18 February 2002
Transcript: Bush, Koizumi on Terrorism, Japan's Economy at Tokyo Briefing
(Japan is first stop in three-nation Bush trip to Asia) (3690)
President Bush praised Japan's support in the war against terrorism
and the efforts by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to reform the
Japanese economy at a February 18 joint press conference with Koizumi
in Tokyo.
"The peace of the world is now threatened by global terror. And we
have had no better friend, and nobody provides such steadfast support"
as the Japanese government, Bush said at the briefing following talks
between the two leaders.
Bush said he has confidence in Koizumi's leadership ability in
restructuring Japan's economy. He said "it's going to require a strong
leader to deal with the difficult problems facing the Japanese
economy," but he has confidence in Koizumi's strategy and his desire
to implement it.
"What the Prime Minister is proposing is a bold agenda. And it takes
somebody who's willing to spend capital, political capital, to get the
agenda done," Bush said. "So I am -- my main focus of this meeting was
to judge intent and desire and willingness to work hard to achieve a
bold agenda. And having listened to the Prime Minister at length today
and looked him in the eye, I feel very confident that that's precisely
what he is going to do -- pursue a bold agenda."
Revival of the Japanese economy is "important not only for our
bilateral relations, it is important for the world's second largest
economy to grow. It'll help the region and it will help the world,"
Bush said.
Tokyo is the first stop on Bush's six day trip to Japan, South Korea
and China.
Prime Minister Koizumi said he and Bush had "engaged in very candid
and very friendly talks" that further cemented the alliance and the
relationship of trust between Japan and the United States.
The talks, he said, covered the reconstruction of Afghanistan, the
continuing global fight against terrorism, regional issues, Japan's
economy, and the environment.
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary (Tokyo, Japan)
February 18, 2002
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT BUSH AND PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI IN JOINT PRESS
CONFERENCE
Prime Minister's Residence
Tokyo, Japan
PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI: This is my fourth meeting with President Bush,
and we engaged in very candid and very friendly talks and very useful
meeting it was. I was able to renew our friendship and cement further
our relationship of trust and reaffirm to the importance of Japan-U.S.
alliance.
In the fight against terrorism, Japan, on its own initiative, has been
cooperating with the United States and in cooperation with the
international community to eradicate terrorism. And we shall continue
with this firm resolve and firm stance to fight against terrorism in
the days ahead, as well.
I expressed my respect for the strong leadership that President Bush
has exercised to date. On September the 11th, these unforgivable
terrorist acts took place. But in this fight against terrorism, we
shall continue -- we shall need to sustain our cooperation and under
international cooperation we need to carry forward this fight against
terrorism.
On these points, again, we saw eye to eye. On the issue of
Afghanistan, the roles that Japan and the United States play will
differ, but we should complement each other in order to make our own
contributions to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan.
Turning to East Asia, as a whole, the relationship between Japan and
East Asia is important for the stability and the peace in the world.
Japan attaches importance to our relations with China and Korea, and
the close coordination between Japan and China and Japan and Korea is
something that I would also like to work on to further strengthen.
On North Korea, Japan, through cooperation and coordination with the
United States and Korea, would like to work on normalization of
relations with North Korea.
With regard to China, we welcome China's accession to WTO. And it will
be hosting Olympic games in the future, as well. And I very much hope
that China will play important roles in the international community,
and also play its part in the international community, recognizing its
important responsibilities. In considering the future of friendly ties
between Japan and China and Japan and Korea, we also agree that
Japan-U.S. relations would be very important.
And turning to economic issues. Economic revitalization in Japan to
imbue confidence once again in the Japanese economy. This is the
greatest mission given to my Koizumi administration. Whether my
support is high or low, I shall not slacken this structural reform
efforts that I've made. This policy of structural reform will not
change whatsoever, I explained this to President Bush -- the measures
against inflation and measures to prevent the financial unrest -- but
we will do all our best in this regard.
So there will be absolutely no change to the structural reform efforts
that the Koizumi administration has maintained, that it may only be
strengthened, but it will not change, the policy -- will not change.
