Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary

JAPANESE

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: First of all I have one report, or rather a request.

The people who live within a 20km radius of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant are being caused great trouble and much inconvenience. In response to the strong desire expressed by the residents evacuated from that area to return temporarily to their homes to collect their belongings and other items, yesterday I reported that the government has started considerations on the ways such temporary visits could be implemented. However, I have since received reports from the area concerned that some people have been entering the 20km evacuation area, without waiting for such considerations to be made.

The Local Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters has submitted a report in which it reiterates that at the current point there is still a large risk associated with entering the evacuation area, given the high possibility of contamination. It has therefore stressed the particular importance for people to obey instructions and not under any circumstances enter the affected area until advised otherwise. I would like to request that the members of the press report this point to the public.

Based on the various monitoring procedures currently in place in the area, we will continue to consider if we can respond to the wishes of the evacuated residents to return temporarily. The first priority is to ensure safety and we are making every effort to find ways to do this, and so people are advised to wait until safety can be confirmed. Indeed, members of the police service and Self-Defense Forces are currently in the affected areas engaged in various operations and through these and other efforts we are seeking to establish the best way to ensure safety, either through the use of protective clothing or carrying radiation sensors, or other means.

Given this situation, I would like to stress that we are continuing to look for ways to respond to residents' desire to return, and for safety reasons we ask that people refrain from entering the area at this juncture.

That is all from me now.

Q&As

REPORTER: I am Hiramoto of Nippon Television. Yesterday there was an incident in which mistaken figures concerning radiation measurements in the water that has been collected in the turbine building of the Unit 2 reactor were reported, and these figures were subsequently corrected and then re-corrected. What is your view of this situation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: A representative of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) came this morning to provide an explanation. Although I can understand that the people working on the site are extremely tired, the measurement of radiation is a prerequisite for various measures designed to ensure safety and such mistakes cannot be tolerated. I said the same thing to TEPCO and told them to ensure such mistakes are not repeated, including measures to provide back-up personnel.

REPORTER: Who did you say this to?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: It was the vice-president of TEPCO who came to report this morning. If necessary I will let you know the names later.

REPORTER: I am Hirabayashi of the Yomiuri Shimbun. I have a question about looking for ways to achieve the temporary return home for residents whose homes are within the 20km evacuation area. While you may be looking for ways to achieve this temporary return, if it is currently dangerous to do so, it would seem to me that it would be impossible to return until the radiation has subsided, or until you can provide proper protective means for all who wish to return. Do you have a specific estimate for when it will be possible for residents to return home temporarily?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Various monitoring is currently being implemented, including inside the 20km evacuation area. Given the monitoring that is being done, if it can be ascertained through precise and detailed analysis that it would be safe to enter the evacuation area for a fixed period, then I think in this case it would be possible to allow for a partial temporary return. The current situation is that we are not able to confirm the level of safety and risks remain. Reports state that atmospheric radiation has stabilized and on that basis very detailed analysis and consideration is being given to radiation levels at different times and in different areas, which vary according to wind patterns and other factors. The results of this detailed analysis may show that there is a possibility for a temporary return, bearing in mind the factors I have mentioned.

REPORTER: I am Sato of the Asahi Shimbun. In their press conference TEPCO admitted that there is a possibility that the pressure vessel may have been breached and there are concerns that a meltdown may have occurred, raising questions about the integrity of the pressure vessel. If the vessel has been breached, could it be the case that the injection of water would be counterproductive? What is your view?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think that at around this time the Nuclear Safety Commission has been holding a meeting to collect views on this particular point. Their analysis has already been reported to me, and their view is that given the extremely high concentrations of radiation in the water that has collected in the basement of the turbine building of the Unit 2 reactor, it is assumed that at some point in Unit 2, water that had been in contact with the melted fuel in the containment vessel may have leaked directly out by some means. The report I have received states that the water in the other reactor units may be the result of condensation from the steam emitted from the containment vessels, or may have been diluted process of water injection.

At the current point the ambient radiation levels are high only inside the buildings and there have been no anomalous measurements recorded outside. It is important that we ensure this situation is maintained. At the same time, water is being injected onto the Unit 2 reactor core from outside, and with the introduction of a makeshift pump the injection of water can be continued in a stable manner. Accordingly, analysis shows that even if the leakage of water does continue, it will be possible to continue cooling the reactor using the injection of water. However, as the ambient radiation levels in the basement are high, it will be necessary to promptly remove and dispose of the water that has collected there.

Another point is that every effort is being made to ensure that this radioactive water does not leak into the ground or into the sea. In order also to confirm safety, sampling is being conducted to ascertain that this water has not leaked out. Some high radiation readings have been recorded in the surrounding sea and sampling and safety confirmation measures will be strengthened to ascertain whether there is a risk in areas that are a little further away from the power plant. This is the substance of the draft report that I have received from the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) about the various views they are compiling. This situation in which water that has been in contact with the melted fuel has directly leaked out is very regrettable, and further efforts will be implemented to prevent any expanded impact on health or other concerns, and work to contain the situation as a whole.

