Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• Government's response to the damage caused by the heavy rains in Yamaguchi and Shimane Prefectures
• Deputy Prime Minister Aso's remarks on the Nazi regime

REPORTER: I understand that the Liberal Democratic Party's Special Committee on Disasters decided to push for the damage caused by the heavy rains in Yamaguchi and Shimane Prefectures to be declared a disaster of extreme severity. Could you share with us the current state of Governmental discussions on this and the prospects for a declaration?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Firstly, the Government dispatched the Government survey team headed by Cabinet Office Senior Vice-Minister for Disaster Management Nishimura to Yamaguchi and Shimane Prefectures in order to assess the extent of the damage and to identify the response measures required. I received a report from the Senior Vice-Minister today. As you just mentioned in your question, the local municipal Governments have requested that the disaster be declared a disaster of extreme severity and for qualification for the Support for Reconstructing Livelihoods of Disaster Victims program. Therefore, the Government has instructed all relevant ministries and agencies to swiftly identify the extent of damage caused to roads, drinking water infrastructure, public facilities and agricultural facilities. Infrastructure and utilities, including the JR Yamaguchi Line, are the foundation of the community and we are fully aware that a fast recovery is imperative. Furthermore, there is concern that harmful rumors may damage tourism in the area so the Government has instructed all relevant ministries and agencies to respond as appropriate. As for declaring a disaster of extreme severity, it took some time for a declaration to be made on past occasions. The Government has given instruction to complete, as soon as possible, the various investigations required prior to a declaration being made, and meet the needs of local residents as much as possible.

REPORTER: Am I right to understand that the Government intends to make a declaration as soon as estimated damage costs have been calculated?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: That has been the case on previous occasions; however we believe that we must try to meet needs as soon as we have a rough idea of the damage costs.

REPORTER: The Hokuriku area and Yamagata Prefecture have also suffered some damage in addition to Yamaguchi and Shimane Prefectures. Will those areas also be treated in the same way?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government will also dispatch survey teams to those areas and we will make efforts to achieve reconstruction as soon as possible regardless of the location.

REPORTER: I am afraid that I am asking the same question raised in this morning's press conference but I would like to ask a question concerning comments made by Mr. Aso. I believe that even after Mr. Aso retracted his comments, there has been ongoing criticism from both the ruling and opposition parties. The opposition party is set to question Mr. Aso in relation to the comments at the extraordinary Diet session that will commence tomorrow. From what I could gather at this morning's press conference, the Government considered this incident to be over after Mr. Aso retracted his comments, but does the Government have any intention to make a further attempt to explain the incident?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I said during this morning's press conference, Mr. Aso retracted his comments in his attempt to resolve the misunderstanding. The Government in no way views the Nazi regime in a positive light whatsoever and Mr. Aso's comments do not change the stance of Japan in the post-war period of consistently striving to build a society that thoroughly advocates peace and human rights and contributing to the international community. As such, I hope that this press conference will allow you to understand the Government's thoughts on this incident.

REPORTER: Please allow me to ask another question. There was a three day period between when Mr. Aso made the comments and you spoke in relation to them. During this time a Jewish human rights group expressed objections and U.S. newspapers published critical articles. Was this reaction from the international community one of the things that prompted you to speak on the comments?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: That was not the case. As I believe that misleading comments should be retracted promptly, I initially said that questions should be directed to Mr. Aso after reading the newspaper report as he is the one who knows best what he was trying to say. However, after reading the entire report, I realized that his comments were misunderstood and therefore I encouraged Mr. Aso to restate exactly what he really meant. I believe that after this, he spoke about the retraction of his comments as we realized that the comments were understood in a way that was completely different from his intention.

REPORTER: I understand that the comments have already been retracted, but given that the comments have already circulated around the world, does the Government have any concern that they may affect the impression that the Abe Cabinet gives to the U.S. and other countries as the Prime Minister seeks to pursue constitutional amendment, which has opened up discussions on the establishment of the Council on National Security (NSC) and the right to collective self-defense, policies that are seen as representative of Prime Minister Abe's political style?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Mr. Aso officially retracted his comments today and the views of the Abe Cabinet are very clear. So I believe that the path Japan has taken, one that values peace and human rights, is well understood.

REPORTER: In relation to the reference to the Nazis, some nations, particularly China and the Republic of Korea who see the comments as relevant to the historical understanding of World War II, have expressed their concern regarding Japan's attitude, referencing the actions of Japan during the war. What are your thoughts on this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I said, Mr. Aso himself has admitted that the comments were misleading and were understood entirely differently from how he intended, and he thus retracted the comments. Furthermore I communicated the views of the Abe Cabinet during the press conferences, so I believe that we will be correctly understood.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: I am afraid that I am returning to the topic of Mr. Aso. I believe that Mr. Aso has made some controversial comments in the past after which he received subsequent warnings from you. I believe that it would be preferable that those misleading comments were never made, so what are your thoughts on measures to ensure that they are not made in the future?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I believe that Cabinet Ministers like us should, as much as possible, refrain from making comments that may be misinterpreted. It is not just the Deputy Prime Minister who should be taking such precautions; we all have to be careful when making public statements.

(Abridged)