readiness to extend maximum possible cooperation to realize the proposal. The proposal obtained the support of various nations and is now under study mainly by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Japan's cooperative relations with the ASEAN nations made steady progress in the economic and technical fields as well. In addition to cooperation for the ASEAN industrial projects, the contents of the ASEAN nations' human resources development projects, for which Japan had promised cooperation, were determined.
The ASEAN Promotion Centre on Trade, Investment and Tourism made steady progress under the joint management of Japan and the ASEAN nations.
Further in the cultural field, the ASEAN Cultural Fund and the ASEAN scholarship system were smoothly operated with Japan's cooperation, while the ASEAN Regional Study Promotion Program entered the first stage of implementation.
(5) Indochina (Cambodian Problem)
In order to bring about lasting peace and stability in Southeast Asia, Japan considers it imperative to establish a system of peaceful coexistence between the ASEAN nations and the Indochinese countries. From this standpoint, Japan maintains it as a basic policy of its Southeast Asian diplomacy to extend maximum possible cooperation for creating a favorable environment to that end. The Cambodian problem, however, constitutes a major obstacle to that effort, and no fundamental change was observed in the Indochinese situation in 1982 which marked the fourth year since Viet Nam's armed intervention.
Under these circumstances, Japan, taking the position that a comprehensive political settlement should be found for the Cambodian problem in line with the series of relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the Declaration of the International Conference on Kampuchea (ICK) in February 1981, exerted efforts for restoration of peace in cooperation with the ASEAN nations in order to prevent the waning of international interest in the problem.
As part of such efforts, Foreign Minister Sakurauchi, addressing the Japan-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' conference, emphasized the importance of a comprehensive political settlement as well as the significance of the activities of the Ad Hoc Committee of the ICK, of which Japan is a member.
Moreover, at the UN General Assembly autumn session, Japan cosponsored the ASEAN draft resolution on the Cambodian situation as in previous years. The resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority in support, far exceeding the numbers of votes for the past similar resolutions on this matter, mainly because it came in the wake of the establishment of the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea in June.
(6) Indochinese Refugee Problem
Even though eight years have passed since refugees began to flow out of Indochina, approximately 200,000 refugees still remain in the Southeast Asian region (as of the end of February 1983). The Southeast Asian nations and other countries concerned are having a difficult time coping with the protracted refugee problem.
Fully aware that this remains a serious issue not only from a humanitarian point of view but also from the standpoint of peace and stability in the Southeast Asian region, Japan donated as much as about $67 million in financial aid through UNHCR and other international organizations in fiscal 1982 and continued to actively cooperate in the resettlement and temporary acceptance of the refugees (the cumulative total of refugees thus accepted by Japan had reached about 8,600 as of March 1983).
Japan also improved its acceptance system of "boat people" for first asylum by establishing a new facility with an accommodation capacity of up to 720 persons in April 1983.
(7) Southwest Asia
The Southwest Asia region, consisting of the seven countries in the Indian subcontinent, accounts for about one-fifth (about 900 million) of the world's population.
The region was seriously affected by the Soviet Union's military intervention into Afghanistan, mainly in the aspect of security.
Since then, India has shown moves to improve its relations with Pakistan and China, and to strengthen its ties with the United States and other Western nations, and Pakistan is striving to improve its relations with India while strengthening its relations with the Middle East nations and the United States. Moreover, talks made headway in regard to South Asian regional cooperation among the seven countries in the region. Thus constituting a move to steadily enhance the stability of the region.
Japan has maintained friendly relations with the Southwest Asian nations, actively providing them with economic and technical cooperation. Moreover, in view of the importance of the region, Japan is endeavoring to intensify political dialogues with India, Pakistan and other nations in the region. In the process of such dialogues, Japan welcomed the above-mentioned improvement of relations, including the India-Pakistan and India-China relations as factors contributory to the promotion of peace and stability in Asia as a whole. Japan also hopes that such moves will continue to make smooth progress.
2. Oceania
(1) Australia and New Zealand have maintained and developed close relations with Japan in political and economic fields. Like Japan, they are developed democracies in the Asia-Pacific region. Both of them have close complementary economic relations with Japan. They export mineral and energy resources, and agricultural and fishery products to Japan and import industrial products from Japan.
