FACTBOX: Key quotes from Japan's new foreign minister

Wed Sep 16, 2009 4:12am EDT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Katsuya Okada, the foreign minister in Japan's new government, is a former ruling party leader who wants Tokyo to take a more independent stance from its top security ally the United States and forge better ties with Asian neighbors.

Below are key comments by Okada, known as a policy maven and the party's pointman on climate change issues.

U.S-JAPAN TIES

* July 28 interview with Reuters:

"What I have told U.S. officials who have visited Japan ... is that we will not negotiate by putting all issues on the table at once and saying 'what about it?'" he said. "First, we should create a relationship of trust between the leaders of the two countries, then set bilateral priorities, including on global issues such as global warming and poverty, and discuss in what order to try to resolve them."

On a 2006 agreement on redistribution of U.S. troops in Japan: "We do not intend to say from the start that everything is a blank sheet," he said. "What is important is to reach a good conclusion."

SINO-JAPANESE TIES

* Aug 10 interview with Reuters:

On China's rising military spending: "What's important is that it improves transparency. Our economic interdependence is growing, so there is no option for us to be in a military conflict. If that is so, we should not be in an arms race, but rather aim to reduce arms in the future."

* Aug 4 interview with Reuters Television:

On Japan's past military aggression: "First, Japan itself must properly assess the fact that it embarked on that wretched, foolish war," he said. "In that sense, our position is quite different from that of successive LDP governments, including Koizumi's."

* July 28 interview with Reuters:

"Our position is to place great importance on Japan's ties with China and South Korea, so we want to act firmly from that perspective."

CLIMATE CHANGE

* Sept 4 interview with Reuters:

On new government's target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020: "This is not something Japan will do on its own," he said. "The premise is an agreement that includes other countries such as China and India."

On opposition by Japanese businesses to the target: "We will persuade them."

NORTH KOREA

* At a news conference on Sept 4, after North Korea said it had made advances in uranium enrichment: "North Korea's provocative attitude is very regrettable. The issue should be discussed at the U.N. Security Council.

"We need to continue our current sanctions to make North Korea understand that taking a hard line won't help North Korea.

"Enforcing Japan's own sanctions is one option but it will be meaningless if they are not effective."

*At an Aug 10 Reuters Newsmaker event:

"We are at a critical moment to see whether North Korea will have nuclear weapons and we should prevent that from becoming a fact. For that purpose we should not hesitate to apply pressure.

"But the purpose of applying pressure is to bring them back to the negotiating table to solve the nuclear, missile and abductee issues. We are not hoping to change the current regime by applying pressure. What we are hoping for is to apply pressure so that the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) will come to the table for dialogue."

(Reporting by Tokyo Bureau; Compiled by Linda Sieg; Editing by Michael Watson)