ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN TOKYO 10-12 NOVEMBER
Press Release
SG/T/2207
ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN TOKYO 10-12 NOVEMBER
19991115The Secretary-General arrived in Tokyo in the afternoon of Wednesday, 10 November.
On Thursday, he started the day meeting the first of two parliamentary groups with which he will have discussions during his stay in Japan. These groups support the United Nations and include members of the Diet from different political parties.
In the morning he met with the following members of the Parliamentary Association for the United Nations: Otohiko Endo, Komeito; Nobuaki Futami, Liberal Party; Yoshiro Hayashi, Liberal Democratic Party; Nobuto Hosaka, Social Democratic Party; Koshiro Ishida, Komeito; Eisei Ito, the Democratic Party of Japan.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Mr. Hayashi told the Secretary- General that the group had held a number of conferences (in Japan and abroad) in support of the United Nations and that the next one will be in 2001, at a place yet to be determined. He also acknowledged the Secretariat efforts to increase the number of Japanese nationals recruited as United Nations staff members (Japan is under-represented and efforts are underway to redress the situation).
The Secretary-General noted that his meetings with Japanese parliamentarians during his visits to Tokyo were becoming a good tradition. He added that contacts with parliamentarians from various countries were one of his priorities, as they had an important role to play in the work of the United Nations.
When asked about Japan having a permanent seat on the Security Council, the Secretary-General regretted that Security Council reform was taking so long and added that there was a widespread belief that it would be useful for Japan to become a permanent member of the Council.
Following that meeting, the Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan had an audience with Their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress at the Imperial Palace. The Secretary-General congratulated the Emperor on the tenth anniversary of his accession to the throne.
On the way to the Imperial Palace and to other Government buildings, the Secretary-General was able to see that the main streets
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in the central Tokyo district had been decorated with the United Nations and Japanese flags to mark this official working visit to Japan.
Later in the morning, the Secretary-General met with the Prime Minister, Keizo Obuchi, at the Prime Minister's official residence. During this half-hour long meeting, they discussed East Timor, safety of United Nations personnel, Japanese staff in the United Nations system, Millennium Summit, and United Nations reform. The Prime Minister expressed support for the Millennium Assembly and Summit, and welcomed the establishment of the United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor (UNTAET). He reiterated Japan's commitment to support UNTAET. The two leaders continued their discussion on these and other topics of the international agenda during a working luncheon, which followed their meeting.
At the beginning of the afternoon, the Secretary-General delivered a lecture on "Japan's world role in the twenty-first century" at the United Nations University to an audience of scholars, diplomats, journalists and the public in general. He urged "Japan to contribute even more to the political work of the United Nations -- the peace- making, peacekeeping and peace-building efforts that are the main business of the Security Council. The world needs Japan to take on a political role commensurate with its global economic presence."
The lecture was followed by a question and answer period. Answering a question on Japanese policy towards the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, he said that since the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea was a neighbour, he considered the best policy was one of engagement. However, a gesture would also need to come from the North Koreans as "it takes two to tango". In response to another question regarding the unexpected violence which erupted in East Timor after the peaceful ballot, he said that the important thing was that the United Nations acted and managed to get a force in to calm the situation and that the East Timorese had returned from the mountains.
While at the University, the Secretary-General also met with the United Nations staff in Tokyo and was greeted by a group of high school students from the International School of the Sacred Heart, who took photos with him.
In the evening, the Secretary-General met with Foreign Minister Yohei Kono. During the meeting and the working dinner which followed, they reviewed a number of regional issues, as well as other international developments. They also discussed disarmament and the upcoming World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Seattle.
When discussing East Timor, Mr. Kono reaffirmed Japan's commitment to support the East Timor transition. The Secretary-General said that the material, political, human resources and financial support of Japan was very much appreciated.
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On Friday morning, a second group of members of the Diet met with the Secretary-General. They expressed support for the Secretary-General and United Nations activities. Security Council reform and the number of Japanese nationals serving the United Nations were among the issues they raised. The Secretary-General reaffirmed the importance of his contacts with Parliamentarians. He also appealed to them to contribute to the Millennium Assembly.
At mid-morning, the Secretary-General met the Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa. During the 20-minute session, they discussed the Japanese and Asian economies and the upcoming WTO ministerial meeting to be held in Seattle, United States. They also reviewed the situations in East Timor and in Indonesia. The Secretary-General expressed his gratitude for the Japanese Government's support to UNTAET.
Following the meeting with the Finance Minister, the Secretary- General had a press conference at the Japan National Press Club. He covered a wide range of topics in answering the questions of the journalists. He said that "the work of the United Nations and that of the Secretary-General is a perpetual challenge because of the world we live in and you all agree, 1999 has been a rather messy year for all of us."
On Security Council reform, the Secretary-General expressed the hope that Member States will see the reform of the Council as essential to efforts to position the United Nations for the twenty first century.
East Timor, Chechnya, United States arrears and the "no-fly" zone in Iraq were among the issues raised by the journalists. On the Falun Gong movement in China, though a domestic issue, the Secretary-General expects to discuss it with Chinese authorities during his visit to China next week.
The Secretary-General left Tokyo for Kyoto by mid-afternoon.
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