Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary

JAPANESE

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO Sorry to have kept you waiting. First of all, I have three items to report on.

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

Today there was a regularly scheduled Cabinet meeting. At this meeting, the Cabinet covered 11 general matters and other issues for discussion and reached a decision on personnel-related Cabinet orders. Statements from ministers included one from the Minister of the Environment on a change in the government’s basic direction on reductions of overall levels of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter in vehicle emissions. The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications made a statement on the consumer price index.

Just ahead of this Cabinet meeting, the third meeting of the Headquarters for Emergency Measures on Electricity Supply and Demand took place. At this meeting, the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry reported on the implementation of rotating power cuts in areas served by the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the outlook for future electricity supply and demand, and other issues. According to this report, current projections show that at peak demand times this summer, there will be a supply shortfall of more than 10 million kilowatts. This means a shortage in supply capacity of around 20% of total demand.

In the face of this, we need to consider plans that will close this gap between supply and demand while relying as little as possible on rotating power cuts. Specifically, we will of course take utmost efforts to increase supply capacity; on the demand side, we will swiftly begin examining sweeping measures related to the activities of the industrial and business sectors, as well as the lifestyles of the people of Japan. We are moving to get this process started quickly, urging close cooperation and discussion among the relevant ministries and agencies and the industries involved.

From now on, we will carry out working-level discussions in the Headquarters’ secretariat while holding meetings of the Headquarters as required. We expect to have measures on electricity supply and demand, with a view to this summer, ready to go by the end of April.

The third item I will report on today is the situation in the zone between 20 and 30 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, where residents are being asked to remain indoors. Last night, via the Local Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters, we relayed requests to the mayors of towns and villages that are included in this zone regarding measures to support the lives of residents there. The details of these requests are as follows.

In the area between 20 and 30 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, we have instructed people to remain indoors to avoid the highly unlikely risk of any effect on their health. However, many people within this area wish to evacuate voluntarily. In addition, commerce and distribution of goods have come to a standstill and it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to maintain their lives as part of society. Depending on how conditions develop, the possibility that radiation levels may rise and the government may have to issue instructions for people to evacuate from this area cannot be discounted. Given these circumstances, in addition to providing full support for the daily lives of the people in this area and proactively facilitating voluntary evacuations, we need to work with added urgency to make preparations based on the assumption that instructions may be issued to evacuate. As well as working to provide full support for the daily lives of people affected, the national government will also make the maximum possible effort to secure means of transportation and facilities to accept the evacuees, thus ensuring that any evacuation proceeds as smoothly as possible if instructions are issued. I ask the local authorities in municipalities within the affected area to help by continuing to facilitate voluntary evacuations as well as by working closely with the national and prefectural governments to ensure that evacuation can be carried out immediately in the event that the government does issue instructions for people to evacuate these areas.

A request to this effect was issued yesterday to municipalities within the area, and in accordance with this we have issued instructions to the relevant government bodies to redouble their efforts to support people’s daily lives and to make the greatest possible effort to secure means of transportation and accommodation facilities to accept evacuees in order to ensure that evacuation proceeds smoothly if and when it becomes necessary.

That is all from me for now.

Q&As

REPORTER: I am Kuribayashi of the Yomiuri Shimbun. With regard to the request to the towns and villages located 20 to 30km from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, I believe that people in this area have previously already been encouraged to evacuate voluntarily. Does the government’s announcement now imply that the nuance has changed to a more assertive request, calling on people in the towns and villages in the area to evacuate voluntarily?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The decision to evacuate is totally voluntary and rather than being a call from the government, it is rather that we recognize that the people in that area are experiencing great difficulties, given the disruption to distribution and transport among others, and are making this request in recognition of the difficulty being faced. Given these circumstances we will naturally be endeavoring to strengthen support for people’s daily lives, but at the same time we thought it would be a good idea to raise awareness through local channels that there is also the option of voluntary evacuation. That is the basis for our decision.

REPORTER: I am Sato of the Asahi Shimbun. With regard to the radiation exposure accident at the power plant yesterday, what is the condition of the personnel who were affected and what will be the impact of the accident on ongoing work?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: There has been no particular new information about the status of the workers who were exposed to radiation. I am aware that the response has been to move the workers affected from the specialist hospital in Fukushima to a location with even greater expertise run by the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, where they will be thoroughly examined and provided with treatment.

At the power plant instructions have been given to implement thorough workforce management with regard to radiation exposure and ensure such accidents do not occur. At the same time, with regard to on-site operations, in this particular situation there was water lying in the building where the on-site personnel were working, and as a speedy response is of course required throughout the entire power plant to ensure a safe working environment, including the removal of such water, from the perspective of ensuring safety, instructions have been given to ensure that work proceeds under such conditions. In this context, with regard to the Unit 3 reactor where the current exposure accident occurred, I am aware that the work operations have been slightly delayed by the accident.

