Press Conference

1. Announcements

MINISTER ICHIKAWA:
Today, I had the pleasure of welcoming Defense Secretary Panetta to the Ministry of Defense, and we just had the Japan-U.S. Defense Ministers’ meeting. With regard to the Defense Ministers’ meeting today, we had a very frank exchange of views on the following topics:. First, with Defense Secretary Panetta, we have reaffirmed the importance of the Japan-U.S. Alliance. We have also come to an accordance to promote the “2+2” that was agreed this June on common strategic objectives and a wide range of security and defense cooperation. Moreover, Secretary Panetta has given strong comments that the United States will maintain and strengthen their commitment in the Asia-pacific region, although being subject to the current difficult fiscal conditions. Therefore, we have come to an agreement on the need to signify the abilities and the presence of both nations on issues such as conducting timely joint exercises for maximum effectiveness and cooperation in warning and surveillance, and to promote the shared use of facilities of both nations that will lead to an increase in options on outposts for such activities, which will further intensify the activity of the units. In addition, between Secretary Panetta and me, we have come to be united to further promote this dynamic Japan-U.S. defense cooperation. Next, with regard to the issue of the relocation of Futenma Air Station, I have explained that we are making preparations to submit the environmental impact assessment report within the year, and Secretary Panetta has said that he appreciates the efforts shown by the Japan, and has also commented that “Regarding the relocation of Futenma Air Station, the United States will also promote this, including the Guam relocation project.” Secretary Panetta and I have come to an accord to swiftly remove the risk of Futenma Air Station and to make progress on the relocation and return of the aforementioned air station as the soonest possible time, while adhering to the Japan-U.S. agreement and gaining the understanding of Okinawa. Other than that, topics such as issues on space development, cooperation in cyber-related issues and acquisition of equipment such as BMD have also been discussed. That is my organized report on what has been discussed during today’s meeting. In accord with what has been accomplished in today’s discussion with Secretary Panetta, I would like to tackle the various issues in order to further enhance the Japan-U.S. Alliance.

SECRETARY PANETTA:
I would like to begin by thanking Minister Ichikawa for hosting me here today. And I would like to thank the people of Japan for the warm hospitality they have provided me on this visit. This is my first trip to Japan as Secretary of Defense, although I have had the opportunity to come here a number of times in past capacities in government. And the message that I want to send is simple. The United States is and always will be a Pacific power, and we are here to stay. The forward presence of U.S. forces here is not merely a symbol of U.S. commitment to Japan, but also a symbol of our commitment to the peace and security that must exist across the Pacific region. Minister Ichikawa and I, we found out, share a bond beyond being defense ministers. I was born in Monterey, California, and he comes from an area in which there is a sister city to Monterey. And they in turn - as we speak, there are young people from both communities that are engaging in an exchange, and it happens at the same time that the minister and I exchanged our views with regards to many important issues. We had a very good and productive meeting, and it follows on some very good sessions that I had with Prime Minister Noda and Foreign Minister Gemba. Both Minister Ichikawa and I agreed that the United States-Japan alliance is truly a cornerstone of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. We also discussed a range of issues, as he pointed out, relating to the security and stability of this region, including North Korea’s sometimes provocative behavior, China’s growing military capabilities and the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan. I express my great admiration and conveyed the admiration of the American people for the resilience of the Japanese people in recovering from terrible earthquake that struck this nation. U.S. military was very proud to support the Government of Japan in responding to that disaster. And the success of these efforts by both Japan and the United States is a testament to the strength of this alliance. We also stated our desire to continue to work together to strengthen bilateral security cooperation with the Republic of Korea as well as with Australia to more effectively address the many shared challenges that we face. Together we will also work to encourage China’s emergence as responsible and positive partner in building regional stability and prosperity, cooperating on global issues and upholding international norms and rules of behavior. Regarding the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, the minister assured me, as did the prime minister and the foreign minister, the Government of Japan’s intention to move forward with the steps necessary for the Futenma replacement facility. This is a critical initiative and our effort to maintain a strong forward-deployed presence in the Pacific region. It’s also important to the realignment of our forces in Japan. And it’s also important to reducing the impact of our bases in Okinawa. For all those reasons, we are both very committed to the principles of the realignment road map, including the establishment of an operational marine presence in Guam. I want the people of Japan to know that America will continue to work with our regional allies and partners and, through Asia’s emerging security architecture, to underwrite piece and prosperity in Asia-Pacific area. It’s no secret that the United States faces some very tough fiscal decisions back home. But let me reassure people of Japan, let me reassure you as Secretary of Defense, that the one thing that we have determined in discussions as to our future strategy, one thing we are agreed upon is that the Pacific will remain a key priority. I will continue to strengthen our forces in this part of the world. I am looking forward to working with Minister Ichikawa to further deepen our alliance. I would like to again thank him for his hospitality on my first trip here. Japan is more than just an ally. Japan is a great friend of America. And we will remain a great friend of Japan.

2. Questions and Answers

Question:
I have a question for both Minister Ichikawa and Secretary Panetta. Regarding the relocation of Futenma Air Station, obtaining what kind of result at what step in the process do you understand as being definite progress based on the current plan in the Japan-U.S. agreement?

MINISTER ICHIKAWA:
As far as our national government is concerned, we are making efforts to promote the relocation of Futenma Air Station, and have come to an agreement between Japan and the United States at the “2+2 Meeting” in June this year on the location and the design of the replacement facility for the Futenma Air Station. In response to this, I notified the governor on my visit to Okinawa the other day that we are currently making progress on the preparation of the environmental impact assessment report so that it can be submitted within this year. I feel that building up these individual processes is very important in itself, and both Japan and the United States have their own respective obligations that they must fulfill, but we would like to play our important parts in realizing what has been agreed upon in good faith, and ultimately to relieve Okinawa of its burden as a whole.

