Press Conferences

Foreign Press Secretary Kawamura: Today, on September 28, at approximately 7 a.m. local time, it was announced that Mr. Shimon Peres, former President of the State of Israel, had passed away.

The Government of Japan sends its message of condolences to the Government of Israel and the Israeli people and the family of the deceased.

Mr. Peres played a major role for many years not only in the development of Israel but also toward peace in the Middle East.

With regard to relations with Japan, he visited Japan in 2007 and held a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, contributing to further strengthening friendship and cooperation between Japan and Israel. We intend to further develop the Japan-Israel relationship on the foundation built by Mr. Peres.

We offer our heartfelt prayers for Mr. Peres.

Tadokoro, Mainichi: Regarding your announcement, could you tell us about any plans that the Government of Japan may have, such as issuing a message of condolences in the name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Kishida, or in the name of the Prime Minister?

Foreign Press Secretary Kawamura: We will be announcing them in due course as they are decided, but it is my understanding that Prime Minister Abe will first issue a message of condolences.

Kamichi, Okinawa Times: I have a question about the Agreement on Environmental Stewardship Supplementary to the Japan-U.S. SOFA. It has been one year since the Supplementary Agreement on Environmental Stewardship was signed and the Government says that it is a new undertaking facilitating smooth access to US bases before their return. Could you tell us what the actual results are in the past year, if any?

Foreign Press Secretary Kawamura: As you pointed out, the Supplementary Agreement on Environmental Stewardship that was signed last year is legally binding has a variety of provisions concerning environmental standards and access. Regarding environmental standards, the standards referred to as Japan Environmental Governing Standards (JEGS) were revised in April. For this revision, there is Article 3, Paragraph 3 of the Supplementary Agreement on Environmental Stewardship, and cooperation and discussions within the framework of the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee took place based on this Article 3, Paragraph 3 to ensure that the U.S. side understood Japanese standards correctly and accurately. Specifically, we summarized Japan’s domestic environmental laws and regulations, translated them into English, and provided this information to the U.S. side. We also explained amendments to Japan’s domestic environmental laws and regulations and cooperated and discussed so that the JEGS would be revised appropriately based on Japan’s domestic environmental laws and regulations. The Government of Japan expects that cooperation between Japan and the United States in the field of environmental stewardship relating of the U.S. Armed Forces in Japan will be further promoted and that the Japan-U.S. security system will gain even more support from the people of Japan through these efforts.

As for the outcomes that your question raised, it is my understanding that there has been access regarding a case concerning the environment after the signing of the Supplementary Agreement on Environmental Stewardship, although it was not an access based on the Supplementary Agreement on Environmental Stewardship itself. In any case, it is our intent to make efforts to realize access in a manner that satisfies the requests of the local people.

Kamichi, Okinawa Times: You mentioned enabling access in a matter that satisfies local requests, yet in Okinawa, there are cases where cultural asset survey that had been permitted in previous years within Futenma Air Station and other U.S. military bases, where the date of return had not been specifically indicated, is now not being permitted because the Supplementary Agreement on Environmental Stewardship was entered into force and time limits were set. What is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs doing about this matter?

Foreign Press Secretary Kawamura: According to the agreement by the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee based on the Supplementary Agreement on Environmental Stewardship, access is normally permitted 150 working days, or a little more than seven months, before the date of return of the facilities and areas. In addition, the period of access by local people of relevance will be closely coordinated between Japan and the United States based on the circumstances of the individual facility and area to be returned. Therefore, access before the 150 working days is possible if Japan and the United States agree. We at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working on the matter so that cultural asset surveys that match local requests can be conducted.