Press Conferences

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kiuchi: I am Minoru Kiuchi and I was appointed for State Minister for Foreign Affairs on the fourth of this month.

I am responsible for the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, the Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department; the European Affairs Bureau; the African Affairs Department; the International Cooperation Bureau; the Global Issues Department; the Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department; the Department of Public Diplomacy. As you are aware, responsibilities are divided between myself and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhide Nakayama. Also, last year I worked for around nine months as the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs and then after that as the Liberal Democratic Party’s Foreign Affairs Division Director, so in the second Abe administration I have been appointed to three diplomatic posts in succession.

Soon after my appointment, I was sent on an overseas diplomatic trip, visiting Egypt and Eritrea in Africa from the 12th to the 18th. In Egypt, I did not visit Cairo but instead participated in the 2nd Arab Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction at Sharm el-Sheikh. This meeting precedes the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction that will be hosted by the Prime Minister in Sendai in March next year, and the purpose of my trip was to obtain positive cooperation from the Arab nations to help make next year’s conference a success. Japan continues to demonstrate leadership in the international community in the field of disaster prevention, a point that I was able to once again express.

In addition, in Eritrea I called on and paid my respects to Mr. Isaias Afwerki, President of the State of Eritrea, and also held discussions with ministers, including the Foreign Minister and the Minister of Finance. Incidentally, I have heard that this was the first visit to Eritrea since its independence by a Japanese high-ranking government official.

This is my first press conference since my appointment, in the future I hope to be able to have discussions with each of you, including on what forms we should consult. I look forward to working with you.

I have many and various responsibilities and although my brain has limited capacity, at the moment I am assiduously studying each of them, so I’d appreciate your understanding.

Also, in those cases when you have a particularly frank question, I may be able to answer such questions individually so I think that you can feel free to ask them. However, unlike when I was Director of the Foreign Affairs Division, in my current position I am speaking as a representative of the Government of Japan, and so I may not be able to speak as candidly as I did in my former position. You may be disappointed, but please feel free to ask me questions.

Ichinose, Kyodo News: Since you oversee the European Affairs Bureau I would like to ask a Russia-related question. The other day the Government of Japan announced additional sanctions and is moving in step with the G7, but at the same time, where the Abe Administration is concerned there have been discussions with Russia, including on the resolution of the Northern Territories issue which Prime Minister Abe is also aiming for, and the Prime Minister is proposing to hold a Summit Meeting at the APEC in November. The fact is that this coordination with the G7 and the resolution of the Northern Territories issue point two different directions, and I expect that it will require difficult handling of balancing these two directions and finding an adequate solution. I would like to ask your thoughts on this, as State Minister.

State Minister Kiuchi: I think both the Minister for Foreign Affairs and I are in complete agreement, and the sanctions against Russia will be undertaken in coordination with the G7 and in light of the current situation in Ukraine, and I believe this is an appropriate decision by the Government of Japan.

In the future, Japan will work to resolve the problems surrounding Ukraine peacefully and diplomatically while making coordination with the G7 member countries and seeking communication with Russia.

At the same time, regarding Japan-Russia relations, I intend to move ahead with approaches that are aligned to Japan’s national interests while these recent measures may have an impact on Japan-Russia relations, but for my position I would like to refrain from making predictions about that.

In any case, as I have already said, where Japan-Russia relations are concerned I intend to continue to move ahead in a way that serves our national interests.

Matsumoto, Jiji Press: My question concerns the Japan-North Korea talks. This morning the Minister indicated that Japan-North Korea talks will be held in Shenyang, China on September 29.

What stance and position will the Government of Japan take in the talks in Shenyang on September 29? Also, I expect that Japan’s position is that these consultations will not be taken as the first report, but that being the case, what is the Japanese side’s view on when the first report should be delivered? I would like to ask for your views on these points.

State Minister Kiuchi: I will start with the latter question. Regarding the timing of the first report, it has not yet been decided when that will take place, but in any case, the investigation is to be carried out within a year, and based on what the North Korean side is saying currently, we have been told that they will not be able to undertake an explanation that goes beyond the initial stage of the investigation. So regarding this time’s contact between Japan and North Korea our understanding is that this will not amount to the first announcement of its investigation outcomes.

In any case the Government of Japan believes the North Korean side should undertake the investigation promptly and report its findings quickly, and it is based on this belief that the examination has been carried out via the embassies in Beijing, so I view this as an opportunity for the two sides’ foreign diplomatic authorities to come together and for us to receive an explanation about the current situation and what is happening.

Ishida, Channel News Asia: I have a question regarding the Japan-China consultation on maritime affairs, which was held yesterday. By around when do you expect to resume the consultations? And one more question in connection with this. Will the consultations be aimed at realizing a Japan-China summit meeting?

State Minister Kiuchi: On the 23rd and 24th, the second round meeting of the Japan-China high-level consultation on maritime affairs was held for the first time in approximately two years. With regard to the content of the meeting, both parties agreed in principle to resume consultations for an early implementation of a maritime communication mechanism between the defense authorities. In fact, Japan-China consultations on a maritime communication mechanism took place in the past in April 2008, July 2010, and June 2012. It is still undecided when the fourth round will be held.

As for the Japan-China summit meeting, as the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister have both stated, Japan-China relations are one of the most important bilateral relations, and the two countries have inseparable ties.

Diplomatic authorities remain committed to improving the bilateral relationship based on the principle of a mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests. It is of course critically important that the leaders hold candid talks with each other. Japan’s position is that our door for dialogue is always open, and we hope China will also adopt the same approach.