Prime Minister Mori Wraps up a Busy First Seven Months
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13198 12/22/2000 11:50 AM Page 1 Japan Information and Culture Center, EMBASSY OF JAPAN PRIME MINISTER MORI WRAPS UP A BUSY FIRST SEVEN MONTHS As the New Year approaches, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori is wrapping up a busy first seven months in office, having braved domestic challenges at home, and engaged in a full range of diplomatic contacts abroad. Since assuming office April 5, A following the demise of Keizo Obuchi, the Prime Minister has pushed to assure Japanese economic growth and fulfill the reform agenda designed to make Japan more competitive. He successfully faced elections in June, and reshuffled his cabinet on Dec. 5, in anticipation of a major government overhaul next month. In January, the number of government ministries will be nearly halved, from 22 to 13, in an effort to cut costs and increase efficiency. Internationally, the Prime Minister has traveled widely and hosted the Group of Eight (G-8) in Okinawa in July. He recently visited Brunei for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation annual leaders’ meeting, where he met with President Bill Clinton Nov. 16 for the fourth time this year. He NOV./DEC.11/ 2 0 0 0 12 also met with China’s President Jiang Zemin, South Korea’s Kim Dae Jung, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and many other leaders of the CONTENTS 21-member group. He traveled to Singapore, for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting with Japan, China and South Korea. In all of his stops, the Prime Minister stressed the need to Full diplomatic schedule Regional integration highlights APEC; assure that the benefits of the information revolution be shared equally. ASEAN Plus Three talks; Progress on In Brunei he said, “we cannot control the process of globalization, so it Korea and contacts with Russia. 2 is important for us to resolve the ‘digital divide.’” Japan has pledged $15 billion for that purpose. New guidelines drive operations 2 (see page 2) New cabinet named Ministers speak out; GDP up for the third straight quarter. 3 Trends in Japan Museum honors John Lennon; workers won’t take off; a railroad to Paris. 4 Viewpoint Do locally-controlled schools promote democracy? That was debated in Japan. 5 Attracting foreign students New streamlined procedures aim to double the number of foreign students. 6 Beyond Differences “Contextualism” may the best way to explain different cultural values. 7 Vending-machine Mecca These ubiquitous machines sell most everything, and can even read your ID. 8 President Clinton and Prime Minister Mori talk while strolling together after the APEC leaders’ meeting in Brunei, Nov. 16. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Japan Now is online! www.embjapan.org/jicc.html 13198 12/22/2000 11:50 AM Page 2 FULL DIPLOMATIC JAPAN-U.S. MILITARY SCHEDULE OPERATION Japan and the United States began their first joint military exercise Nov. 2 under the new • APEC LEADER’S SUMMIT security guidelines they adopted in August 1999, which authorize Japan to provide logistical Meeting in Brunei Nov. 12-16, the 21- support to the U.S. military in the event of an member group, which consists of Pacific emergency in the region. Over 21,000 soldiers Basin countries, represents two-thirds of the and 310 jets participated in the exercises at land A planet’s population, 60 percent of the world’s facilities run by Japan’s Self Defense Forces, as global output and almost half of world trade. There well as in Japanese waters and airspace. The was some concern that APEC would be meeting 17-day exercises were aimed at better preparing under a cloud, following the violent protests against Japan for any possible invasion and were not globalization at the World Trade Organization (WTO) targeted at any specific country. meeting last November in Seattle and elsewhere. But the leaders stuck to their agenda and reiterated their commitment to “a fair and rules-based multilateral trading system,” in what they called an “era of globalization.” They discussed: the need to open a new round of world trade talks; the rising price of oil; the need to promote e-commerce and the information revolution; the thaw on the Korean Peninsula and regional affairs. In his speech, Mr. • KOREAN PENINSULA Mori said that most of the $15 billion pledged at the Since South Korean President Kim Dae Jung’s G-8 Okinawa summit to promote the spread of recent historic trip to Pyongyang, all the major information technology would be allocated to the parties, the two Koreas, Japan, China and the Asia-Pacific region. The Prime Minister also spoke United States have been engaged in multilateral of the need to reform the U.N. Security Council. diplomacy to press the process forward. Japan has • ASEAN PLUS THREE been negotiating directly with North Korea to The Prime Minister then attended a summit in normalize relations, most recently in Beijing. U.S. Singapore Nov. 24 of the Association of Southeast Secretary of State Medeleine Albright visited Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus Three (Japan, China, Pyongyang