Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary

JAPANESE

Q&As

REPORTER: Since the disaster occurred the Prime Minister has not been available for informal ad-hoc interviews as had been the case previously. It has been mentioned in the press that the Government is considering stopping these informal ad-hoc interviews altogether. I would like to ask about whether this is the case and what your view is, if it is true that the informal ad-hoc interviews are to be discontinued.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am aware that press reports about this matter have been circulating, but I have received no specific report or consultation about it from within our office.

REPORTER: On the front page of a local Fukushima newspaper today it was reported that the Government has decided to allow the evacuees to make a temporary return to their homes, by around April 11. The same paper also reported on its front page that the Government has decided to make the 20km radius around the plant a compulsory evacuation area. Can you give us some information with regard to these reports?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The accident at the nuclear power plant has caused a tremendous amount of trouble, inconvenience and hardship for the people living both in a 20km radius of the plant and in the 20-30km zone, and I again say how very sorry I am about this. We have previously received strong requests from the residents, who wish to return home temporarily to collect valuables and other items that are necessary for their daily life. The Government has indeed been examining ways in which this request could be realized. However, although every effort is being made in this regard, the primary concern is to ensure people's safety. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) is currently engaged in investigations to assess in what ways, and in which areas, a temporary return would be possible. While the situation at the nuclear power plant is showing signs of stabilizing to a certain extent in terms of the numerical data that is being recorded, the situation is still unpredictable. Bearing in mind this situation, explorations are still ongoing with a view to realizing a temporary return home for residents, while also fully ensuring safety. In specific terms, how and when the return home will be able to be realized has not been decided. Even if it is possible to realize, it will not be a long-term return, but a short visit to enable residents to collect the minimum items they require from their homes. This is the nature of what we are currently exploring. Naturally, we want to proceed as quickly as possible and see progress made towards this goal, but I hope that it is understood that we must continue to consider the safety situation at the nuclear power plant.

REPORTER: And with regard to the possibility of a compulsory evacuation zone?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: With regard to that point, I have received reports that it is regrettably still the case that people are still in the 20km evacuation area. The Self-Defense Forces and police services are currently working in a very tough environment to ensure security in the area and are engaged in patrols. They are also making requests to people still in the area to evacuate and providing assistance and guidance. Without the assistance of such security measures, we urge all people to avoid entering the area at all. Considerations are being finalized about whether to make the 20km area a compulsory evacuation area, and at the current point no decision has been made.

REPORTER: On a related note, yesterday the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) was talking about the criteria for ordering an evacuation, and it was noted that the even the low level standards for accumulated radiation that are part of the current guidelines could be used to call for an evacuation. What is your view on the possibility of expanding the evacuation area?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As there have been reports to this effect, I have confirmed the facts with the NSC, and it is not the case that this information has been provided to the Government as official advice. I confirmed the facts after seeing the press reports myself, and because I had not heard about this formally. However, it is naturally the case that various scenarios are being considered and we will proceed by hearing the views of the NSC and also taking into account informal opinions. In this context, as I reported yesterday, the current criteria for evacuation are as follows. For locations where there is a possibility radiation levels could exceed 50mSv, immediate evacuation is required. For locations where there is a possibility that radiation levels could exceed 10mSv, sheltering indoors is advised. It is based on these criteria that the 20km and 20-30km zones for evacuation and sheltering indoors respectively have been established and people requested to evacuate or take shelter accordingly. These criteria were established based on the assumption that large volumes of radioactive materials could be released in a short time frame, but as time goes by it will not necessarily be the case that levels as large as 50mSv will be recorded. However cumulative levels are beginning to rise and as there are no government criteria in place to respond to the impact of cumulative radiation, the Government, through NISA, is currently examining what should be done in such areas. The NSC is also engaged in these examinations. The Government has also received reports from international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) concerning their views on the situation. NISA will naturally refer to these opinions and once it has consolidated its own measures for the issue, the NSC will then be asked to provide advice on whether the measures are considered appropriate.

REPORTER: With regard to the establishment of a compulsory evacuation zone, such a measure could in fact be implemented at the discretion of local governments as there are no clear stipulations in law. You mentioned that the Government is finalizing its consideration about this issue. By this do you mean that the Government is considering issuing a recommendation or guidance to local governments about such a measure?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The Government is currently considering how such a compulsory evacuation zone could be implemented and whether it would be possible under the current administrative system.

REPORTER: It is currently the case that the Unit 1 reactor is being injected with nitrogen as a means of preventing a hydrogen explosion. Does the Government believe that this procedure is safe and that there is no possibility of further radiation being dispersed? What is the status of the Unit 1 reactor in terms of stability and safety?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Since the earthquake disaster on March11, and the accident at the nuclear power plant, one of the most important measures that has been undertaken is work to avoid a hydrogen explosion in the reactor containment vessel. I have received a report about the current situation that while the possibility of an explosion is not high, it is still essential to take measures to avoid an explosion and that is why the injection of nitrogen had been considered for some time. Naturally when a new operation is initiated there are some inherent risks involved, but on the basis of thorough considerations it was determined that although the possibility of a hydrogen explosion was not high, it was preferable to inject nitrogen in order to bring the possibility of an explosion closer to zero. I hope you understand that there are also some low risks involved with the injection of nitrogen and the experts closely examined the risks. Therefore the decision was made with a view to further decreasing the risk of an explosion.

