Press Conferences

Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs: As a pre-event for the G7 Hiroshima Foreign Ministers’ Meeting that is just a month away, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is co-hosting the Youth Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons OB/OG Hiroshima Forum with Hiroshima Prefecture and Hiroshima City on March 27 at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

The number of Youth Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons program that I established three years ago with the aim of passing on the experiences of atomic bomb survivors beyond generations, amid the steady aging of survivors, has surpassed 100 Youth Communicator participants. MOFA hopes to reflect the frank opinions from young people who served as Youth Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons over the past three years on ways to achieve “a world free of nuclear weapons” in discussions at the G7 Hiroshima Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

Fukai, TBS: The United States and Republic of Korea (ROK) started joint military exercises. While North Korea is issuing threats, such as possible launching a full-scale attack, what is the Government of Japan’s response and preparation in reaction to this?

Minister Kishida: First, it is unacceptable that North Korea’s provocative behavior in reaction to U.S.-ROK joint military exercises. Japan strongly urges North Korea to sincerely heed the strong warnings and condemnation repeatedly expressed by the international community and to comply faithfully and fully with the latest resolution and the series of relevant resolutions, without taking further provocative actions. . Japan intends to continue to put its utmost efforts into various responses, such as gathering intelligence, in order to be fully prepared and capable of responding to any circumstances.

Fukai, TBS: The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women made a recommendation that Japan take sufficient measures to deal with the comfort women issue. I heard that the Committee will conduct further discussions based on the recommendation. What is the Japanese Government’s opinion on this?

Minister Kishida: Regarding the concluding observations issued by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, it is regrettable that it did not adequately reflect the content explained by Japan. On the comfort women issue meanwhile, Japan and the ROK agreed that the issue of comfort women is resolved finally and irreversibly in a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of both countries and the heads of both countries confirmed the agreement. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, and many other countries have welcomed this agreement. The content of the draft concluding observations is divorced from the reception given by the international community, and we believe the criticism has no ground.

Fukai, TBS: Do you therefore think that this recommendation would not have an impact on the Japan-ROK agreement reached at the end of last year?

Minister Kishida: Yes. In any case, I believe it is important for the Governments of Japan and the ROK to faithfully implement the content of the agreement between our countries. I believe both the Governments of Japan and the ROK will continue making their efforts together.

Takita, Sankei Shimbun: This is related to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Japan dispatched Mr. Shinsuke Sugiyama, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, to explain the Government’s position. Do you feel that this had some effect or meaning?

Minister Kishida: As I already mentioned, we believe that the Committee fundamentally did not adequately reflect the content of the Government of Japan’s explanation. Nevertheless, the concluding observations this time used “comfort women” as the English term, rather than “sex slave.” I think this change can be attributed to the thorough explanation given by Deputy Minister Sugiyama regarding the facts and initiatives by the Japanese Government at the meeting for review on Japan held on February 16.