in late October in an effort to prepare for South Korea). The group discussed a Japanese the possible visit by President Clinton to North proposal to create a financial safety net for Asian Korea. Last month Japan committed 500,000 tons of economies, a structure to engage the Southeast rice to North Korea through the U.N. World Food Asian nations with their three economically larger Program. And in early November Japanese, South Northern neighbors, and ways to link the region Korean and U.S. defense officials met in Hawaii for further by extending railroads northward into China talks on military issues. and developing the Mekong River Basin. Prime Minister Mori supported an expanded • RUSSIAN CONTACTS dialogue with ASEAN in a “framework of open Diplomatic contacts with Russia have also been regional cooperation, which complements and gaining ground, following President Putin’s visit to strengthens the global system.” He again addressed Japan in September. Foreign Minister Yohei Kono the need to promote the IT revolution and called for visited Moscow Nov. 1-4 for talks with the President a joint conference on “IT Cooperation in East Asia” and other officials and talks continued on the in Japan in 2001, and the dispatch of missions to sidelines of the APEC summit. The agenda includes explain “Japan’s Comprehensive Co-operation the peace treaty that the two nations never signed Package to Address the International Digital after World War II when the Soviet Union annexed the Divide.” The Prime Minister also spoke of the need Japanese Northern Territories. Putin invited Prime JAPAN for an “Asian Common Skill Standard” for IT Minister Mori to visit Russia later this year or early NOW engineers. And he proposed holding an “Asian next year. Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev Cooperation Conference on Combating Piracy and was in Tokyo Nov. 28 for meetings with Japanese 2 Armed Robbery Against Ships” in Tokyo in 2001; Defense Agency Kazuo Torashima, whom he told that piracy has become a major regional problem. Russia plans major troop cuts in the Far East. 13198 12/22/2000 11:50 AM Page 3 NEW CABINET IS MEMBERS OF NEW CABINET NAMED (*Titles and charges in brackets effective January 6, 2001) Prime Minister Yoshiro MORI [Minister of Justice] Minister of Justice Masahiko KOUMURA [Minister for Foreign Affairs] Prime Minister Mori announced a new Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei KONO cabinet Dec. 5, in anticipation of a major [Minister of Finance] administrative realignment set to go into Minister of Finance Kiichi MIYAZAWA effect on Jan. 6. There were six holdovers [Minister of Education, Culture, from the previous cabinet, and the addition Sports, Science and Technology] P Minister of Education, Science, Sports and of former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, 63. Culture; Director-General of the Science The Prime Minister promised that his new cabinet and Technology Agency Nobutaka MACHIMURA would balance the need for economic growth with [Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare] fiscal and structural reforms. Minister of Health and Welfare, Administrative Reform Minister Hashimoto Minister of Labour Chikara SAKAGUCHI pledged to implement the new reforms. Masahiko [Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries] Koumura, the new Justice Minister vowed to tackle Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yoshio YATSU judicial and economic reform. Toranosuke [Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry] Katayama who will oversee the merged Public Minister of International Trade and Industry Takeo HIRANUMA Management, Home Affairs and Posts and [Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport] Telecommunications and Home Affairs Ministries Minister of Transport, Minister of Construction, Director-General of the Hokkaido Development vowed to lower telecom connection rates. Foreign Agency, Director-General of the National Chikage OGI Minister Yohei Kono said Japan is committed to the Land Agency (Hiroko HAYASHI) U.S. alliance. Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa [Minister of Public Management, Home Affairs, said the government must prepare for fiscal reforms. Posts and Telecommunications] Minister of Financial Services Hakuo Yanagisawa Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, said he will urge freer financial market competition. Minister of Home Affairs, Director-General of Takeo Hiranuma, Minister of International Trade & the Management and Coordination Agency Toranosuke KATAYAMA Industry, said he wants to press reforms and launch [Minister of State, Chief Cabinet Secretary, global trade talks. (gender equality)] Minister of State, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo FUKUDA [Minister of State, Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, GDP UP THIRD (crisis management, disaster prevention)] STRAIGHT QUARTER Minister of State, Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission Bunmei IBUKI [Minister of State (Financial Services Agency] Japan’s economy grew a real 0.2 percent, or Minister of State, Chairman of the 1.0 percent on an annualized basis.