Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary

JAPANESE

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have one item to report to you.

This afternoon the first meeting of the Working Team for Measures to Ensure Safety and Public Security in Disaster-affected Areas was held. This working team will operate under the auspices of the Ministerial Meeting Concerning Measures Against Crime, which comprises all members of the Cabinet, and has determined an outline for measures to ensure safety and security in disaster-affected areas. The working team will liaise closely with the government ministries and agencies concerned and the outline will serve as a framework to consider and promote further comprehensive measures to ensure safety and security in the disaster-affected areas, and also to prevent opportunistic and fraudulent crimes that seek to take advantage of the current disaster.

That is all from me at this time.

Q&As

REPORTER:I am Sato of the Asahi Shimbun. With the approval of the budget it is expected that the allocation of budget for public works projects will be announced tomorrow. According to some reports approximately 5% of the budget will be directed to the disaster-affected areas. What is the current status of deliberations on this matter?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Of course, once the budget is passed, the process will move on to budgetary allocation. Given the current disaster situation, the Ministry of Finance is coordinating budgetary matters with each government ministry and agency, working to finalize details and determine what response will be made.

REPORTER: I am Kitamoto of Nippon Television. It has been said that the government is considering the provision of free health checks to residents who live within a 30km radius of the nuclear power plant. What is the status of government considerations on this issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This has been widely reported by a number of press organizations. Naturally, with regard to the health of the people living in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant, after various considerations and actions we believe that there are no concerns about damage to health. However, it is only natural that the people concerned will be extremely worried and we are looking into ways we can respond to these worries as much as possible. I am not in a position to say at this stage what specific measures will include or how they will be implemented, but the government is making dedicated and expedited efforts to consider how we can respond to the people affected to the greatest extent possible.

REPORTER: I am Oda of the Sankei Shimbun. With regard to the free health checks, will they include measurement of radiation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We are currently at the point where we are expediting specific considerations into what we can do at the earliest possible stage, with a view to responding to health concerns of the people that are affected. Once measures have been decided it will be possible to report them at that time.

REPORTER: I am Tejima of Kyodo News. In a recent meeting with Kazuo Shii, leader of the Japanese Community Party (JCP), the Prime Minister stated that the government's energy plan to increase the number of nuclear power plants by more than 14 up to 2030 will be reviewed from scratch. What is the status of such considerations by the government?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As I have said in these press conferences on a number of occasions, the first priority is to concentrate our efforts on containing the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Once it is possible to contain that situation, the government would then move without delay to engage in full-fledged efforts to investigate the current accident and based on those investigations make further considerations. I think that this was also the gist of the Prime Minister's statement.

REPORTER: I have a similar question. In the same meeting with JCP leader Shii, the Prime Minister stated once again that Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant would have to be decommissioned. Once again, what are your views on decommissioning?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: A final decision will have to be made at some point, but as to the question of whether this will be based on the status of reactor units 1 to 4, or all reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, I think that everyone shares similar recognition, given the perspectives of radiation-related safety and the social situation. However, I repeat that this is not something that has been conclusively decided.

REPORTER: I am Oda of the Sankei Shimbun. On a related note, President Obama of the United States has reiterated that U.S. policy will continue to promote nuclear power. What is the government's view of this statement?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The United States is an independent sovereign nation. As such the United States will naturally make various judgments and responses and it is not for me to comment on these.

REPORTER: I am from CCTV. The results of the detection of radioactive materials 40km away from the power plant have been submitted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Is the government currently considering expanding the area for evacuation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I spoke about this in the press conference this morning. The government has received a report from the IAEA that one of the soil samples it studied produced readings in excess of IAEA operational criteria for evacuation. The government will make careful considerations on this basis of this report. To be precise, we have received advice to assess the situation with the greatest care. We will of course take the advice and sample results of the IAEA duly into account as we investigate and verify the scope of the evacuation area and other considerations, from the perspective of ensuring safety on a daily basis.

As of today, we have not made any decision to change the scope of the evacuation area and I do not think the situation at the moment requires a change. However, we are receiving various monitoring results on a daily basis and the more results we collect the better able we will be to implement analysis on the basis of such results. We aim to make decisions and implement responses promptly and appropriately on a daily basis.

