Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary

JAPANESE

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As today marks one month since the occurrence of the Great East Japan Earthquake, shortly before 6:00pm the Prime Minister will be making a statement and holding a press conference. Before that, I would like to report on two important items that are of great concern for the public. The first relates to a review of the status of evacuation in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant. Data relating to radiation volumes in the vicinity of the plant have been progressively accumulated. On the basis of analysis of these data, the Government has made a new decision concerning evacuation in the vicinity of the power plant. I would like to stress in advance to the residents living in the affected areas that this new decision is not intended as a request for immediate urgent evacuation or action. The new guidelines have been formulated in view of the health risks associated with staying in the vicinity of the plant over an extended period of time. The Government is engaged in specific consultations with Fukushima Prefecture and the towns and villages affected concerning what arrangements and what response should be taken, and the local governments have been requested to give specific instructions to residents on the basis of the local situation and due regard for safety. I would like to make this clear at the outset. Firstly, the Government has decided to designate new planned evacuation zones. These are areas outside the 20km radius from the power plant, where accumulated volumes of radioactive materials emitted from the power plant are increasing due to weather and topographic conditions. In these areas, there is a concern that residents who continue to live there for six months to one year would be exposed to even higher levels of accumulated radiation. These areas have accordingly been newly designated as planned evacuation zones. The criteria for designating these areas have been formulated in view of the reference levels set by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which state that for the purpose of protection, emergency exposure situations should be set in the band of 20 to 100mSv effective dose. As there is a concern that within the space of one year following the accident, the cumulative radiation volumes could reach 20mSv in these areas, it has been decided to newly designate them as planned evacuation zones. Specifically, the new designation is to be applied to the following areas that are outside the 20km radius of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant: the villages of Katsurao, Namie and Iitate, part of the town of Kawamata, and part of the city of Minamisoma. This measure will cause great hardship for the residents living in these areas, but it will be necessary for them to evacuate in a planned manner to another location. A timetable for implementation of around one month is considered to be preferable for the planned evacuations, but as I stated at the outset, decisions will be made in close consultation with the towns and villages concerned as well as with the prefectural government of Fukushima. Already plans are being finalized with the various local governments on the arrangements that need to be made to ensure that the evacuation is implemented in a manner that minimizes confusion. I would like to repeat that the request to evacuate will be made after coordination with local governments and ask you to understand that there is no immediate necessity to take action. Next, with regard to the areas that lie within the 20 to 30km radius of the plant that are designated as areas for sheltering indoors, but at the moment are not designated as planned evacuation zones, the accident situation at the power plant has not been fully stabilized. In comparison to the situation in the first few days or one week after the accident occurred, the status is currently heading towards one of relatively stability, but the possibility that this status may deteriorate cannot be overlooked. There is still an undeniable possibility that in this scenario the residents would be asked to take emergency shelter indoors or to evacuate. Accordingly, those areas within the 20 to 30km area for sheltering indoors that have not been newly designated as the planned evacuation zones I have just mentioned, will be designated as emergency evacuation preparation zones. Specifically, this designation is to be applied to the following areas that are within a 20 to 30km radius of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant: the towns of Hirono and Naraha, the village of Kawauchi, and parts of the cities of Tamura and Minamisoma. For residents living in these areas, it is necessary to make preparations to shelter indoors or to evacuate in the event of an emergency. Accordingly, it continues to be the case that certain people, particularly children, pregnant women, persons requiring nursing care and hospitalized patients, should not enter this area. In principle, in the event of an emergency, people should be prepared to shelter indoors or be able to evacuate using their own means. If there are people in this area for whom evacuation by their own means in an emergency situation would not be possible, it is advisable for such people to evacuate in advance. This advice is already in effect and there is no change to the status of this advice. There are people who have already evacuated voluntarily from this area, and I would like to point out that these people will be eligible for support from the Government and for future compensation, in the same way as people who have evacuated on the basis of an evacuation advisory. Although it will cause great hardship for those concerned all nursery centers, kindergartens, and elementary, junior-high and high schools in the areas affected will be closed. Although people for whom it is absolutely necessary to enter the affected areas for the purposes of work, etc., will not be prevented from entering, as I have just stated, in these situations the people who enter the areas should be able to shelter indoors or evacuate using their own means in an emergency situation. The response in emergency evacuation preparation zones is being organized in close consultation with the towns and villages concerned and the prefectural government of Fukushima, and specific details of arrangements will be notified again to the various areas concerned. Residents are therefore requested not to take any action immediately, but wait for notification of the arrangements that have been made. The status of these planned evacuation zones and emergency evacuation preparation zones will be reviewed at a time when it is judged that the emission of radioactive materials from the power plant has been basically brought under control. Until that time, the Government will further enhance monitoring in the affected areas and continue to collect and analyze data, which will contribute to a future review of the situation. That is all from me now concerning this measure. More details will be provided by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuyama in a press briefing.