SECRETARY PANETTA:
I was very pleased with the comments of the minister as well as the prime minister and the foreign minister as well, all of whom confirmed that they were working to be able to present their Environmental Impact Statement, their EIS statement, before the end of this year. That’s in line with, I believe, the discussions that were held, the two-by-two discussions that were held, and it represents an important progress towards completing or beginning to complete the preliminary steps that have to be taken to put this project in place. This is - this realignment agreement goes back, as we all know, to 2006, and it’s taken a great deal of time to be able to move forward with it. But I believe that we now see some real progress in what Japan is doing. And as I indicated to the minister, we, the United States, will meet our commitment as well to move forward to reducing our presence in Okinawa.

Question:
You said you plan to increase U.S. presence in the Pacific region. Does it mean you intend to send more carriers, submarines or surveillance aircraft into these waters?

SECRETARY PANETTA:
As I stated, we will maintain our presence in this area, and we will strengthen our presence in the Pacific region. And there are a number of areas that we are looking at in order to be able to do that. One is obviously the realignment of our forces that we are - will certainly engage in as we deal with realignment at Futenma. We are also looking at increasing exercises in the Pacific region and training exercises and assistance that can be provided to our regional partners. We are looking at strengthening alliances in this region as well. I just came from Indonesia, where I met with the ASEAN defense ministers, all of whom agreed that we must work together in order to advance the security of this region, and we will do that. In addition to that, obviously a presence - taking steps to advance our presence as well and also developing enhanced capabilities in this region is very important that we work with our partners in the Pacific region to try to develop their capabilities so that they too can improve the security that they provide to this region. There are a number of steps that we can take, it seems to me, to strengthen our position in the Pacific, and not only strengthen our position, but strengthen the other countries in this region so that we can advance the security of all.

Question:
I have a question for Secretary Panetta only. Regarding the current plan, there seems to be no clear outlook on this due to opposition by Okinawa prefecture. Do you have any thoughts to request a specific deadline on its progress for next year?

SECRETARY PANETTA:
No, I believe that obviously Japan and the Government of Japan has to not only proceed with providing the EIS, but I will leave it in their hands to deal with the situation in Okinawa. I am convinced that in the end it’s to the benefit of Okinawa as well as Japan for us to proceed with this realignment. It will serve their needs, and it will serve our needs as well.

Question:
Mr. Secretary, Japan’s biggest weapon supplier Mitsubishi Heavy Industry has recently suffered a cyber attack - on exfiltrating data. Did you discuss the issue of cyber attacks including this one? And what are you concerns about China’s responsibility for cases of cyber attack on U.S. and Japanese advanced contractors?

SECRETARY PANETTA:
As you know, I have expressed my concerns about cyber attacks in general. The number of cyber attacks are increasing in our country and elsewhere, and this is cause for concern. And it means that countries have to work together to develop not only a good defense but a good offense in dealing with cyber issues. We recently completed a cyber agreement with Australia that gives us the capability to share information and to work together in the cyber area. What I discussed with Japan is the opportunity to try to develop that same kind of approach with Japan so that we can improve our capability to defend against these kinds of attacks. There are - look, there are number of countries that are involved on this issue, both on the offense and defense. Most important thing right now, I think, is that the world community needs to work together to develop standards of how we approach this issue, because this is of concern. It is the battlefield of the future, and it’s an important area for all countries to work together in order to develop proper security to deal with cyber attacks.

Question:
I have a question to Secretary Panetta. As the next step of the environment impact assessment, there is the process of conducting the reclamation of the proposed location of the replacement facility. Do you have any thoughts on setting a deadline for application for conducting the reclamation? And when do you think is best for it to be done by?

SECRETARY PANETTA:
As I stated, it’s very important to us that the EIS be completed before the end of this year. And as to other steps involved in this process, the best I could tell you is as soon as possible.

Question:
A question for Secretary Panetta, on Libya. When you have been asked in recent days about post-Gadhafi Libya in the U.S. Department of Defense. You focused on the question of whether the U.S. can provide some sort of humanitarian assistance. You have mentioned medical assistance. I wonder, beyond that, what sort of military-to-military relations do you foresee with Libya? Should Libya be a U.S. military partner? And then what would that look like?

SECRETARY PANETTA:
I think - yes, I mentioned obviously our concerns right now are to provide whatever help we can with regards to providing medical relief and medical assistance for the large number of wounded in Libya. And there are areas that we are now exploring to try to determine how we can best address that issue. The other issue is obviously with regards to arms and the danger that those arms could make their hands into - the hands to the wrong people. And for that reason, we need to do what we can to determine where those weapons are and try to secure them as soon as we can. With regards to the third area about looking to the future, I think a lot of that, at this point, still rest with NATO. I know there are going to be discussions within NATO concerning not only when possible end of the mission may come, but also how that will transition. And I noticed today that there were comments from some of the Libya leadership asking that NATO continue its mission during this interim as they are trying to establish some of their governance. So I guess what I would do at this point is leave the decision as to future security involvement in the hands of NATO and then beyond that, that will give us a basis on which to determine whether there is an additional role that we can play.

(The Defense Minister's announcement and Q&A from Japan side are quoted from provisional translation.)
(End)