Press Conferences

Reporter: A Japan-Russia Summit Meeting will take place this afternoon in Vladivostok. What results do you expect from the meeting?

Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs: I believe today’s Japan-Russia Summit Meeting will address the full scope of Japan-Russia relations with a view to a possible visit by President Putin. I think a frank exchange of views between the two leaders is essential, particularly in order to move forward with the issue of concluding a peace treaty, and I expect Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will approach the discussions with such strong resolve.

Reporter: While negotiations on concluding a peace treaty are likely to focus on the Northern Territories, results from a public opinion survey of Russians disclosed yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicate that only 1% of respondents answered that the four islands belong to Japan and there is a very strong sentiment that they are Russian territory. How does Japan intend to proceed in territorial negotiations in this context?

Minister Kishida: I am aware of the results of the survey that you mentioned. Yet the same survey showed an increase in the percentage of those who answered that the two countries should come to a mutual agreement, from 32% to 42%.

In any case, the two leaders agreed at the Japan-Russia Summit Meeting held in Sochi in May 2016 that they intend to earnestly move forward with negotiations based on a new approach. I hope that constructive discussions take place at this summit meeting.

Reporter: On Japan-China relations, media reports are talking about an effort to arrange the Maritime and Aerial Communication Mechanism aimed at avoiding clashes around the Senkaku Islands between Japan and China within the year, and some reports assert that final adjustments are taking place. Do you expect this to be one of the focus points at the next Japan-China Summit Meeting?

Minister Kishida: We are currently in the coordination process for a possible Japan-China Summit Meeting at the occasion of the G20. Therefore the content is still being coordinated too. Nothing has been decided yet on the content.

Reporter: While crisis conditions in the area around the Senkaku Islands appear to have subsided for the time being, I believe the Government of Japan is urging an early conclusion of a communication mechanism. Dose this discussion continue at present? What is the situation?

Minister Kishida: Japan thinks the Maritime and Aerial Communication Mechanism should begin operation, and we will continue to promote this point at a variety of levels.

Reporter: Is there a goal to reach a compromise within the year?

Minister Kishida: Japan is tackling the issue with the approach that I mentioned. It is very important to proceed with a variety of discussions and communication between the two countries, and the Maritime and Aerial Communication Mechanism is important as well.

Reporter: I have a question about the Japan-China situation. You requested China to calm the situations in the East China Sea, including near the Senkaku Islands, in the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and stated that Japan would consider a Summit Meeting at the G20 from a broader perspective when the situation improves. You just mentioned that a meeting is being coordinated. While there have been some adjustments, such as a temporary halt in government vessel incursions in the contiguous zone, what is your view of the situation at this point?

Minister Kishida: We will continue to closely monitor the situation around the Senkaku Islands. At the same time, Japan has continually stated that we are keeping a door open for dialogue. I believe maintaining communication between the two countries is important.

Reporter: Going back to the Japan-Russia situation, some media reports yesterday claimed that the idea of returning two islands ahead of time has resurfaced in discussions of the territorial issue between the Japanese and Russian governments. What is the government’s current view of these discussions?

Minister Kishida: Nothing has been decided about the facts cited in the media reports. There are no such facts. Japan continues to make efforts at a variety of levels aimed at achieving progress in negotiations. I’d like to closely watch what happens in today’s summit meeting regarding the Northern Territories issue. I hope that the two leaders will conduct a frank exchange of opinions.

Reporter: Russian Spokesman Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov commented yesterday that the main topic of the summit meeting is the advancement of trade and economic cooperation, not the territorial issue. I think there is some concern in Japan about economic matters moving forward without progress on the territorial issue. What are your thoughts?

Minister Kishida: The Northern Territories issue is one of the major diplomatic issues remaining for postwar Japan, and it is the biggest issue of concern in the Japan-Russia relationship. Both Prime Minister Abe and President Putin agree that the state of not concluding a peace treaty more than 70 years since the war is unusual. A frank exchange of views between the two leaders is essential in order to proceed on this issue, as mentioned earlier, and I believe it will naturally be a major theme at the summit meeting. Japan aims to move forward in the relationship between our countries in a broad range of areas, including the economic field, in a manner that contributes to our national interest, and it intends to tenaciously continue negotiations to resolve the issue concerning the ownership of the four islands and conclude a peace treaty in this context.