REPORTER: I am Yoshikawa of NHK. Highly concentrated radioactive materials have been detected in the water that caused the current accident. Including this current accident and its cause, what is the government’s recognition concerning the current status of the Unit 3 reactor?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: There is no specific new situation that has occurred at the Unit 3 reactor. However, given the fact that the accident was caused by water containing high concentrations of radioactive materials and that the water was lying in the reactor building, instructions have been issued to make every effort to discover the cause, including the route by which the water came to be lying there and how it came to be exposed to radiation.

REPORTER: The possibility has been pointed out that the nuclear fuel rods may have been damaged. Do you have any information about that?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: During the last two weeks I have reported to you already that there were times when the fuel in the various nuclear reactors was not sufficiently covered by water. At these times the fuel rods may have received slight damage. However, there is no way to assess the degree of damage from outside the reactors. I have reported previously that the fuel may have been subject to a certain degree of damage. It is precisely because of this situation that we have stepped up our monitoring of the impact of the damage and volume of radioactivity as measured from outside the reactors and we are continuing with these activities.

REPORTER: I am Koketsu of JIJI Press. With regard to the voluntary evacuation between 20 and 30km from the power plant, could you tell us again why you must encourage voluntary evacuation, and if you are encouraging it, why don’t you issue an order to evacuate?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As I have said before, firstly there are actually many people in the affected area that wish to evacuate voluntarily and a significant number who are actually evacuating themselves.

At the same time, given the disruption and stoppage of business and distribution, among other factors, the people in the affected area who are sheltering indoors will find it increasingly difficult to maintain their living standards over the long term under such circumstances.

Given the social needs and requirements of these people we judged that in the long-term it would be preferable for them to evacuate voluntarily and have contacted the towns and villages concerned and advised them of this.

However, with regard to a so-called order to evacuate, the basis and principle for ordering an evacuation or advising people to take shelter indoors is based on radioactivity and radiation levels. In that sense, when we compare the current situation to the time when the advisory to shelter indoors was given for a 20 to 30km radius, no new situation has occurred to require going to a new phase. Therefore, from the perspective of protecting people’s health from exposure to radiation there is no direct link to issuing an evacuation order. However, with regard to the mechanisms and rationale for issuing an evacuation order, the Nuclear Safety Commission is currently considering whether such an order should be issued from the perspective of social needs and requirements, as a matter separate from the issue of safety.

REPORTER: I am Yamaguchi of the Asahi Shimbun. In response to the accident at the nuclear power plant, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has issued a request to prefectures around Fukushima to inspect agricultural and other products for the presence of radioactive materials. Miyagi Prefecture is the only prefecture not to have implemented this request. Residents in Miyagi Prefecture are concerned that as radioactive materials have been detected in Tokyo they may also be present in Miyagi. Does the central government plan to issue this request again? If Miyagi Prefecture does not implement inspections, do you plan to announce that the central government will implement inspections or other measures of its own?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The system is structured so that the main jurisdiction over agricultural products and waterworks lies with local governments, however this system is constructed under the overlying principle that central government will engage in rigorous monitoring for those areas it is possible to monitor directly or those areas that a local government cannot monitor sufficiently. Miyagi Prefecture has been subject to tremendous damage from the earthquake and tsunami and we must give due consideration to the situation in the prefecture. There is a limit to the total amount of monitoring that can be performed by central government and with regard to this situation we are engaged in an ongoing process of examination and review as to what areas the central government can monitor directly and at what point it should be implemented.

REPORTER: Oda of the Sankei Shimbun. With regard to the voluntary evacuation of people living in the 20 to 30km radius from the power plant, you mentioned that there is a possibility that the volume of radiation may increase. Are you encouraging voluntary evacuation therefore in connection with the unpredictable situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, or rather in connection with people’s social needs and requirements?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: First of all, the major premise is that the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant will be stabilized and that the emission of radioactive materials will stop or decrease significantly, which would also have an impact on reversing evacuations. At the current point, as I have said before, the situation is being maintained, without further deterioration. If we can maintain this situation without further deterioration in the long term, then measures that would further improve the situation could be implemented in sequence. However, the situation is currently unpredictable, but that is the natural premise on which our actions are based.

REPORTER: I am Kageyama of the Mainichi Shimbun. Could you provide the names of the towns and villages in the 20 to 30km zone that have been requested to consider voluntary evacuation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: To prevent the possibility of making a mistake and ensure accuracy I will ensure that the names of the towns and villages are posted or reported to you.

