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| Top Speeches and Statements by Prime Minister |
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PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN |
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[Opening remarks by the Prime Minister]
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi: At the Summit Meetings this time I was able to confirm that regional cooperation is progressing steadily. In order to further actively promote such cooperation we engaged in a lively exchange of views. I believe that we were able to confirm that we shall continue to further such cooperation. In my meeting with the leaders of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea we issued for the very first time a Joint Declaration of the Three Leaders. We reaffirmed that we need to carry out cooperation that is future-oriented and open to others outside the region. We also explicitly stated that we shall seek to continue to contribute to the peace and stability of East Asia. I proposed that there be a joint trilateral study to consider future cooperation amongst the three countries, including the possibility of a trilateral investment agreement. I was able to have the concurrence of the other two leaders. In the ASEAN+3 Summit Meeting we exchanged views on the strengthening of economic partnership in East Asia and on the strengthening of ASEAN integration. I proposed that we need to engage in a follow up to the promotion of human resources development and people to people exchanges. After all, human resources are the driving force of development and in fact this has been one important area in which Japan has provided its assistance. But we should like to first review the actual results achieved and building on that consider what sort of cooperation would be needed further. The Government of Japan is prepared to actively contribute to this and ASEAN leaders also expressed their expectations for Japan's cooperation with regard to human resources development and I believe that they expressed their awareness of the importance of human resources development as well. In the Japan-ASEAN Summit, this coming December we shall have the pleasure of organizing a Japan-ASEAN Commemorative Summit Meeting as this year has been the ASEAN-Japan Year of Exchange and each month a different ASEAN country has taken responsibility for organizing various exchange programs. With the support of the peoples of our countries, the exchange programs have proceeded well and have been producing tangible results. We should like to consider how best we can further expand such people-to-people contacts. So, I believe that the Commemorative Summit of the Leaders of Japan and ASEAN to be held in December will indeed be very meaningful and significant. We should like to share with the leaders of ASEAN the future direction of Japan-ASEAN cooperation. Also, not just considering the future direction, I also look forward to a very lively exchange of views on some tangible cooperation programs in order to further our cooperation. The Japan-ASEAN Commemorative Summit Meeting in Tokyo coming this December will build on the track record of Japan-ASEAN cooperation over the last three decades and this will send a signal that Japan attaches importance to our relations with ASEAN. In terms of markets and population, gross domestic product (GDP) or trade, this region does occupy a significant weight in the world. There are great potentials and possibilities and I should like to engage in discussions with the colleague leaders to discuss how best we could further substantiate such potentials and how we could further translate into reality these potentials. This time, in terms of bilateral summits, I had my very first meeting with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of the People's Republic of China. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the normalization of relations we agreed that we would mutually try to strengthen our bilateral relations with a future orientation. As I have been saying, China's remarkable growth is not seen as a threat, but rather as an opportunity for Japan as well. We should take this as a challenge with a spirit of mutual competition and mutual benefit. It is in that spirit that I had discussions with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. When President Roh Moo-hyun of the Republic of Korea visited Japan earlier this year I had a one-on-one meeting with him too and we have agreed that we have to further carry forward the good relations we have, especially in relation to North Korea. We need to keep up our very close coordination with one another. In various areas we see expanding exchanges between Japan and the Republic of Korea and we agreed that we will further intensify this sort of exchanges. The Republic of Korea has started to open up, or liberalize access to Japanese mass culture, and we said that we should lead that to a broader exchange of culture between our two countries. With Prime Minister Khin Nyut of the Union of Myanmar it was just a very brief meeting in the corridor, but I did have a very meaningful discussion with him. I asked him to keep up the efforts towards democratization because the international community is watching the developments in Myanmar with great interest and concern. I said that I hope there will b greater efforts towards democratization and I asked Prime Minister Khin Nyut to also exercise his leadership towards democratization. Japan, of course bearing in mind the friendly ties we have had over the years, would like to extend support. We discussed not just bilateral relations, but also in addition to regional cooperation we also discussed regional stability and many people are concerned about the Korean Peninsula situation and for Japan itself of course this is a very immediate and a very serious issue including the nuclear issue and the abduction issue. Since agreeing on the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration we have said that regarding the nuclear issue, the missile issue and the abduction issue, all of these shall be resolved through peaceful means in order to normalize relations. I explain that this was Japan's basic policy and I believe that I had the understanding of all of the other leaders. Recently as you know, the six-party talks took place in Beijing. In order to encourage North Korea to become a responsible member of the international community I believe there is agreement that the six-party talks would be important and also in order to achieve that peaceful and democratic resolution of the pending issues, the six way talks were of extreme importance. We highly appreciated the efforts of China in having organized those talks. I also called on the various countries as well that we should try together towards a peaceful and democratic resolution. I believe that we were able to see eye to eye on that. On the North Korean issue, I myself said that Japan shall resolve various pending issues in accordance with the Pyongyang Declaration and lead to the realization of normalized relations between Japan and North Korea. I explained this basic policy, which I believe has been understood by the other leaders. Amongst the ASEAN+3 there are of course different circumstances from country to country, but as a whole there is great potential to the cooperation of ASEAN+3 and for the further development and stability of this region the Government of Japan certainly has a role to play. So, building on the results so far, I explained that Japan's stance of attaching importance to ASEAN will never change and I believe I was able to have the understanding of the other leaders that Japan shall try to promote cooperation with that in mind. Of course we shall further promote exchanges with the ASEAN countries but we shall also strive to strengthen our ties with our neighboring countries, China and the Republic of Korea. It is in the interest of world peace and stability that Japan's peace and stability can be sustained. Thank you very much.
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