Visit by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Russia
Japan-Russia Summit Meeting

May 10, 2005

On May 9, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi held a meeting with President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation on the occasion of his visit to Russia to attend the ceremony of the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. The meeting took place in a reception room of the Kremlin for approximately 30 minutes from 6:40 pm, Moscow time.

Prime Minister Koizumi visited Russia to take part in the ceremony of the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II which took place on May 9 from shortly after 9:30 am to 2:00 pm. With the participation of Prime Minister Koizumi at this ceremony, Japan was able to demonstrate its presence as a country that has become a responsible leader of the international community over the course of 60 years since the end of the war as well as the unity of the international community. In addition, the ceremony served as a good opportunity to contribute to the future development of Japan-Russia relations.

On the occasion of the visit to Russia, Prime Minister Koizumi also held a meeting with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of the Federal Republic of Germany on May 9, and the two leaders shared the view to continue to enhance cooperation among the G4 countries to realize the reform of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, and particularly for Japan and Germany to engage in a closer cooperation on this matter. Prime Minister Koizumi and Chancellor Schroeder also shared the view to accelerate their broad efforts to call on countries concerned towards realization of the reform. Prime Minister Koizumi also exchanged words with leaders of over 20 countries including President George W. Bush of the United States of America, President Jacques Chirac of the French Republic and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of the Republic of Italy as well as Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, Director-General of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Koichi Matsuura and others.

1. Ceremony of the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II

At the beginning of the summit meeting, Prime Minister Koizumi offered his congratulations on the success of the ceremony, noting that his participation in the event was meaningful. In response, President Putin remarked, "The participation of the prime minister of Japan, Russia's neighbor country and important partner, holds extreme significance," and expressed his appreciation for Prime Minister Koizumi's attendance.

(Note)

This ceremony was hosted by the Government of Russia in response to the UN General Assembly resolution which calls for a wide broad unity of the international community in a spirit of "remembrance and reconciliation" on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Leaders of about 50 countries including the Group of Eight (G8) countries, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea (ROK), European countries, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries and others as well as leaders of three international organizations were in attendance.

2. Japan-Russia relations

(1) President Putin expressed his sincere condolences regarding the train accident in Amagasaki.

(2) President Putin stated that he highly appraised the steady developments in Japan-Russia relations, mainly in the area of economy by referring to the recent remarkable level of increase in bilateral trade volume. In response, Prime Minister Koizumi remarked that he highly appraised the progress seen in Japan-Russia relations in various areas based on the "Japan-Russia Action Plan," noting issues such as Toyota Motor Corporation's recent decision to build a manufacturing plant in St. Petersburg as well as the first visit by the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) training squadron to Russia which is scheduled in July.

(3) The two leaders also confirmed that the preparations for the visit to Japan by President Putin are being steadily advanced between the two governments. They also shared the view to actively continue the preparations regarding the peace treaty issue as well as issues of cooperation in various areas on such occasions as the visit to Japan by Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov of Russia scheduled on May 30 and 31.

(4) With regard to the timing of the visit by President Putin to Japan, Prime Minister Koizumi stated, "I would welcome President Putin's visit to Japan at his earliest convenience," to which President Putin responded, "I look forward to visiting Japan." The two leaders agreed to continue coordination on the specific date through diplomatic channels.

3. Issue of North Korea

Prime Minister Koizumi stressed the importance of resuming the Six-Party Talks and expressed his expectation for Russia to call on North Korea regarding this issue. President Putin in response stated that Russia is fully aware of Japan's concerns and will give its best efforts in this regard.