REPORTER: I am Tejima of Kyodo News. With regard to the voluntary evacuation of the 20 to 30km zone, you just stated that a further increase in levels of radiation could not be ruled out. There are people who are concerned that the area for evacuation could further expand. Could you tell us more about this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As I have just said the situation at the nuclear power plant is unpredictable. We are currently managing to maintain a situation in which further deterioration can be avoided, but matters are still unpredictable. Therefore, the current point is not the time to judge which way the situation will develop. Based on the status of the power plant and the figures provided by various monitoring activities, from the perspective of safety it may be necessary to expand the area, but it may also be the case that if it is no longer necessary the current area could be reduced. We will continue to thoroughly monitor the situation and make decisions accordingly.

REPORTER: I would like to confirm another point. As the 20 to 30km area is subject only to voluntary evacuation, does this mean that people who remain there will still be properly provided with living support?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: At the current point we are dealing with both situations - evacuation and living support - and putting every effort in to both.

REPORTER: This question relates to the evacuation and shelter zones. Monitoring is continuing outside the 30km radius area and there are places where high readings have been recorded. Are you considering evacuations or sheltering that is not dependent on distance from the plant?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The scope for issuing evacuation orders or advisories to shelter indoors is based on the analysis and opinions of experts, mainly those at the Nuclear Safety Commission, who base their analysis on the situation at the nuclear power plant, predictions of where and how radioactive materials will disperse and data gained from various monitoring stations in a number of locations. If a more detailed understanding of the situation is gained, then based on this detailed understanding there is a possibility that the radius from the power plant may be redrawn, or if it is possible to analyze in detail what regions are likely to be affected due to such factors as weather or topographic patterns, then a decision could be made on such patterns.

REPORTER: Is it your recognition that the radius of 30km is sufficient at the current point?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: At the current point, based on reports from the Nuclear Safety Commission and the judgment of experts it has been determined that the evacuation zone should be within a 20km radius and that from the perspective of safety, people in an area 20 to 30km from the power plant should shelter indoors. However, given social problems related to everyday life, the option of voluntary evacuation will be supported. That is the situation.

REPORTER: Kuribayashi, Yomiuri Shimbun. My question concerns the Headquarters for Emergency Response for Power Supply and Demand. Minister Yosano suggested during a meeting of the headquarters that electricity rates for residences should be raised. What do you think the possibilities are of this suggestion being adopted into the policy suggested by the headquarters in April?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: That is one of the opinions that has been voiced. We will have to do something to come up with a solution for the expected 10 million kW of excess demand. We are currently discussing this and searching for a solution that can avoid planned blackouts and save power without having affecting the daily lives of the people or the economy of Japan. I cannot make any predictions at the current time about what shape such a plan will take.

REPORTER: Related to that, do you feel there is any possibility that rates might be raised not as a method to encourage power conservation but as a means to gather funds for such purposes as helping TEPCO pay its debts and make new investments? And if that is a possibility, would the Government approve of this? What are your thoughts on this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As far as that goes, we are currently in a situation in which we need to expend every possible effort in order to resolve the situation at the nuclear power plant. After it is resolved we can begin to think about issues regarding the future of TEPCO. We need to first concentrate on working toward a resolution that will prevent the situation at the power plant from getting any worse.

REPORTER: Kobayashi, TV Asahi. The Government has designated the area 20 to 30km around the plant as a voluntary evacuation zone. I think that first of all 20 to 30km around the plant is a fairly big area, and that we are seeing a situation in which more and more people are evacuating daily while others in certain regions are simply staying indoors, creating a situation in which the delivery of relief goods is becoming more and more difficult. With voluntary evacuations increasing, I wonder if the Government will again consider just asking everyone in the area to evacuate?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We are observing the actual situation in each region and considering how we can help the people of those regions to live their lives in as close to a normal way as possible. We are making decisions on this on a moment-to-moment basis.

REPORTER: So is it possible that the Government will eventually ask everyone to evacuate?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Although we cannot rule out any option at this point, at the current stage it is believed that staying indoors is enough to protect the public from anything coming out of the power plant. On the other hand, considering that the people in the region cannot currently live normally without the constant delivery of supplies, we will continue to consider the best way of helping these people and are monitoring situational changes in the region day by day. We are currently discussing this issue and cannot yet rule out any possibility.

REPORTER: Oda of the Sankei Shimbun. Concerning the leaking of radiation, it was announced today in Okayama Prefecture that trace amounts of radioactive iodine have been found within dust in the air there. Although the amount of radiation is said to be one ten thousandth of the amount found in Tokyo, it is a fact that radioactive elements have been detected in areas of western Japan. What is the Government’s opinion on the relationship between these radioactivity readings and the situation in Fukushima?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: That is something that we must have analyzed by experts. I believe that in general, we cannot rule out any possibility. I think we need to have experts use their specialized methods to determine the extent to which climate conditions affects the atmosphere.

