[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
[July 6, 2008]
[Pages 993-999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan in Toyako, Japan
July 6, 2008
Prime Minister Fukuda. We had a very substantive meeting with
President Bush for about an hour. In the meeting, we first shared the
view that the peace and stability in this region, in the past decades,
have been maintained thanks to the Japan-U.S. alliance. We then
reaffirmed that in the 7\1/2\ years or so since the inauguration of the
Bush administration in January of 2001, the alliance has deepened by
leaps and bounds in security, economic, people-to-people exchanges, and
other areas. And we agreed to further strengthen this alliance.
In the security area, cooperation between Japan and the United
States grew more concrete, substantive, and broader in nature, as
exemplified by the cooperation in the fight against terrorism and
assistance for Iraqi reconstruction following 9/11, the agreement on and
steady implementation of a roadmap for U.S. forces realignment, and the
joint development of ballistic missile defense and successful intercept
tests.
On North Korean issues, I told President Bush that the verification
of their declaration is extremely important to realize complete nuclear
abandonment by North Korea, that simultaneous settlement of
denuclearization and the abduction issue will be important, and that to
that end, Japan wishes to continue to cooperate closely with the United
States. And President Bush concurred with me and told me that he will
never forget the abduction issue.
I was encouraged to hear from him that the U.S. position on the
abduction issue--that is to say a clear-cut support for Japanese
position--remains unchanged, and that the United States will remain in
close coordination with Japan on the issue. As
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agreed between us on the nuclear and abduction issues, we shall continue
to deal with the issue, maintaining close coordination between our two
countries.
On the economic aspects, the interdependence between Japan and the
United States has grown closer than before. Since 2000, Japanese direct
investment to the United States has increased approximately 30 percent.
Japanese businesses in the United States have about 610,000 people on
their payrolls, and U.S. direct investment in Japan also has increased
approximately 60 percent.
I wish to also point out that mutual understanding between our
countries has reached a high level at the grassroots level. I shall make
sure to follow up the initiative I announced during my visit to the
United States last year to step up in Japan-U.S. exchanges so that the
foundation for our alliance will become unshakeable.
In order to further deepen this alliance, I explained to President
Bush my belief that it will be important to further step up in policy
coordination in Asia and bilateral cooperation in addressing global
challenges, such as climate change, African development, and disaster
reduction. And President Bush expressed his agreement on this.
On African development, we agreed that we should further step up our
bilateral cooperation to increase the production of major crops in
Africa, including doubling of rice production, and promote their trade
and distribution.
On disaster reduction, following the recent spate of several
natural--severe natural disasters in Asia in recent years, I wish to
step up cooperation between our two countries to build up cooperation in
Asia on disaster prevention.
On climate change, we also had discussions, and we have a common
understanding that it is our common responsibility to leave the
beautiful Earth to our posterity since this--climate change is one of
the most severe challenges that humankind faces today, and that we shall
continue to cooperate with the G-8.
And with regard to soaring food and oil prices, which are having
negative impact on the world economy, we agreed there's a need for
expeditious efforts on these fronts.
President Bush, please.
President Bush. Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your hospitality,
and thank you for inviting us to this beautiful place. Laura and I are really looking forward to dinner with you and
Mrs. Fukuda tonight. And I agree with your
assessment that we had very important and fruitful discussions.
We discussed a variety of subjects, starting with the--our work
together to make sure the Korean Peninsula, all the Korean Peninsula, is
free of nuclear weapons. I am fully aware of the sensitivity of the
issue here in your country. I am aware that people want to make sure
that the abduction issue is not ignored, and that there are suspicions
about whether or not the North Koreans will be fully forthcoming. I view
this process as a multistep process that requires strong verification.
One thing is for certain, is that North Korea did provide a
declaration of its plutonium-related activities and did blow up the
cooling tower of its reactor at Yongbyon. That's been verified, and that
also is a positive step. But there are more steps to be taken. We are
concerned about enriched uranium and proliferation and human rights
abuses, ballistic missile programs. I view this process as a multistep
process where there will be action for action.
The Prime Minister gave me the book of Ms. Yokota. I had the privilege of meeting her in the Oval Office.
I was deeply touched by her story about the abduction of her little
girl. As a father of little girls, I can't imagine what
it would be like to have my daughter just disappear. So, Mr. Prime
Minister, as I told you on the phone when I talked to you and in the
past, the United States will not abandon you on this issue.
