ORAL STATEMENT
It is reminded that in his conversation with Foreign Minister Aiichiro Fujiyama on July 30, 1959, Ambassador Tai Ha Yiu of the Korean Mission in Japan made the following remarks:
Strictly in accordance with the Agreement dated December 31, 1957, the Government of the Republic of Korea repatriated all those Japanese fishermen who should be repatriated by the term of the said Agreement. To our regret, however, the Japanese Government failed to repatriate Korean detainees who should be released by the above-mentioned Agreement, and whom the Japanese Government promised to repatriate to the Republic of Korea by Japanese transportation. The Japanese Government is hereby notified that as soon as it repatriates Korean detainees presently at Omura to the Republic of Korea, the Korean Government will repatriate those Japanese fishermen who served out their sentences as of this date, in spite of the December 31, 1957 Agreement. From humanitarian point of view, the Korean Mission is ready to discuss with the Japanese Foreign Ministry on the implementation of the mutual repatriation of detainees if the latter so agrees.
To the above remarks by Ambassador Yiu, Foreign Minister of Japan replied on August 1, 1959 that "the Government of Japan desires that it mutual repatriation of Koreans at Omura and Japanese fishermen at Pusan who served out their sentences as of July 30, 1959 will be carried out without any hitch before the resumption of the overall talks." It is also the desire of the Government of the Republic of Korea to carry out the above repatriation without any hitch and as soon as possible, and accordingly, it is informed that the Korean Mission has been authorized to discuss with the Japanese Foreign Ministry on the implementation of the above mutual repatriation.