The Ambassador's Speeches in Slovenia

 

ambassador kawamura's speech at the slovenian association for international relations

ambassador kawamura's speech at the university of ljubljana

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“Japan and the EU: Valuable Partnership for the future”

Speech by H.E. Takekazu KAWAMURA
Ambassador of Japan to the European Union
At the Slovenian Association for International Relations
In Slovenia
17 October 2006

 

Ambassador Kunich, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon

First of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Slovenian Association for International Relations, in particular President and Ambassador Kunich, for giving me this precious occasion to speak in front of such a distinguished Slovenian intellectual group.

It is a really great pleasure for me to be able to talk to you today on Japan-EU relations, this valuable partnership for the future, and to share my views with you all.

Due to the Slovenian membership in the EU, Slovenia and Japan have started developing a new sort of relations, in addition to the pre-existing cordial bilateral ties since 1992.

As Ambassador of Japan to the EU, I am here to speak primarily on Japan’s relationship with the EU. As this topic is quite broad, I will divide it into two parts: a brief description of Japan-EU relations, and the Japan-EU partnership in a global context.

But before doing so, allow me to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the tremendous efforts the Slovenian people have made to implement policies for a transition to a market economy and to prepare the country for EU accession. In 2004, Slovenia, with its economic success and stability, joined the EU. Considered as one of the most prosperous economies in Central Europe, Slovenia has successfully met the euro zone criteria for public debt, budget deficit, interest rates and inflation levels. In January next year, you will be the first country among the new member states to adopt the euro, and I would like to congratulate your country on achieving this goal, which, I believe, was not always easy.

  I. Brief description of Japan-EU relations

 

31 years ago, namely in 1975, as our relationship gained momentum, the government of Japan decided to open its Mission to the then European Communities in Brussels.

(On the Governmental level)

In 1983, regular dialogues started to take place twice a year at the ministerial level for foreign affairs. In addition, several ministers initiated discussions in their respective fields.

In 1991, with a view to further promoting these relations, Japan and the EU decided to raise their communication to the highest level; that is to say, to the Prime Minister on the Japanese side, and to the President of the European Commission and the Head of State or Government of the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU on the European side.

This Japan-EU summit has since been held annually, alternating its venue between Japan and Europe. This year, the 15th summit continued the tradition in Tokyo.

At the Summit held in April, the leaders noted a number of achievements since the last summit. Significant achievements included: the launch of the strategic dialogue on East Asia’s security environment; progress on the ITER project; the signing of the “Japan-EURATOM Agreement”; and the 2005 EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

The leaders reaffirmed their desire to strengthen the partnership between Japan and the EU, global partners that share fundamental values. They also agreed to cooperate for a more peaceful, prosperous and secure international community. In this context, they agreed to continue the strategic dialogue on East Asia and develop a similar dialogue on Central Asia.

The exchange of views between senior officials of the two sides has also become more frequent.

It is also worth noting that other high level communications are successfully taking place in the form of exchanges between members of the Japanese and European Parliaments, especially through annual “Japan-EU Inter-parliamentary Meetings”.

I do not need to emphasise that all these dialogues and contacts have contributed greatly to the furtherance of mutual understanding and enhancement of Japan-EU relations.


(On the Business Level)

As for the business aspect of our relations, dialogues between people in the private sector on both sides became active in the early 80’s.

Since 1999, these dialogues have taken shape in the form of the Japan-EU “Business Dialogue Round Table”, or the BDRT. There, business people discuss issues of common interest to improve the business environment. At the beginning, trade issues occupied a major part. Subsequently, various other economic issues have emerged on the agenda.

The BDRT is not just a private forum. It annually expresses its opinions and suggestions to political leaders of Japan and the EU for further improvement of the business environments. In 2004, for example, the BDRT submitted a policy proposal on a framework to facilitate an increase in foreign direct investment. Following the proposal, the Japan-EU Summit of that year adopted “The Cooperation framework for the Promotion of Japan-EU Two-way Investment”.

The 8th BDRT was held this July in Tokyo.

(People to People Exchange)

Now, let me also touch briefly on Japan-EU relations from cultural and social perspectives.

