Statement by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Preparedness to Respond to National Emergencies

April 16, 2002

Responding to emergency situations is the most important responsibility of the state. The Government of Japan has made efforts to date, to improve its preparedness in both the legislative and operational aspects of its response posture against diverse emergency situations. However, the series of terrorist attacks that took place in the United States last year demonstrated the fact that incidents of a nature and scale that surpass all imagination could actually occur. Furthermore, the incident involving an unidentified vessel in waters off the southwest coast of Kyushu made it clear that there exist unidentified armed vessels with the potential to threaten the security of our nation. This caused great concern among our people. Recognizing this reality, the Government of Japan is in the process of conducting a comprehensive review of its preparedness to respond to emergency situations and is taking steps so that as a state, we can ensure our security and respond to any situations or events that may arise. Towards that end, under the Constitution of Japan, while defining the basic principle for responding to incidents involving armed attacks, the Government will further strengthen the functions of the Security Council of Japan as well as formulate the necessary measures in both the legislative and operational aspects in order to further enhance the Government's comprehensive response preparedness and thereby ensure the security of its people. Responses to immediate tasks are as follows. First , the functions of the Security Council of Japan will be further strengthened and the Council will make comprehensive deliberations on the assessment of the situation in the event that any incident arises that amounts to a national emergency situation and on what kind of response measures are to be adopted. Furthermore, the Council will make deliberations during times of peace on the response to be taken to a diverse range of incidents that could occur. Such enhancement will ensure that the Security Council of Japan can fulfill the key role in responding to a national emergency situation. To this end, I have given instructions that a bill to amend the Law on the Establishment of the Security Council of Japan be submitted to the current session of the Diet.

Second, in light of the incident involving the unidentified vessel in waters off the southwest coast of Kyushu, the Government will compile guidelines for responding to armed unidentified vessels, take measures to enhance our ability to identify, analyze and pursue unidentified vessels and take measures, while ensuring the safety of officials and personnel of the Japan Coast Guard, to enhance their equipment. Through these, preparations would be in order to ensure that an effective and safe response can be taken to armed unidentified vessels. Third, the Government will continue to advance counter-terrorism measures such as strengthening immigration control, monitoring of terrorist funds, protection of important facilities, hijack prevention measures and measures to counter nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) terrorism. At the same time, improvements shall be made in the operational aspect to ensure closer cooperation between police authorities and the Self-Defense Forces (SDF). Fourth, in order to enact legislation to provide for responses to incidents involving armed attack, we are to submit to this session of the Diet the so-called "Bill to Respond to Armed Attacks," which will stipulate the basic principles for that purpose, as well as the bill to amend the Self-Defense Forces Law. For the time being, the Government intends to devote its utmost efforts to the tasks that I have laid out herein. Furthermore, ceaseless review will be made on Japan's preparedness to respond to emergency situations according to changes in the situation so that we can continue to build our country as one in which the people can live in peace and at ease. In this I sincerely ask for the understanding and cooperation of the people of Japan.