Press Conferences

Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs: The 2015 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference, which has been taking place in New York for the past month since April 27, has reached its final stage. In the morning today, Japan time, the President-designate Feroukhi is scheduled to present the final agreement draft document and to distribute it to the countries concerned. Based on this, delegates of each country will confirm with their governments, and it will be decided whether or not the final agreement draft document will be adopted by a consensus.

I cannot speculate on whether or not the final agreement draft document will be adopted, but we strongly hope that the document will incorporate the various points that Japan has emphasized in particular; and also that it will be adopted through consensus from the point of view of the promotion of international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. This is what we have been striving toward.

Minister Kishida: Today, May 22, is the 11th anniversary of the 2nd Japan-North Korea Summit Meeting held in 2004. Through the meeting, in 2004 we realized the return of the families of victims of abduction who had returned to Japan in 2002.

But even today, not all of the victims of abduction have returned to Japan. We continue to strongly demand that North Korea sincerely implements the agreement between Japan and North Korea, rapidly carries out the investigation, and promptly and honestly reports its findings to Japan.

While adhering to the principles of “dialogue and pressure” and “action for action”, we will continue to make every effort to get all the victims of abduction return to Japan, and to comprehensively resolve all issues based on the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration.

Yoshimoto, TV Tokyo: It has already been one year since the agreement in Stockholm, but there is still no sign of report. What is your opinion on this?

Minister Kishida: It has been one year since the agreement between Japan and North Korea in Stockholm, and that as you have mentioned, as of yet we still have not received the report of the Special Investigation Committee.

This is the current situation, but as I mentioned in my opening remarks today, as today, May 22, marks the anniversary of the agreement, I would like to use the opportunity to once again restate the intention of the Government of Japan to realize the return of all of the victims of abduction.

Yoshimoto, TV Tokyo: Republic of Korea (ROK) President Park Geun-hye has criticized Japan’s application to register its industrial revolution heritage as a World Cultural Heritage to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Secretary-General Bokova. What is your opinion on this? Discussions on a working level will begin from today, but may I ask you about this point?

Minister Kishida: First, I am aware of the reports that you referred to. As previously notified, working-level discussions will be held between the parties responsible for culture in Japan and the ROK from today. The Japanese side will work hard so as to obtain the understanding of the ROK side.

We will continue to make efforts to have the recommendation of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) respected and to have Japan’s industrial revolution heritage registered as a World Heritage.

Yoshimoto, TV Tokyo: What about President Park Geun-hye’s comments?

Minister Kishida: I am aware of the President’s comments. That is the reason why we are holding the working-level discussions between the parties responsible for culture today. We will fully discuss the matter and work to obtain the understanding of the ROK side.

Fujimura, Chugoku Shimbun: Regarding the NPT review conference, the sentence describing visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been removed from the final draft. May I ask you about this?

Minister Kishida: The final draft has not yet been submitted, and discussions are still ongoing. The final draft is scheduled to be released in the morning today. We will continue to work up until the last moment. Up until today, we have strived to incorporate into the final draft the five points. We will continue to work right until the very end to incorporate the five points that Japan is seeking into the document.