Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi met with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of the Federal Republic of Germany at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. They discussed the G8 Summit, Japan-Germany exchange, issues facing both Japan and Germany as industrialized democracies, and the international situation, including reform of the United Nations. They also discussed the election of the Director General of the United Nations Educational Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).With respect to the G8 Summit, Prime Minister Obuchi expressed his appreciation of the important role played by Chancellor Schroeder as the Chairman of the G8 Summit in Cologne. Prime Minister Obuchi expressed his intention to do his utmost to ensure the success of the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit next year. He expressed his intention to work closely with Chancellor Schroeder, since the chairmanship of the G8 will pass from Germany to Japan at the turn of the year.
The annual Culture Day ceremony to award the Order of Culture to people who have made extraordinary contributions to develop culture was held in the Matsu no Ma hall of the Imperial Palace. The recipients were the novelist Hiroyuki Agawa, the Japanese-style painter Fuku Akino, the scholar of Anglo-American law and constitutional law Masami Ito, the Japanese studies authority Takeshi Umehara, and the biochemist Saburo Tamura. His Majesty the Emperor awarded the decorations to the recipients, after which Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi handed them their patents of decoration.
The government's Ministerial Conference for Economic Measures met and approved Policy Measures for Economic Rebirth, a package designed to achieve a smooth transition from public-sector-led growth to private-sector-led growth, and to put the Japanese economy back on the path of full-fledged recovery at the earliest possible date. The package included specific measures to (1) tap the dynamism of the Japanese economy, (2) consolidate the new foundation for development in the twenty-first century, (3) revitalize financial markets and securitize real estate, and (4) address other areas. Altogether, projects worth about 17 trillion yen--or about 18 trillion yen with the inclusion of measures in connection with the care insurance system to be inaugurated in April 2000--were to be implemented without delay.
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi met with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. They exchanged views on a range of topics, including U.N. reform and the East Timor situation. The Prime Minister stressed the importance for U.N. reform, saying he hoped that the Millennium Summit to be held in conjunction with the U.N. General Assembly session in the autumn of 2000 would be utilized to increase the momentum for Security Council and other U.N. reforms. In regard to East Timor, he welcomed the establishent of the U.N. Transitional Administration in East Timor and expressed Japan's intention to make both financial and personnel contributions, adding that he expected that Akira Takahashi, Special Advisor to the President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, would make a significant contribution as the newly appointed Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for Humanitarian Assistance and Emergency Rebahilitation of UNTAET. The Prime Minister also requested that the U.N. ensure the security of U.N. personnel and increase the number of Japanese staff members.
A government-sponsored ceremony to commemorate the tenth anniversary of His Majesty the Emperor's reign was held at the National Theater of Japan in the presence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress. The 1,300 or so people attending included Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the House of Councillors, the Justices of the Supreme Court, foreign ambassadors, and representatives of various walks of life. In his congratulatory address the Prime Minister mentioned Their Majesties' journeys to Okinawa, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Tokyo in memory of those killed in war and their visits to the sites of such natural disasters as the Unzen Fugendake eruption, the tsunami that devastated Okushiri Island, Hokkaido, and the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in order to comfort victims. "We were deeply moved and greatly encouraged by the sight of Their Majesties praying for people's peace and happiness and feeling the people's sorrow as their own," he said. "The entire nation prays for Their Majesties' health and for the welfare of the Imperial Family."
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi held a "dialogue gathering" with people between the ages of 18 and 29 at the Prime Minister's Official Residence as part of the activities of the Prime Minister's Commission on Japan's Goals in the Twenty-first Century. The Prime Minister established the commission, headed by Dr. Hayao Kawai, Director General of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, on March 30 with 16 members. On May 27 another 35 members were added, for a total of 51, divided into five subcommittees. A total of 18 young people, including high school and university students and working adults, were selected to talk with the Prime Minister from among the respondents to the commission's solicitation of proposals from the public. They exchanged views on issues ranging from education to the long-term care insurance system to be introduced in April 2000.
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi met with President Abdurrahman Wahid of the Republic of Indonesia at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The Prime Minister expressed his appreciation of the democratic election of President Wahid and Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri and the formation of a national unity cabinet in October. He also suggested establishing a Japan-Indonesia Advisory Network to help strengthen the two countries' relationship, and President Wahid welcomed the idea.
Representatives of campaign teams that had traveled the length and breadth of Japan appealing for the return of the Northern Territories paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi at the Prime Minister's Official Residence and presented him with written requests from all prefectural governors for the early return of the territories, a group of islands off Hokkaido that have been occupied by Russia since the end of World War II.