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We worked--we talked about Japan's contributions in Iraq and
Afghanistan. And I thank your Government and I thank the people of Japan
for helping others realize the blessings of liberty. We talked about
Iran and the importance of Iran to listen to the demands, the just
demands of the world to verifiably suspend its enrichment programs.
We haven't had a chance to talk about Burma yet, but I intend to
bring it up with the Prime Minister. I'm deeply concerned about that
country. Their response to the recent natural disaster was unwarranted
at best. And we urge the regime to free Aung Suu--Aung San Suu Kyi.
We talked about the G-8. And I believe this is going to be a
successful G-8, Mr. Prime Minister. This is my eighth one. I've got a
pretty good sense about whether or not a G-8 is going to be a success or
maybe not such a success. This one is going to be a success.
We've got a lot to talk about. I appreciate very much your strong
belief in the accountability aspect of this meeting. In other words,
when people say they're--make a pledge to feed the hungry or provide for
the ill, that we ought to honor that pledge. And I thank you for
understanding that. And I also thank you for your concern about
neglected tropical diseases as well as helping train health workers in
Africa so that they can be compassionate citizens of their respective
countries.
We'll talk about food and energy, of course. And then I've got two
other subjects that I want to make sure we spend a fair amount of time
on. One is the Doha round. It's an opportunity for us, Mr. Prime
Minister, to promote free and fair trade, and it's going to be an
essential part of the development agenda. And the truth of the matter
is, we can give grants and--but the best way to help the impoverished
around the world is through trade. It's a proven fact. And this is an
opportunity to set up a successful ministerial in July--I think it's
July 21st--for the Doha round.
And then I'm going to spend some time, of course, sharing my views
about the environment and how we can advance our common agenda, and
that--remind people that the United States and Japan really do lead the
world in research when it comes to clean technologies.
I think I was sharing my views with some of the Japanese press when
they were in the United States, Mr. Prime Minister, about how Japan is
going to lead the world when it comes to battery technologies, and that
I anticipate our country will be able to be using battery technologies
in automobiles that look like cars, not golf carts, and which will save
us a lot of, you know, reliance upon oil. And this will be a great
opportunity to discuss that as well as our common desire to move our
common agenda.
And so I want to thank you very much for your hospitality. And I
appreciate very much your candid discussion that we had.
Environment
Q. I'm with NHK. Both of you have commented on global warming, and
so I'd like to ask about that to both of you. First, Prime Minister
Fukuda, were you successful in getting President Bush's agreement to
cooperate--to get a G-8 agreement on long-term target to have a global--
greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 globally?
So first that question, and second question for President Bush. Mr.
President, you've been saying that participation of China and India,
among others, will be essential for a long-term target. Do you think
that--are going to cooperate on getting a G-8 agreement on long-term
target this time? And also, as for assistance for African countries that
are suffering from negative impact of global warming, I wonder what
thoughts you have, President Bush.
Prime Minister Fukuda. Allow me to first respond. As I said earlier
on the global
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warming issue, including long-term targets, I agreed with President Bush
to continue to cooperate in the runup to the G-8. On whether G-8
will agree on long-term target or not, that is something that G-
8 is continuing consultations. So at this stage what I wish to
say is that we leaders will get down to in-depth discussions on
this day after tomorrow.
President Bush. I'll be constructive. I've always advocated that
there needs to be a common understanding, and that starts with a goal.
And I also am realistic enough to tell you that if China and India don't
share that same aspiration, that we're not going to solve the problem.
And so I appreciate the Prime Minister's leadership on this issue.
And the United States will--we're working, working to see if we can come
up with a constructive statement.
I didn't get your question on Africa. What was the question on
Africa? Ask it again, please.
Africa
Q. Well, I wanted to ask for your thoughts, your views on support
for Africa, which will be negatively affected by global warming. Do you
have any plans for supporting Africa?
President Bush. ----starts with understanding that babies are
needlessly dying because of mosquito bites, and therefore, wealthy
nations ought to step up and provide mosquito nets, DDT, as well as
medicine. My concern for Africa starts with knowing that too many people
are dying of HIV/AIDS. And that's why the United States Congress joined
the administration in supporting a $15 billion effort to help people get
antiretroviral drugs, help orphans get help, and help put a--effective
prevention program in place. The amount--number of people who have gone
on antiretrovirals today has grown from 50,000 to 1.7 million people.
I'm concerned about people going hungry. And so we'll be very
constructive in the dialogue when it comes to the environment. I care
about the environment. But today, there's too much suffering on the
continent of Africa, and now is the time for the comfortable nations to
step up and do something about it.
