Press Conferences

Press Conference by Foreign Minister HAYASHI Yoshimasa

Tuesday, March 22, 2022, 1:39 p.m. Ministry of Foreign Affairs

(Video) Press Conference by Foreign Minister HAYASHI
This is a provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only.
Japanese

Opening Remarks

(1) Passenger Plane Crash in China

Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs: I have two announcements.

Firstly, I am aware that there has been an accident on the afternoon of March 21, in which China Eastern Airlines flight 5735 crashed in the mountains of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after taking off from Kunming Changshui Airport in Yunnan Province.

I am aware that the Chinese authorities are currently conducting search operations and that the full extent of the damage is still unclear. I would like to express my sincere sympathy for the people affected by the damage. I pray that the search progresses as swiftly as possible.

Furthermore, at this point, we have not received any information on injuries or casualties of Japanese nationals.

(2) Foreign Minister Hayashi’s Attendance at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) Ministerial Meeting

Minister Hayashi: Next, the TICAD Ministerial Meeting will be held in the video teleconference format on March 26 and 27. I will chair the meeting and the foreign ministers of various African countries and others will attend.

TICAD is a forum with a history of over a quarter of a century since 1993. It has been led by Japan in a way that supports African ownership to promote African development.

During the meeting, we will discuss priority issues of Africa based on the three pillars of Economy, Society, and Peace and Stability, emphasize people and quality of growth, and show the course of African development looking ahead to the post-novel coronavirus era. We will also call for the cooperation of the international community. In addition, I will leverage bilateral meetings held during this opportunity to have discussions toward cooperation on the priority issues of Japanese diplomacy of addressing the current situation in Ukraine and development finance issues.

Through this meeting, I will confirm cooperation between Japan and various African countries toward the TICAD8 summit meeting that will be held in August 2022. That is all from me.

Russia’s Announcement of Measures Against Japan

Hokkaido Shimbun, Bun: In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Russia will refuse to take part in the peace treaty negotiations and withdraw from the joint economic activities on the Four Northern Islands, with the suspension of visa-free exchanges and free visits.

Please tell us your reaction to this and how MOFA will respond. Furthermore, I believe that Japan would not have taken tough economic sanctions against Russia if Russia had not invaded Ukraine. Please tell us your reaction to Russia’s claim that Japan bears unilateral responsibility for what has happened.

Minister Hayashi: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force. It is an act that undermines the very foundation of the international order. It constitutes a blatant violation of international law. As such, it is unacceptable and we condemn it in the strongest terms.

The current situation has entirely been caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is extremely unjust for Russia to attempt to shift this to Japan-Russia relations. It is absolutely unacceptable and we have lodged a strong protest. Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Yamada conveyed the Government of Japan’s position earlier to the Russian Ambassador to Japan Galuzin.

Regarding the invasion of Ukraine, Japan will continue to unite with the international community in taking resolute actions to fully defend the foundation of the international order.

NHK, Aoki: I have a follow-up question. You have frequently stated until now that you cannot speak about the outlook of the peace treaty negotiations. How do you intend to explain the future policy to the former islanders?

Minister Hayashi: There is no change to the Government of Japan’s basic foreign policy toward Russia of resolving the attribution issue and concluding a peace treaty.

There is also not even the slightest change to Japan’s position on the Northern Territories issue and our wish to somehow respond to the sentiments of the former islanders who have reached old age. However, if we take into account the current situation, I believe we are not in a situation in which I can speak about the outlook for the peace treaty negotiations.

Hokkaido Shimbun, Bun: Russia’s statement indicated that it will refuse to…

Minister Hayashi: A Statement of refusal?

Hokkaido Shimbun, Bun: Russia’s statement indicates that it will refuse to take part in the peace treaty negotiations and suspend visa-free exchanges, which I believe have been a major pillar of Japan-Russia relations until now. How will you respond to this, such as taking sanctions against Russia?

Minister Hayashi: The current situation has been entirely caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I believe that Japan needs to impose strong sanctions against Russia so that Russia stops its invasion and withdraws its troops as soon as possible. We will continue to appropriately respond in cooperation with the international community, including the G7.

Request for President Biden to Visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki

TV Asahi, Sawai: This morning, the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki requested U.S. Ambassador to Japan Emanuel that President Biden visits Hiroshima and Nagasaki when he visits Japan for the Quad summit meeting. I believe that they will also make the same request to you afterward. Now that Russia is posing a nuclear threat regarding the situation in Ukraine, please tell us your thoughts on the significance of the U.S. President visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Minister Hayashi: I believe that the international community having an accurate recognition of the reality of atomic bombing is very important for the start of various initiatives toward nuclear disarmament. From this perspective, I believe that visits to atomic bombing sites by dignitaries are extremely significant.

Furthermore, the specific schedule of the visit to Japan by President Biden of the United States has not been decided yet, so I cannot say anything certain about his visit at this point.

Russia’s Announcement of Measures Against Japan

Hokkaido Shimbun, Bun: Regarding the peace treaty negotiations, I believe that the agreement in Singapore in 2018 was a major premise for the negotiations until now. Please tell us your thoughts on whether the agreement will continue to be a premise for the negotiations due to Russia’s statement that it will refuse to take part in the negotiations.

Minister Hayashi: There is no change to the Government of Japan’s basic policy on diplomacy toward Russia of resolving the attribution issue and concluding a peace treaty.

Additionally, I believe that at this point, we are not in a situation in which I should speak about our future response on this matter.

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