The “Japan-EU Year of People-to-People exchanges” ended with great success last year. As you can imagine, this Japan-EU Year facilitated the various events and contributed greatly to further personal and cultural exchanges between our peoples. The number of events held in Japan and the EU member countries exceeded 1900 in total, about 400 in Japan and 1,500 in EU countries. Out of the 1,500, ten events took place in Slovenia. One of the events was a KABUKI performance, and it was broadcasted by a Slovenian TV channel. Allow me to take this opportunity to pay tribute to those Slovenian people, maybe some of you here present, who contributed to the successful implementation of these events.

Following up on the achievements of the last year, both leaders of Japan and the EU recognised the significance of continuing this kind of exchange. The EU welcomed Japan’s proposal of the “FRamework Initiative for Exchange Networks and Dialogues”, also called “FRIEND”. This programme is to further promote Japan-EU exchanges targeting young people, experts, EU officials, business people and so on. In particular, with regard to the exchange of young people, upon whom rests the future of Japan and the EU, Japan set a goal of accepting 4,000 youth a year.

I believe that we should continue to promote such exchanges, in order to strengthen the foundation of our relationship. Without a solid base at the grassroots level, political and economic exchanges would remain merely superficial. In this regard, I am pleased to note a significant increase in the number of the Japanese tourists visiting beautiful Slovenia. The number has more than doubled since the year 2000. In 2005, more than twelve thousand Japanese tourists visited your country.

(Change in the nature of the relations)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The world has changed dramatically since the fall of the Berlin wall, and it is still changing. Faced with the changes on the international political stage, Japan and Europe have been trying to adapt as best as we can.

The application of the Maastricht and Amsterdam treaties, for example, has prepared the ground for a more stable Europe.

The introduction of the “Common Foreign & Security Policy” and the “European Security and Defence Policy” has gradually modified Europe’s image in the international political arena.

Japan, for its part, has re-examined its roles and responsibilities in the world. The need for Japan to contribute to peace and stability, as well as to prosperity in Asia, the Middle East and other regions has become more accepted in the opinion of the Japanese people.

Nevertheless, it took Japan and the European Union more than ten years after the fall of the Berlin wall, to fully comprehend the need to expand the scope of dialogues on international political affairs.

Indeed, it was at the Japan-EU Summit held in 2001 that then Prime Minister Koizumi and President Prodi of the European Commission agreed on a “10-year Action Plan for Japan-EU Cooperation”. This Action Plan encompassed a wide range of political issues of international importance as well as economic, social and cultural areas.

September 11 only added the importance of our political dialogue addressing, in particular, the threat of terrorism. The weight of the roles for Japan and the EU in the international community is increasing, and Japan-EU consultations on international political affairs have become more frequent.

  II. Japan-EU Partnership

 

1. Cooperation towards peace and stability

Japan and the EU share fundamental values and principles of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, human rights and market economy.

The European people decided to put war behind themselves and construct a society where the concept of military conflict was no longer imaginable. Japan itself renounced resorting to force as a solution of international disputes since 1945.

This determination to renounce the use of force is strongly rooted in the Japanese people. With a view to ensuring peace and stability, Japan works closely with the European Union in all parts of the world.

2. West Balkans, Iran and Central Asia

In more concrete terms, then, how do Japan and the EU cooperate? Here are a few examples.

(1) West Balkans

The European Union is an actor par excellence in West Balkan affairs. It makes great efforts to maintain peace, and foster and re-establish economic and social stability there. Japan contributes to such European efforts by organising and supporting meetings in close collaboration with the EU and by providing technical and financial assistance of more than 1.4 billion dollars to the region thus far. In fact, Japan hosted with Ireland, then holding EU Presidency, and the European Commission, “the Ministerial Conference on Peace Consolidation and Economic Development of the Western Balkans” in Tokyo in 2004.

(2) Iran

Recognising the political and economic importance of Iran, Japan and the EU maintain close consultation with one another to explore solutions to the critical nuclear issue, and sustain world stability in this context.

(3) Central Asia

Central Asia is another region of mutual interest.

On the 6th of June this year, the 2nd Foreign Ministers’ meeting under the “Central Asia plus Japan” initiative was held in Tokyo. It was already two years ago that the first ministerial meeting among Japan and the Central Asia Republics took place in Kazakhstan. This year’s meeting adopted an Action Plan, which includes the strengthening of intra-regional cooperation, for example, in measures against terrorism and narcotics. It is our understanding that the EU is also very keen to foster relations with the Central Asia countries in the future.

