ID :
163151
Tue, 02/22/2011 - 17:09
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/163151
The shortlink copeid
Kan orders ministers to address oil price surge amid Libya unrest
TOKYO, Feb. 22 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Naoto Kan ordered his ministers on Tuesday to address the impact of surging oil prices, sparked by escalating tensions in Libya, on the Japanese economy.
''Given the extremely significant impact (of the unrest in Libya) on our country, we need to properly address this concern by fully grasping the situation and holding a meeting in this manner as is needed,'' Kan said at an emergency meeting convened at his office.
During talks to assess the impact and how Tokyo should respond to it, the premier said it is ''troublesome'' that the political turmoil in Libya has claimed a ''considerable number of casualties.''
''We need to urge the (Libyan) government to show restraint,'' Kan said, adding that the safety of Japanese nationals in Libya and other areas in North Africa and Middle East must also be ensured.
The meeting comes as crude oil prices surged in the morning for Middle Eastern crude oil on the Tokyo market, with the benchmark July delivery crude marking 55,000 yen per liter, the highest since October 2008.
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara told a news conference later in the day that although Japan does not directly import oil from Libya, the adverse impact of unrest in the country on the global crude oil would be immense.
Maehara also condemned the Libyan government for ''the use of extreme violence'' against civilian demonstrators and urged it to immediately stop the crackdown.
The minister also said a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official will take part in an international meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to coordinate aid to Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt and Tunisia, which have recently been rocked by democratization movements.
He said Japan is eager to propose at the meeting such measures as assisting job creation efforts for young people and conveying Japan's know-how of election monitoring in the process of democratization.
Emerging from the meeting in the morning, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda told reporters he had explained to the premier and his fellow ministers the current state of oil prices in the global market and Middle East nations' oil exports to Japan.
Kaieda suggested, meanwhile, he will not immediately work out measures to deal with the rise in oil prices. ''The first thing is to grasp the situation at hand,'' he said, indicating a wait-and-see stance for now.
Prior to their meeting, Kaieda said the rising oil prices pose a major risk to the Japanese economy, which has recently been showing signs of emerging from a lull, but shrugged off concerns that the current situation would affect oil supply to resource-poor Japan. He added, though, that the government should keep an eye on the outlook.
Tuesday's meeting was also attended by other relevant ministers such as Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.
In a news conference ahead of the meeting, Edano said, ''It is extremely regrettable that violence has been used on the protesters and there were casualties.''
Edano voiced hopes that both the protesters and the government would deal with the situation in a ''peaceful manner.''
Prime Minister Naoto Kan ordered his ministers on Tuesday to address the impact of surging oil prices, sparked by escalating tensions in Libya, on the Japanese economy.
''Given the extremely significant impact (of the unrest in Libya) on our country, we need to properly address this concern by fully grasping the situation and holding a meeting in this manner as is needed,'' Kan said at an emergency meeting convened at his office.
During talks to assess the impact and how Tokyo should respond to it, the premier said it is ''troublesome'' that the political turmoil in Libya has claimed a ''considerable number of casualties.''
''We need to urge the (Libyan) government to show restraint,'' Kan said, adding that the safety of Japanese nationals in Libya and other areas in North Africa and Middle East must also be ensured.
The meeting comes as crude oil prices surged in the morning for Middle Eastern crude oil on the Tokyo market, with the benchmark July delivery crude marking 55,000 yen per liter, the highest since October 2008.
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara told a news conference later in the day that although Japan does not directly import oil from Libya, the adverse impact of unrest in the country on the global crude oil would be immense.
Maehara also condemned the Libyan government for ''the use of extreme violence'' against civilian demonstrators and urged it to immediately stop the crackdown.
The minister also said a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official will take part in an international meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to coordinate aid to Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt and Tunisia, which have recently been rocked by democratization movements.
He said Japan is eager to propose at the meeting such measures as assisting job creation efforts for young people and conveying Japan's know-how of election monitoring in the process of democratization.
Emerging from the meeting in the morning, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda told reporters he had explained to the premier and his fellow ministers the current state of oil prices in the global market and Middle East nations' oil exports to Japan.
Kaieda suggested, meanwhile, he will not immediately work out measures to deal with the rise in oil prices. ''The first thing is to grasp the situation at hand,'' he said, indicating a wait-and-see stance for now.
Prior to their meeting, Kaieda said the rising oil prices pose a major risk to the Japanese economy, which has recently been showing signs of emerging from a lull, but shrugged off concerns that the current situation would affect oil supply to resource-poor Japan. He added, though, that the government should keep an eye on the outlook.
Tuesday's meeting was also attended by other relevant ministers such as Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.
In a news conference ahead of the meeting, Edano said, ''It is extremely regrettable that violence has been used on the protesters and there were casualties.''
Edano voiced hopes that both the protesters and the government would deal with the situation in a ''peaceful manner.''
