ID :
166882
Wed, 03/09/2011 - 17:46
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https://www.oananews.org//node/166882
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Matsumoto vows to inherit Maehara's initiatives on U.S., economy
TOKYO (Kyodo) - New Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto, the successor of Seiji Maehara, pledged Wednesday that he will take over his predecessor's unfulfilled missions of deepening the Japan-U.S. security alliance and promoting foreign policy to amplify the nation's economic gains.
Speaking at his inaugural press conference, Matsumoto, who was promoted from foreign state secretary to fill the ministerial post vacated by Maehara over an illegal donation, hinted at his positive stance on the possibility of Japan joining a U.S.-backed Pacific free trade agreement.
The new minister also expressed eagerness to address issues of concern such as territorial rows between Japan and its neighbors China, South Korea and Russia, and showed his resolve to seek a comprehensive solution to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs as well as past abductions of Japanese nationals.
While stressing Japan will take concerted steps with the United States and South Korea on the North, Matsumoto did not rule out the possibility that Tokyo will hold direct talks with Pyongyang if the reclusive nation ''shows a positive and sincere response'' on those problems.
As for Japan's relations with the United States, which have been strained over the relocation of a U.S. Marine base in Okinawa, Matsumoto said he will ''sincerely seek the understanding of local residents,'' who remain opposed to the planned base transfer within the southern island prefecture.
Commenting on reported comments by a senior U.S. diplomat disparaging the people of Okinawa, Matsumoto said if the remarks are true they are ''extremely inappropriate and unacceptable'' as they ''hurt the feelings of not only Okinawans but also all Japanese.''
Matsumoto said he will convey this to visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell on Thursday.
Campbell said the United States will offer apologies for ''misunderstandings'' stemming from the comments allegedly made by Kevin Maher, director of the Office of Japan Affairs at the U.S. State Department.
Maher described people in Okinawa as ''masters of manipulation and extortion'' in an off-the-record briefing to American University students in December before their trip to Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. bases in Japan.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan apparently picked Matsumoto to minimize the damage from the exit of Maehara, who had warm relations with the United States and was deemed a potential successor to the premier, by prioritizing the continuity of the nation's foreign policy.
The premier instructed Matsumoto to ''firmly manage Japan's foreign policy, especially Japan-U.S. relations,'' the new minister told reporters.
Matsumoto, 51, a fourth-term House of Representatives member, is scheduled to make his debut as a minister at a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Eight nations from next Monday in Paris.
The minister said he will also visit Britain before the G-8 gathering. The G-8 countries are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
Matsumoto will also host two days of trilateral foreign ministerial talks with China and South Korea from March 19 in Kyoto.
Chiaki Takahashi, a 54-year-old House of Councillors member of the Democratic Party of Japan, was newly chosen as state foreign secretary to succeed Matsumoto. Takahashi formerly served as a parliamentary secretary for economy, trade and industry.
Having close ties with former DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa, who has been critical of the way Kan has been running the government since June, Matsumoto has been a state foreign secretary since Maehara became foreign minister last September.
A graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was first elected to the lower chamber of the Diet in 2000 on a DPJ ticket.
Before entering the political world, he worked for the Industrial Bank of Japan, which later merged with other banks into Mizuho Financial Group Inc., and as a secretary of his father Juro Matsumoto, who was Defense Agency chief as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Matsumoto is the great-great-grandson of Japan's first prime minister, Hirobumi Ito (1841-1909), and a cousin of Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki.
Ito was Japanese resident-general of Korea before Japan annexed the peninsula in 1910 to put it under colonial rule and was assassinated by a Korean independence activist.
Matsumoto was formerly policy chief of the DPJ while the party was in opposition. At the Foreign Ministry, he is touted as being ''practical'' but known for his often hostile attitude toward the press.
The Tokyo native played water polo when he was a junior high and high school student. He has a no-nonsense character and is often described as a disciplinarian.
Speaking at his inaugural press conference, Matsumoto, who was promoted from foreign state secretary to fill the ministerial post vacated by Maehara over an illegal donation, hinted at his positive stance on the possibility of Japan joining a U.S.-backed Pacific free trade agreement.
The new minister also expressed eagerness to address issues of concern such as territorial rows between Japan and its neighbors China, South Korea and Russia, and showed his resolve to seek a comprehensive solution to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs as well as past abductions of Japanese nationals.
While stressing Japan will take concerted steps with the United States and South Korea on the North, Matsumoto did not rule out the possibility that Tokyo will hold direct talks with Pyongyang if the reclusive nation ''shows a positive and sincere response'' on those problems.
As for Japan's relations with the United States, which have been strained over the relocation of a U.S. Marine base in Okinawa, Matsumoto said he will ''sincerely seek the understanding of local residents,'' who remain opposed to the planned base transfer within the southern island prefecture.
Commenting on reported comments by a senior U.S. diplomat disparaging the people of Okinawa, Matsumoto said if the remarks are true they are ''extremely inappropriate and unacceptable'' as they ''hurt the feelings of not only Okinawans but also all Japanese.''
Matsumoto said he will convey this to visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell on Thursday.
Campbell said the United States will offer apologies for ''misunderstandings'' stemming from the comments allegedly made by Kevin Maher, director of the Office of Japan Affairs at the U.S. State Department.
Maher described people in Okinawa as ''masters of manipulation and extortion'' in an off-the-record briefing to American University students in December before their trip to Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. bases in Japan.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan apparently picked Matsumoto to minimize the damage from the exit of Maehara, who had warm relations with the United States and was deemed a potential successor to the premier, by prioritizing the continuity of the nation's foreign policy.
The premier instructed Matsumoto to ''firmly manage Japan's foreign policy, especially Japan-U.S. relations,'' the new minister told reporters.
Matsumoto, 51, a fourth-term House of Representatives member, is scheduled to make his debut as a minister at a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Eight nations from next Monday in Paris.
The minister said he will also visit Britain before the G-8 gathering. The G-8 countries are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
Matsumoto will also host two days of trilateral foreign ministerial talks with China and South Korea from March 19 in Kyoto.
Chiaki Takahashi, a 54-year-old House of Councillors member of the Democratic Party of Japan, was newly chosen as state foreign secretary to succeed Matsumoto. Takahashi formerly served as a parliamentary secretary for economy, trade and industry.
Having close ties with former DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa, who has been critical of the way Kan has been running the government since June, Matsumoto has been a state foreign secretary since Maehara became foreign minister last September.
A graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was first elected to the lower chamber of the Diet in 2000 on a DPJ ticket.
Before entering the political world, he worked for the Industrial Bank of Japan, which later merged with other banks into Mizuho Financial Group Inc., and as a secretary of his father Juro Matsumoto, who was Defense Agency chief as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Matsumoto is the great-great-grandson of Japan's first prime minister, Hirobumi Ito (1841-1909), and a cousin of Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki.
Ito was Japanese resident-general of Korea before Japan annexed the peninsula in 1910 to put it under colonial rule and was assassinated by a Korean independence activist.
Matsumoto was formerly policy chief of the DPJ while the party was in opposition. At the Foreign Ministry, he is touted as being ''practical'' but known for his often hostile attitude toward the press.
The Tokyo native played water polo when he was a junior high and high school student. He has a no-nonsense character and is often described as a disciplinarian.
