Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary

JAPANESE

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I would like to report that an extraordinary Cabinet meeting has just been held. The meeting was held in view of the fact that today is the last day of the fiscal year and there were a number of draft bills that were passed in the Diet today and related Cabinet orders that needed to be dealt with accordingly.

The meeting approved one general measure and the promulgation of treaties, laws and Cabinet orders.

In terms of statements from ministers, I made a statement regarding thorough provisions and preparations that are being made in response to the emergency situation.

During discussions among ministers I also reported on the formation of the Working Team for Measures to Ensure Safety and Public Security in Disaster-affected Areas.

That is all from me for now.

Q&As

REPORTER: This is not related to the extraordinary Cabinet meeting, however, in a press conference held jointly with President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, the Prime Minister made a statement about Tokyo Electric Power Co., (TEPCO), or rather power companies in general. He stated that once the current situation has been contained it would be necessary to engage in a discussion about how power companies do business and what their business practices should be, including ways of maintaining them as a going concern. Does this mean that the government intends to engage in discussions on the viability and future of TEPCO?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe that the Prime Minister himself stated that it is still premature to embark on a discussion on the ways that power companies do business. This is especially true for TEPCO, which is one of the primary organizations engaged in the containment of the current situation. It is also one of the primary organizations required to respond to the people who have been adversely impacted and bears a great responsibility for providing power to all areas within its jurisdiction. It is therefore also necessary for the government to provide full support to TEPCO to ensure that the company can fulfill its responsibilities.

In addition, with regard to Japan's energy policy as a whole, including considerations of nuclear power, we share the view that once the current situation has been contained, it will be necessary to engage in discussions, and take a critical look at the causes and lessons of this current accident.

REPORTER: I understand that at the current point there are still many possibilities to be discussed, but for TEPCO employees and employees of related companies who are currently working in extremely difficult conditions at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, even the smallest possibility being raised about the viability of the company could negatively impact the morale of workers on the site. What do you think the impact of such discussions will have in this sense?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The view of the government, which is of course shared by Prime Minister Kan, is that TEPCO should fully fulfill its responsibilities in various ways with regard to the accident and as a power provider. At the same time, and as you rightly pointed out, in order to contain the current situation, the employees of TEPCO and related companies, with the support of the Self-Defense Forces and the members of the fire service, are working hard in an extremely difficult environment. The government shares the same common view that it will provide full assistance and support to TEPCO as the company works to fulfill its responsibilities and duties.

REPORTER: I am Kuribayashi of the Yomiuri Shimbun. In the meetings of the Headquarters for Emergency Disaster Response for the 2011 Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake and the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters, which were held after the Cabinet meeting, were there any matters that were decided on?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: There were reports from the ministers responsible - the Minister of State for Disaster Management and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry - concerning the current status of various response measures. There were a number of reports in particular about the disaster and specific situations, including the response from various ministries to engage in support for people's daily lives and a report from METI Minister Kaieda about the status of nuclear power plants. Various ministers provided reports about matters that need to be shared among the various ministries and agencies, and as well as confirming our common recognition of the current status we confirmed our resolve to maintain firm cooperation among all government bodies from tomorrow and thereon.

REPORTER: Did the meeting discuss the status of the request received by the local governments close to the power plant about the temporary return home of the evacuees?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Rather than being discussed in the ministerial level headquarters meeting this is a matter that requires consultation at the practical and local levels and various scientific data are currently in the process of being analyzed. This particular matter has not yet reached the stage where it should be discussed at the ministerial level in a headquarters meeting.

REPORTER: I am Sato of the Asahi Shimbun. Today there was apparently loudspeaker propaganda vehicles trespassed in the grounds of the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini Nuclear Power Plants.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: On a premise of the power plants?

REPORTER: Have you heard about this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have received no reports about this.

REPORTER: I realize that the power plant is in a very precarious state at the moment, but there are concerns about whether security is being properly implemented.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Naturally for the nuclear power plant itself and for the surrounding area that has been evacuated a number of security measures are being implemented and thanks to the efforts of the police and the Self-Defense Forces security is being maintained. I have not heard of the information you have just mentioned, but if that were to be the case, the government would make a robust response and further strengthen security measures.

REPORTER: I am Yoshikawa of NHK. I have a question about the restrictions on shipment and consumption of agricultural products. I hear that considerations are moving in the direction of deciding that a product can be removed from the restricted list if sample readings for that product fall below the provisional standard values on three consecutive occasions. What is the current status of considerations?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We have received opinions from the Food Safety Commission and based on these opinions, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) are engaged in consultations, together with the Nuclear Safety Commission, and I believe that a response to this issue will be made by the end of today. I have received a report that on the basis of expert analysis, from the perspectives of robustly ensuring safety and preventing damage from groundless rumors, MHLW and MAFF are proceeding with various considerations. The government seeks to bring these various considerations together, and for the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters to set out a direction for measures on the basis of these considerations.

REPORTER: Did the Prime Minister make any statements at the extraordinary Cabinet meeting today?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Since the meetings of the Headquarters for Emergency Disaster Response for the 2011 Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake and the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters were held after the Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister did not make any particular statements in the Cabinet meeting or ministerial discussions.

REPORTER: I am Kageyama of the Mainichi Shimbun. You stated that in the Cabinet meeting you made a statement regarding the thorough provisions and preparations that are being made in response to the emergency situation. What specifically did you speak about?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As you know, the provisions for emergency situations include stipulations that if the minister is away from Tokyo, the vice minister or parliamentary secretary should be in Tokyo and ready to make a response if required. This is a provision that has been in place for every Cabinet since 2003, and the current administration is also ensuring that this provision is fulfilled. In the current situation we have to deal with responses to the earthquake and tsunami disaster as well as the nuclear power plant accident at the same time.

In addition, as three weeks have now elapsed since the disaster first struck, it is anticipated that Cabinet ministers and vice ministers will have increasing need to visit the disaster-affected regions to survey the situation, or engage in on-site meetings, meaning that more time will be spent away from Tokyo at weekends and other times. I made my statement for the purpose of ensuring that provisions are firmly in place to ensure that if ministers and vice ministers do leave Tokyo, the various ministries and agencies will be duly able to make an appropriate response in the current situation.

Director of Press Office: Any more questions?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Thank you for you attention.