Ten years ago, Japan perhaps was a little over-confident. Today, Japan
has lost confidence in itself. But Japan has to regain confidence in
itself; and, with hope, if we work on the structural reform, then
definitely Japan shall be able to revive its economy. And the
potentials of Japan can also come to the fore.
And it is to that end that the Koizumi administration has been working
on structural reform and President Bush has shown his understanding
towards this and has expressed his strong support for this policy of
mine.
On global challenges, there is the global warming issue and Kyoto
protocol question. The United States has come up with a very positive
proposal, the problems of environment and the problems of economy.
These should proceed hand in hand and they should not run counter to
each other on the future problems of the globe. The technological
development in the interest of the environment will produce economic
growth.
So economy and the environment do not run against each other; rather,
efforts to improve the environment will bring about science and
technology -- development in science and technology and thus, also
generate greater economic development. This perspective should not be
lost.
Japan will aim at achieving both economic growth and environmental
improvements. So Japan welcomes the positive proposal on global
environment issue, and we appreciate the stance shown by the United
States to contribute on that front, and we'll expect greater efforts
in that respect.
On the environmental questions, economic questions and so on, in these
broad areas Japan wishes to engage in discussions with the United
States and cooperate with the U.S. So I was able to have very candid
exchange of views on all these and numerous other issues.
This, as I said, was our fourth meeting, but I feel as if we've met
each other umpteen times already. In fact, we were able to exchange
views on almost anything. Our relations are built on a deep mutual
trust and, building on that, we'd like to further develop our
relations. And I believe it will be important for Japan and the United
States to cooperate on these and numerous other issues, because in
doing so we'll contribute not just to Japan and the United States, but
to the entire world, as well. And I think it was a great meeting.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister. It is a real
pleasure and honor to begin my trip to Asia here in Japan. And the
reason why our first stop is here in Japan is because Japan is one of
America's greatest and truest friends.
I also want to thank my friend, the Prime Minister. He is a man whose
word I trust, a man whose advice I seek, and a person with whom I've
got good personal relations. And I want to thank you for your
friendship and your generous hospitality.
I believe the U.S.-Japanese alliance is the bedrock for peace and
prosperity in the Pacific. Japan is a generous host to America's
forward-deployed forces, providing an essential contribution to the
stability of Asia. This enduring partnership benefits both our
countries, but it also benefits the world. The peace of the world is
now threatened by global terror. And we have had no better friend, and
nobody provides such steadfast support than the Japanese government.
I remember the phone call, Mr. Prime Minister, you gave me when I was
in the Oval Office. It meant so much to hear -- in this right after
9/11, it meant so much to hear your voice and your steadfast support,
which has not wavered. And I want to thank you and the Japanese people
for that.
Japan also understands that in order to complete the first theater in
the war against terror that we must help Afghanistan rebuild. And I
want to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, and your government, for
hosting a very important conference. Today we had a -- we spent some
-- a good deal of time talking about how to make sure that the
Afghanistan of today, the post-Taliban Afghanistan is stable and has a
chance to achieve prosperity and security and peace for her citizens.
And Japan plays an incredibly important role in that. Japan also has
aided people throughout the world. Japan is a generous nation, it's
helping the developing nations with health and education needs. And
for that we are also very grateful.
Prime Minister Koizumi and I not only reaffirmed the importance of the
Japanese-United States security alliance, we also talked about our
economies. I told him that our economy is still in a recession, but
there are some hopeful signs that we're recovering. There are some
signs that the tax relief plan that we put in place is having a
positive effect, so that we're beginning to see some growth.
I also, obviously, talked to him about his strategy for the Japanese
economy. And he mentioned about confidence. Well, let me tell you what
my confidence level is like: I'm confident in this man's leadership
ability; I'm confident in his strategy and I'm confident in his desire
to implement that strategy. And when he implements the strategy, it
will help Japan's economy a lot. And that's important. It's important
not only for our bilateral relations, it is important for the world's
second largest economy to grow. It'll help the region and it will help
the world.
And so, Mr. Prime Minister, it is my honor to come to your beautiful
country. I want to thank you very much for your hospitality. Laura
thanks you for your hospitality, as well. And I look forward to our
meeting tonight, and the chance to speak to the Diet tomorrow. And, as
importantly, I look forward to meeting the Imperial Majesties, the
Emperor and the Empress.