U.S. Economy and Monetary Policy/Energy/Environment
Q. Thank you. Mr. President, oil prices are up. The economy is in a
serious downturn. What can world leaders do? And would you approve of
intervention to strengthen the U.S. dollar, which many people say is
contributing to the rise in oil prices?
And, Mr. Prime Minister, do you believe that the U.S. is holding up
moving forward on climate change?
President Bush. First of all, our economy is not growing as robustly
as we'd like. We had positive growth in the first quarter; we'll see
what happens here in the second quarter. But nevertheless, it's--we're
not as strong as we have been during a lot of my Presidency. And so, as
you well know, Toby [Tabassum Zakaria, Reuters], we passed a stimulus
bill that is now in the process of passing money back to consumers,
which had a positive effect and, hopefully, will continue to have a
positive effect.
We're working with the Congress to get a housing bill out. We're--we
passed uninsurance benefits--unemployment benefits--excuse me. And yet
we got a problem when it comes to reliance upon foreign sources of oil.
For 7 years, I've been trying to get the Congress to explore for oil
domestically. Now is the time, when they come back from their Fourth of
July vacations, to open up ANWR and open up the Outer Continental Shelf
so that we can say to the world that we will do our part in increasing
supply, so that we can transition from this period of reliance upon
hydrocarbons to a new period of advanced technologies.
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In terms of the dollar, the United States strongly believes in a
strong dollar policy and believes that our--the strength of our economy
will be reflected in the dollar.
Q. [Inaudible]
President Bush. No, I just said the relative strength of our economy
will be reflected in currencies.
Prime Minister Fukuda. With regard to global warming or climate
change, the question was, what--how do I see U.S. response? Is that a
correct understanding of your question? Well, between Japan and the
United States, discussions are--been going on at various levels. The
U.S., I believe, has not really lost a sense of direction, generally,
and that between our two countries, we have consultations going on. And
through these consultations, I think our views are gradually converging.
At the G-8 this time, well, I'll be chairing the meeting, so I've
asked the President for his cooperation to this chair, and he has shown
his kind understanding. What the results will be, well, we have to wait
until the conclusion comes out at the meeting the day after tomorrow.
North Korea/Abduction of Japanese Citizens
Q. Aso, with the Kyoto News Service. On North Korea, I'd like to ask
questions of the two leaders. First, President Bush, North Korea
recently submitted their declaration on nuclear development programs,
but that declaration did not include a declaration regarding nuclear
weapons. Are you satisfied with that sort of declaration, Mr. President?
And also in connection with this--or in connection with the
declaration, Mr. President, you expressed--no, you decided to notify
Congress about removing North Korea from the status of state sponsors of
terrorism list. There is rising concern about abduction in Japan. You
said you will not forget about abduction, but would there be--after the
removal of North Korea from the list, what sort of means will there
remain for the United States to press North Korea to resolve the
abduction issue?
Now, Mr. Fukuda, I wonder in your discussions you asked the
President to rethink the President's decision to remove North Korea from
the list. If not, why didn't you ask? Now, following the removal of
North Korea from the list, what sort of specific cooperation would you
seek from the United States to advance the abduction issue?
President Bush. North Korea is the most sanctioned nation in the
world and will remain the most sanctioned nation in the world. And the
way for them to get off their sanctions is to honor their commitments in
a verifiable fashion.
Somehow there's this notion--inherent in your question is the
delisting therefore took away their sanctions. That's just not an
accurate statement on your part if you think that. I'm not assuming you
do think that, but it's--they're a highly sanctioned regime. And they
will--as I said, they've got a lot of obligations that they must fulfill
in order for these sanctions to leave.
And that's why I said it is action for action. And the first step
was taken. Now, one thing is for certain, I repeat--I don't know if you
saw it on your--on the TVs here, but the destruction of the cooling
tower was verifiable action. And that's a positive step. But as I
mentioned in my opening statement, we have other concerns, and one such
concern, of course, is the abduction issue.
Prime Minister Fukuda. Well, the North Korean declaration on their
nuclear programs--well, when you think about the abduction issue, I
think the suggestion of your question--what you were suggesting is that
we should seek U.S. to rescind that decision. Well, as far as nuclear
issue is concerned, well, we have moved on to a new phase. And I think
we need to make sure this will be successful because it will be in the
interest of Japan as well. At the same time, in parallel, we need to
bring
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the abduction issue to successful conclusion as well.