As regards Australia, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser paid a formal visit to Japan in May 1982 and conferred with Prime Minister Suzuki mainly on the international economic problems prior to the Versailles economic summit. In July, the Seventh Meeting of the Japan-Australia Ministerial Committee was held in Canberra with the attendance of Foreign Minister Sakurauchi and three other Japanese ministers. At the meeting, a wide-ranging exchange of views took place not only on the bilateral relations but also on the international situation.
As for New Zealand, Foreign Minister Sakurauchi paid a formal visit to that country in August 1982, and conferred with Prime Minister Robert Muldoon and Foreign Minister Warren Cooper. In March 1983, Foreign Minister Cooper officially visited Japan and held talks with Foreign Minister Abe.
The trade and economic relations between Japan and the two countries, which constitute the nucleus of the bilateral ties, turned out smooth by and large. Efforts were made, through the close dialogues mentioned above, to forestall the occurrence of problems at a time when the world economy was stagnant. Human and cultural exchanges were promoted to develop wide-ranging relations not leaning excessively to trade and economic ties. Furthermore, close consultations were conducted on problems of Asia and the Pacific including the South Pacific, to maintain cooperation in contributing to the cause of stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
(2) The nine island countries in the South Pacific, such as Papua New Guinea and Fiji, are endeavoring for nation-building through self-help efforts and promoting regional cooperation for economic and social development through the South Pacific Forum (SPF) and other forums. They are also looking to Japan for economic cooperation.
Japan intends to extend positive economic cooperation in response to their self-help efforts and to promote its friendly and cooperative relations with them through the exchange of people and other means for the purpose of contributing to the cause of stability and prosperity in the South Pacific region.
In this connection, Japan further expanded its economic cooperation with these countries mainly through grant aid and technical cooperation, and in September, Foreign and Tourism Minister Qionibaravi of Fiji visited Japan as an official guest. Thus Japan strove to promote friendship and cooperation with the South Pacific countries.
3. North America
(1) The United States
(a) The Japan-United States relationship based on the bilaterial security arrangement, is the cornerstone of our foreign policy. The maintenance and development of stable relations between our two countries which share common values such as freedom, democracy and the free economy, constitute the basic premise for Japan's positive diplomatic activities in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. On the other hand, the United States, on its part, has found it more necessary than ever to strengthen its solidarity with friendly nations and allies, and obtain their cooperation in order to respond to current issues in the harsh international circumstances. The United States thus regards its relations with Japan as one of the most important bilateral relations.
(b) The Japan-U.S. relations thus remain basically smooth. But around the time of the off-year election in November, criticisms of Japan mounted in the United States, primarily with respect to economic problems. As for the U.S. economy, the inflation rate has declined since the inauguration of the Reagan Administration, but the unemployement rate still remains above 10 percent. It was against such a background that criticisms of Japan became stronger. As a result, there was even a feeling in some quarters that the Japan-U.S. relations hit a postwar low in November when the Nakasone Cabinet was formed.
(c) Recognizing the serious situation that the Japan-U.S. relations were in towards the end of 1982, Prime Minister Nakasone decided to visit the United States at an early date. The visit materialized in January 1983. (Immediately before that, the Prime Minister's visit to the Republic of Korea was decided upon and carried out in a short period of time.) It was an official working visit, and neither a joint communique nor a joint press statement was issued. However, Prime Minister Nakasone established a personal relation of mutual trust with President Reagan, while the two leaders reconfirmed the joint communique of May 1981 (issued by the then Prime Minister Suzuki and President Reagan) and reaffirmed the relationship of alliance between the two countries. At their summit talks held in a very friendly atmosphere, a frank exchange of views took place with regard to East-West relations, including arms control, the Asian situation and other international situations, and the bilateral relations between Japan and the United States. Particularly regarding the bilateral issues over defense and economy, President Reagan, referring to Prime Minister Nakasone's related decisions, highly appreciated Japan's efforts. The two also agreed to attach importance to the aspect of positive cooperation between the two countries.