The Moscow Declaration, signed by the Prime Minister and Russian President Boris Yeltsin when the Prime Minister made an official visit to Russia in November 1998, reaffirmed their resolve to make utmost efforts to conclude a Russo-Japanese peace treaty by the year 2000. A special campaign crisscrossing Japan was launched in October this year to support diplomatic negotiations by heightening public opinion for the return of the Northern Territories, with one team traversing eastern Japan and another western Japan. The two teams set off on October 20 from Nemuro, Hokkaido, and Naha, Okinawa, respectively and spent almost a month publicizing the cause of the return of the Northern Territories nationwide.
Representatives of an Air Self-Defense Force team being sent to West Timor on an international peace cooperation assignment to airlift humanitarian relief items to East Timorese displaced persons in West Timor paid their respects to Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi at the Prime Minister's Official Residence before their departure. The Prime Minister encouraged them, saying, "Your assignment is extremely significant as an international humanitarian relief operation. I pray that you will look after your health and safety, accomplish your assignment perfectly, and return safely."
Jody Williams of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The ICBL was awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for contribution to international efforts for a total ban on antipersonnel landmines, mine clearance, assistance to victims, and related activities. The Prime Minister, who had signed the Ottawa Convention Against Anti-Personnel Landmines in 1997, when he was Minister for Foreign Affairs, was well acquainted with Williams. He praised the activities of the ICBL, saying that the state parties to the Ottawa Convention could never have swelled from fewer than 10 countries at the beginning of 1998 to 90 countries at present without the hard work of nongovernmental organizations. Williams expressed her gratitude for the Prime Minister's leadership.
A symposium on "regional strategic plans" was held at the Tokyo International Forum as one of the activities in connection with the "regional strategic plan for doubling living space" advocated by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. A total of 460 five-year "regional strategic plans" drafted on the initiative of regional groups of municipalities throughout Japan have been submitted to the central government, which has approved all of them. The symposium introduced 10 of these plans. In his opening remarks the Prime Minister explained the thinking behind the concept of "regional strategic plans, "saying, "Regions' promotion of the development of communities that their residents can be proud of, based on their own initiative and individuality, is the foundation for enabling citizens to lead cultured and comfortable lives." He added, "I earnestly hope for the further advancement of regional initiatives for the development of more livable, attractive communities."
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi visited two public schools in Tokyo, the Nihonbashi Elementary School and the Ginza Middle School, both under the jurisdiction of Chuo Ward. At the Nihonbashi Elementary School he observed a swimming class in a heated pool and a social studies class using computers and lunched with sixth graders. At the Ginza Middle School he spoke for about 30 minutes to a third-year civics class, talking about his own childhood experiences and other matters, after which he talked with teachers and officials.
On a brief (19-hour) visit to Indonesia, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi met with President Abdurrahman Wahid, Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri, People's Consultative Assembly Chairman Amien Rais, House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung, and Coordinating Minister for Security and Political Affairs Wiranto. This was the first visit of a foreign head of government to Indonesia since the formation of the present administration in October and indicated Japan's strong intention to strengthen and promote its relationship with Indonesia.
A summit meeting between the heads of state and government of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea--the so-called ASEAN + 3 framework--was held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila. The leaders discussed means of promoting regional cooperation in East Asia,taking into account the currency and economic crises in Asia. Japan announced a comprehensive plan for enhancing human resources development and human resources exchange in East Asia, based on the findings outlined in the report of the 1999 Mission for Revitalization of the Asian Economy (Okuda misson). The plan received high praise, especially from Philippine President Joseph Estrada, chair of the summit, who dubbed it the "Obuchi Plan."
In addition, the Joint Statement on East Asia Cooperation was adopted, the first joint statement within the ASEAN + 3 framework. On Japan's suggestion, the statement noted that it had been agreed to hold "an ASEAN + 3 Foreign Ministers Meeting in the margins of the Post Ministerial Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, in the year 2000 to review the progress of the implementation of this Joint Statement."
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, in Manila to attend the ASEAN + 3 summit (see preceding item), held a breakfast meeting with Premier Zhu Ronji of the People's Republic of China and President Kim Dae Jung of the Republic of Korea. The three leaders had a frank exchange of views, focusing primarily on economic issues. Later the Prime Minister expressd his belief that the discussions would imbue the process of dialogue and cooperation in Northeast Asia with renewed impetus.