Saturday, April 11, 2009

The Prime Minister Visits Thailand

On April 11 (local time), Prime Minister Taro Aso visited Pattaya, the Kingdom of Thailand, to attend summit meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings. The Prime Minister held talks with national leaders and exchanged views with them.

First, Prime Minister Aso held talks with Mr. Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. During the talks, the leaders talked about Japan-China relations and the issue of North Korea. On Japan-China relations, discussions took place on resource development in the East China Sea and food safety. On North Korea, Prime Minister Aso said, "Active discussions are taking place at the Security Council in response to the launch of a missile by North Korea. I evaluate highly that consultations are held constructively during that process between Japan and China, including ones held at the foreign minister level." Prime Minister Aso emphasized the importance for the Security Council to be united and swiftly send a strong message, explaining Japan's position which desires the adoption of a Security Council Resolution.

Following the Japan-China Summit Meeting, Prime Minister Aso held talks with Mr. Lee Myung-bak, President of the Republic of Korea (ROK). During the talks, the leaders discussed the issue of North Korea and Japan-ROK bilateral relations. On Japan-ROK relations, Prime Minister Aso stated that the summit shuttle diplomacy was extremely important for Japan-ROK relations and that he intended to make an arrangement swiftly for the President's early visit to Japan, which was decided to be coordinated between the two countries. On the issue of North Korea, the leaders, while confirming their stance that it is desirable to adopt a Security Council Resolution in order for the international community to send a unified strong message, agreed that it was important to reach a conclusion promptly without allowing too much time to pass.

Prime Minister Aso also held a Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting with Premier Wen and President Lee. During the talks, the leaders discussed the issue of North Korea and Japan-China-ROK trilateral relations. On the issue of North Korea, Prime Minister Aso and President Lee once again made remarks on the position that Japan and the ROK take. In response, Premier Wen stated that China wished to respond to the issue in a way that would maintain the integrity of the United Nations Security Council and that would also contribute to the denuclearization through the Six-Party Talks. He also said that he wished for Japan, China, and the ROK to continue to communicate with each other so as to reach, through joint efforts, a solution acceptable to all parties.

Following the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting, Prime Minister Aso held a press conference. "The issue of North Korea was a major subject on the agenda of each summit meeting. I believe that through these summit meetings we have confirmed that the three countries have achieved a significant convergence of views on the content of a message to be sent out from the Security Council for the protection of the peace and safety of Northeast Asia, even more than the form that the message would take. Accordingly, President Lee, Premier Wen, and I each gave an instruction to the mission of each respective country to the United Nations to accelerate work so that the strongest message possible can swiftly be sent out from New York. I hope for further constructive discussions to take place in New York. "

In the evening, Prime Minister Aso held talks with Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand. Prime Minister Abhisit explained the reason why the ASEAN-related summit meetings had to be postponed this time and expressed sincere apologies. He expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Aso's policy to cooperate with the ASEAN countries in order to overcome the economic crisis in Asia. In response, Prime Minister Aso stated that he was looking to see the leadership of Prime Minister Abhisit in restoring trust of countries abroad, and that he wished to cooperate with Prime Minister Abhisit in overcoming the crisis, explaining that Japan had prepared a policy to cooperate for the economic growth of Asia as a whole.

Related Link

• Growth Initiative towards Doubling the Size of Asia's Economy (Proposal by Japan) [PDF]
• Japan-China Relations (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• Japan-Republic of Korea Relations (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• Japan-Thailand Relations (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)