Press Conferences

Mr. KITAMURA Toshihiro, Press Secretary: I have two announcements at the outset.

The first is about, already announced, Prime Minister Kishida and Foreign Minister Kamikawa’s visit to the U.S.

If circumstances permit, Prime Minister Kishida will attend the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad) Leaders’ Meeting, hosted by the U.S., in Wilmington, Delaware. Then, he will visit New York until September 23 to attend the 79th Session of United Nations (UN) General Assembly. Prime Minister Kishida also plans to attend the Summit of the Future.

In addition, if circumstances permit, Foreign Minister Kamikawa will also visit New York from September 23 to 24, and attend related programs of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week.

On these occasions, Prime Minister Kishida and Foreign Minister Kamikawa plan to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders and Foreign Ministers, but arrangements are being made, nothing has been decided at this time.

Press Secretary Kitamura: The second is about launching of the negotiations for the Japan-UAE EPA, which was issued in a Foreign Minister’s Statement.

The Government of Japan and the Government of the UAE have decided to launch the negotiations for the Japan-UAE EPA.

We hope that concluding an ambitious, balanced, and comprehensive EPA between Japan and the UAE, in addition to the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Japan and the Gulf Cooperation Council, so-called GCC, being negotiated in parallel, will contribute to strengthening bilateral economic relations, including the expansion of trade and investment and other areas.

Japan will continue to broaden cooperative relations in various areas while strengthening wide-ranging economic relations with the UAE.

These two are all the announcements from me.

Yomiuri Shimbun, Kudo: I would like to ask about “Sado Island Gold Mines,” the World Heritage.

When the “Sado Island Gold Mines” was inscribed on the World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee in July, a Japanese delegation announced that a memorial event for all the workers will be held. According to a Republic of Korea (ROK) media outlet, Foreign Minister of the ROK reportedly indicated that it would be difficult to hold a memorial ceremony for the “Sado Island Gold Mines” during September. I believe it has been announced that the memorial event will be held within this year. Could you tell us about the date specifically and the preparations that have been made?

Press Secretary Kitamura: You asked about “Sado Island Gold Mines” and a memorial event. As the Japanese delegation stated at the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee, a Memorial Event for all the workers at the Sado Island Gold Mines will be held annually. In this year, arrangements are being made to hold the event in the fall.

TV Asahi, Sugimoto: My question is about harm to Japanese nationals in Shenzhen. At a press conference this morning, the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary stated that Japan made a request to prevent a recurrence and share details of the incident. Following that, has China shared any new information? In particular, if known, I would like to ask about the health condition of the victim.

Press Secretary Kitamura: Regarding the incident of harm to a Japanese school student in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, I am aware that Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Moriya made the statement you are referring to in his press conference this morning. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately dispatched personnel to the site from the Consulate-General of Japan in Guangzhou, and has been providing necessary support, including confirming the facts, making contact with the people concerned, and other support. If we obtain any new information, we will announce it at the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary’s press conference or another occasion.

Asahi Shimbun, Takahashi: Concerning the incident in Shenzhen, please tell us about how you consider this incident to impact Japan-China relations?

Press Secretary Kitamura: Regarding this case, as you just asked, it is important how we respond to the incident. So in order to protect Japanese nationals, the Consulate-General of Japan in Guangzhou has called on local authorities to share the details, and has strongly urged them to make every effort to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals.

As for this incident’s impact, we understand that the suspect has already been detained by the local authorities and is currently being questioned. Therefore, at this time, I will refrain from answering based on speculation on the background of the crime, its impact on Japan-China relations, and other matters.