    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [November 16, 2005]
    [Pages 1717-1722]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Junichiro
    Koizumi of Japan in Kyoto, Japan
    November 16, 2005

        Prime Minister Koizumi. First, I would like to express our sincere
    welcome to the visit of the President and Mrs. Bush. We are very happy
    to have an excellent weather today, and I'm very happy that President
    and Mrs. Bush enjoyed the beauty of this ancient city of Kyoto.
        Before this meeting, the President and myself had the pleasure of
    taking a pleasant walk through Golden Pavilion Temple. This is in a
    wonderful environment where we

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    can confirm the importance of our bilateral relations. We have been able
    to have the candid exchange of views between the two--bilateral issues,
    particularly the importance of our relations in the global context, in
    other words, from the viewpoint of the U.S.-Japan alliance in the world.
    That is the overriding context of our talk today.
        We emphasized and confirmed the importance of closer consultation
    between the two. The United States remains the most indispensable ally
    to Japan. And if--the better our bilateral relations, the easier it
    would be for us to establish better relations with China and other
    neighboring countries and the countries of other--in the world.
        There is no such thing as U.S.-Japan relationship too close. Some
    people maintain that maybe we would pay more attention to other issues,
    probably it would be better to strengthen the relationship with other
    countries. I do not side with such views. The U.S.-Japan relationship,
    the closer, more intimate it is, it is easier for us to behave and
    establish better relations with China, with South Korea, and other
    nations in Asia. This is my firm conviction on the basis of my thinking.
    Based upon our past, the importance of our bilateral relationships will
    not change. That is the basic understanding with which I had a talk with
    the President and in which we will seek the future direction in
    establishing and seeking the prosperity and stability of our nation.
        At the same time, when we look at the issue such as the United
    Nations reform, the importance of our bilateral relationship looms even
    larger. We should recognize that. And we have been able to have a candid
    exchange. The United States expressed strong support to us becoming
    permanent member of the Security Council and would like to deepen our
    cooperation on that issue.
        On the issue of terrorism, this is going to be a long-lasting,
    difficult path we have to follow and--in close cooperation with the
    international community so that each nation will have a peaceful and
    stable atmosphere. In Iraq as well as in Afghanistan, the people
    themselves should work harder to establish themselves as a nation, and
    we are pledged to provide our utmost assistance for that goal.
        Further, concerning the issue of realignment and transformation of
    the U.S. forces in Japan and the reduction of burden on the local
    community, and the beef issue--BSE issue--and other future-oriented
    issues, such as bird influenza, that is the issue which requires closer
    collaboration between the two. But fundamentally, the importance of our
    bilateral relations should be recognized. If we do that, and then I hope
    that we would be able to continue to act as an ally, as a partner, on
    its own, autonomous and independent--[inaudible]--in fulfilling the
    responsibility in the international community.
        We were able to have very candid exchange of views, and we hope that
    we would like to continue to have this similar relationship of trust so
    that we can perform our obligations and duties jointly, collaboratively,
    with the United States for the benefit of the international community.
    That is all.
        President Bush. Prime Minister, thank you very much for your warm
    hospitality. Laura and I are so honored to be
    here in Kyoto, as well as in this beautiful Guest House.
        It's no secret in my country that you and I have got a good
    relationship. I value you as a close friend. I appreciate our candid
    discussions, just like we had today. Relationships--or the relationship
    between the United States and Japan is a vital relationship, and it's a
    very strong relationship. And a strong relationship enables us to work
    together to help keep the peace.
        I admire the Prime Minister's political courage. I haven't had a
    chance to publicly congratulate him on winning his election. But he did
    so, and he did so in a way