(d) At the talks between Foreign Minister Abe and Secretary of State George Shultz, held during the Prime Minister's visit to the United States in January 1983, they agreed to hold foreign ministerial talks at least four times a year so as to further cement the relationship of consultations between the two countries. In addition to those dialogues, the Japan-U.S. Advisory Commission (Japanese chairman: Nobuhiko Ushiba, adviser to the Foreign Ministry) was set up with a view to emphasizing the positive aspects of Japan-U.S. relations.
(2) Canada
(a) Japan and Canada are members of the Western democracies sharing the same political and economic ideas, as well as being important Pacific partners. Their relations have become increasingly close in recent years mainly in the economic and trade spheres. In order to make the relations more mature and stable, efforts are being made to strengthen the ties in the political, cultural, scientific, and technological fields. The frequency of the exchange of visits of government leaders and other dignitaries, and various forms of bilateral consultations are increasing. Moreover, Japan and Canada are expanding their cooperative relationship in various international organizations.
(b) In 1982 there were various consultations and exchanges between the two countries.
As for intergovernmental consultations, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries held talks on the occasion of the ASEAN Ministers Conference with the Dialogue Partners in Singapore in June, the third Japan-Canada annual Foreign Ministers Consultations in Ottawa in October and the GATT ministerial meeting in November. Working-level consultations were also held on varied subjects (the UN, science and technology, fisheries, etc.).
As for exchange of visits at the parliamentary level, Mme. Sauve., speaker of Canada's House of Commons, visited Japan in August, followed by the visit to Canada of President Tokunaga of Japan's House of Councillors in September.
In January 1983, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau visited Japan after a tour of ASEAN nations and conferred with Prime Minister Nakasone. This established a personal bond of mutual trust between the two leaders and served to further promote the cooperative and friendly relations between the two nations.
In March 1983, a delegation of Canada's Senate (led by Hon. Perrault) visited Japan at the invitation of Japan's House of Councillors.
4. Latin America*
(l) Latin America is composed of 32 independent countries inhabited by about 350 million people. Blessed with vast expanses of land and abundant natural resources, the region has a great potential for future development. As an important area containing many so-called "newly industrializing countries" with a relatively high income level, it has been markedly increasing its position and influence in the international politics and economy in recent years. Moreover, Latin American nations have lately been showing a growing interest in the Asian region.
Latin America has complementary relations with Japan in the economic field, such as trade and investment. Residing in the area are approximately 1 million Japanese immigrants and people of Japanese descent, who are playing an important role in promoting friendly relations between Japan and Latin America.
(2) Attaching importance to the traditional feeling of friendship between Japan and Latin American countries, Japan has paid particular attention to the consistency and continuity of its policy toward the region, so that such a sentiment should not be affected by the changing circumstances. Besides, Japan has been unfolding steadfast diplomatic efforts to build a wider range of relations with the nations in that region by further strengthening political dialogue and promoting exchanges in the fields of cultural, scientific and technical cooperation.
In June, Prime Minister Suzuki paid a formal visit to Brazil and Peru. Because the visit followed his attendance at the Eighth Summit of Major Industrialized Nations and the Second Special UN General Assembly Session on Disarmament, and also came at a time when the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) dispute was attracting attention, a frank exchange of views took place between the Prime Minister and the leaders of the two countries regarding not only bilateral relations, but also the international situation. The Prime Minister's visit was of great significance; it did much to promote friendship and mutual understanding with Brazil and Peru, and also showed Japan's interest in the Latin American area as a whole and its positive stance on the North-South problem.
