Press Conferences

Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida: Next month, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony will be held in Hiroshima City on the 6th and the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony on the 69th anniversary of the atomic bombing will be held in Nagasaki City on the 9th. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs from Hiroshima, an atomic bombed city, I emphasize passing down the story of the tremendous sufferings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki across borders and generations.

In this regard, the International Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons will be held in Vienna on December 8 and 9. From the perspective of spreading awareness on the inhumanity of nuclear weapons across generations and borders and pursuing “a world without nuclear weapons,” the Government of Japan will participate in the discussions and contribute firmly to the success of the conference.

Arita, Nippon TV: You will leave for the Kyrgyz Republic and Ukraine today. What is your expectation on the outcomes toward the visit to these countries?

Minister Kishida: In the Kyrgyz Republic, I will attend the Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue. I am scheduled to attend the foreign ministers’ meeting. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue. Since countries of Central Asia are friendly to Japan and have great potential such as rich resources, I would like to confirm specific cooperative relationships with those countries on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue.

Then, following the visit to Kyrgyz Republic, I am scheduled to visit Ukraine. In Ukraine, I will set forth the stance of the Government of Japan to firmly contribute to a peaceful solution on the issue of Ukraine as a member of G7. I will urge political and economic reforms in Ukraine as well as promote dialogues between various concerned parties in Ukraine. I will also give explanations on the contributions that the Government of Japan will make for such purposes.

Arita, Nippon TV: I learned that Mr. Hwang Joon-kook, Special Representative of the ROK, will be coming to Japan today and holding a meeting with Director-General Mr. Junichi Ihara tomorrow. What will they talk about?

Minister Kishida: Mr. Hwang Joon-kook, Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea, will visit Japan and is scheduled to discuss issues concerning North Korea with Mr. Ihara, Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, on July 16. In the discussions, they are scheduled to exchange opinions on the recent North Korean situation and other issues.

Arita, Nippon TV: Will the Japanese side give explanations on the negotiations and progress of Japan-North Korea consultations?

Minister Kishida: As they are scheduled to discuss the recent situation of North Korea, I think that he will give explanations on various actions related to North Korea.

Fujimura, Chugoku Shimbun: Concerning the Conference in Vienna, I would like to know what level of person will attend the Conference from Japan. My other question is on the Nuclear Weapon Convention, which is different from Japan’s stance, will also be a topic of the conference. What was the reason for the decision to participate in this conference?

Minister Kishida: Regarding the level of the participant, we will discuss it from now, checking the participants from other countries and other elements.

We have been exchanging opinions with Austria, the host country of the Conference, on the content of the conference from a perspective of pursuing a world without nuclear weapons and how Japan can contribute to the conference. On the basis of such exchange of opinions, we have announced our current status that we are scheduled to attend and contribute to the conference.

Watanabe, NHK: Do you mean that the foreign ministers have attended past conferences? Or do you mean that you will attend this year because you are from Hiroshima?

Minister Kishida: The past conferences were working-level ones. However, we have not decided the level of the person who will attend the conference yet. The past conferences were working-level conferences, but this time, we will discuss the level of the participant checking the level of the persons who will attend the Conference from other countries. Anyway, we have not decided on the participant or the level of the participant yet.

Watanabe, NHK: Do you have an intention to attend the Conference?

Minister Kishida: Nothing has been determined yet.