As strategic partners sharing common values, interests and concerns, Japan looks forward to working closely with the EU in this part of the world through the strategic dialogue, which will take place in the very near future.

3. East Asia

The fourth example of our cooperation is in East Asia, where my country belongs. All eyes are focused on the economic dynamism of Asian countries such as China, India as well as most of the ASEAN countries. The region, however, is not without some security and political problems and challenges. The Cold War may have ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, but remnants of that period persist at the other end of the Eurasian Continent, most notably on the Korean Peninsula. Equally worrisome are newer threats such as terrorism, rising nationalism, and the growing development gap within and among countries in the region. There is a risk that these negative factors could overshadow the region’s enormous potential, or could even lead to instability in the region.

I will demonstrate two major issues in East Asia, followed by Japan-EU cooperation in the region.

(1) North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, DPRK, or North Korea, is still under the typical, Cold War era, dictatorial communist regime, and is one of the most urgent and delicate concerns in East Asia.

(i) Nuclear issue

There are, among other things, two sub-issues. One is the development of nuclear weapons and missiles capable of carrying them. North Korea’s nuclear test of last week (on October 9th), following its missile launches, which occurred between July 4th and 5th 2006, reminded us acutely of a threat to the security of Japan and other countries.

(Missiles launching)

Against the missile launches, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1695 on July 15th. It condemned the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea, sending a strong message by the international community. The resolution demanded the ceasing of DPRK’s missile-related programme, the re-establishment of a moratorium on missile launching, a swift return to the Six-Party Talks without precondition, and efforts toward early implementation of the Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks of September 2005. Japan played an active and important role as a member of the Security Council in the process from the drafting to the adoption of the resolution.

In this context, I emphasise the importance of the role being played by the EU, which confirmed its support for Japan’s position on this matter. In Malaysia on July 27th, High Representative Solana expressed at a meeting with Mr. Aso, the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, that the EU thoroughly endorsed Japan’s position in regards to the North Korean matter and that the EU shared Japan’s concerns on the missiles issue.

(Nuclear testing)

Despite repeated warnings by Japan, the EU and the international community, North Korea, regrettably, announced that it had conducted a nuclear test on October 9th. On the same day over the telephone, recognising that the nuclear test by North Korea constitutes a grave threat to the security not only of the region but of the world, including threat of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, Foreign Minister Aso and High Representative Solana confirmed that Japan and the EU would continue to collaborate closely on this matter.

I would also like to mention that High Representative Solana, before the plenary of the European Parliament on October 11th, referred to Prime Minister Abe’s statement that Japan would not respond by developing nuclear weapons. He stated that this “shows great responsibility on the part of the Japanese government, which we should all commend.”

North Korea’s nuclear test runs counter to the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration of 2002, the agreement of the Six-Party Talks on North Korea of September 2005, as well as the UN Security Council Resolution 1695 that I just mentioned. On October 14th, the UN Security Council, chaired by Japan, unanimously adopted Resolution 1718, which enumerates various sanctions, and contains measures to be taken by the members of the UN. Japan intends to make its utmost efforts for the steady implementation of this Resolution, in cooperation with the international community.

(ii) Abductees and Human Rights issue

The second sub-issue is the unresolved problem of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea.

From 1977 to 1983, agents of the North Korean government kidnapped an unknown number of Japanese citizens in Japan and abroad. In September 2002, Kim Jong Il, the leader of North Korea, for the first time and after years of denial, admitted directly to Prime Minister Koizumi that the North Korean authorities had kidnapped Japanese citizens. He apologised and agreed never to abduct foreign nationals again.
To date, of the sixteen identified abductees, only five Japanese have returned home since October 2002. None of the other victims have returned to Japan, and there has been no persuasive explanation from the North Korean authorities about the safety of the remaining 11 abductees.

The Government of Japan repeatedly urges North Korea immediately to allow the survivors to return home and clarify the true facts. The Thai government is also raising the issue on the abduction of its nationals. Some Europeans were also said to be the victims.

It goes without saying that abduction is clearly a violation of fundamental human rights.

Through diplomatic efforts by the EU, Japan and other countries, in December 2005, a resolution on the "Situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" was adopted by a plenary session of the UN General Assembly for the first time. This resolution expressed deep concern regarding the human rights situation in North Korea, including the issue of abduction of foreign nationals. It called on North Korea to cooperate with the UN to improve its human rights situation.

