Press Conferences

Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida: In order to ensure that Ukraine’s Supreme Council election on October 26 is conducted fairly, I have decided to assign a total of 10 individuals, consisting of Japanese experts as well as personnel from the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine, to election observation activities. It is extremely important that this election is held in a free and fair manner and I hope that dispatching election observers from Japan will contribute to this end.

Kurihara, NHK: I understand that prior to the Cabinet meeting there was a meeting of relevant ministers, such as the Minister of Defense and State Minister in Charge of Issues of Okinawa. What were discussed?

Minister Fumio Kishida: The State Minister in Charge of Issues of Okinawa, the Minister of Defense and other ministers concerned gathered together to exchange information and views on issues concerning Okinawa.

Kurihara, NHK: Working-level discussions are currently underway on the Agreement to Supplement the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on Environmental Stewardship, I believe, but could you tell us how the formulation of that Agreement is going?

Minister Kishida: Thus far eight rounds of consultations on the Agreement to Supplement the Japan-U.S. SOFA on Environmental Stewardship have been conducted, and the discussions are continuing. I am aware that energetic discussions are taking place between Japan and the U.S. and adjustments are being made. However, I think that going forward, the ninth round of consultations may still be held.

Kurihara, NHK: The Okinawa side is indicating that they wish to see it concluded by the gubernatorial election, but do you think it is likely to happen in time for that?

Minister Kishida: I received a request in December last year from Okinawa Prefecture Governor Hirokazu Nakaima regarding the mitigation of burden on Okinawa. The Government has taken the request seriously and is addressing it with utmost effort. I believe we must continue to make utmost effort in mitigating burden on Okinawa, including the handling of the Agreement to Supplement the Japan-U.S. SOFA on Environmental Stewardship. I would like to refrain from commenting on a deadline, but I am conscious of the challenge of having to continue to strive to produce results as soon as possible.

Kurihara, NHK: Next week on October 16 the party’s Headquarters for the Abduction Issue will hold a meeting. How is the issue of dispatching an inquiry team to Pyongyang, North Korea to meet with the Special Investigation Committee ahead of that, or after that, being considered?

Minister Kishida: The Government of Japan is continuing to firmly ask the North Korean side to carry out the investigation swiftly, and to report those findings promptly. I believe that we must certainly listen carefully to the views of various interested parties, including of course the parliamentary league and the related people such as the families of the victims of abduction, and that the Government as a whole must then make a comprehensive decision based on that. Currently the Government is continuing to examine its response.

Kurihara, NHK: Am I correct in understanding that the Government’s response will be considered after October 16 next week?

Minister Kishida: Nothing has been decided regarding the schedule and so on. At the moment those considerations are underway. At present nothing has been decided in terms of what sort of conclusion will be reached, and when a conclusion will be made.

Yamamoto, Sankei Shimbun: I have a question regarding the incident involving my company’s former Seoul bureau chief. This is generating considerable criticism from the international community, and I would like to once again ask about the impact of this incident on Japan-ROK relations in the future.

Minister Kishida: To begin with, regarding the incident you mentioned, thus far also the Government of Japan has conveyed its concerns to the Government of the ROK and has been asking it to make cautious handling. And regarding this indictment of the former bureau chief, it is extremely regrettable from the standpoints of freedom of the press and relations between Japan and the ROK, and the situation is deeply concerning. Based on this point of view, yesterday the Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Mr. Junichi Ihara conveyed a firm message to a ROK minister at the Embassy in Japan.

Accompanying that, yesterday our message was also conveyed in Seoul, ROK.

Yamamoto, Sankei Shimbun: What about the impact on future Japan-ROK relations?

Minister Kishida: Yesterday the Government of Japan obtained the details of this indictment. I think we will have to consider a response, where necessary, once those details have been fully examined. That is the current situation for the time being.