Japan is ready to make active contribution to achieving substantial progress of the six-party talks, have conductive discussions with all relevant parties and welcome all proposals and opinions raised at the talks.  

This is the viewpoint of head of the Japanese delegation Mitoji Yabunaka when addressing the opening ceremony of the second round of six-party talks in Beijing Wednesday morning.

Yabunaka, director-general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, said in order to realize the goal of permanent and complete elimination of the nuclear program in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), it is very important to make substantial progress in the six-party talks.     

Japan strongly hopes the current round of talks takes big stride forward, he said, adding peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula is of great significance to realizing the overall peace and stability of Northeast Asia.

To this end, Japan has kept its stance unchanged that it is necessary to pass a package of resolution of the issue and comprehensively improve the relations between the DPRK and other relevant countries.

He said Japan and the DPRK should solve the existing problems between them through equal dialogues and realize normalization of bilateral relations.

Yabunaka said though the relevant parties have heavy tasks on their shoulders in the talks, they should not give in to the pressures. He called for the parties to have endurance and patience as grass enduring the severe winter and waiting to spout in the spring, eliminate distrust and division and push for actual results of the talks.

He expressed thanks and admiration to the Chinese government for its efforts to push for the convention of the new round of six-party talks.

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2004)