    [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.