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    that confirms the great strength of democracy. He said, ``I'm going to
    take my message to the people, and we'll let the people make the
    decision as to whether or not there ought to be reforms here in Japan.''
    And as a result of your courageous decision, Mr. Prime Minister, you
    prevailed. And I want to congratulate you for that.
        We've got a good friend in Japan when it comes to spreading
    democracy and freedom. I appreciate the contributions of the Japanese
    people in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Today I was able to tell the Prime
    Minister about important progress that is being made in the Middle East.
    The international crossing at Rafah will be opened up for the first time
    in a while and should be open by the 25th of November. Other crossings
    will be opened up as well. The seaport construction will begin. Travel
    between Gaza and the West Bank will take place. My point is, is that the
    freedom movement, the democracy movement, has got a very good chance of
    taking hold in the Middle East, in the Holy Land. And as it does, it is
    more likely that we'll be able to achieve the peace that we all want.
        I also, in international affairs, made it very clear to us--the
    United States made it very clear to the Prime Minister that our position
    has not changed on a permanent seat for Japan in the United Nations
    Security Council. I hope I'm viewed as the kind of fellow, when I say
    something, I mean it. I have said that consistently, and I still mean
    that, Mr. Prime Minister.
        We talked about North Korea, and I appreciate the Prime Minister's
    understanding and willingness to join with five other nations in making
    it clear to the leader of North Korea that in
    order for that nation to be accepted in the international community,
    that it must verifiably dismantle all nuclear weapons programs. And I
    want to thank you for your strong stand on that, Mr. Prime Minister. We
    also join you in our concern about the abductee issue in North Korea.
        We talked about trade. We both agree that the Doha round must
    proceed. We both recognize that we've got work to do. The United States
    has made a very strong offer about agricultural subsidies. And again, I
    appreciate your understanding of this very important issue, Mr. Prime
    Minister.
        We also talked about beef. And the Prime Minister and his Government
    has taken a study on the issue and has confirmed that U.S. beef would be
    safe. And I appreciate the fact that we're progressing on this issue.
        We also talked about the need to continue to coordinate our aid, our
    development aid, and we've got a mechanism to do just that. Well, Japan
    has been incredibly generous with taxpayers' money, the taxpayers'
    dollars to help those who suffer. And so has the United States. And I--
    the better we coordinate, the more likely it is we'll be able to work
    together to solve the problems we all want.
        I appreciate you bringing up avian flu. One of the important topics
    that we'll be discussing in South Korea is the need for us to work
    together to detect and share information on avian flu, on a potential
    outbreak of avian flu. And so this is an issue of international concern,
    and the closer we all work together on this issue, the more likely it is
    we'll be able to do our job of protecting our fellow citizens against a
    potential pandemic.
        Finally, I do want to congratulate the Prime Minister on his
    reforms. We're an active trading partner, bilateral trading partner with
    Japan, and it makes it easier to trade when the Japanese economy is
    growing. And we were reminiscing about my first trip to Tokyo. The newly
    elected President and the Prime Minister and I talked about the need to
    make sure our respective economies grew, and he talked about the idea of
    reforming the economy in order to create growth. And sure enough, it
    worked. The economic GDP grew at 4.5 percent annual rate in the first
    half of 2005,

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    and I congratulate you on that, Mr. Prime Minister. That's good news.
    It's good news for the Japanese people; it's also good news for your
    trading partners. It's hard to trade with somebody who's broke. It's
    easier to trade with somebody whose economy is growing.
        And so, Mr. Prime Minister, congratulations on your strong
    leadership. Thank you very much for your friendship. I look forward to
    continuing to work with you throughout my Presidency and your term as
    the Prime Minister.
        Prime Minister Koizumi. We'd like to move on to the Q&A session.
    First of all, from the Japanese side, please. Any questions?

    U.S. Forces in Japan

        Q. I have a question to both of you, Prime Minister Koizumi and
    President Bush. First of all, transformation. In your consultations,
    specifically, what kind of views were exchanged? Especially with the
    interim report after the two-plus-two, there's already objection being
    raised by the local communities in Okinawa. Prime Minister, how will you
    be responding as they proceed to the final report? And President Bush,
    what are your expectations towards Japan?
        Prime Minister Koizumi. Now, with regards to the transformation of
    U.S. forces in Japan, the question just raised, the Foreign Minister,
    the head of the National Defense Agency, as well as the Secretary of
    State and the Secretary of Defense of the United States, have been
    repeating various detailed discussions. And the interim report was just
    announced very recently. And Okinawa, where the bases are located, as
    well as various local communities, are objecting and rebutting.
        Thinking back, if you're asked, ``Are you for or against having a
    base,'' naturally, one would respond, ``I am against.'' I think that's
    the gut feeling of the Japanese people. However, when we think about
    peace and security and safety, that is the context in which Japan can
    achieve economic growth. And in order to be able to benefit from safety
    and peace, we have to pay a certain cost. And that is what security is
    all about.
        So that in mind, with regards to the local communities that are
    against the idea, we've been trying to persuade them with regards to the
    position we are placed in. And they are, in fact, enjoying the security
    being offered through the U.S.-Japan alliance, and therefore, we hope
    that the local communities will rethink that very hard and take up the
    issue of transformation very seriously in that context.
        The Government of Japan will have to make great efforts towards the
    resolution of this issue. Now, this is an issue that may require some
    time, but we are hoping that the proposal set forth can be realized, and
    therefore, we will remain united as a government and make that the
    method.
        President Bush. My attitude on the issue is that our Government
    negotiated in good faith with the Japanese Government and that Japan,
    being a democracy as it is, will work out the issues according to, you
    know, the leadership of the Prime Minister and the will of the people.
        Press Secretary Scott McClellan. Dana
    Bash [Cable News Network].

