Press Conferences

Mr. Toshihide Ando, Deputy Press Secretary: On August 8, a large-scale earthquake struck Jiuzhaigou in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province in China. We understand that rescue operations by the Chinese Government are currently under way in earnest.

I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to those affected by this earthquake, and I pray that as many people as possible are rescued at the earliest possible point.

At this moment in time we have not received any information that Japanese nationals were affected. We will continue to collect information through various routes, including the Japanese Embassy in China and the Consulate-General of Japan in Chongqing.

This earthquake occurred in Jiuzhaigou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site visited by many Japanese nationals. With aftershocks still continuing, the Government of Japan is issuing warnings to Japanese travelers about visiting this area.

Ichikawa, Jiji Press: The Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee “2+2” meeting will be held in Washington, D.C. on August 17. Can you please explain in detail the themes that will be discussed at this meeting?

Deputy Press Secretary Ando: I would like to refrain from making speculative comments with regard to the “2+2” meeting at this point in time. As the security situation in the region becomes ever more severe, Japan hopes to hold discussions from the perspective of strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the overall Japan-U.S. Alliance as well as the efforts that Japan should make for the peace and stability of the region, based on an appropriate division of roles between Japan and the United States.