ニュース 2009/01/14 Secretary General Hatoyama Meets with the Russian Upper House Chairman Mironov On the morning of January 14, Secretary General Hatoyama met in Tokyo with Sergey M. Mironov, Chairman of the Federation Council, the Upper House of the Russian Parliament. Other members attending from the DPJ were Next Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshio Hachiro, Standing Officers Council Chair Hiroshi Nakai, Director-General of Executive Office Tenzo Okumura, Director-General of International Department Tetsundo Iwakuni, International Department Vice Director-General Masamitsu Naito, Policy Research Committee Vice Chair Motoyuki Odachi and House of Councillors member Tsukasa Iwamoto. At the start of the meeting, Hatoyama gave Mironov a heartfelt welcome saying "the DPJ wishes to build deep co-operative relationships with Russia", before adding, with regard to the Northern Territory's issue, that "various efforts have been made between past Prime Ministers on the basis of the Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration. The DPJ believes that respecting the results of those cooperative efforts, we need to work to find a political solution". He said that the issue must move forward towards a solution as rapidly as possible through the good faith and co-operation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Federation Council Chairman Mironov and the efforts of leaders on the Japanese side. Hatoyama also said "the DPJ is currently in opposition, but we have a burning desire to take office at the coming general election. After we have achieved a change of government, the DPJ will make its best efforts to resolve our most pressing bilateral concern and conclude a peace treaty." Hatoyama continued, "The most important thing is to boost ties between Japan and Russia on many levels. " He also emphasized that despite the current financial crisis, he had high expectations that the problems can be overcome, wisdom can be pooled, and Japan and Russian can further develop economic co-operation in various ways such as the Sakhalin project. He also said that in order to build trust, he wished to develop deeper ties between parliamentarians. Other participants also said that they hoped to promote ties between parliamentarians and the national assemblies in both countries. Mr. Mironov then spoke, noting that Hatoyama's grandfather Ichiro Hatoyama and father Iichiro Hatoyama were both widely known in Russia for the very significant contribution they had made to the restoration of relationships between Japan and the Soviet Union. On the issue of the Northern Territories, he said, "I support the position of President Medvedev", and explained three points that the President has previously outlined as follows: in order to resolve the Northern Territory's issue (1) firstly we must not leave the problem over to the next generation (2) however, we must recognize that this is not a problem that can be solved immediately and while a solution must be found through dialog between politicians in both countries, the solution must be acceptable to the public in both countries, and finally (3) as we walk along the road towards a solution we need to abandon extremist views. Mironov added that as a representative of the opposition Fair Russia party he personally supports this position which is also shared by members of the Russian cabinet and other assembly members in both houses of the Federal Assembly of Russia. He also noted the importance of promoting bilateral relations between Japan and Russia, expressed thanks for the success of last year's Russian Culture Festival, and recognized the importance of dialog and stronger relations based on the Japan-Russia Action Plan. Following the meeting, Mr. Mironov spoke to the press about the Northern Territory's issue saying, "We have not yet achieved mutual understanding and agreement. It will not be easy to resolve this issue. It will be achieved sometime in the future", before saying "The issue must be resolved by the two national leaders". He also told the press that the purpose of his visit was to exchange opinions between Japan and Russia in a wide variety of different fields and that he expected a meeting on the topic of international co-operation to be held when Prime Minister Vladimir Putin next visits Japan. When asked about Japan and Russia's economic operation under the current global financial crisis, Secretary General Hatoyama told the press that in 2008 the volume of trade between the two countries exceeded 30.0 billion dollars for the first time. He said, "Technical and economic cooperation between Japan and Russia is still expected to grow further. Whether or not an adequate expansion can be generated will also depend on the resolution to various financial issues. In order to resolve political problems, it is important to generate trust". He said that therefore economic relations between the two countries should first be deepened, and that Japan and Russia need to make further progress on strengthening economic co-operation particularly co-operation over technology and energy developments in areas including the environment.