Moving on to the next item I would like to report, in a round-robin Cabinet meeting, a decision was made by the Cabinet on the holding of the Great East Japan Earthquake Reconstruction Design Council. The Great East Japan Earthquake caused unprecedented and widespread damage and reconstruction will be no easy matter given the national crisis we are currently facing. However, I believe that if everyone in Japan joins together with the people in the disaster-affected regions to engage in tenacious efforts towards reconstruction, this is a challenge that we will definitely be able to overcome. For this purpose, it is of great importance to set about formulating a concrete reconstruction plan that is based on the opinions of residents in the various affected regions, at the same time as creating a grand vision for reconstruction that can be shared by all the people of Japan and duly reflects the wishes of those affected by the disaster. The Prime Minister has already announced the establishment of a Reconstruction Design Council comprised of experts for the purpose of creating this grand vision. This Council will not be bound by previous frameworks and will work to create a bold and comprehensive vision for reconstruction that will be remembered in history for its achievements. This Council will be characterized by its selection of members who hail from the Tohoku region most affected by the disaster and will further amass knowledge and wisdom from the entire country. These members will be bound by a sense of solidarity and a fervent desire to achieve disaster recovery and reconstruction. With excellent communication skills, the members of Council will set out a vision for a new Japan from a number of specialist areas. These are the three points that the Government has focused on when selecting members of the Council. There are 15 members of the Council, and one special advisor. Professor Makoto Iokibe has been requested to chair the Council. As you will be aware, Prof. Iokibe is one of Japan's preeminent political scientists and was a driving force for reconstruction following the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. He currently serves as vice chairperson of the Hyogo Earthquake Memorial 21st Century Research Institute, which is a leading organization in research activities to create new urban designs for the 21st century. The Government has thus requested Prof. Iokibe to chair the Council, bringing the benefit of his tremendous experience. In addition, the world-renowned architect Prof. Tadao Ando, who was also instrumental in the reconstruction efforts following the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and Prof. Takashi Mikuriya a political scientist who has researched the processes of reconstruction following the Great Kanto Earthquake and the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, have both been requested to serve as advisors to the chairperson. As you can see in the document provided to you, the other members of the Council truly comprise an all-Japan team of experts and scholars, including renowned persons from various fields, the leaders of local governments affected by the disaster, preeminent persons in studies of the Tohoku region, persons with knowledge and information concerning the fisheries industry in the Tohoku region, and persons with a detailed knowledge of the status of the disaster-affected areas. Furthermore, philosopher Prof. Takashi Umehara has been requested to act as a special advisor to the Council and he will provide advice from a broader perspective at various junctures in deliberations. As the membership of the Council still does not cover all fields that require reconstruction, given the extremely wide area affected by the disaster, in order to advance further deliberations from an expert perspective in all areas, a study group will also be established comprised of insightful and able scholars and others, who have been requested to provide the benefit of their expert and multi-disciplinary views to the deliberations. This study group consists of 19 members, as detailed in the document distributed to you, and it is anticipated that as discussions proceed there is a possibility that the membership of this group may be increased. The Government is considering giving the Reconstruction Design Council legal status in the Basic Act for Reconstruction, but until then, the Council will be convened on the basis of the decision by the Cabinet. The first meeting of the Council is planned to be held at the Prime Minister's Office from 2:00pm on April 14. It is the Government's intention that from the outset, this Council will not just work simply on reconstruction, but will aim to achieve creative reconstruction that is determinedly future-oriented. As it is imperative that initiatives for reconstruction be issued as quickly as possible, the aim is to come up with a basic proposal by the summer, possibly by the end of June. The Government will promptly reflect the proposals received from the Council into its Basic Policy for Reconstruction and make concerted efforts towards reconstruction. With regard to the reconstruction of the areas affected by the accidents at Fukushima Daiichi and Daini Nuclear Power Plants, the Government plans to create a separate structure for focused considerations on reconstruction, taking into account future developments and the status of the areas. The secretariat for the Reconstruction Design Council will be the Legislation Preparation Office for Disaster Reconstruction, headed by Mr. Toyonari Sasaki, the Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary. For further details about the members of the Council and study group, please direct your inquiries to the Cabinet Affairs Office.

There is one more point that I would like to comment on. I want to talk about the establishment of an Economic Impact Response Headquarters as a result of the nuclear power plant accident. At the meeting of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters held just a little while ago, Prime Minister Kan indicated that the Government would today unite itself in establishing the Headquarters for a Response to the Economic Impact caused by the Nuclear Power Plant Incident in order to pay due consideration to the construction of a framework to respond to the economic damage incurred as a result of the nuclear power plant incident. A moment ago Prime Minister Kan appointed Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Kaieda as presiding Cabinet minister to serve as Minister for the Response to the Economic Impact caused by the Nuclear Incident, making him the head of the new headquarters. You can find the organization of the headquarters and other details on the materials that you have been provided. At the same time, a head office was established within the Cabinet Secretariat and will be called the Office for a Response to the Economic Impact caused by the Nuclear Power Plant Incident. Furthermore, based on the provisions of Article 18 of the Act on Compensation for Nuclear Damage, a round-robin Cabinet meeting was held this afternoon to approve the issuance of an ordinance to establish Review Panel on Conflicts of Damage caused by Nuclear Power within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). This panel will draft a guideline for determining the scope of nuclear damage. For more details, please contact the Office for a Response to the Economic Impact caused by the Nuclear Power Plant Incident. We will take all possible measures using this structure to respond to the many people that have evacuated and suffered various economic damages due to nuclear power plant damage and accident.

Q&As

REPORTER: I have three questions regarding the newly established evacuation zones. First, what is going to happen to the 20km zone? Second, am I correct in understanding that the details for the planned evacuation zones are the same as for the 20km zone? Finally, is a no-entry zone going to be designated?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Just as I mentioned this morning, we are paying various considerations to designating a no-entryzone; however, at the present moment we have not made any decision. In regards to the 20km zone, the order to evacuate will not change. The planned evacuation zone is not the same as the 20km evacuation zone. That is because the circumstances that would necessitate evacuation differ. The 20km zone near the nuclear power plant was established as a request to residents in the area to evacuate in response to the initial accident and as a precautionary measure against the emission of large amounts of radioactive materials over a short period of time. Furthermore, due to those events, there is a strong possibility that rather highly radioactive materials still remain on the earth's surface. Once the nuclear power plant is brought under control, it will be possible to conduct more detailed soil monitoring. At present, however, we are asking people not to enter the area. The establishment of the new planned evacuation zones was a safety consideration in terms of living in the areas in question for a longer period of time, such as a half-year or full year. Therefore, we have indicated that it would be best not to enter the zones. Nevertheless, this planned evacuation zone greatly differs in meaning compared to the 20km zone.

REPORTER: I understand that the meaning for their establishment is different, but, just as with the 20km zone, people will eventually not be able to live there anymore. Is that correct?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: It will not necessarily be determined that way. In other words, we will have people once leave the zone in a planned fashion. Then, just as with the 20km zone, we will basically ask people not to enter the zone. We are still considering and preparing the details, but it will differ from the 20km zone, in which one would need to make significant preparations before temporarily entering. Of course, we need to further address the details of the degree of radiation levels by monitoring inside the zone, but basically we do not envision treating the planned evacuation zones the same as the 20km zone in terms of temporary entry.

REPORTER: I understand that residents living inside of the planned evacuation zones will sooner or later have to begin evacuating. At present, have you already secured a location for these people to evacuate to? Also, have you received report from local municipal governments regarding this? Finally, I understand that you have been making the final adjustments for the past several days. While making those adjustments, what were the views of municipal governments and did the Government take those views into consideration?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: To answer your first question, the situation is slightly different depending on the specific municipality. Basically, however, the Government is working tremendously hard to adequately match residents to recipients - and this is for a longer term. We are not envisioning a stay of several days or a week. Also, as I just mentioned, we are paying consideration to temporary entry, as the circumstances and situation greatly differ from that of the 20km zone. We have started working with municipal governments to consider whether areas have relatively organized factories, what to do with the people in livestock industries, and other similar matters. Recently, we have analyzed monitoring data collected until now to determine whether what area would require a planned evacuation zone. Also, in regards to the 20 to 30km zone, we are mainly making adjustments based on an expert analysis to confirm what type of response will be necessary from the perspective of safety. In addition, from around yesterday we have been holding rather concrete dialogue with municipal governments on those ideas. The municipal governments have strongly requested that safety be ensured while also taking as much care as possible to not impact local economic infrastructure in place - particularly the livestock industry, factories, and others that residents depend on for their livelihood. Since the beginning we have paid every effort possible to addressing the issue according to these requests and to ensuring safety at the same time. We are currently making adjustments to our specific methods.

REPORTER: When revising this range, you mentioned that the situation of the release of radioactive materials was basically under control, but what does "basically under control" mean exactly? Is there a concrete, separate policy in place, such as planning for having the cooling done automatically in the future?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I do not think that the amount of radioactive materials coming from the nuclear power plant will ever be reduced completely to zero. However, the important thing is for levels to fall and remain stable at a range low enough to be ignored. We still need to pay further consideration and make more preparations in regard to those details.

REPORTER: What kind of specific instructions were there from the Prime Minister regarding the planned evacuation zone?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We have been providing the Prime Minister with reports as necessary, including on the situation regarding monitoring, as well as the subsequent analysis and the course of progress. Specifically, he has instructed us to consider safety first and foremost. On that basis, he wishes for us to steadily develop communication, interaction and exchange of information with everyone in the region, in particular, the inhabitants of the cities, towns, and villages, while ensuring concrete progress in the various matters.

REPORTER: Perhaps you could tell us, if you happen to have the details; have you set numerical benchmarks for the planned evacuation zone and the no-entry zone?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Later, there will be a briefing by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuyama, and if the preparations are ready at that time, there will be a report made about this.

REPORTER: I understand that the reason for expanding the area of evacuation is because it is a prolonged issue. What I do not really understand is the theory behind lowering the limit from 50 to 20mSv, based on this point. It basically appears to be safer to sustain gradual exposure for half or one year, than to be exposed to the same amount of radiation for one or two days. Therefore, is there a reason, at this juncture, for lowering the limit, because it is long-term, say, to accord with international standards?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuyama should be able to explain this to a certain degree in his briefing. In fact, if you ask the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) or the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC), I expect they could report on recent international trends and specialist analyses from present research.

REPORTER: I believe the question of allowing temporary visits home within the 20km zone is under consideration. What can you tell us about this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This is also something we would like to implement if possible. I want to make this a reality as soon as I can. To be precise, I feel it would be more accurate to say "temporary entry" into the zone, than simply a temporary visit home. The practical details of how to ensure safety, and how to proceed in terms of operations, in order to respond to the demands for safety, are currently being hurriedly worked out.

REPORTER: It seems that the emergency evacuation preparation zone will not differ much from the current 20-30km control zone. What are the aims of setting it up, and do you have a general forecast on the possibility of managing it as before?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Regarding the earlier statement, basically, I announced that I wanted to request indoor evacuation for the current 20-30km zone. As long as people stay indoors, the amount of radiation they receive will be lower compared to when outdoors, and so the effects incurred by the radiation are small. Nevertheless, those effects will be cumulative if prolonged, and therefore, indoor evacuation can no longer be considered acceptable. We will have to ask the people in regions where accumulation over the long term might possibly lead to problems to leave in a planned fashion. That is to say, the situation appears to have changed since the time we called for a stay-in-place evacuation.

REPORTER: Excuse me, but concerning the second half part of that question, is there an outlook or forecast for the situation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Currently, we are working as quickly as we can with Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) on the review for a specific outlook or forecast as to when the situation will be brought under control, so that we could provide as detailed an explanation as possible to all the relevant parties. Of course, we have to move ahead as quickly as possible while coming up with all the possible scenarios, but we hope to be able to give a certain indication of the outlook as soon as possible.

REPORTER: Is the current stage of discussion such that you will be able to establish an outlook for the situation within a month?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This is not really something for which we can set a deadline, throw our efforts into our work and come to a conclusion in the set amount of time. The questions of how the situation might possibly come to a conclusion and at what time are not issues determined by political decisions but by scientific facts. Therefore, as to when we would be able to provide an outlook for the situation, my answer would be as soon as possible once it is possible to do so. We are working on this as quickly as we can.

REPORTER: I would just like to clarify. Is there at least a legal basis for the establishment of planned evacuation zones and emergency evacuation preparation zones at this time, or are these proposals based solely on the Government's judgment?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In a broad sense, the instructions are based on the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness. That is not to say that instructions are being given at this moment; rather, instructions will be given once the specific operations have been finalized based on our policy for this.