REPORTER: I am from NHK. I have a related question. If the meltdown of the fuel was temporary, is it your understanding that the melting has now stopped, or is it still ongoing?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I expect that when the Nuclear Safety Commission has compiled its views on this matter it will hold a press conference to report the findings and you should therefore ask for an expert opinion from them. From the draft report that I have received, my understanding is that the water was in contact with fuel that had been partially melting at one point, but this process of melting is not ongoing. Please confirm this point directly with the experts concerned.

REPORTER: I am Hiramoto of Nippon TV. Some have reported that Prime Minister Kan's visit to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant interfered with work to vent the air outside of the reactor container, delaying the overall operation. Is there any truth to these reports?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am aware of the reports you mentioned. However, I believe that a part of the assessments made by those reporters are based on assumptions that don't quite agree with the facts. It is true that, as mentioned in the reports, the nuclear plant team of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) predicted at 22:00 on March 11, the day that the earthquake occurred, that venting would first be needed for Unit 2 as there was the possibility of the fuel rods becoming exposed and beginning to melt. This prediction was shared with the Emergency Response Center of the Prime Minister's Office at 11:44 P.M. the same day. The prediction was disclosed in documents created by the Emergency Response Center. The same prediction was made by NISA in their evaluation of Unit 2. However, it turned out that the situation at Unit 1 became critical first. In fact, we heard from TEPCO at a little past 3:00 A.M. on March 12 that the cooling system was confirmed to be working. Two days later, at 1:25 P.M. on March 14, we received a report from TEPCO that Unit 2's cooling system had failed, and that in response, the company intended to start ventilation from the morning of March 15. This is what happened at Unit 2. It was actually Unit 1 ― and not Unit 2, which NISA warned about ― where the ventilation first took place. Unit 1 was the basic starting point for venting operations.

With the power cut off at the nuclear power plant and the cooling systems not working very well at both Units 1 and 2, in the early hours of March 12, at 1:30 AM, based on the explanation provided by TEPCO and NSC Chairman Haruki Madarame and after receiving the approval of the Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda, I issued an order to begin venting the reactors at once. At 3:05 A.M., Minister Kaieda and TEPCO Managing Director Akio Komori announced in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry that ventilation would take place. They stated that ventilation would first take place at Unit 1, as they had received a report about Unit 2 just before the announcement. I also announced during my press conference held from 3:12 A.M. that a venting operation would take place.

For some time, instructions have been repeatedly given, especially from Minister Kaieda, to the power plant to proceed with venting, prioritizing Unit 1. I have personally seen such instructions have been given to to TEPCO through its liaison at the site at the Prime Minister's Office. However, actual venting did not start until 9:04 AM. I think after this is all over we will need to investigate this. I remember clearly that when the order to start ventilation was issued at 3:00 AM, we assumed that ventilation would start at anytime. But by 6:00 AM when the Prime Minister was about to leave for Fukushima it still had not started. I repeatedly demanded that TEPCO hurry up, inquiring why they weren't making any progress. In that sense, I think the reports you mentioned are mistaken.

REPORTER: It has been reported that at 3:00 in the morning of March12 the plant cooling system was working. Was the decision for the Prime Minister to visit the site made with the understanding that there was the possibility to vent the reactors, or was it assumed that there was no possibility of venting the reactors?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: He went with the understanding that venting was possible. It may have been possible for venting to be already underway before the Prime Minister visited the plant. The visit to Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was decided at about 2:30 in the morning, and at that time the Prime Minister and Minister Kaieda discussed the need for venting to take place. We urged TEPCO to begin venting as soon as possible if necessary. The Prime Minister's visit took place with the understanding that venting was possible.

REPORTER: So the visit was made based on the judgment that there was no real danger to the Prime Minister's safety?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Of course. TEPCO employees at the site are the ones doing the venting, and depending on what kind of work needs to be carried out going forward I have heard that there is the possibility they will need to approach the reactors. I think there is a definite need to put safety assurance measures in place as work progresses. We recognize that if the pressure gets any higher we may face a truly dangerous situation. We have been strongly and continuously demanding that TEPCO do something about this for a while now.

REPORTER: Why did no venting take place between 3 and 9 AM on the morning of March 12?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We also repeatedly asked this of TEPCO at that time. We urged them to explain this and argued that we needed to proceed with venting as quickly as possible. We did not receive an adequate explanation about it. We felt it was above all vital that we hurry to vent the reactors. I can assure you that continuous demands were made about this.

REPORTER: I am Nanao from Nico Nico Douga. Concerning TEPCO's mistaking of cesium for iodine, I believe that if there is human error in fundamental data measurements, it could potentially have a terrible effect on any final decisions that must be made. What lessons have been learned this time? Are there any plans to dispatch personnel from public institutions to check the data being collected at each monitoring location or anything like that?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe that given the current situation we must fundamentally consider the monitoring system we have in place. For the monitoring currently in progress, we need to allocate people who are capable of doing the measurements required. This must be considered as well. This time the problem was with measurements taken by TEPCO, but there are a lot of other monitoring operations going on at the site, and everyone is working under extreme pressure. I think we need to make sure that everyone is following through with the appropriate procedures.