I believe that the seriousness of abduction and human rights issue of North Korea has been shared by the international society as a result of the close cooperation between Japan and the EU.

(2) China

Now, I would like to talk about another significant issue, China.

China's recent economic growth has been the marvel of the world. The Chinese economy now ranks fourth in the world after the US, Japan and Germany. Indeed it is larger than four of the G7 economies.

The Chinese economic dynamism provides opportunities, not only for Japan and the EU, but also for other countries in the world. Certainly, China faces social challenges such as growth gaps between rich and poor, between agriculture and industry, and among different regions, or problems relating to the environment, energy and water. However, it is expected that appropriate measures will sustain China’s growth.

In the area of international politics, as you can judge from the Six-Party Talks, for example, China endeavours to help resolve issues that could impact negatively on itself and the broader region. Japan welcomes this sort of constructive Chinese engagement in the region.

(i) China’s lack of transparency

Yet, one cannot overlook China's growing defence budget. There has been a double-digit growth in China's defence spending for the past 18 successive years without its transparency.

Examining Chinese defence spending in 2005, the National People's Congress last year announced the figure to be 244.7 billion Yuan, approximately 29.5 billion US dollars, a 12.6 percent increase over 2004. The Chinese national defence expenditures announced for 2005 are roughly double those declared in 2000, and triple those from 1997. These figures suggest a swift-paced expansion of military expenditure.

The problem is that transparency is lacking as to how the expanded expenditure is augmenting what capabilities to achieve what military objectives.

Also, in addition to the above published figures, it is said that there is still other military-related spending. This increases the degree of non-transparency.

In order to build confidence among its partners, and to increase the predictability of the East Asian regional environment, it is expected that the Chinese government will implement policies, which are more open and accountable to its people as well as to the outside world. In other words, it is expected that China will become a more responsible and constructive global partner in the region and international community. This will be a key to achieving the ultimate goal of a “stable and prosperous East Asia”.

This view was also confirmed by the leaders of Japan and the EU at the Japan-EU Summit in April this year.

Before moving on to how Japan and the EU are cooperating, let me briefly touch upon the most recent development in Japan-China relations since it has attracted much attention also here in Europe.

As you may have heard in the news, our new Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, has just assumed the position on September 29th, and has chosen China as the first country to visit as prime minister.

In China, he met President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Wu Bangguo. In the meetings, the leaders agreed to set in vigorous motion the two wheels of both politics and the economy to take Japan-China relations to a higher level.

I am certain that already existing solid relations in a wide range of areas between Japan and China will be further promoted by the renewed dialogue at the highest political level.

(3) Japan-EU Cooperation in East Asia

On the European side, the EU plays an increasingly important and responsible role for the peace and stability, as well as for the prosperity, within the international community. The political and economic evolution in East Asia is thus a subject of particular interest to the EU.

A strategic paper by the European Commission relating to Asia for 2005-2006 confirms that the basic strategy that guides all EC actions in Asia is set down in the 2001 Commission Communication entitled ‘Europe and Asia: A Strategic Framework for Enhanced Partnerships’. The General Affairs Council then endorsed the priorities proposed in the strategy. One of the 6 objectives identified by the strategy is to “contribute to peace and security in the region and globally, through a broadening of our engagement with the region.”

Examples of such European engagement, to mention a few, are in Ache, Sri Lanka, and the Korean Peninsula.

At the same time, it cannot be denied that, in Europe, there was, until recently, a strong tendency to regard East Asia mainly as an economic market. There was not enough understanding as to the security situation in the region.

Under such circumstances, at the 2005 Japan-EU Summit, the leaders agreed that strategic dialogue between Japan and the EU on security in East Asia should be enhanced. It is worth noting that it coincided with the period when the EU’s possible lifting of its arms embargo against China was becoming a major issue in Europe. Japan has been conveying the message to the EU that in view of the security situation in Asia, the lifting of embargo should not take place.

Four months later, in September 2005, the first Japan-EU Dialogue on the East Asian Security Environment was held in Brussels.

Through the dialogues, the EU has come to better understand the security situation in East Asia.