With regard to the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) dispute in which an armed conflict broke out between Argentina and Great Britain over their territorial claims to the islands from April to June, Japan took the basic position that the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means is the solemn responsibility assumed by all member states under the Charter of the United Nations and that, therefore, the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) dispute should also be settled by peaceful and diplomatic means in line with the principles and spirit of the Charter of the United Nations. Japan thus exerted various efforts both in and out of the UN for the prevention of the escalation of the dispute and for its peaceful settlement. From this point of view, Japan expressed its regret over Argentina's use of force and made it clear that their forces should withdraw promptly. At the same time, Japan supported a series of activities by the UN Security Council for the peaceful settlement of the dispute, and also supported the mediatory efforts made by U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig, President Fernando Belaunde of Peru and UN Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar. The EC member countries prohibited the export of weapons and other munitions to Argentina and placed a total ban on imports from that country. However, Japan imposed no economic sanctions, such as an import ban on Argentina. But Japan made clear its policy of doing nothing to unduly exploit the EC's import ban to Japan's economic advantage. The Government of Japan thus guided the business circles to pay due attention not to unduly take advantage of the measures to ban imports from Argentina taken by the EC members and other countries for the benefit of the economic interests of Japan.
Furthermore when a resolution was introduced at the UN General Assembly session in November, requesting both Argentina and Great Britain to resume negotiations for a solution to the dispute concerning the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Japan voted in favor' of the resolution.
(3) In the economic sphere, 1982 turned out to be the most difficult year for Latin American nations since the end of World War II. Especially, those countries accounted for about 40 percent of the outstanding external debt of developing nations and, consequently, the debt problem drew keen attention. The Mexican request in August for rescheduling of its debt repayment sparked off a series of debt crises in many Latin American countries, calling for various forms of financial assistance. In response, the private Japanese banks involved extended due cooperation under a spirit of international cooperation, while the Japanese government has been offering maximum possible cooperation through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
5. Western Europe
(1) One of the basic Japanese foreign policies is to intensify its relations with the Western European countries with which it shares the basic values such as freedom, democracy and the market economy. Western Europe is not only the birthplace of these values shared by the Western nations but also maintains a large voice in the international community, and shares common interests in many ways with Japan, geographically adjacent to the Soviet Union as is Japan. Japan and Western Europe, thus standing on common ground, are called upon to fulfill a still greater responsibility for the peace and stability of the world as fellow nations of the democratic world, while strengthening the traditional ties of friendship and cooperation between them.
The awareness of the need to promote cooperation between Japan and Western Europe has tended to be limited to certain segments in both Japan and Western Europe. That is, in the trilateral relationship among Japan, the United States and Western Europe, the relations between Japan and Western Europe have been the weakest. Nonetheless, Japan and Western Europe have come to closely cooperate on the world scene in connection with such issues as the hostage incident at the U.S. Embassy in Iran, and the Afghanistan and Polish situations.
Under these circumstances, there has been a growing sense of the need to promote political dialogues between Japan and Western Europe on both the Japanese and European sides. The major task now is to materialize the need into reality. In this sense, Foreign Minister Sakurauchi's visit to Denmark (then holding the presidency of the EC) in September and Foreign Minister Abe's visit to Western Europe (the EC Commission, Belgium, Great Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, France and Italy) in January 1983 contributed greatly to promoting political consultations between Japan and Western Europe. Through their talks with the leaders of the Western European countries there was full agreement on the necessity of promoting political dialogues between Japan and that region from the common standpoint that the maintenance and strengthening of solidarity among Japan, the United States and Western Europe are indispensable under the current international situation. Later against a background of growing will on both sides to strengthen political dialogues the EC Foreign Ministers at their political consultation in March 1983 decided to hold a consultation between the Foreign Ministers of Japan and the EC presidency once during every six-month tenure of the latter. Regarding major international problems, the EC nations are endeavoring to take concerted action within the framework of their political cooperation. Therefore, the system of consultation between Japan and the EC presidency is an important step foward in the political dialogues between Japan and Western Europe. Moreover, parallel to political talks at the foreign ministers' level, various high working-level talks between Japan and Western European nations have lately also come to be held frequently.
(2) In order to build a broad relationship between Japan and Western Europe, which can withstand turbulent upheavals in the international community, it is important to further promote the "exchange of people" between them. To that end, youths from Western Europe are invited annually to make a study visit to Japan from mid-August to early September. Under this program, 50 youths are selected through essay examination, and invited to stay in Japan for two weeks. This may be an humble activity, but a program of great significance based on a long-term perspective. When the young people from Western Europe who observe the reality of Japan at first hand come to shoulder central roles in their societies, the Japan-Western Europe relations will become deeper and more substantial.
