Press Conferences

Ukai, TV Tokyo: Yesterday, after the adoption of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution, North Korea fired six projectiles, and the Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Jong-un, First Secretary of the Workers’ Party, had ordered the military to be ready to launch nuclear weapons. Please explain your view on these points.

Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs: I am aware of the media reports regarding the projectiles. While Japan continues to collect and analyze information on North Korea, I would like to refrain from discussing the specific content or analysis results, as this would expose our intelligence collection capabilities. At any rate, we have not confirmed any projectiles flying to Japan. We thus do not view this as an incident that directly affects the national security of Japan. The Government intends to continue to be fully prepared to deal with all circumstances.

Regarding your other point on the comments by Chairman Kim Jong-un, Japan cannot accept North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and missiles. We must coordinate with the international community to urge North Korea to exercise restraint, and abide by UNSC resolutions and the Joint Statements of the Six-Party Talks.

Ukai, TV Tokyo: Regarding the latter, while North Korea might be making its comments in response to the joint military exercises by the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in mind, does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plan to specifically urge North Korea to exercise restraint?

Minister Kishida: We are sending a variety of messages to North Korea in cooperation with the international community. We may make contact via the embassy route in Beijing if necessary, but we do not have any specific plans at this point. Japan will continue to deliver messages to North Korea in various formats as necessary.

Kurihara, NHK: I have a question about the UNSC resolution related to sanctions against North Korea. I believe finding ways to improve the efficacy of the resolution is likely to become an issue for the international community. What types of efforts are the Japanese Government making concerning this aspect, particularly toward China, with its direct border on North Korea?

Minister Kishida: I agree that, as you noted, it is important to fully implement the sanctions now that the UNSC resolution on North Korea has been adopted. At this point, as the resolution was only just adopted, and each of the relevant countries needs to act responsibly in moving forward with strict implementation. I do not believe that this stage is the time at which to talk about individual items, such as specific actions taken by countries. All countries should be making efforts toward implementation of the resolution. Japan intends to assess situations and North Korea’s reaction, and to make further necessary responses in light of these points.

Abe, Asahi Shimbun: The United States has completed the Super Tuesday voting for its presidential election, and there appears to be substantial enthusiasm throughout the country. On which aspects of the election are you focusing?

Minister Kishida: Given my position, I must refrain from commenting on specific election results, as these are the results of an election in another country. At any rate, Japan-US relations are the cornerstone of Japan’s diplomacy, and I intend to continue to pay attention to who will become the next leader of the United States. No matter who becomes the leader, the need for Japan to emphasize the Japan-US relationship and to actively foster cooperation between the two countries will remain unchanged.