Press Conferences

Hosokawa, Hokkaido Shimbun: Today marks precisely 60 years since the Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration. Please explain your thoughts, as Foreign Press Secretary, about this milestone and how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to approach the visit by Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, in December.

Mr. Yasuhisa Kawamura, Foreign Press Secretary: The Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration was signed sixty years ago on October 19, 1956. The declaration was a fundamental legal document that restored diplomatic relations between Japan and the Soviet Union and established a starting point for the subsequent negotiation process regarding the conclusion of a peace treaty.

Considering the reality that sixty years have passed since signing the Joint Declaration without concluding a peace treaty, the Government hopes that this anniversary will serve as a valuable reminder of the importance of finding a solution to the Northern Territories issue.

As to your question on the fundamental policy in seeking a solution to the Northern Territories issue, the Government intends to continue persistent negotiations with Russia aimed at resolving the North Territories attribution issue and concluding a peace treaty.