Thank you, sir.
PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI: Thank you very much. Do you have any questions
please?
Q: First, a question for President Bush. In the early meeting, did you
make any specific -- did you ask the Prime Minister to take any
specific actions on the Japanese economy? Much is said about the
triple lows for the Japanese economy, and some speak of an impending
financial crisis. Which would you like Japan to give priority to,
structural report or anti-deflation measures? And Prime Minister
Koizumi, what sort of balance do you intend to strike --
PRESIDENT BUSH: First of all, before I had a chance to bring up the
economy, the Prime Minister brought up the economy in our private
discussion. He said, I want to make it very clear to you exactly what
I intend to do. And he talked about non-performing loans, the
devaluation (deflation) issue, and regulatory reform. And he placed
equal emphasis on all three.
And I'm not here to give advice, I'm here to lend support. When he
looked me in the eye and told me that he is going to take measures
necessary to improve in all three regions, I believe him. I believe
that's his intent. And that is good news, because it's going to
require a strong leader to deal with the difficult problems facing the
Japanese economy.
Q: Mr. Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI: He asked about structural reform or measures
against inflation. That question, itself, I think is built on a wrong
perception. Whatever the situation may be, Japan needs to carry
through its structural reform. Of course, there are many activities
that are going on where government is not involved, and we can invite
the private sector to come into areas that were covered by the
government, and we should carry forward regulatory reform, as well.
And there will be, of course, confrontation with the vested interest.
Whatever measures we may take, financial measures or deflationary
measures or fiscal policy measures, or what, and I will not change my
stance. So it's not really a question of which should be given
priority, structural reform or deflation measures. Whatever the
situation may be, we have to implement a structural reform. So the
Koizumi administration will never slacken its efforts to work on
structural reform.
I hope you understand that point full well. Some might think that I'm
going to shift from structural reform measures. I'm aware of those
voices. But that will never happen. Whatever the situation, structural
reform needs to be implemented. And without that, there cannot be
economic revival of Japan.
And having said that, deflation measures or monetary easing, these are
measures needed to accelerate structural reform. So whatever the
situation may be, I will never slacken the structural reform.
Q: Mr. President, you expressed confidence in the Prime Minister again
today. But he's been in office for about a year now, and he's been
unable to enact structural reforms. Why do you think it's taken so
long for the Japanese government to enact the reforms you're talking
about?
And to the Prime Minister, you called the President's alternative to
Kyoto a positive proposal. That given, do you think the world's
environment would have been better off if America had signed on to
Kyoto?
PRESIDENT BUSH: The second question is moot. What was the first
question? (Laughter.)
Q: Why has it taken --
PRESIDENT BUSH: Oh, that's right, yes. Listen, sometimes it is very
difficult to get a reform package done in any society, but
particularly structural reform. And what the Prime Minister is
proposing is a bold agenda. And it takes somebody who's willing to
spend capital, political capital, to get the agenda done.
So I am -- my main focus of this meeting was to judge intent and
desire and willingness to work hard to achieve a bold agenda. And
having listened to the Prime Minister at length today and looked him
in the eye, I feel very confident that that's precisely what he is
going to do -- pursue a bold agenda.
And sometimes it is not easy to get others to follow, but that's his
job, is to lead. And he knows that. And that's why, one, I like him a
lot, because I appreciate bold leadership. And, secondly, he is going
to stay the course. And that's important, as well.
PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI: Well, some might say we're slow, but we're
moving steadily. It's been less than one year. Many people say there
haven't been tangible results. But look at Thatcher reform, or Reagan
reform -- none of these reforms were achieved within a year or two. In
fact, the results of the Reagan reform came to fruition after he had
retired. So it's been less than one year, and I would like to say that
we are making steady progress.
Of course, in certain areas we can achieve results in nine or ten
months. But I hope you understand that there are areas where we have
been making steady progress. Of course, there is a need for
coordination with the Diet, with the parliament. And there are areas
where we cannot proceed without their approval. But we are proceeding
steadily. And of course, we are striving to move forward our reform.
