Press Conference by the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hagiuda

(Abridged)

Q&As

REPORTER: I understand that today, the Cabinet approved the appointment of Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Hase as a representative of the Government of Japan to the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Can you once again explain Japan’s expectations for UNESCO reform as it relates to the Memory of the World Register? 

DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY HAGIUDA: With regard to China’s documents relating to the so-called “Nanjing Incident” which were recently approved for inscription on the Memory of the World Register, the Government of Japan is in the process of questioning the content of the documents. At the same time, Japan sees it as a problem that UNESCO’s World Heritage system itself could become subject to disputes due to the differences in views between two countries or among multiple countries. In this regard, we expect Mr. Hase to present Japan’s views and recommendations on the future way the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register system works, rather than on the recent inscription per se.   

(Abridged)

REPORTER: From this weekend, the Prime Minister will visit the Republic of Korea (ROK) for the Japan-China-ROK trilateral summit meeting. What outcomes does Japan hope to see at this Japan-China-ROK trilateral summit meeting?

DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY HAGIUDA: This weekend, a Japan-China-ROK trilateral summit meeting will be held for the first time in approximately three and a half years. On this occasion, the Prime Minister will hold summit meetings with President Park Geun-hye and Premier of the State Council Li Keqiang. During these summit meetings, the leaders are expected to give a general overview of the cooperative projects in wide-ranging areas, including the economy, culture, and the environment, discuss their current situation and the future direction, and exchange views on various regional and international situations. While difficult issues exist between Japan and the ROK and Japan and China respectively because we are neighboring countries, we consider that precisely for this reason a summit meeting should be held without attaching any preconditions. Japan has always kept its door open for dialogue. Japan hopes that the meeting will provide a meaningful opportunity to have frank discussions and to exchange candid views regarding a variety of areas, including these issues.

(Abridged)