1. Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on the UN Security Council Presidential Statement concerning Iran's nuclear issue

Assistant Press Secretary Akira Chiba: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for coming to this briefing. I would like to make a couple of announcements before taking your questions.

The first announcement concerns the statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the United Nations (UN) Security Council Presidential Statement concerning the nuclear issue of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

On 30 March (New York time: 29 March), the UN Security Council unanimously issued a Presidential Statement concerning Iran's nuclear issue. Japan values this statement as a clear and unanimous message of the international community to Iran and an important step for further solving this issue by a diplomatic means.

This statement calls upon Iran to take the steps required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors and underlines the importance of reestablishing full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development.

Japan strongly hopes that Iran will take the past resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors and this Security Council Presidential Statement seriously and respond to them sincerely. Japan has been conducting its own diplomatic efforts including at ministerial level and is determined to seize every opportunity to urge Iran for solving the issue.

. . .