Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: With regard to consultations between the Governments of Japan and North Korea, following the director-level preliminary consultations held at the end of August, we had been engaged in the coordination via the embassies of the two countries in Beijing in order to hold higher level consultations.
It has recently been decided that Japan-North Korea government consultations will be held on November 15 and 16, in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. It is anticipated that the Japanese delegation will be headed by Mr. Shinsuke Sugiyama, Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the North Korean delegation will be headed by Ambassador Song Il Ho. The agenda for the meeting will include matters of mutual concern to both parties while entailing wide-ranging consultations.

I have one more item to report, concerning the holding of the Meeting of Senior Vice Ministers concerning the Integration of the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES), an incorporated administrative agency, with the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA). Under Article 6, Paragraph 4 of the Supplementary Provisions of the Act for Establishment of Nuclear Regulation Authority it is stipulated that the necessary legislative measures should be promptly created to ensure that the work performed by JNES is transferred to NRA. The Government has therefore decided to establish this meeting of Senior Vice Ministers concerned in order to engage in the necessary considerations with regard to the integration of the two organizations. The meeting will be chaired by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Saito and the first meeting is scheduled to take place next Monday, November 12.

Q&As

(Abridged)

REPORTER: With regard to the Japan-North Korea consultations, has the Government received credible assurances from North Korea that the abduction issue will be included in the agenda?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: As the discussions are scheduled to take place at the end of next week I will respond to your question in this manner: The governmental consultations, and by this I refer to the previous director-level preliminary consultations, engaged in wide-ranging discussions on agenda items that were of mutual concern to both parties. The previous director-level consultations arrived at a final agreement to implement further consultations at a higher level. The views of the Government with regard to the abduction issue remain as we have been previously stated. It is planned that the consultations on this issue will be conducted based on the basic stance of the Government of Japan.

REPORTER: The upcoming consultations will be conducted at the director-general level, but will any director-general-level members or persons of similar seniority from the Headquarters for the Abduction Issue be attending the consultations?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: As I have just stated the delegation is planned to be headed by Mr. Sugiyama, and other members of the delegation are currently in the process of being decided.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Returning to the issue of the Japan-North Korea consultations, for a long time the Government has been calling for high-level talks and for a similarly long time North Korea has focused on director-level talks, which has caused some problems along the way. And finally at this timing, director-general-level talks have now been confirmed. What is the reaction of the Government to this outcome, including with regard to the response by North Korea?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: Coordination of the consultations has been implemented with North Korea via their embassy in Beijing. Although it took a good deal of time, we now became able to make this announcement today, and I would like to refrain from commenting about the details of the coordination between the two sides. In summary, I would say that although it took a good deal of time, we have been able to realize what was agreed at the director-level consultations.

REPORTER: You have recently been appointed as Minister for the Abduction Issue and have already met the family members of the abduction victims and engaged in matters relating to this issue. The announcement on this occasion would suggest that slight progress has been made, so how do you intend to approach this issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: I remain cautious about the consultations and as they have yet to take place I can say nothing about their content. At the same time, as we have been able to take a step forward and move on from director-level consultations to director-general-level consultations that will be held at the end of next week, for which I would like to have some hope.

REPORTER: Since the end of August it took a great deal of time to elevate the consultations to the director-general level. What was it that required so much time? Was it the setting of consultation themes or at a stage prior to raising of the meeting to a more senior level that took time to arrange?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: As this involves various interactions at the bilateral level I would like to refrain from going into the details of the arrangements. However, as a result of coordination with North Korea through their embassy in Beijing we have been able to arrange the consultations on this occasion.

REPORTER: With regard to the setting of the themes for consultation, are you aware of any differences between the two sides?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: In the inter-governmental consultations it is the case that wide-ranging discussions on agenda items that are of mutual concern to both parties will take place. I reiterate that the views of the Government with regard to the abduction issue remain as we have been previously stated. It is therefore that we would approach the consultations based on the basic stance of the Government.

(Abridged)