REPORTER: Kawamoto from Nippon TV. Regarding the demand for power, during the meeting this morning you commented that there may be a need for a fundamental plan concerning changes to the lifestyles of the general public. I would appreciate it if you would tell us about any concrete ideas you have in mind.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I do not want you to take my words at the current time as any indication of what is to come, but for example, even before the earthquake there was general discussion about shifting the peak demand time for electricity by promoting the introduction of flexible working hours.

Another possibility would be to come up with creative ideas for daily power use or time management. For example, it might help to a certain extent if people cut back on the use of air conditioning during peak times at night in the summer. I think that there are a lot of things we might ask of the people regarding their lifestyles.

REPORTER: On that point, some have suggested asking companies nationwide to introduce flextime work and daylight saving time. What are your thoughts on these two points?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: How effective can we expect these strategies to be? And what are their costs? Whether we introduce mandatory systems or ask for the cooperation of the private sector, the issue is to what extent we earn the sector’s cooperation. We will exert every effort to discuss this and make plans for power conservation moving forward, but at this time I cannot make any predictions on what sort of policy we will introduce. We will search for the most effective measures possible.

REPORTER: I do not feel that very much was done to announce or spread the word on planned blackouts this time before they were carried out. Although the summer is still far away, by when do you think you will be compiling the fundamental plan for power demand?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As I said a moment ago, we must set aside enough time to make thorough preparations and publicize the plan. I would like to aim to gather all of our ideas into one document within April.

REPORTER: Including lifestyle-related policies?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Naturally, the more an issue affects the lifestyles of the people, the earlier we will need to set policy on it.

REPORTER: Aoki, Mainichi Shimbun. You said a moment ago that you could not deny the possibility that radiation would spread beyond 20km around the power plant. I believe that this means it is possible that the mandatory evacuation zone will be expanded. During discussion on this, how far has the Government progressed on determining methods for evacuation and the locations to which people will be evacuated in the event that this is necessary?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Many people living in the 20 to 30km zone around the power plant have communicated the actual want to evacuate, and the Government is currently making every effort to respond to their requests, including with regard to how they should evacuate and where they should go. As for anything beyond that, I am not in a position to be able to deny any possibility at the current moment in time. I should note though that although I say I cannot deny any possibility, that does not mean that we are currently at the stage of making preparations for anything.

REPORTER: Concerning agricultural products, does the Government have any plan at this point to take harmful rumors into account when considering the scope of compensation to farmers? If so, to what extent?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Currently, we have given instructions to suspend the shipping of certain products and have advised that consumers avoid these products, with the belief that the government should take full responsibility for this matter. I think it goes without saying that the Government and TEPCO must bear full responsibility for any losses caused by this incident and compensate farmers for them. That is the fixed policy of the Government at this moment.

REPORTER: Are their any plans to expand the scope of compensation taking into account the effect of harmful rumors?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: What I have just said is what has been decided at this moment. We have not reached a stage where I can predict anything else.

REPORTER: Changing the topic, I believe the government is utilizing information-gathering satellites, and I wonder about their operation status. How were they used in responding to the earthquake, and how did the Government utilize the information they gathered?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe the specifics regarding the operation of information gathering satellites falls under the category of classified information. I think the most I can say is that we have made full use of what is available to us.

REPORTER: Today, the Minister of Finance announced that the FY2011 supplementary budget will be formulated in two steps - first a reconstruction-oriented supplementary budget will be drafted by April and then a large-scale supplementary budget will be created at a later date. Given the sheer scale of the disaster, it is obvious that huge financial resources will be needed, and I am interested to hear whether or not the Democratic Party of Japan will consider revising any policies listed in its Manifesto to make it easier to secure funds.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The top priority of the Government is to provide full support to the victims of the disaster and reconstruct the devastated regions. This will require an all-out effort. The Government is of the opinion that we must do everything to support these initiatives. On that basis, I think various considerations will be made moving forward.

REPORTER: I am Oda of the Sankei Shimbun. Connected to the previous topic, I believe the Kan Administration had been advancing discussion on the comprehensive reform of the social security and taxation systems and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and had set a deadline for decisions on these issues in June. Will the decisions be delayed somewhat due to the earthquake? Please tell us about the current state of discussion on these matters.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Regardless of the earthquake, the aging of the population and the declining of the birthrate are proceeding. Likewise, the development of free trade initiatives across the globe will not wait for us to recover from the current difficulty. In light of this, practical working-level discussions are being advanced on social security reform, and we are currently proceeding forward with the gathering of information on the TPP and other matters, to the extent possible.

That said, with regard to political decisions on these issues, the Government is currently exerting every effort to respond to the earthquake and nuclear crisis. We will continue to monitor the full picture of these disasters, such as how much damage has been caused and how we can resolve the problems at the nuclear power plant. I believe that we will discuss the issues you asked about and their implications while considering the state of the disasters and what implications our policies will have.

CABINET PUBLIC RELATIONS SECRETARY: Any more questions?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Thank you.