Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The results of the House of Representatives elections

REPORTER: My question concerns the results of the House of Representatives elections. The ruling parties won a landslide victory by securing more than two-thirds of the seats. What led to this outcome in your analysis?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Over the past two years since the Abe administration was inaugurated, we have devoted ourselves wholeheartedly to revitalizing the Japanese economy, accelerating the reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake, and strengthening our crisis management capacity. In addition, we have sought to vitalize local economies in Japan and realize a society in which all women shine, among other measures. The outcome of yesterday’s elections was largely dictated by whether or not the Abe administration received a public mandate. In this regard, I believe we received a degree of public support.        

REPORTER: I have a related question. Voter turnout decreased and is expected to set a new postwar record low. What do you think was the cause of this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: There are probably various ways of looking at it. I do not think you can make an all-encompassing statement. The low voter turnout was regrettable. But despite the low voter turnout, we still garnered much public support. Therefore, we will work steadily to meet the expectations of the people, humbly and sincerely.  

REPORTER: My question is related to the topic of voter turnout. It is said that voter turnout was roughly around 52%, marking an all-time low. I think it goes to show that there is a gap between politics and voters. You had said in your press conferences that the administration would determine the focal point of the elections. During the election campaign, you said that the focal point was whether or not the Abe Government presses forward with Abenomics. Can you tell us once again whether this cause resonated with the people in your opinion?       

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I said moments ago, the Prime Minister described the dissolution as “the Abenomics dissolution.” At the same time, lengthy debates did in fact also take place during the election campaign on such issues as nuclear power stations and security. In an ideal election, each political party will present its views on various issues to the people and then these views will be debated. However, opposition parties simply lodged one-sided criticisms and attacks against the ruling parties. We could have had more in-depth discussions had the opposition parties presented more concrete proposals.     

REPORTER: By winning the House of Representatives elections, the Abe administration has secured four more years in government. What is the order of priority of the policies that the administration will be pursuing in the next four years?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I stated a short while ago, the top priorities are to revitalize the Japanese economy and to exit deflation in order to achieve fiscal reconstruction. As I have said, the administration will seek to achieve both goals simultaneously. We will also work to fully meet the expectations of the people in accelerating the reconstruction work, enhancing our crisis management capacity, strengthening our security and diplomacy schemes, vitalizing local economies, and creating a society in which women shine.   

REPORTER: I have one more question. You responded that your main priority was to revitalize the economy. However, the Prime Minister is also enthusiastic about revising the Constitution. Where does this fit in in terms of the order of priority? How do you intend to go about this in the next four years?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: At any rate, nothing has changed at all. Economic revitalization is our number one priority, and our top priorities are exiting deflation and revitalizing the economy. We will achieve this by addressing the issues one by one.

REPORTER: The ruling parties won a landslide victory in the House of Representatives elections. On the other hand, the candidates from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost in all constituencies in Okinawa. That is to say, opposition party candidates who are opposed to the relocation of Futenma Air Station to Henoko won the elections. How do you view this outcome? Also, what caused the defeat of the LDP candidates in your opinion?
 
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The election results were regrettable. However, elections are fought by candidates over their assertions on various policies, and we sincerely accept these results. That said, as I have stated repeatedly, the Government and the people in Okinawa Prefecture share a common view of what lies at the heart of the Futenma issue, which is that we need to eliminate the dangers posed by Futenma Air Station, which is located centrally in an urban area, and we must not allow Futenma Air Station to remain at its current location indefinitely. In this context, 19 years ago, Japan and the United States agreed on the relocation of Futenma Air Station. Three years later, both the Governor of Okinawa Prefecture and the Mayor of Nago City approved the relocation plan to Henoko. This is how it started. Based on such procedures, last year, Governor Nakaima approved the land reclamation application. In this regard, Japan will steadily proceed with the relocation in accordance with laws and ordinances as a law-abiding country.          

REPORTER: I have a related question. You have consistently stated that the Government will steadily proceed with the relocation. However, in the Nago mayoral election this January, in the Okinawa gubernatorial election this November, and in the House of Representatives elections yesterday, the relocation of Futenma Air Station was a focal issue, and candidates opposed to the relocation to Henoko won by a large margin. Amid these circumstances, can you please once again explain how the Government will obtain the understanding of the people in Okinawa and proceed with the relocation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government will of course work to obtain understanding by providing careful explanations.

REPORTER: What is your view of the judgment rendered by the people in the democratic elections?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The relocation plan was in fact decided 19 years ago. Three years later, the Governor and Mayor expressed support for the plan. The plan was decided based on such procedures. In that respect, I consider this to be an example of democracy in action. Then the environmental impact assessment was carried out based on these procedures. And finally last year, the Governor of Okinawa Prefecture expressed his understanding towards the land reclamation application. Thus, it remains unchanged that the Government will steadily proceed with the relocation in accordance with the law.

REPORTER: President Kaieda of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) lost his seat. The head of the largest opposition party has lost his seat. If you have any comments on this, can you please share them with us?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I would like to refrain from commenting as the Government spokesperson. In any case, this is a matter for the DPJ to address.

REPORTER: My question concerns the convocation date of the special Diet session. Some parts of the media have reported the 24th. What are the general dates that the Government has in mind?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Prime Minister will be announcing the details, including the date of the convocation of the Diet.

REPORTER: The Abe Cabinet received a public mandate and vast support in yesterday’s elections. Based on these circumstances, do you think it is necessary to change the Cabinet membership? While I understand that it is the Prime Minister who of course has absolute right over this matter, can you please answer if possible?   

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As you rightly pointed out, as it is the Prime Minister who has absolute right over this matter, I would like to refrain from responding to this question.

REPORTER: I would like to get a general sense of the timetable. There are two weeks left of this year. What is your outlook in terms of the upcoming schedule, including the Government’s finalization of the economic package currently being reviewed as well as the formulation of the regular budget?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: In any case, in principle, we intend to have the budget passed as quickly as possible so as not to disrupt the daily lives of the people. With regard to the economic package, I gather that the ministries and agencies are now working earnestly to formulate a package based on the instructions that the Prime Minister has already given out. We will proceed with the work based on a schedule that will ensure the seamless implementation of policies. 

REPORTER: Allow me to ask the usual question about stock prices. Stock prices seem to be fluctuating despite the landslide victory of the LDP and Komeito party. What is your take on this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I would like to refrain from commenting about stock prices in order to avoid causing unnecessary market confusion. That said, it is true that stock prices have risen considerably. I suspect that this owes to a variety of factors.

REPORTER: Newspapers and other sources had predicted from quite a while ago that the LDP was set to win 300 seats in the elections. Were the outcomes generally as you had predicted? From around when did you think you had a chance of winning this many seats? Can you please elaborate? 

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: This is my personal opinion, but the LDP secured over 290 seats, which is close to a record high. In my view, the Prime Minister went ahead with the dissolution and general elections fully aware that the LDP could lose seats based on previous experiences. In this sense, we are very grateful that we were able to obtain nearly the same number of seats as in the previous elections.       

REPORTER: Let me get straight to the point. I assume that the LDP had a general sense of how many seats it would gain based on the results of the public opinion polls that were conducted in advance. So was there nothing outside the realm of what you had expected? Or were there slight discrepancies?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The preliminary polls do not take into account individual candidates. The polls use subsamples of constituencies. As I stated before, our aim was to lose no more than 10% of our seats. In this sense, we are very grateful for the outcome.