But we're not falling behind at all. As for the Kyoto protocol, Japan
has been very tough on the environmental questions, and we've been
very active. I certainly understand the circumstances in the United
States, but of course we will continue to work so that we can
cooperate with the United States. It is a question for the United
States to decide whether to take part in the protocol or not, but I
hope we will continue with our efforts so that we can move in the same
direction, as I said earlier. Both the economy and the environment can
be improved together. And we'd like to see further efforts on the part
of the United States.
Q: A question for President Bush. You referred to Iraq as the axis of
evil. And I wonder if in the meeting you referred to the possibility
of exercising force and, if so, what did you say? And what role would
you expect of Japan?
Mr. Koizumi, if the U.S. really exercises force, what specifically
would Japan do?
PRESIDENT BUSH: -- talked about my speech I gave to the Congress.
Japan is one of our strongest allies and close friend. And I explained
to the Prime Minister that there are some nations in the world which
want to develop weapons that will hurt the United States and/or our
friends and allies, and we've got to stop them from doing so.
I also reminded him, in the speech I talked about the need for nations
to come together, to work together. And I reiterate that, that we've
got a coalition of freedom-loving nations that can work together to,
hopefully, help them change their behavior. I also explained to him
that all options are on the table and that I will keep all options on
the table.
Other than that, there are -- there's nothing else to talk about. We
want to resolve all issues peacefully, whether it be Iraq, Iran or
North Korea, for that matter. And as you know, I'm going to the Korean
Peninsula to talk about that very subject. On the one side of a
parallel we've got people starving to death, because a nation chooses
to build weapons of mass destruction. And on the other side there's
freedom. And it's important for those of us who love freedom to work
with nations to convince them to choose freedom.
But I've also said that they should make no mistake about it, that we
will defend our interests, and I will defend the American people. And
that's what we talked about.
PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI: With regard to this axis of evil, again we
exchanged our views very frankly. Iraq, Iran, North Korea, we
exchanged our views regarding these countries very candidly.
The expression "axis of evil" I believe reflects the firm resolve of
President Bush and the United States against terrorism. President
Bush, I believe, has been very calm and cautious vis-a-vis Iraq, Iran
and North Korea. He will not exclude any possibilities in order to
prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, to prevent
terrorism. He will resort to all possible means to fight against
terrorism. And I believe this resolve was behind the expression, "axis
of evil."
Now, this fight against terrorism is not going to be a short one. I
understand it's going to be a drawn out and tough fight. And Japan,
together with the United States and the international community, will,
on its own initiative cooperate very actively. And I believe Japan's
role in the fight against or eradication of terrorism will be very
important. And Japan shall continue to support the United States. So
that's the sort of exchange of views we had.
Q: Mr. President, the French Foreign Minister called your axis of evil
remarks simplistic, and a top European Union official has accused you
of taking an absolutist position on this. If you do not get the kind
of support that you just suggested from your allies, is the United
States willing to go it alone?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, first of all, the Secretary of State had, I
thought, an interesting reply to the French Foreign Minister. And you
might want to ask him afterwards what he meant by vapors.
People who love freedom understand that we cannot allow nations that
aren't transparent, nations with a terrible history, nations that are
so dictatorial they're willing to starve their people, we can't allow
them to mate up with terrorist organizations. In the war against
terror, one of the worst things that could possibly happen is al
Qaeda-like organizations becoming allied and operationally attuned to
nations which develop -- which have a weapon of mass destruction.
Freedom-loving people understand that. And I'm going to continue
making the case.
Now, listen, I understand what happens in the international arena;
people say things. But the leaders I've talked to fully understand,
exactly, what needs to happen. They understand the resolve of the
United States of America. They understand that our commitment is not
just in Afghanistan, that history has given us a unique opportunity to
defend freedom. And we're going to seize the moment, and do it.
And I'm confident nations will come with us. Right here is a Prime
Minister that has said he's our friend, he is a part of a coalition,
and he's going to be steady in our coalition. And for that I'm very
grateful. And the other world leaders I have talked to have expressed
the same resolve and determination. And so I don't accept the
hypothesis of your question.
PRIME MINISTER KOIZUMI: Thank you very much. This concludes the press
conference.
PRESIDENT BUSH: But never mind. (Laughter.) Thank you all.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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