6. The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
(1) The Soviet Union
(a) As to relations with the Soviet Union, one of Japan's important neighbors, Japan has consistently pursued a policy of resolving the issue of the Northern Territories and concluding a peace treaty in order to establish stable relations based on true mutual understanding.
(b) Nevertheless, the Japan-Soviet relations during the period from 1982 to the first quarter of 1983 were marked by continued difficulties stemming from factors solely attributable to the Soviet side, such as the military buildup in the Northern Territories, the armed intervention in Afghanistan, the situation in Poland and the problem of transferring Soviet intermediate range nuclear force (INF) from Europe to the Far East.
(c) On the other hand, political dialogue between Japan and the Soviet Union is all the more important because of such a bilateral situation. The second Japan-Soviet working-level consultation was held in Moscow from January 20. The meeting, convened for the first time in two years and eight months since the first consultation in May 1979, dealt with various problems in the Japan-Soviet relations and the international situation in general. The Soviet position on the territorial problem and other issues showed no change from its position of the past at the consultations. But it was in itself meaningful that the two nations held frank talks on a broad range of problems.
(d) Moreover, a series of three meetings was held between the Japanese and Soviet Foreign Ministers in 1982. The first of them was held in June on the occasion of the second special session of the UN General Assembly devoted to disarmament in New York, followed by a meeting between Foreign Ministers Sakurauchi and Gromyko in the same city in October during the annual session of the UN General Assembly. Then in November, Prime Minister Suzuki attended the funeral service for the late Soviet President Brezhnev, and Foreign Minister Sakurauchi, who accompanied him, had a brief talk with Foreign Minister Gromyko. At these meetings, the Japanese side reaffirmed its position that in order to establish truly stable relations between the two nations, it is necessary to conclude a peace treaty by solving the issue of the Northern Territories. The Japanese side asked Foreign Minister Gromyko to visit Japan so as to continue negotiations on the peace treaty, suspended since January 1978. However, the Soviet Union maintained its stubborn position on the territorial issue, saying the northern islands in question are Soviet territory (a statement by Foreign Minister Gromyko at the talks in October). Also regarding the Soviet Foreign Minister's visit to Japan, he showed a negative attitude, saying that the "timing and atmosphere" are the problems.
(e) As for the issue of the Northern Territories, the largest pending issue between the two countires, Japan repeated its call for the conclusion of a peace treaty through the settlement of the territorial issue at the above-mentioned second working-level consultations and the talks between the Japanese and Soviet Foreign Ministers. However, the Soviet Union stuck to the position that there is no such territorial issue between the two nations. In Japan, meanwhile, a law on special measures for the promotion of the settlement of the Northern Territorial issue was enacted by the Diet in August 1982, while Foreign Minister Sakurauchi make an on-the-spot survey on the Northern Territories in that month. In this way, a further rise was seen in the public opinion seeking the return of the islands. Against such a background, Foreign Minister Sakurauchi sought the world opinion's support for Japan's basic position on the matter in his general speech at the 37th UN General Assembly session in October following similar appeals made at the same forum by Foreign Minister Ito in 1980 and Foreign Minister Sonoda in 1981.
(f) Regarding the developments in Poland following the declaration of martial law in December 1981, Japan announced a set of measures against the Soviet Union in February to seek that country's self-restraint and deter any future intervention in the belief that unity and cooperation among Western countries is of utmost importance.
(g) Regarding the INF talks between the United States and the Soviet Union, Soviet leaders, including Foreign Minister Gromyko, said in January 1983 that depending on the progress of the talks, the Soviet intermediate-range missiles now deployed in Europe would be transferred to Asia. Japan had all along been asking the Soviet Union to dismantle their INF, as typified by SS-20 missiles, deployed in the whole of the Soviet Union, including the Far East. Concerning the said remarks by Soviet leaders, Foreign Minister Abe in his foreign policy speech to the Diet on January 24, 1983, voiced profound regret, saying that the Soviet behavior is threatening peace and stability in the Far East. On the following January 25, Deputy Foreign Minister Nakajima told Soviet Ambassador to Japan Pavlov that the transfer of new missiles to the Far East in addition to the medium-range missiles already deployed there will unnecessarily heighten tensions in the area.