As I mentioned earlier, at this year’s Japan-EU Summit, the leaders again endorsed enhancing and continuing the dialogue. The second Dialogue was just convened in June 2006 to the satisfaction of both sides. It may not be a surprise to you that Japan still considers the lifting of the arms embargo against China inappropriate in view of the situation in the region, which I have just explained.

  III. Conclusion

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

All the issues I have just reflected on demonstrate the extent to which cooperation between Japan and the EU is important and desirable. On occasion, this may not be easy. I believe, however, that our partnership should continue to evolve, to meet challenges of today.

Before concluding my presentation, let me express two expectations for the future.

Firstly, I expect the EU to play an even more active role in the international community. I am one of those who believe in a strong Europe in this globalised and multi-polar world. The EU has been growing in terms of integration and expansion. Understandably, the EU has been often busy in internal process of discussions and coordination. At the same time, we note that the weight of its voice in the making of multilateral efforts, be it in peace building or rule making, has been increasing.

Although the EU has begun to play positive roles on the world scene, I expect even more from the EU. I should hasten to add that Japan too has a global role to play, and that role is very often in step with the EU.

Secondly, within the EU, I expect Slovenia to play an active and positive role. Slovenia is important, not only because its economy is rapidly growing, but because it is rich in history and culture, adding to the diversity and balance in European perspectives when Europe is making decisions, internal or external.

It goes without saying that the EU is not just an international organisation such as NATO or the United Nations. The differences lie in that the EU’s decisions affect directly and immediately the daily lives of the people of the member countries. Your safety and security, tackling organised crime and immigration issues are all dealt with by the EU. Your budgetary deficit is scrutinised by the EU. In short, areas which directly interest the citizens are handled by the EU. As a result, a member country receives great benefits from being a part of the EU. At the same time, the member countries are expected to meet challenges and fulfil obligations that accompany its membership. I believe that some economic and social reforms may prove to be painful. But Slovenia’s actions through the EU gain resonance in the long-term for a better Europe.

I understand that Slovenia will take on the EU Presidency in 2008. Japan looks forward to working closely with the Slovenian presidency, but we do not have to wait till 2008. We will collaborate, either directly or through the growing EU in the years to come.

Thank you.


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“Japan and the EU: Valuable Partnership for the future”

Speech by H.E. Takekazu KAWAMURA
Ambassador of Japan to the European Union
At the University of Ljubljana
In Slovenia
17 October 2006

 

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the University of Ljubljana, in particular to the Faculty of Social Sciences, for organising this event.

It is a great pleasure for me to be able to talk to you today on Japan-EU relations and to share my views with you all.

Due to the Slovenian membership in the EU, Slovenia and Japan have started developing a new sort of relations, in addition to the pre-existing cordial bilateral ties since 1992.

As Ambassador of Japan to the EU, I am here to speak primarily on Japan’s relationship with the EU. As this topic is quite broad, I will divide it into three parts: a brief description of Japan-EU relations, Japan’s presence in the EU, and the Japan-EU partnership in a global context.

But before doing so, allow me to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the tremendous efforts the Slovenian people have made to implement policies for a transition to a market economy and to prepare the country for EU accession. In 2004, Slovenia, with its economic success and stability, joined the EU. Considered as one of the most prosperous economies in Central Europe, Slovenia has successfully met the euro zone criteria for public debt, budget deficit, interest rates and inflation levels. In January next year, you will be the first country among the new member states to adopt the euro currency, and I would like to congratulate your country on achieving this goal, which, I believe, was not always easy.

  I. Brief description of Japan-EU relations

 

31 years ago, namely in 1975, as our relationship gained momentum, the government of Japan decided to open its Mission to the then European Communities in Brussels.

(On the Governmental level)

In 1983, regular dialogues started to take place twice a year at the ministerial level for foreign affairs. In addition, several ministers initiated discussions in their respective fields.

In 1991, with a view to further promoting these relations, Japan and the EU decided to raise their communication to the highest level; that is to say, to the Prime Minister on the Japanese side, and to the President of the European Commission and the Head of State or Government of the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU on the European side.

This Japan-EU summit has since been held annually, alternating its venue between Japan and Europe. This year, the 15th summit continued the tradition in Tokyo.

