Press Conferences

Mr. Mizushima: First item is about the Second Ministerial Interim Meeting of the Pacific Islands Leader’s Meeting. On October 26, Japan will host the Second Ministerial Interim Meeting of the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM), in Tokyo.

Ministerial level participants including Foreign Ministers from 16 members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), will attend the meeting. From Japan, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will attend and co-chair the meeting with the Honorable Phillip Muller, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Republic of the Marshall Islands, Chair of the PIF this year.

Japan hosts the PALM every three years in Japan since 1997, and has been building close, cooperative relationship with participating countries through candid discussions covering various issues this region faces with. The Ministerial Interim Meeting is held in the year between two summit meetings. In the upcoming meeting, Ministers will overview the follow-up process of the outcome of the PALM 6, held in May last year, and discuss mid-and-long term policies toward strengthening the relations between Japan and the Pacific Islands region as a preparation for the PALM 7 to be held in 2015.

The guest participants will visit Sendai on October 26 and 27, and they will meet representatives from the local community to get briefings on disaster reconstruction and recovery of local economy from the Great East Japan Earthquake, and also meet with potential investors who are interested in investing in the region. They will also visit Matsushima, where tourists are coming back.

It is expected that this meeting will help reinforce the concrete cooperative relationship between Japan and the Pacific Islands region as ‘co-working peers’.

Mr. Mizushima: The second item is about the visit of Japanese youth to the United States through the KAKEHASHI Project, and the visit by youth from the Pacific Islands region to Japan.

From October 27 to November 6, a total of 152 Japanese high school students will visit the United States as a part of KAKEHASHI Project – The Bridge for Tomorrow -. During their stay, they will attend lectures on today’s United States, participate in school exchange programs and experience homestays. They will also make presentations on the strength and attractions of Japan and their hometowns. It is expected that this project will help the participating Japanese high school students understand different culture better by experiencing various activities so that they would contribute to the further betterment of the Japan-US relations in the future.

Also, from October 23 to November 3, 20 youth from the Pacific Islands region will visit Japan as a part of JENESYS 2.0. In addition to visiting Tokyo, they will visit Shimane Prefecture where they will attend various events including exchanges with Japanese students, homestays, and experiencing Japanese traditional culture. It is expected that this visit will help participating youth from the Pacific Islands region deepen their understanding about and interest in Japan and Japanese values including its advanced technology as well as its enriched tradition and culture.

Mr. Mizushima: The third item is about the “Local partnership Kansai Symposium”. On October 31, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nara Prefecture will jointly host the “Local partnership Kansai Symposium” in Nara City with the theme of “Japan ASEAN relations going forward”.

The Symposium will be held in three sessions. The first session is a presentation and panel discussion on tourism and the second session is a presentation and panel discussion on economy, then the third session is a panel discussion by all panelists.

It is expected that this Symposium will provide a good opportunity for the Kansai area to promote to the international community vitality and appeal of the area which is one of the key economic zones in Japan as well as possesses a rich history and culture, and has been proactively making efforts to promote internationalization.

This year marks 40th year anniversary since Japan started its friendship relations with ASEAN. This Symposium is one of many events that commemorates and celebrates such good relationship throughout this year by both Japan and ASEAN member countries.

And that’s all. I’m happy to take questions if you have any.

Q: Okay. I’m new in Japan. My name is Ken Moritsugu, with AP, the new PR chief. So I can ask you about anything, or you don’t mind?

Mr. Mizushima: Okay.

Q: You might—this is just a general question. You might not know how to answer it, but, coming up is the 50th anniversary of—the anniversary of the assassination of JFK. President Kennedy, in early November.

Mr. Mizushima: Oh, okay.

Q: So we’re actually doing a global story, looking at, you know, whether people remember Kennedy at all. Do you have any idea if there’s some retired diplomat or former people who... Have you heard anything talking about this event at all, or no?

Mr. Mizushima: As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have any information on any specific events that has been planned.

Q: Okay. And I’ll ask one other Kennedy question, since the other Kennedy is the new ambassador, American Ambassador. What, if there’s planned at this point as far as—I believe she’s arriving in the middle of November. I’m not sure if that’s accurate, but according to my information. What’s the normal procedure process for a new American Ambassador?

Mr. Mizushima: We understand that the Ambassador Kennedy was approved in the Senate the other day. And we really look forward to her arrival in Japan, and then her assuming the post as Ambassador to Japan here in Tokyo. And we also expect that she’ll be actively playing an important role to further betterment of the Japan-US relationship. As far as we are concerned, the definite date of her arrival has not been confirmed yet. Again, we look forward to working closely with Ambassador Kennedy very much.

Q: But are there any specific issues that you think it’s important that the Ambassador will be dealing with in US-Japan bilateral relations?

Mr. Mizushima: Well, as you know, the Japan and the US are the very important allies, and the both countries are responsible for keeping the peace, stability and prosperity in this region. Therefore, we will work closely with the Ambassador Kennedy in order to further strengthen the bilateral relationship and to contribute to peace and stability in this region.

Q: Okay. Thank you.

Mr. Mizushima: Thank you very much.