REPORTER: I am Nanao of Nico Nico Douga. In terms of the response to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the main coordinating body is the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters, headed by the Prime Minister. Beneath that is the Emergency Response Integrated Headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO). What is the position of the Japan-U.S. consultations on the nuclear accident, which were initiated on March 22? What sort of practical operations are being implemented under the framework of these Japan-U.S. consultations?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In the broadest sense the government is overseeing all operations through the Nuclear Emergency Response Integrated Headquarters, which includes all members of the Cabinet. Under the auspices of this headquarters, various consultations are being implemented with the United States. Naturally through these various activities we are working to ensure that information is communicated effectively, for example by sharing the views of TEPCO that have been submitted to the Nuclear Emergency Integrated Response Headquarters with the other parties concerned. Also the opinions and information provided by the U.S. government and U.S. Forces are also being forwarded promptly to the Integrated Response Headquarters, ensuring a flow of information.

REPORTER: Thank you.

REPORTER: I am Araki of the Chugoku Shimbun. You have just referred to the energy basic plan of the government and stated that once the situation in Fukushima is contained the government will move without delay to make further considerations on nuclear power. Currently Chugoku Electric Power Co., is constructing a nuclear reactor in Shimane Prefecture, which is scheduled to be commissioned in December this year. What kind of response does the government plan to make in situations such as this, where the planned launch of operations is very close at hand?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: There are some power plants for which decisions will have to be made, in addition to the one you mentioned, and all will require a prompt response, particularly those that are currently stopped for regular inspections. I think that it will be necessary to make decisions separately for each case, taking into account the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

REPORTER: If the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant drags on unresolved for too long, further measures will be needed to respond to the situation. At the current stage, what are your thoughts on nuclear power plants that are planned to start operating, for instance, within this year or later?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We still are not at the stage where we know at what point Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant will be able to achieve what level of control. Due to these circumstances, there are certain issues that must be responded to and decided on a case-by-case basis. On the other hand, if it is going to take a great deal of time to control and verify the situation, at a certain stage we will need to consider certain verifications along with an overall policy. However, these are decisions that must be made while observing the situation at the plant and monitoring how things progress. Therefore, I am sorry to say that we are not at a place where we can establish a concrete schedule for the rest of the year.

REPORTER: I am Kuribayashi of the Yomiuri Shimbun. This question is in relation to the working team for safety and public security that you mentioned at the beginning of the conference. There are various news reports and rumors about crimes being committed at disaster areas. I would like to ask whether there are areas that are in need of emergency response due to the inability of police to respond, if there are certain types of crimes being committed, or if there are areas where it is even difficult to confirm whether crimes are occurring. Do such circumstances exist?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have received reports of crimes taking place in several different disaster areas. However, from the reports that I have received from various different organizations, I am left with the impression that most people are really working hard amidst a truly dire situation where Japan, or Japanese people, are striving to help each other to overcome this disaster.

During such severe circumstances at disaster areas, the majority of people are still working to support and help each other. The government will not tolerate crimes during such circumstances, or crimes that capitalize on such circumstances, in consideration of everyone working so hard and from the perspective of ensuring safety and security. It is precisely that firm determination which led to the formation of this team.

REPORTER: I am Kuribayashi of the Yomiuri Shimbun. Some news outlets are reporting that the government is considering establishing a rehabilitation and reconstruction tax, issuing disaster bonds, and seeing that the Bank of Japan accepts those bonds. Please clarify whether this is true and what considerations the government is paying to each of these proposals.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This is also being extensively broadcasted by certain news sources. However, the government has not decided on any such policy, nor has it commenced detailed or concrete considerations in aim of creating such a policy. At the current stage, a diverse range of people are bringing forth various different ideas. That is, the government, ruling parties, and even the opposition parties are doing many things to help put topics on the table that demand consideration. We must keep a sharp eye in looking for such ideas; nevertheless, we are not yet at the point of refining options down to any concrete level.

REPORTER: I am Kimura of Fuji Television. I am aware that a liaison conference has just started regarding the import-related measures of various countries. In relation to this, there has been a string of developments in countries throughout the world to impose restrictions on imports of agricultural products from Japan in response to the nuclear power plant accident. How does the government grasp these developments and how will this be responded to in the future?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The government has provided countries with information on the situation at the nuclear power plant in an appropriate manner, along with various safety-related scientific information based on the situation, asking countries to take a response based on the scientific facts. We are also aware that we need to redouble our efforts further in this regard. Based on that awareness we are holding this liaison conference to ensure solid communication between the related ministries, and intend to further strengthen our request to countries to respond to the situation based on the information provided and scientific evidence.

REPORTER: Is any consideration being paid to some form of compensation for farmers that face import restrictions?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This is not in relation to the vice-ministers' meeting that was held earlier today, but the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and others are conducting serious discussions on how to respond to people that are subject to such shipping restrictions as well as everyone else that has been negatively impacted by the nuclear power plant incidents.

Director of Press Office: Does anyone have any further questions?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Thank you very much.