At the Summit held in April, the leaders noted a number of achievements since the last summit. Significant achievements included: the launch of the strategic dialogue on East Asia’s security environment; progress on the ITER project; the signing of the “Japan-EURATOM Agreement”; and the 2005 EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

The leaders reaffirmed their desire to strengthen the partnership between Japan and the EU, global partners that share fundamental values. They also agreed to cooperate for a more peaceful, prosperous and secure international community. In this context, they agreed to continue the strategic dialogue on East Asia and develop a similar dialogue on Central Asia.

The exchange of views between senior officials of the two sides has also become more frequent.

It is also worth noting that other high level communications are successfully taking place in the form of exchanges between members of the Japanese and European Parliaments, especially through annual “Japan-EU Inter-parliamentary Meetings”.

I do not need to emphasise that all these dialogues and contacts have contributed greatly to the furtherance of mutual understanding and enhancement of Japan-EU relations.

(On the Business Level)

As for the business aspect of our relations, dialogues between people in the private sector on both sides became active in the early 80’s.

Since 1999, these dialogues have taken shape in the form of the Japan-EU “Business Dialogue Round Table”, or the BDRT. There, business people discuss issues of common interest to improve the business environment. At the beginning, trade issues occupied a major part. Subsequently, various other economic issues have emerged on the agenda.

The BDRT is not just a private forum. It annually expresses its opinions and suggestions to political leaders of Japan and the EU for further improvement of the business environments. In 2004, for example, the BDRT submitted a policy proposal on a framework to facilitate an increase in foreign direct investment. Following the proposal, the Japan-EU Summit of that year adopted “The Cooperation framework for the Promotion of Japan-EU Two-way Investment”.

The 8th BDRT was held this July in Tokyo.

(People to People Exchange)

Now, let me also touch briefly on Japan-EU relations from cultural and social perspectives.

The “Japan-EU Year of People-to-People exchanges” ended with great success last year. As you can imagine, this Japan-EU Year facilitated the various events and contributed greatly to further personal and cultural exchanges between our peoples. The number of events held in Japan and the EU member countries exceeded 1900 in total, about 400 in Japan and 1,500 in EU countries. Out of the 1,500, ten events took place in Slovenia. One of the events was a KABUKI performance, and it was broadcasted by a Slovenian TV channel. Allow me to take this opportunity to pay tribute to those Slovenian people, maybe some of you here present, who contributed to the successful implementation of these events.

Following up on the achievements of the last year, both leaders of Japan and the EU recognised the significance of continuing people-to-people exchanges. The EU welcomed Japan’s proposal of the “FRamework Initiative for Exchange Networks and Dialogues”, also called “FRIEND”. This programme is to further promote Japan-EU exchanges targeting young people, experts, EU officials, business people and so on. In particular, with regard to the exchange of young people, upon whom rests the future of Japan and the EU, Japan set a goal of accepting 4,000 youth a year.

I believe that we should continue to promote such exchanges, in order to strengthen the foundation of our relationship. Without a solid base at the grassroots level, political and economic exchanges would remain merely superficial. In this regard, I am pleased to note a significant increase in the number of the Japanese tourists visiting beautiful Slovenia. The number has more than doubled since the year 2000. In 2005, more than twelve thousand Japanese tourists visited your country.

(Change in the nature of the relations)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The world has changed dramatically since the fall of the Berlin wall, and it is still changing. Faced with the changes on the international political stage, Japan and Europe have been trying to adapt as best as we can.
The application of the Maastricht and Amsterdam treaties, for example, has prepared the ground for a more stable Europe.

The introduction of the “Common Foreign & Security Policy” and the “European Security and Defence Policy” has gradually modified Europe’s image in the international political arena.

Japan, for its part, has re-examined its roles and responsibilities in the world. The need for Japan to contribute to peace and stability, as well as prosperity in Asia, the Middle East and other regions has become more accepted in the opinion of the Japanese people.

Nevertheless, it took Japan and the European Union more than ten years after the fall of the Berlin wall, to fully comprehend the need to expand the scope of dialogues on international political affairs.

Indeed, it was at the Japan-EU Summit held in 2001 that then Prime Minister Koizumi and President Prodi of the European Commission agreed on a “10-year Action Plan for Japan-EU Cooperation”. This Action Plan encompassed a wide range of political issues of international importance as well as economic, social and cultural areas.

September 11 only added the importance of our political dialogue addressing, in particular, the threat of terrorism. The weight of the roles for Japan and the EU in the international community is increasing, and Japan-EU consultations on international political affairs have become more frequent.