So against this backdrop of progress in the nuclear front, we need
to also strive for progress on the abduction front as well. And to that
end, we need to have good-faith discussions with North Korea. And so
far, we have not seen any progress, but we need to engage in
negotiations so that progress will be produced. Because abduction is not
progressing, on the nuclear front we should not make progress--that is
something we should not--we should avoid. And I believe we need to make
progress on both fronts, because that will be important for Japan, and I
think that will be necessary for North Korea as well.
2008 Beijing Olympics
Q. Good afternoon. Mr. President, I'd like to ask you a question
about China. I was wondering if you could, first of all, explain a
little bit about your thinking behind your decision to attend the
opening ceremonies of the Olympics next month. And more generally, I'm
wondering what you would say to the--your friends and allies in the
United States who are very concerned about religious freedom and human
rights in China, the situation in Sudan and Burma. What would you say to
them of what has come from your approach to dealing with President Hu
over the last 7 years?
And I'd also like to ask the Japanese Prime Minister whether you're
paying close attention to the American election? And in particular, I'm
curious if you can discern any differences right now between the two
candidates as it relates to Japan, in particular, and more broadly, in
terms of how they would approach Asia.
President Bush. I view the Olympics as a opportunity for me to cheer
on our athletes. It's an athletic event. I've had the honor of dealing
with the Chinese--two Chinese Presidents during my term, and every time I have visited with
them, I have talked about religious freedom and human rights. And so
therefore, my decision to go was--I guess I don't need the Olympics to
express my concerns. I've been doing so.
I also believe that the Chinese people are watching very carefully
about the decisions by world leaders, and that this--I happen to believe
not going to the opening games would be--the opening ceremony for the
games would be an affront to the Chinese people, which may make it more
difficult to have a--to be able to speak frankly with the Chinese
leadership. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing. And I'm looking forward
to cheering the athletes. I think it will be--I think it would be good
for these athletes who have worked hard to see their President waving
that flag.
Q. [Inaudible]
President Bush. You know, in some areas, we've made progress on a
common agenda; other areas, we haven't. But nevertheless, I have been
very clear in my view that, for example, a whole society is one that
honors religion, and that people shouldn't fear religious people. After
all, truly religious people love their neighbor--and that China benefits
from people being able to worship freely.
It looks like there's some progress, at least in the talks with the
Dalai Lama. And by the way, as you
know, I'm the first President ever to have stood up publicly with the
Dalai Lama and told President Hu Jintao I was going
to. And he wasn't that pleased about it, but nevertheless, I said, ``I
believe in a religious freedom, Mr. President.''
And so it's--and I hope I have a bilateral--I might have a bilateral
with him here, and I bet I do when I'm in Beijing as well, and of
course, the subject will come up.
Prime Minister Fukuda. Well, your question for me, was it along the
same line as well? Well--and if that is the case--well, I--whether I'll
attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games or not, I have not made
any official announcement on this because the day after the opening
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ceremony of the Olympics, there is an important event in Japan, and I
have to attend that important ceremony. And therefore--or event--
therefore, I really have to make sure I would have time to get back for
that. Now I know that I'll able to get back in time, so here for the
first time, I will announce that I--announce officially that I will
attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
Now--and in fact, the President said something to the same effect,
that Olympics are a sport events, and we want people to really live up
to the spirit of the sports, sportsmanship. And I certainly encourage
that. And there are many aspiring athletes that will be going to
Beijing, and I would like to cheer them on too, which I think is only
natural. I don't think you really have to link Olympics to politics.
Now, there certainly may be problems with China, but even so, they
are striving to improve things. They're on the way to improve things,
and we'd like to closely watch how they do. In the past, Japan has come
through various experiences, and the U.S. and others criticized Japan
for certain behaviors. So we have had experience in that reality, and we
are now here today. So we really have to be--have humility in asking
ourselves, do we have the right to make those points to China and
others?
Now, I would not hope that there will be a chaos in China. I would
not want Chinese to become unhappy. We are neighbors, after all, and it
will good for Japan if our neighbors are in a sound state as well. So
with that in mind as well, I shall attend the opening ceremony.
Note: The President's news conference began at 5:13 p.m. at the Windsor
Hotel Toya Resort and Spa. In his remarks, the President referred to
Kiyoko Fukuda, wife of Prime Minister Fukuda; Sakie Yokota, mother of
Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korean authorities; Aung San
Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy in Burma; President
Hu Jintao and former President Jiang Zemin of China; and Tenzin Gyatso,
the 14th Dalai Lama. Prime Minister Fukuda and some reporters spoke in
Japanese, and their remarks were translated by an interpreter.