(h) Diplomacy toward the Soviet Union is one of the most important aspects of Japan's external relations. The establishment of stable relations between the two countries, based on true mutual understanding, is also vital for peace and stability in Asia and the rest of the world. Nevertheless, in order to establish such relations, the settlement of the issue of the Northern Territories cannot be bypassed. Therefore, Japan is determined to continue its pertinacious appeal to the Soviet Union for the early conclusion of a peace treaty through the settlement of the territorial issue, with the support of the Japanese people's wishes for the reversion of the islands.
(2) Eastern Europe
(a) Japan has been endeavoring to promote mutual understanding and develop friendly relations with East European nations while taking into account the internal situation and policies of each nation. Japan has basically maintained this policy even amid the growing instability of East-West relations resulting from the developments in Poland.
(b) As to the internal situation in Poland under martial law, Japan has consistently been conducting itself as a member of the Western camp, fully cognizant that the developments in Poland threaten efforts for mutual cooperation and exchange so far exerted between the East and the West, and as such will have grave effects on the international situation.
From the standpoint that the Polish problem should be solved by the Poles themselves without outside intervention, the Japanese Government has urged the Soviet Union to exercise restraint and also asked the Polish Government to strive for a true normalization of the situation through national reconciliation.
Also in the belief that cooperation and solidarity of the Western nations are essential in coping with the Polish situation, Japan has maintained the measures against Poland and the Soviet Union it announced on February 23.
(c) As to Yugoslavia which holds fast to a policy of independence and nonalignment, Japan highly regards that country's diplomatic stance and is also fully aware of its political importance. In January 1983, Japan pledged an export credit of $60 million to the Western nations' economic aid to Yugoslavia, aimed at the stability and development of Yugoslavia's economy.
7. The Middle East
(1) The Middle East region has strategic importance in international politics and especially constitutes an extremely important area for Japan as a major source of energy supplies and as a major trading partner and a principal market for Japanese investment. Nonetheless, this area is not only fraught with various political problems, such as the Middle East peace problem and the Iran-Iraq conflict, but also confronted with social and economic problems brought about in the course of rapid economic development in recent years. These various problems could cause instability in the region and eventually have apolitical and strategic impact on the international community as a whole.
Keenly aware of this, Japan is cooperating in the Middle East nations' efforts for nation-building and human resource development mainly through economic and technical cooperation with a view to contributing to regional stability. Furthermore, Japan is endeavoring to further step up the exchange of visits and cultural exchange with the nations in the region for the purpose of promoting mutual understanding.
(2) In 1982, the Middle East situation continued unstable as instanced by the deterioration of the Lebanese situation which began following the invasion of that country by Israeli troops in June, and the continuation of the Iran-Iraq conflict, although the whole of the Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt in April. Faced with such an unstable situation in the region, Japan has taken every opportunity to seek a just and peaceful settlement of the disputes at international organizations and other forums and also through dialogues with the parties concerned.
As to the problem of Middle East peace, Japan has a high opinion of the new peace proposals by President Reagan, which it believes contains positive elements conducive to the cause of peace. At the same time, Japan has been striving to encourage an atmosphere for creating a favorable environment for peace through contacts with the parties concerned.
(3) In 1982, Japan's trade with the Middle East nations (excluding Afghanistan and including North Africa) totaled about $17.9 billion in exports and about $38.4 billion in imports, showing a big trade deficit for this country. This is because Japan relies on the Middle East to supply more than 70 percent of its crude oil requirements. In Japan's world trade as a whole, the Middle East accounts for 13 percent of Japan's total exports and 29 percent of its total imports, indicating its great reliance upon the Middle East in the sector of imports. On the other hand, compared with the previous year, Japan's exports to the region declined by 3 percent, while imports diminished by 11 percent. Thus a conspicuous drop was noted in imports. The reason is that, following the second oil crisis, moves to reduce dependence on petroleum progressed rapidly in Japan as well, bringing about a considerable decrease in crude oil imports from the Middle East.