  II. Japan’s Presence in the EU

 

Now, I would like to talk about Japan’s presence in the EU. As the overall relations between Japan and the EU have been developing, Japanese presence in the EU is getting increasingly noticeable.

In spite of Japan’s economic stagnation over the last 15 years, the number of Japanese affiliated companies in Europe has been increasing at a steady rate. The total number of Japanese affiliates in Europe grew from 2,162 in 1996 to 6055 in 2005. Many Japanese companies are placing more focus on Eastern Europe when discussing their strategies abroad.

As the number of Japanese affiliates grew, Japanese investment in Europe has grown steadily in recent years, and has reached around 7.8 billion US dollars in 2005. I should also note that between 2002 and 2005, the average figure of EU investment in Japan was approximately 4.5 billion dollars, considerably greater than US investments into Japan.

This growth of Japanese investment has also produced employment opportunities in Europe. In 2004, Japanese auto manufacturers alone created more than 200,000 jobs in Europe; almost 40,000 of which were directly related to production and research and development activities.

It is also important to note that trade remains one of the important elements in our relationship: Japan is the fourth largest source of imports of the EU after the USA, China and Russia, while the EU is Japan’s fifth largest.

According to statistics obtained in October 2005, there were around 150,000 Japanese nationals residing in the EU 15 Member States, up from about 130,000 in 1997. Compared to the number of Japanese citizens living in the U.S., which was about 350,000 in 2005, it may not sound striking, but the figure for the EU nevertheless accounts for more than 15 % of the total number of Japanese nationals living overseas. At the time of October 2005, about one million Japanese people were living outside of Japan.

As the number of Japanese people living in Europe increases, so does the number of Japanese restaurants. At present, there are more than 40 Japanese restaurants in Belgium alone, while in Germany, the number is up to 300. I should note that the major customers for these restaurants are not only Japanese but also Europeans. The steady increase of Japanese investment in the EU, accompanied by the growth in number of Japanese affiliates/residents, has thus contributed not only to “growth and jobs” in Europe, but also to Europe’s cultural diversity.

In this regard, I cannot help mentioning that Japan’s presence in Slovenia will only increase, as the beginning of this year saw the opening of the Japanese Embassy in Ljubljana. I encourage you to make the maximum use of this newly established Japanese embassy.

In addition, Last August, Mr. Kitagawa, Japanese Minister responsible, among others, for tourism visited your country. He had a very useful exchange of views with his counterpart, Mr. Vizjak, Slovenian Minister of Economy, with a view to promoting tourism in both ways. Slovenian adoption of Euro and joining the Schengen zone will help increase the number of not only Japanese but other foreign tourists.

  III. Japan-EU Partnership

 

The final part of my speech is about Japan-EU Partnership in a global context.

1. Cooperation towards peace and stability

Japan and the EU share fundamental values and principles of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, human rights and market economy.

The European people decided to put war behind themselves and construct a society where the concept of military conflict was no longer imaginable. Japan itself renounced resorting to force as a solution of international disputes since 1945.

This determination to renounce the use of force is strongly rooted in the Japanese people. With a view to ensuring peace and stability, Japan works closely with the European Union in all parts of the world.

In more concrete terms, then, how do Japan and the EU cooperate? Here are a few examples.

(West Balkans)

The European Union is an actor par excellence in West Balkan affairs. It makes great efforts to maintain peace, and foster and re-establish economic and social stability there. Japan contributes to such European efforts by organising and supporting meetings in close collaboration with the EU and by providing technical and financial assistance of more than 1.4 billion dollars to the region this far. In fact, Japan hosted with Ireland, then holding EU Presidency, and the European Commission “the Ministerial Conference on Peace Consolidation and Economic Development of the Western Balkans” in Tokyo in 2004.

(Iran)

Recognising the political and economic importance of Iran, Japan and the EU maintain close consultation with one another to explore solutions to the critical nuclear issue, and sustain world stability in this context.

(Asia)

The third example is our cooperation in Asia. All eyes are focused on the economic dynamism of Asian countries such as China, India as well as most of the ASEAN countries. The region, however, is not without some security and political problems and challenges. The Cold War may have ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, but remnants of that period persist at the other end of the Eurasian Continent, most notably on the Korean Peninsula. One of such examples was the nuclear test conducted on October 9th by North Korea, which is still under the typical, Cold War era, dictatorial communist regime.

