Japan-U.S. Foreign Ministerial Meeting Summary

Embassy of Japan
July 23, 2008

  Foreign Minister Koumura, who was visiting Singapore to attend the ASEAN-related Ministers' Meetings, held a meeting with Secretary of State Rice for approximately 40 minutes shortly after 2:00 PM on July 23 (local time).

  1. Japan-U.S. Relations

  With a recognition that the agreement to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance and the affirmation to work closely on various global issues in the last Japan-U.S. Summit meeting demonstrated the expansion of the frontier of the Japan-U.S. alliance and were a significant result, both sides agreed to follow up steadily, at ministerial level, on cooperation in African Development, and in Disaster and Epidemic Prevention in the Asia-Pacific Region, both of which had been agreed upon in the Japan-U.S. Summit meeting.

  2. North Korea

  (1) Denuclearization

   With respect to the Six-Party Talks process, Secretary Rice stated that although some progress had been achieved, there is more work to be done hereafter. In response, Foreign Minister Koumura noted that the principles for verification had been agreed upon in the Six-Party Talks, and he would like to work closely together to quickly agree on effective verification measures and begin the verification. He also noted that it was extremely important to verify nuclear programs in order to achieve denuclearization. Both sides agreed that the early agreement on verification measures was important, and that both countries would cooperate to urge North Korea firmly toward that end.

  (2) The Abduction Issue

  With respect to the abduction issue, Foreign Minister Koumura stated that North Korea had not yet implemented the "reinvestigation" which it had promised in the Japan-DPRK Working-Level Consultations in mid-June, and that he would like to ask the United States to urge North Korea to achieve progress on Japan-North Korea relations including the abduction issue. Secretary Rice responded that the United States would continue to press North Korea, and both sides reaffirmed to continue to closely cooperate on issues including the abduction issue.

  (3) Guidelines for Peace and Security in Northeast Asia

  Secretary Rice stated that she would like to advance the discussion on guidelines for promoting peace and security in Northeast Asia in the Six-Party Talks. In response, while stressing that it was important to firmly gauge the progress in the denuclearization process to begin with, Foreign Minister Koumura stated that he would like to exchange views hereafter upon what kind of guidelines could become a common perception concerning peace and security in Northeast Asia.

  3. ASEAN

  In response to Secretary Rice's inquiry on the Minister's views with regards to the issue of the Preah Vihear Temple, Foreign Minister Koumura stated that although the issue was difficult to handle since both Thailand and Cambodia had their own things to say, that he was under the impression that the ASEAN Chairman did a fine job in bringing the issue to a consensus.

  Secretary Rice stated the need to urge Myanmar in order to firmly propel the stalled democratization process. Foreign Minister Koumura responded that Japan would like to urge Myanmar by using both pressure and incentive. Both sides agreed that Japan and the United States would work together closely on this issue.

  4. Iran

  5. The G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit