Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary

JAPANESE

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have two announcements to make. The first is about the lifting of shipping restrictions on a certain food products. Based on the principle of imposing and removing such restrictions announced on April 4, proposals were made to lift the shipping restrictions on raw milk produced in Kitakata City, Bandai City, Inawashiro Town, Mishima Town, Aizumisato Town, Shimogo Town, and Minamiaizu Town in Fukushima Prefecture, as well as spinach and kakina produced in Gunma Prefecture. I have received a report that no problems were found in today's inspections of any of these products and that they met the criteria for the lifting of shipping restrictions. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) will make announcements on this later, so please ask them for further details.

My second announcement concerns rice planting. Investigation into the soil quality of rice paddies is underway in the prefectures around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in order to determine whether or not to allow rice planting. These prefectures are requesting that the national government show its policy on rice planting around the nuclear power plant. The Government considered the opinion of the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) on this, and has now made a decision. The decision is outlined in the reference material to be handed out later, and will be announced in greater detail by MAFF. The policy is to restrict rice planting in areas where there is a high risk that the rice produced will contain radioactive substances above the provisional levels stipulated in the Food Sanitation Act, based on the result of investigations and other factors. The Government will discuss this with the relevant prefectures to decide which specific areas should be subject to restriction. Also, if planting restrictions are implemented, the Government will of course make sure that appropriate compensation is provided to those affected. Please ask at MAFF for further details on this as well.

Q&As

REPORTER: Just as the Mayor of Minamisoma City in Fukushima Prefecture said when he met the Prime Minister today, some are arguing that the Government should financially support the municipal governments in Tokyo that are extending assistance to disaster-stricken areas. Is the Government prepared to extend support to these municipalities?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In addition to going to disaster-stricken areas, the special subsidies I announced this morning will also be allocated to the municipalities that are extending assistance to disaster victims through the provision of shelter. That decision has already been made. I hear that these municipalities will be receiving funding as early as today. We will start from where we can. I believe that as we assess the situation further, we may need to make greater efforts concerning the financial burden borne by these municipalities.

REPORTER: My question concerns Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. When discussing Unit 2, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said that radioactive substances from the fuel rods were leaking from the pressure vessel and were accumulating at the bottom of the reactor container. This was based on foreign news reports. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) is denying the truth of these reports. Given that the NRC has sent its members to Tokyo Electric Power Company, I suppose there has been an exchange of information between the NRC and NISA, but such a difference in assessment may lead to the sense of distrust among people outside Japan. Has there been a sufficient exchange of opinions between Japan and the United States concerning information disclosure?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As you are aware, the NRC and NISA have been meeting very frequently to discuss and confirm their analyses and assessments during the response to this incident. The NRC's knowledge has been useful. Understandably, there may be a difference of opinion even among experts regarding matters that cannot be confirmed directly. That is why at these meetings we exchange various opinions, assessments, and judgments. We consider the best measures to take from the perspective of safety and based on the most cautious approach available to us.

REPORTER: Yesterday, Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik of the Republic of Korea accused Japan as being incompetent during a speech in the National Assembly. The statement concerned the release of contaminated water from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and Japan's failure to inform the Republic of Korea beforehand. Will the Government accept this statement as it is, or do you intend to protest it?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am aware of his statement through news reports and other sources. We are currently confirming the true meaning of his words through diplomatic channels. In any case, we do think that we should have informed the neighboring countries more thoroughly beforehand about what we were going to do. So we intend to take this statement sincerely.

REPORTER: Toshiba, the company that constructed Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, as well as three US companies have cooperated to create a roadmap for decommissioning Units 1 to 4, and have submitted their proposals to TEPCO and METI. It says that the process will take 10 years. Please tell us about plans to create a Government roadmap toward drawing this issue to its final conclusion.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We are current receiving the support of many people possessing specialized knowledge or technology about this issue, not just experts and academia but also those in industry, and we are proceeding toward drawing up a just the kind of roadmap that you mentioned. As I have said from the beginning, we would like the Government roadmap to build upon the proposals we receive and be as specific as possible. As the reactors are not yet perfectly stable, the Government is currently discussing whether it would really be responsible to move forward with proposing an outlook for this issue at the current time.

REPORTER: Yesterday State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Chiaki Takahashi stated that reporting by foreign press has contained some exaggerations, and said that he would be requesting journalists to improve this situation. The fundamental basis of their reporting is that the Japanese Government and TEPCO are not revealing information, that something is being hidden. I don't think these assumptions are entirely wrong. Could you please explain what exaggerations Mr. Takahashi is talking about?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think that State Secretary Takahashi explained that some foreign press reports are exaggerating the situation. I am of the same opinion, although I must point out that when we talk about foreign media it doesn't mean every journalist. To give some specific examples known in Japan, I think there were such pseudo-reports made by foreign media stating that this incident compares with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As you pointed out, we in the Government announce various kinds of information and data as far as I know, and take questions and respond with answers. It's natural for those in the media to say that this isn't enough or that we may have more information and points are taken seriously. There was a case which I was not aware of, such as that released by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) the other day. Moving forward, I will again instruct each government ministry and agency to submit information thoroughly to make sure that no information remains unreported, and make even greater demands of TEPCO to do the same. I think that this issue and the issue of whether there is exaggeration in some media reports are completely separate from each other.

REPORTER: I understand.

REPORTER: At previous press conferences you have touched upon the flow of goods in and out of the area around the nuclear power plant. In places like Iwaki City and other areas within the 20 to 30km indoor evacuation zone I think I remember cases in which shipping companies would not transport luggage to areas outside the zone. Concerning the Government's shipping network, I believe that private companies are only required to handle delivery just up to 30km around the plant, but that there are still some shops operating inside the 30km zone. Since there are no particular regulations about shipping in the area, there are cases in which items have been shipped and cases in which they haven't, and the current situation is one in which the final decision on whether or not to deliver is left up to shipping companies. As we don't really know how safe the area is, I think that decisions to not ship something cannot really be criticized, but on the other hand, the instructions about the evacuation zones have been complex from the beginning - there has been a lot of confusion regarding the information on this area, and I think you can't deny that this has partly led to this problem. I would like to hear about the Government's opinion regarding the thorough provision of information and issuing of instructions in the evacuation zones.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: For some time at the very start of the incident at the nuclear power plants, particularly for the people living around the plants, I regret that we were not able to provide speedier or more detailed information, and that we did not fully consult with such people more based on the information coming out of the area. However, I believe that the result of my demands on METI has been that for some time now the Ministry has been much more thorough in at least cooperating with local mayors and communicating information and exchanging opinions with them. This still might not be enough, but it is an improvement of the situation in comparison to the beginning. As for the transport of goods for those residing in the zone 20 to 30km around the plant, that largely depends on the situation in each area. We will closely share information with the municipal offices and mayors in these areas, and if needed the Government will directly transport supplies there. This is how we are responding to the situation.

REPORTER: How many people have died so far among those who have been working to repair Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and how many people have been checked into hospitals? Additionally, do you have a figure in mind as to how many people will end up with accumulated radiation levels of over 100mSv?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We do know that some people who accidentally stepped in a puddle at the plant were checked into a hospital and remained there for several days. I have not received reports about anyone else, and I believe this is because no one else has been hospitalized. However, I would like TEPCO to reconfirm this after this press conference. I think that if there had been any cases of workers accumulating or getting close to accumulating more radiation that the legal limit, it would have been reported to me. At the current moment in time, I have received no such reports, but again, I would like to have this reconfirmed after the press conference.

REPORTER: The weather forecast for the weekend calls for rain, and some foreigners in Tokyo have expressed concern that this rain will lead to the radioactive contamination of the water supply. Does the Government recognize a problem concerning rainwater and the water supply?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: There were questions about rainwater shortly after the beginning of the incident at the nuclear power plants. Since then, the results of monitoring have plainly shown that atmospheric radiation levels have fallen. Even in the beginning, I reported to you that based on expert consultations, this could not possibly have an effect on human health even if one came in contact with rainwater. I believe that this possibility has only decreased since then. If you are really concerned about this, I would suggest that the safest thing you might do would be to wear a raincoat or otherwise prevent rain from coming into contact with your body. However, even if you don't do this the amount of radioactive materials in the rain will not have an effect on your health. This is what I have heard from experts based on their analyses of the amount of radioactive substances in the atmosphere or air recently. Concerning water, there were cases in the very beginning in which rainwater temporarily caused the radiation levels of certain water supplies to rise above the legal limit. I have heard that a number of measures, including restrictions on water intake volumes, have been put in place since then to ensure that water containing radioactive substances does not seep into water supplies. Naturally, the possibility of this happening differs greatly depending on whether or not it is raining, so moving forward I would like to ask MHLW to have related water authorities thoroughly monitor the situation.

REPORTER: During your morning press conference the topic of whether or not the Prime Minister returned donation money from foreigners briefly came up. Did you receive any report about this from the Prime Minister afterward? If you did, could you please explain it? And if you did not, could you explain why you didn't?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: That issue basically has more to do with the actions of Mr. Naoto Kan as the Diet member and the member of House of Representatives, as opposed to Mr. Naoto Kan the Prime Minister. I think you should inquire at Mr. Kan's Diet office rather than asking me or the Cabinet Secretariat.

REPORTER: It has been almost four weeks since the earthquake and various different headquarters have been established mainly by the Government and Prime Minister's Office. There are many differing views on the pros and cons of these groups. Do you think that they are functioning well at present, and are you considering reorganizing and integrating them at some point?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am aware that there are various different opinions on this matter. Nevertheless, in regards to the earthquake response as well as the response to the incident at the nuclear power plant, most of the work to be done involves several different ministries and agencies. That means that these multiple ministries and agencies must maintain firm communication, collaboration and coordination. There is an extremely large amount of this type of work. What is more, each of these types of response differ in character, whether it be a problem where final coordination is required on the ministerial level, an instance where it is important to have coordination between working-level and vice-ministerial-level officials, or if it is important to ensure final coordination between Director-General. Multiple different headquarters have been created in response to the diverse range of issues we face from the perspective of working to coordinate between various ministries and agencies in a flexible manner. In any case, these are issues that we will have to deal with, so in dealing with them it is necessary to hold meetings via some forum to coordinate issues among multiple ministries and agencies, whether it be on the director-general level, vice-ministerial level, senior vice-ministerial level, or the ministerial level. I think that creating a headquarters or meeting in order to tackle issues that require a certain period of time to address is one way to boost efficiency. On the other hand, in response to issues that can be resolved in a short period of time and for which we do not have a headquarters or meeting, either I or Prime Minister Kan will call on relevant Cabinet members as needed and in a flexible manner. We will handle these matters on a case-by-case basis as needed.

REPORTER: The confusion following the earthquake has greatly subsided. What problems does the Government see still existing in terms of a healthcare delivery system at the disaster area?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The disaster-stricken area is wide and the current situation of each location is quite different, making it difficult to identify common problems. Nevertheless, the most serious problem there is that people from areas that were greatly damaged by the tsunami - places in which most of the area was washed away - have lost their houses and are being forced to live in shelters for long periods of time. At the same time, the medical institutions that provide medical care to everyone have also suffered tremendous losses, at least in terms of physical assets. Against this backdrop, doctors and medical personnel are working fervently under difficult circumstances. They have been doing so for a long time already, and this is becoming a significant burden for them. Furthermore, because of the nature of the situation, some doctors and nurses are working on a virtually volunteer basis. The personnel structure in place for the delivery of medical services remains inadequate. In areas where the damage was great, there are still many places where there are insufficient supplies and human resources. At the very least I hope to develop the most basic system to respond to this as soon as possible.

REPORTER: My question concerns the revision of the evacuation zone around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Some news sources are reporting that the Government has entered into discussion with local governments regarding the setting of a no entry zone. Is that true? Also, some time has passed since the announcement of discussion on this revision and yet no decision has been made. If the Government takes too long to make a decision it may cause confusion among residents. Do you have any idea about when a decision will be made?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I will start by answering your first question. If your question is whether we have started discussions, the truth is that we have been holding a diverse range of discussions for quite a while. Included in those are talks on the provision of various types of information and local views regarding, for instance, whether to establish an evacuation zone or whether the evacuation zones established in the beginning were sufficient. We are currently holding discussions with local municipal governments, but it is not possible to draw a line to indicate specifically when that started. We have recently been paying consideration to the circumstances and situation in light of the information that we receive. In regard to your second question, of course I am strongly aware of the feelings of local citizens. I know that they want an answer as quickly as possible following the commencement of discussions. At the same time, however, if we were to decide and announce an order for an evacuation, or conversely ask that residents do not evacuate, without conducting a sufficient verification and confirmation that the safety of residents has been secured, it would end up causing them even more trouble, as we may have to change those orders several days later. So, we are trying to make well-informed decisions while also bearing in mind that we must hurry. Amidst such a situation, we are working in the hope of presenting a decision in the coming days.

REPORTER: Regarding diplomatic issues, today, Defense Minister Kitazawa expressed hesitation about having the 2+2 Meeting in Washington D.C. during the Golden Week holiday period at the beginning of May due to the current disaster. How do you view the Minister's comment?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I did not hear the comment myself, but basically, even amid the disaster, as diplomatic issues concern the schedules of other countries as well, all itineraries should be carried out according to their original schedules if possible in consideration of evolving situations. This policy also applies to the 2+2 Meeting. At the present stage we have not made any final decision. Throughout this process I am sure that there will be various opinions expressed within Japan as well.

REPORTER: I would like to ask about Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1. On the night of March 11, the water level in the pressure vessel fell to the point where the fuel rods were almost exposed. The following day, the Prime Minister visited the plant for an inspection. Do you think it was right for the Prime Minister to have gone to such a dangerous place? What do you think about this, in terms of safety?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The site may have been dangerous, but everyone there - the personnel from TEPCO and other concerned organizations - was working desperately to prevent the incident from getting any worse. I do not feel there was any problem in particular with the Prime Minister visiting such a place.

REPORTER: I would like to confirm something regarding the cancellation of shipping restrictions which you spoke about in your opening statement. Can we assume that the government is confident when it says that raw milk from parts of Fukushima, and spinach and kakina from Gunma Prefecture are safe to eat and drink? Is there no cause for concern?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The situation regarding the cancellation of shipping restrictions is as you have described.

REPORTER: I believe that the former President of Saga University, Dr. Haruo Uehara, who was involved in the design of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3, was asked around mid-March, to assist the government, and that he has been making proposals regarding external cooling systems for the nuclear reactors. I would like to ask you whether this method is going to be employed. What are the chances of using such systems?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: It is possible that this technique will be used. If it is shown to be effective then we will quickly pursue that line of action. Such information has been provided to the office in charge, by which I mean the Integrated Headquarters. Ultimately, this idea poses some technological challenges, therefore I would like you to ask experts about these issues.

REPORTER: Earlier, you said that no information provided to you by the Prime Minister's Office would be hidden, and I for one, would also like to believe this is true. However, when I look at the contents of the announcements that have been made so far, I feel somewhat puzzled. There was a major accident before dawn on the morning of March 28. It was announced that the bottom of a pressure vessel had fallen out. Hence, the media asked "does the loss of the bottom of a pressure vessel mean that the container was damaged?" You responded that "It is unlikely that there has been any immediate damage to the container." However, when I posed this question to TEPCO Vice President Sakae Muto, he said, "The container itself is robust, but there is a rubber component through which a cable is passed, and this melts at 300?C." Based on that, he recognized the likelihood that this part could have melted; in other words, that it had been damaged. This is surely related to the severe leaking of highly contaminated water. It is a serious situation. In light of this therefore, if you are not lying, then the information you are providing us is certainly late. On March 28, Vice President Muto acknowledged, in response to my questioning, that part of the container had been damaged.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: What I said at that time was that I would like to respond after confirming the facts. As far as I know, that is to say, based on the reports I have received, I have been reporting things and answering questions as accurately as possible. My intention has been to receive questions and respond in a correct manner. However, I believe that cases are likely to arise in which the way the details are perceived differs somewhat from the details that I have endeavored to confirm and provide. On the present point, I need to know which of my statements, on which day and month, we are referring to specifically.

REPORTER: The press conference held at 11:00am on March 28.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: If I may, I would like to check this and respond to you later. I would appreciate it if you would provide the Chief Cabinet Secretary's Office with a memo regarding which statements contained discrepancies.