Recognising that the nuclear test by North Korea constitutes a grave threat to the security not only of the region but of the world, including threat of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1718 on October 14th. The Resolution enumerates various sanctions and contains measures to be taken by the members of the UN. Japan and the EU cooperate closely on this matter.

Apart from North Korean nuclear issues, Japan and the EU are engaged in close strategic dialogue on the security environment in East Asia. The first meeting of this dialogue was held in September of last year, and the second dialogue took place recently to the satisfaction of both sides. The EU countries used to regard Asia mainly as an economic market. Through broader dialogues, however, the EU has come to understand and grasp more deeply the political and strategic situations of the Asian region, which will have important implications in relation to the peace and stability of the whole world.

Central Asia is another region of mutual interest.

In June of this year, Mr. Aso, the Japanese Foreign Minister, hosted in Tokyo the 2nd Foreign Ministers’ meeting under the “Central Asia plus Japan” initiative. It was already two years ago that the first ministerial meeting among Japan and the Central Asia countries took place in Kazakhstan. This year’s meeting adopted an Action Plan, which includes the strengthening of intra-regional cooperation, for example, in measures against terrorism and narcotics.
As strategic partners sharing values, interests and concerns, Japan looks forward to working closely with the EU in this part of the world through the strategic dialogue which will take place in the very near future.

2. Common Issues: global and internal

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Japan and the EU face other common challenges. Some are global, and others are about our respective societies.

(Global issues)

Poverty plagues the world. To fight against such suffering, technical and financial assistance will continue from both Japan and the EU through more and better consultations. Environmental issues have also repeatedly been on our common agenda, and we are currently working closely together on a wide range of issues from climate change to energy efficiency. We are also closely consulting on issues that range from the fight against terrorism to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and avian influenza to other infectious diseases.

(Internal Issues)

In addition to these world-wide issues, when we look at our own societies, we also find many issues in common. For instance, Japan and some of the EU Member countries are faced with rapidly aging societies, accompanied by extremely low birth-rates. This implies a possible decrease in economic capacity if appropriate measures are not put in place. In this context, we could share experiences and learn from each other.

  IV. Conclusion

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

All the issues I have just reflected on demonstrate the extent to which cooperation between Japan and the EU is important and desirable. On occasion, this may not be easy. I believe, however, that our partnership should continue to evolve, to meet challenges of today.

Before concluding my presentation, let me express two expectations for the future.

Firstly, I expect the EU to play an even more active role in the international community. I am one of those who believe in a strong Europe in this globalised and multi-polar world. The EU has been growing in terms of integration and expansion. Understandably, the EU has been often busy in internal process of discussions and coordination. At the same time, we note that the weight of its voice in the making of multilateral efforts, be it in peace building or rule making, has been increasing.

Although the EU has begun to play positive roles on the world scene, I expect even more from the EU. I should hasten to add that Japan too has a global role to play, and that role is very often in step with the EU.

Secondly, within the EU, I expect Slovenia to play an active and positive role. Slovenia is important, not only because its economy is rapidly growing, but because it is rich in history and culture, adding to the diversity and balance in European perspectives when Europe is making decisions, internal or external.

It goes without saying that the EU is not just an international organisation such as NATO or the United Nations. The differences lie in that the EU’s decisions affect directly and immediately the daily lives of the people of the member countries. Your safety and security, tackling organised crime and immigration issues are all dealt with by the EU. Your budgetary deficit is scrutinised by the EU. In short, areas which directly interest the citizens are handled by the EU. As a result, a member country receives great benefits from being a part of the EU. At the same time, the member countries are expected to meet challenges and fulfil obligations that accompany its membership. I believe that some economic and social reforms may prove to be painful. But Slovenia’s actions through the EU gain resonance in the long-term for a better Europe.

I was happy to find out that, at this university, about 200 students are taking the course of Japanese Studies. In the future, some of you, especially those who take the course of Japan studies, might take an active part in the area of Japan - Slovenia, or Japan - Europe relations. As ambassador of Japan to the EU, I am hoping that my speech today has helped you understand not only Japan-EU relations but the very importance of Japan-EU cooperation in many areas, and many parts of the world.

I wish you good luck on your bright future.

Thank you.


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