In 1982, Japan's crude oil imports from the Middle East amounted to 154 million kiloliters (about 2.66 million barrels a day), or 72 percent of Japan's total imports of this item. This represented a 5 percent decline from the previous year. Of the Middle East nations, Saudi Arabia (excluding the neutral zone) was by far the biggest supplier, accounting for 35 percent of Japan's total imports followed by the United Arab Emirates (13 percent) and Iran (6 percent).
(4) The exchange of visits with the Middle East nations continued to expand through fiscal 1982. From Japan, Finance Minister Watanabe visited Egypt and Tunisia in January and International Trade and Industry Minister Abe visited Saudi Arabia in May and Tunisia in June. Moreover, on the occasion of the demise of King Khalid of Saudi Arabia in June, former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda was sent to that country as a special envoy to express the country's condolences.
As for the visit to Japan of influential figures from Middle East countries, Planning Minister Kamal Sharaf of Syria and Transport Minister Monsouri Benali of Morocco visited this country as guests of the Foreign Ministry in March and July, respectively. In September, Abdel Kader Hatem, General Supervisor, Specialized National Councils Presidency, came to Japan and exchanged views with Japanese government leaders.
Meanwhile, in the context of the Middle East peace problem, Khalid Fahoum, Chairman of the Palestine National Council (PNC), visited Japan in May at the invitation of the Parliamentarians' League for Japan-Palestine Friendship. In December, King Hussein of Jordan came to Japan. These visits contributed greatly to deepening mutual understanding between Japanese leaders and the parties concerned with the Middle East peace problem.
In January 1983, the Labor Ministers of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and South Yemen visited Tokyo to attend the ninth Asia-Pacific Labor Ministers' Conference. In addition, important personages of ministerial level are visiting Japan frequently, though unofficially, from that region, contributing to Japan-Middle East relations.
Furthermore, Japan positively stepped up cultural exchange with Middle East countries, including the dispatch of a sports mission in January - February 1983, which proved to be highly successful.
8. Africa
(1) There are 45 independent countries south of the Sahara, accounting for about one-third of the UN member nations. They thus exert great influence in the international arena. Also blessed with abundant national resources, Africa bears an important role in the world economy.
Almost all African countries attained independence in or after 1960. Therefore, the biggest task facing them is nation-building. With the rise of Japan's national strength, they are showing a growing interest in this country. As a result, influential figures are frequently visiting Japan from African nations. On the other hand, they are placing fast growing expectations upon Japan's economic cooperation.
In order to fulfill its international responsibility in the present-day world marked by deepening interdependence, Japan is stepping up the exchange of people with African nations to deepen mutual understanding, and at the same time, contributing to the economic and social development of African nations by extending maximum possible economic and technical cooperation in a broad range of fields. This, it is believed, will also serve the national interests of Japan.
(2) As for the exchange of people, President Daniel Arap Moi of Kenya visited Japan as state guest in April. Visits of important personages from Japan to Africa also gathered added momentum with former Parliamentary Vice Foreign Minister Tsuji's tour of five African countries in July and the Crown Prince and Princess' visit to three African countries in March 1983.
(3) As for economic and technical cooperation, Japan's bilateral official development assistance to African nations (in terms of net disbursement) in 1981 totaled $210.5 million, of which grant aid accounted for $83.5 million-a marked increase from $54.4 million in 1980. The share of Africa in Japan's grant aid total reached 19.3 percent.
(4) Regarding the Southern Africa problems (the attainment of early independence by Namibia and abolition of South Africa's racial discrimination policy), which all African nations hope will be solved as soon as possible, Japan makes it a basic policy to lend as much positive cooperation as possible so that the problems will be resolved in a just and peaceful manner.
As to the Namibia problem, the United Nations and the countries concerned continued to show moves for settlement in 1982, but no basic solution was reached. Japan has expressed its readiness to extend cooperation to the civilian component of the United Nations Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG), in case it is dispatched to solve the Namibia problem.
As far as South Africa's racial discrimination policy is concerned, Japan has strongly opposed the policy and has placed certain limitations on its relations with that country.
* the term 'Latin America' used in this Blue Book includes the Caribbean area.