REPORTER: Currently the workers at the plant are engaged in this injection of nitrogen. Are measures being taken to reduce the risks involved in initiating this new operation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Yes. A variety of measures must be taken to avoid any unexpected incident and risk reduction measures have been implemented accordingly to avoid any slight risk at the outset. These measures have no impact on the current status of the residents sheltering indoors in the 20-30km area. Workers at the plant have begun the injection of nitrogen and I have received reports that this has been achieved successfully and that work to inject nitrogen into other reactors will now proceed.

REPORTER: Earlier today, I believe you visited the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters to present the Government's response to the LDP's recommendations regarding the countermeasures for the earthquake disaster. Can you elaborate on your meeting with the LDP?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: My visit was to deliver the Government's response to the LDP President, who came all the way to the Prime Minister's Office to submit the LDP's recommendations. We received quite specific, constructive recommendations, and therefore, I, on behalf of the Government, went there to present the Government's response as to the situation of our countermeasures. The meeting went into great detail, and I believe the LDP will also be giving a briefing. For details, I ask that you confirm with the Subsidiary Headquarters for Special Measures to Assist the Lives of Disaster Victims. Essentially, the Government gave an in depth response to the very detailed and broad range of requests and recommendations we received, and I believe the LDP regarded our response as quite legitimate. We asked that the LDP review our response and let us know if there are any further measures we should be taking that they would like to point out. And they said they will. Furthermore, they said they will be drawing up additional recommendations on other items not included in the first set of recommendations to which we just responded. From my side, I said we certainly welcome those recommendations and asked for their cooperation. This is what we basically discussed.

REPORTER: According to reports, a U.S. Congressman has said that some portion of the reactor core in Unit 2 has melted.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am not aware as to why and on what grounds he made that specific statement. Regarding the nuclear power plant situation, as we have been saying, unfortunately some radioactive materials originating from the fuel rods are leaking out of some of the reactors. We are currently doing all that we can to stop the leaks as soon as possible and to minimize their impact.

REPORTER: The release of contaminated water, which has also been criticized abroad, and the cooling of the nuclear reactors will be crucial issues for some time to come. According to a proposal from Dr. Haruo Uehara, by using a plate type heat exchanger, workers will be able to do their work with minimal exposure to radioactive materials and the nuclear reactors can be cooled without releasing contaminated water. As you are aware, Dr. Uehara made this proposal on April 4 in response to the Government's request. With there being no time to lose, what is the state of progress right now?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Regarding specific and technical details about the cooling process, I ask that you direct your question to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), NISA, or the Integrated Headquarters. I am aware that these recommendations and proposals have been made. I have instructed that all possible means, including the one just mentioned, should be applied if they are feasible, without focusing on precedent.

REPORTER: I have another question. If a major facility or equipment is used to control the situation, do you intend to disclose information such as why the facility or equipment was adopted and the process behind it, to those in Japan and overseas?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe it will be necessary to do so. Therefore, I will be instructing the Integrated Headquarters on Nuclear Disaster Response to carefully report and explain the specific operation and why that operation was chosen over the other operations, every time a new operation is performed or whenever there are questions.

REPORTER: Excuse me, changing the subject, I would like to ask about Mr. Kevin Maher, former head of the Office of Japan Affairs of the U.S. State Department. Apparently he retired from the State Department on April 6. Was there any report or explanation from the United States regarding that? Also, tell me how the Japanese Government sees this.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This is a subject that concerns the status of a public official of the U.S. Government. Therefore, I do not believe that Japan is in a position to directly receive a report on this or make a comment. However, due to the nature of the situation, of which you are aware, I myself believe that it would be hard to accept for many of the Japanese people, and particularly for the people of Okinawa, if he were to remain in charge of Japan-U.S. relations, and particularly issues related to Okinawa, within the U.S. Government. Thus, I accept that he is no longer in that position. At any rate, the U.S. Government stated at the time that the statement he is reported to have made is completely different from the stance of the U.S. Government, and we have asked the U.S. Government to ensure that the correct stance is properly communicated to and understood by the people of Japan, particularly the people of Okinawa. I believe there will be no change to this stance at all, even with the personnel change.

REPORTER: Excuse me, I have one more related question regarding Japan-U.S. relations. I believe that arrangements are currently being made for the holding of a 2+2 Meeting. At the same time there are reports that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Japan. Please tell me about the connection between the 2+2 Meeting and Secretary Clinton's visit.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have not received any reports that anything has specific been decided on the visit to Japan by Secretary Clinton. Regarding the 2+2 Meeting, coordination is currently taking place at a working level with the United States based on the originally planned dates. However, no final conclusion has been reached at this moment, in consideration of the disaster.