Before I take your questions, I have a brief announcement regarding the North Korean submarine which went ground near Kangnung, Republic of Korea. I will be giving you the gist of a statement made by Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama on 20 September. With regard to the issue of the North Korean submarine, some of the North Korean personnel are still at large, and we understand that the Government of the Republic of Korea is now making efforts to track them down. We are told that with regard to the facts, the Government of the Republic of Korea is still conducting investigations. Japan will be following very closely the developments in this regard.
Japan has a strong interest in the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.
Japan considers it truly deplorable that such an incident was caused by the North Korean side. Such behavior is not acceptable to the international community, and Japan emphatically calls on North Korea to stop such acts immediately. That is the announcement that I wanted to make, and I will be delighted to respond to any questions that you might have. The position of the Government of Japan regarding the Senkaku Islands, I believe, is well known. Japan has repeatedly made it clear that the Senkaku Islands are an integral part of Japanese territory.