Ishihara defends his remarks

TOKYO, April 12 Kyodo - Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara defends his remarks at a news conference April 12, saying he meant foreigners in general, not specifically residents of Korea and Taiwan in Japan when he said over the weekend ''sangokujin'' may riot after a major earthquake. Ishihara said he had ''used correct Japanese correctly,'' pointing out that a Japanese dictionary says the word ''sangokujin'' principally means foreigners. The term is considered derogatory now. Korean communities in Japan have expressed discomfort about his use of the word.