Press Conferences

Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs: I will visit the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Qatar from October 11 to 15. In Iran, I will meet with dignitaries including Foreign Minister Zarif. Based on the traditional friendly relationship with Iran, I will encourage them to faithfully implement the final agreement for the nuclear issue and also exchange opinions with them on topics such as strengthening our bilateral relations, including economic relations, and the situations in the Middle East region.

In Qatar, I will meet with dignitaries such as Foreign Minister Al-Attiyah. For Japan, Qatar is an important exporting country of crude oil and natural gas, ranking third and second respectively. In addition, Qatar is also an important partner with which we have been promoting and expanding a Comprehensive Partnership, and we intend to continue to exchange opinions with Qatar on topics such as the situations in the Middle East region.

Kobayashi, TV Tokyo: I understand that a Japan-Russia vice-ministerial-level meeting took place yesterday. May I ask about the latest situation of the talks on the Northern Territories issue and the prospect of President Putin visiting Japan?

Minister Kishida: On October 8, a Japan-Russia vice-ministerial-level meeting was held in Moscow between Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Sugiyama and Russian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Morgulov to negotiate for the conclusion of the peace treaty.

These are the first negotiations between Japan and Russia on concluding the peace treaty in one year and nine months. We agreed to hold these negotiations during my previous visit to Russia. I will receive a detailed report after Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Sugiyama returns to Japan. But according to the communications received at the current stage, I have heard that, based on the discussion in the Japan-Russia Summit held during the recent United Nations General Assembly, these negotiations involved a frank and detailed exchange of opinions which lasted for seven hours, including on the historical and legal aspects of the issue of concluding the peace treaty, and that constructive dialogue took place on further negotiations in the future.

With regard to the visit to Japan of President Putin, at the Japan-Russia Summit held in November of last year, both sides agreed to advance preparations toward realizing the visit of the President at an appropriate time during this year. This policy remains unchanged at the present time.

Kobayashi, TV Tokyo: I have one more question. Tomorrow, the 10th, is the date that North Korea has hinted at for the launch of a missile. May I ask for the latest information on this matter, and also the latest response of the Japanese Government to it?

Minister Kishida: The accumulated United Nations Security Council Resolutions prohibit the launch of any missile by North Korea using ballistic missile technologies. Therefore, the launch of a long-range ballistic missile, even if North Korea calls it a satellite, is clearly a violation of the Security Council Resolutions.

At the recent United Nations General Assembly, we held discussions with the United States and the ROK on the issue of holding a foreign ministers’ meeting among the three countries. First, however, while cooperating with the United States, the ROK, and other relevant parties, I think we must urge North Korea to strictly comply with the Security Council Resolutions and also with the statements of the Six-Party Talks. Above all, we will continue to strive in our ongoing efforts to demand that North Korea exercise self-restraint.

In terms of the current situation, we are continuing to work to collect and analyze information. I am not able to go into details about its content here due to the nature of this matter, but I consider that we must continue with these efforts to collect and analyze information.

Fujita, Fuji TV: The People’s Republic of China has applied for inscription of two issues, the so-called comfort women issue and the “Nanking massacre,” to the Memory of the World. An announcement will soon be made concerning the inscription. However, under the current system, the contents of applications are not disclosed. There seem to be concerns on subjects such as application method or lack of transparency with the Memory of the World. What is your view on this?

Minister Kishida: In terms of your question, the status and results of the assessment by the International Advisory Committee have not been disclosed by UNESCO at present. Therefore, the Government of Japan will refrain from making any comment on this issue at this stage.

We have repeatedly given explanations on Japan’s stance to UNESCO.

Concerning the problems in procedures such as transparency that you mentioned, there are various opinions, and we should continue serious discussions on that issue as our future task. Meanwhile, on the issue that you pointed out, the Government of Japan has carefully given explanations on our stance, and therefore we will keep an eye on the outcome.

Fujita, Fuji TV: In the World Heritage registration case, foreign ministers of Japan and the Republic of Korea held a meeting and then proceeded to complete the registration. I think Japan opposes the inscription of such content by China. I wonder if there is any possibility of holding a dialogue or a meeting on a political level between China and Japan?

Minister Kishida: Regarding this matter, it is an application for the Memory of the World and not for World Heritage, and therefore it seems different procedures are required. However, because the Government of Japan recognizes that the registration would be a problem, we would not be reluctant to discuss this issue with the Chinese side. However, under the current conditions, we are not holding a dialogue or discussion on this issue with the Chinese side. We have given explanations on the Japanese stance, including these points, to UNESCO.

Kuronuma, Nikkei Shimbun: I would like to ask a question about the policies of the Kochikai. I have heard that there were voices of dissent from Diet members attending the plenary meeting against what you said in your faction’s workshop held the other day, namely that light armament and focus on the economy are not the essence of the policies of the Kochikai. Could you explain once again what the essence of the policies of the Kochikai is?

Minister Kishida: To be a little more explicit, the Kochikai did adopt the policy of light armament and focus on the economy. I said, however, that this was not the essence of the policy of Kochikai. My point was that we actually did adopt the policy of light armament and focus on the economy, but that the essence would not be understood unless you consider the reason why such a policy was adopted. The reason why we adopted that policy was that when the state of the international environment and the circumstances of the daily life of the Japanese people at that time were considered, the times demanded the policy of light armament and focus on the economy then. I said that it was the demand of the times and the demand of the state of the international environment that led to the decision to adopt a policy of light armament and focus on the economy. I did not reject the policy of light armament and focus on the economy, and at the same time, it is also a fact that we had adopted such a policy. But on that basis, I explained that we would not be able to see the essence unless we considered why we took such a policy and what the reason for it was. I intend to continue to provide further clarification on this point. Also, the other day at the Kochikai workshop, as there had recently been a broad debate going on in the media and elsewhere regarding the policies of the Kochikai, I called for the members that there was a need for us to review these debates to clarify our standpoint and that we should firmly discuss our polities, and then I stated my thought. The same matter came up for discussion again at this week’s regular meeting. I welcome this as a response to my call for a lively debate.

Makita, Kyodo Press: U.S. forces bombed Médecins Sans Frontières in Afghanistan by mistake, and President Obama apologized. How do you view this, and in what way can Japan respond to this?

Minister Kishida: With regard to the issue that you indicated, I am aware that the United States admitted its erroneous airstrike, as you noted. First and foremost, it is highly regrettable that civilians were victims of the airstrike, and I wish to express my deep condolences for them. It is my understanding that an investigation of the facts is under way. I intend to continue paying attention to the investigation by the related countries or related institutions.

Kurihara, NHK: Concerning UNESCO’s Memory of the World that you previously responded to, I remember you stated that there are various procedural problems regarding the Memory of the World under circumstance in which such UNESCO activities are utilized for political purposes…

Minister Kishida: I stated that this is still the topic of various different discussions and that we should continue discussing the approaches to improve such procedures.

Kurihara, NHK: Do you mean that Japan will take actions on how the assessments conducted by such international organizations should be?

Minister Kishida: That could be possible if necessary in the future. However, on the other hand, there is an issue that the Government of Japan considers problematic at present. Therefore, I think we need to work on the issue of future procedures and Japan’s response to the current issue regarding the application by China separately.