    Senate Action on Iraq

        Q. Thank you, sir. Sir, as you probably know, the Senate rejected
    earlier today measures that would have required a timetable for
    withdrawal in Iraq, but a Republican resolution was overwhelmingly
    passed that called for more information from your administration to
    clarify and recommend changes to U.S. policy in Iraq. So is that
    evidence that your party is increasingly splitting with you, sir, on
    Iraq? And is it an open challenge to you--is that open challenge to you
    embarrassing while you're traveling abroad?
        President Bush. I, first of all, appreciated the fact that the
    Senate, in a bipartisan fashion, rejected an amendment that would

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    have taken our troops out of Iraq before the mission was complete. To me
    that was a positive step by the United States Senate.
        Secondly, the Senate did ask that we report on progress being made
    in Iraq, which we're more than willing to do. That's to be expected.
    That's what the Congress expects. They expect us to keep them abreast of
    a plan that is going to work. It's a plan that we have made very clear
    to the Senate and the House, and that is the plan that we will train
    Iraqis, Iraqi troops to be able to take the fight to the enemy. And as I
    have consistently said, as the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.
        I view this as an amendment consistent with our strategy and look
    forward to continue to work with the Congress. It is important that we
    succeed in Iraq. A democracy in Iraq will bring peace for generations to
    come. And we're going to. The Iraqi people want us to succeed. The only
    reason we won't succeed is if we lose our nerve and the terrorists are
    able to drive us out of Iraq by killing innocent lives. But I view this
    as positive developments on the Hill.

    Japan's Role in Iraq

        Q. Concerning the dispatch of self-defense forces to Iraq, the 14th
    of next month is the time limit of the stationing. What kind of
    explanation did you make to the President about that? And how did
    President Bush evaluate that--appreciate Japan's position on this? And
    what do you expect Japan to do further in Iraq on this issue?
        Prime Minister Koizumi. Concerning Japan's assistance toward Iraq,
    including the activities of the self-defense forces, we will want to see
    that Iraqi people, themselves, bring democratic and stable nation by the
    power of the Iraqis, themselves. And they are making the efforts toward
    that goal. Certainly there are political difficulties, but they are
    making progress.
        So, against that background, as a responsible member of the
    international community, Japan should seriously consider what we could
    do to help the situation there. That has been our position, and there is
    no change in this--in our basic stance.
        What kind of assistance we are going to make in December? First,
    toward the reconstruction of Iraq, what we can do--that first, we have
    to think about, and then multilateral forces and other nations are
    involved in the helping reconstruct Iraq. As a member of the
    international community, we have to join them. And further, on the basis
    of the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance, we have to take all those
    things in a comprehensive manner, so that we seriously think what we
    could do to help the Iraq situation, and we make judgment on that basis.
        President Bush. Obviously, the extent to which the Japanese
    Government wants to give reconstruction money to Iraq is up to the
    Japanese Government. And as to the deployment of troops, that's up to
    the Government. That's what happens in democracies--government make
    decisions that they're capable of living with. And that's what we said,
    ``Do the best you can do. Make up your own mind. It's your decision, not
    mine.''
        Press Secretary McClellan. George Condon [Copley News Service].

    China and Taiwan

        Q. Mr. President, can you elaborate on your advice to China as to
    how much you want them to emulate Taiwan? Specifically, do you want the
    People's Republic to copy the governmental structure of Taiwan?
        President Bush. I'm going to be giving a speech on this subject here
    pretty soon. I hope you pay attention to it, George. My message to the
    region is, is that the region is better off as democracies spread. If
    you really think about this part of the world at the beginning of World
    War II, there was two democracies in the entire Pacific region,
    Australia and New Zealand. And today, there's a variety of democracies,
    and this is a peaceful part of the world.
        I believe that societies are--become stable and whole societies as
    they give people

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    more say in the government. And so my message is universal, not
    necessarily trying to compare one system to another. In other words, you
    asked me about, should I say to China, ``You've got to emulate Taiwan.''
    What I say to the Chinese, as well as others, is that a free society is
    in your interests. To allow people to worship freely, for example, in
    your society is part of a stable, mature society, and that leadership
    should not fear freedoms within their society.
        As to the Taiwan-China issue, my message has been consistently
    clear, and that is, is that we support the ``one China'' policy, three
    communiques, and the Taiwan Relations Act, and neither side should
    unilaterally change the status quo. I will repeat that today. I will
    repeat it in China as well, and the reason why it's important for this
    issue to be solved peacefully, for the--both sides to reconcile their
    differences through dialog. And I'll continue to encourage dialog on the
    topic. Thank you.
        Prime Minister Koizumi. This concludes this meeting.

    Note: The President's news conference began at 12:01 p.m. at the Kyoto
    State Guest House. In his remarks, he referred to Chairman Kim Chong-il
    of North Korea; and Yutaka Inoue, former President, House of Councillors
    of Japan. Prime Minister Koizumi referred to Minister of Foreign Affairs
    Taro Aso of Japan; and Fukushiro Nukaga, Director-General, Japanese
    Defense Agency. Prime Minister Koizumi and some reporters spoke in
    Japanese, and their remarks were translated by an interpreter.