REPORTER: I am Okai from Kyodo News. I would like to ask once again about the position of the 20 to 30km “indoor evacuation zone” around the power plant. Currently you are encouraging voluntary evacuations and at the same time have stated that you will proceed to support the livelihoods of the people living in the area while monitoring safety. Recently there was an incident in which the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) attempted to find a bus company that would run bus services around the region following a request by local governments. However, each bus company refused to take up the job from the perspective of driver safety. I think that this trouble was caused by the poor attitude of the Government. What is your opinion on this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe that everyone in the Government agrees with me in feeling deeply sorry for the pains and troubles we are causing everyone regarding this 20 to 30km area, and particularly those living there. Currently, as long as residents stay indoors, or rather do not spend prolonged periods of time outside, the radiation levels will have no effect on their health. I say this after having scientifically verified it with experts. We have made our instructions from the perspective that the risk to human health will be minimal if people stay indoors.

On the other hand, in reality many people have already voluntarily fled the area, and in preparation for any changes in the future the Government has been helping hospital patients to leave from an early stage. The Government is supporting the residents in this aspect. We are also listening to the people of the area who want to remain in their homes and live their lives normally, to the extent that staying indoors is enough to ensure safety. We would naturally like to accommodate these requests as well to the extent possible. Then again, some people say if the situation changes and the people there need to evacuate quickly, they would rather evacuate early. I hope to respond to both requests as much as possible. We are currently working to do so.

As for various troubles that have been occurring in the area, the situation is currently being overseen by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA). We are currently promoting work to strengthen their systems to help the Government quickly respond to the problems occurring in the region.

REPORTER: I am Hirokawa from Bloomberg. Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Katsuya Okada stated yesterday that in order to provide enough funding for the reconstruction of the disaster-stricken region, the proposal to lower corporate tax should be retracted. Is the Government of the opinion that the corporate tax cut must be reconsidered as a resent of future consultations between ruling and opposition parties?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think that there are two sides to this. On the one hand, we are currently approaching the end of the fiscal year, and as such are exerting a great effort to consult and earn the understanding of opposition party members in the Diet about the figures and content of the budget. In the DPJ, Secretary General Okada and Diet Affairs Chief Jun Azumi are currently promoting discussion with the opposition parties on this. Accordingly, I do not think that I should make a direct comment from the Government's position. The Government shall make a decision on any proposals raised as a result of meetings among political parties as they come up.

Regarding the securing of mid- to long-term financial resources, we have made clear our intention to secure financing and proceed resolutely with reconstruction. As I said yesterday, I believe that the first thing we must do is to formulate a vision as to what kind of reconstruction will take place, and that we should do so in a way that will give hope to those affected by the disaster. It is still too early for me to comment on the individual ways to secure fiscal resources.

REPORTER: I am Hiramoto from Nippon TV. I think you must have been too busy to see it, but this morning the baseball team from Tohoku High School in Sendai made their debut at the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament. Following the disaster the team had to evacuate to shelters and did not have enough time or space to practice. Unfortunately they lost 7-0. What do you think about the efforts of the team?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I myself am a graduate of Tohoku University, and although the high school is not affiliated with the university, I lived in Sendai for many years and used to go watch the school play during high school baseball tournament season. This is something I was personally extremely interested in, and although I couldn't watch all of the game I did look at it for a moment on the television in my office. Although I was only able to watch the game for a moment or two, I saw images of players giving their all under tremendously difficult conditions. In the time that I watched the game I saw the team's shortstop make a fine play, catching a ball sailing between him and third base and lobbing it to first for an out. See those who suffered the disaster playing so hard in this way and in front of the nation is something that fills me with tremendous hope, and I can only imagine what it does for those in the disaster-stricken area. I am very grateful to the team.

REPORTER: I am Kageyama from the Mainichi Shimbun. Changing the topic, TEPCO President Masataka Shimizu took about one week off after the earthquake this month due to illness. Under such conditions all final decisions were made by the Vice Presidents. Could you comment on what the actual situation was?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Since the Joint Task Force was set up, the instructions of the Government and Prime Minister, as well as the situation at TEPCO, has been shared among all involved thanks to Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Goshi Hosono, who has acted as the coordinator within the task force. Matters outside the scope of the task force have been handled by the company's Executive Vice Presidents or whoever is in charge of each matter at various levels, with thorough communication in place. In addition, from the management side of TEPCO, I have heard that Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata has had telephone conversations with the Prime Minister many times. There has not yet been anything to make anyone feel unusual regarding communication between TEPCO and the Government.

REPORTER: Who was responsible for final decisions in TEPCO while the President was sick?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This of course depended on the nature of the final decision to be made. Depending on the magnitude of the issue, the person in charge differs. The Government is aware of who is in charge of each matter, and each person confirms with the Government about our opinion regularly. For general matters the Executive Vice Presidents were in charge. They communicated with us about major issues. For issues about which we needed to directly contact the President, except for the day of the earthquake when he was not in Tokyo, I have not heard of any incidents when we were unable to contact him.