Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary

JAPANESE

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have two items to report to you. The first is about the visit of the Prime Minister to Fukushima Prefecture. On Thursday, April 21, the Prime Minister will travel on a Self-Defense Forces helicopter to Fukushima, returning to Tokyo on the same day. In Fukushima, he is scheduled to meet with the governor of Fukushima Prefecture and will also offer his encouragement to the local Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters situated at the Fukushima Prefectural Office and offer his sympathies to evacuees in the cities of Tamura and Koriyama. If inclement weather conditions do not permit the helicopter to fly, the visit will be postponed.

One more item concerns a number of reports this morning that the people in the evacuation areas and areas designated for sheltering indoors in the vicinity of the nuclear power station "will not be provided with employment adjustment subsidies." Although these reports are not incorrect, to be more accurate, it is the case that the areas in question have been designated as areas for special measures under the employment insurance scheme, whereby although people may be closed for business or not engaged in work they are deemed to be unemployed and therefore eligible for the provision of unemployment benefits under the special measures. With regard to whether to provide assistance in the form of employment adjustment subsidies or in the form of unemployment benefit under the employment insurance scheme, these will be applied depending on the situation and in the case that there are businesses that are unable to operate, the closure of business will be deemed to be a state of unemployment for which unemployment benefits will be paid. As it is thought that explanations provided at "Hello Work" employment security offices were insufficient, I have recently asked the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) to ensure that consultations and applications are thoroughly dealt with at Hello Work offices. Accordingly, the people in the affected areas around the nuclear station who have evacuated or who are sheltering indoors and are insured under the employment insurance scheme, and who have no income due to the closure of their place of employment, will of course be eligible under this plan. I hope that these people will visit their nearest Hello Work office, including offices in their evacuation locations to make inquiries concerning the payment of benefits.

Q&As

REPORTER: I have a question concerning the restrictions on shipment of young lance fish that was announced this morning. I have asked the same question to the government office concerned, but only received a vague response, so I would like to ask the same question to you. The date on which the investigation was implemented that became the standard for issuing the shipment restriction order was April 18; however, there were two other occasions on April 7 and April 13 when the stipulated limits were exceeded. It is also a fact that the stipulated limits have been exceeded in the waters off Ibaraki Prefecture. What was the background to the political decision on the timing and scope of the restrictions on shipment?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I was consulted specifically about this matter at the working level from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and MHLW and I would suggest you direct your question to those ministries for details. My understanding of the situation, which also applies to vegetables as well as fish, is that a designation for restriction of shipment is made after thorough consideration has been given to whether the data was gathered from just one location, or whether similar readings have been gathered from multiple locations over the area in question. In addition, in this case the fisheries operators themselves in both Fukushima and Ibaraki Prefectures are refraining from fishery operations. Accordingly, given that there is no danger of these fish reaching the consumer food chain, a decision was made to wait until a variety of data were collected and then make a decision on whether it would be necessary to impose restrictions on a wider area, including Fukushima.

REPORTER: Yesterday, in response to a question about the submission of the draft of the Basic Act on Reconstruction, you said that a structure would be compiled at the earliest juncture, preferably by the end of this month. In the context of the formulation of the draft bill for reconstruction, what are your personal views on whether the post of a minister for reconstruction will be created or not?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This is a personnel matter and is therefore is a matter that the Prime Minister alone has the authority to decide. My understanding is that ultimately the Prime Minister will make a decision on the basis of the roles to be played in coordinating reconstruction as a whole and what format the ministerial role should take.

REPORTER: Also, at the beginning of this month in a conference held by Diet committee chairpersons from the ruling and opposition parties, there was a request to revise the Cabinet Act and raise the number of ministers by three. Does the Government still wish to increase the number of minister by three or will it seek to cooperate with the opposition parties and reduce this requested additional number of ministers?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The Government has submitted a request to the Diet that refers not only to an increase in the number of ministers, but of ministers, vice ministers, parliamentary secretaries and special advisors. The views of the Government on this matter remain unchanged. However, as this is a matter for the Diet to decide, there will be various consultations among ruling and opposition parties. The Government has expressed an opinion that it would be ideal to increase the number of persons it has stated, but ultimately this will not be possible without the approval of the Diet. In the case that approval is gained from the Diet, the Government will not be bound by the initial figures stated, but will seek to engage in the necessary coordination to ensure that the disaster-related response and other government-related work can both be carried out without imposing an undue burden on certain areas of government administration.

REPORTER: I understand that the Prime Minister has the executive authority to make such decisions on who to appoint and such matters. However, is it necessary at the current stage to decide on a structure and who will serve at the head of such a structure, and whether a minister will be appointed or not?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The Government is engaged in operations at the working level to consider the content and concepts of the draft bill to be submitted for the Basic Act on Reconstruction. At the same time, I am aware that there are discussions ongoing among the political parties about the possibility of lawmaker-initiated legislation and Mr. Kamei, the leader of the People's New Party is making various efforts in this regard. Given these various deliberations in the Diet, a final decision has yet to be made on what position will be created, although it is clear that a person who will be in charge of coordinating reconstruction as a whole will be necessary. However, before a request is submitted for such an appointment, it will be first necessary to wait until discussions in the Diet crystallize further.

REPORTER: In response to a question in this morning's press conference, you stated that the Government is in consultation with local governments on the designation of a no-entry zone, and that a conclusion would be forthcoming in the near future. In actual fact, Fukushima Prefecture requested the imposition of a no-entry zone at the end of March. What are the reasons for the delay in responding to this request and why is it taking so long?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: With regard to the first part of your question, the Government received the request from Fukushima Prefecture with the utmost seriousness and has since been engaged in consultations with the various local governments involved. In addition, from the perspective of crime prevention, in particular, the police service has been responding to the situation in the designated evacuation areas and has created a structure for policing the areas, including the access roads into the area, as crime prevention was one of the reasons that the prefecture issued the request for a no-entry zone. The measures that can be implemented are being implemented sequentially and discussions are currently being finalized on whether the designation of a no-entry zone is required.

REPORTER: If you have been in consultation with the related local governments, is there any reason why these consultations have lasted so long? Have you faced difficulties in the consultations?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe that as the situation and stance of each of the local governments is different, it is not for a member of the Cabinet or for the Government to announce the specific nature of the consultations and coordination with each local government.

REPORTER: Once you do reach an agreement with local governments and issue instructions calling for the establishment of a no-entry zone, will that order be effective immediately or within days? Or, what amount of time will you set aside between when you announce the order and when it goes into effect? What are the thoughts of the Government about this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We will need to decide these things in the end. In addition to coordinating this with local governments, there are many other operations which we will need to consider after actually setting up a no-entry zone, and we are in the final stages of coordination on preparations for these operations as well. We are coordinating actions as to when we will or won't, or can or cannot issue the order.

REPORTER: Related to that, when Prime Minister Kan visits Fukushima Prefecture and meets with the Governor there tomorrow, will he present the Governor with the national governments ideas on the no-entry zone?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think we can generally assume that the Prime Minister will naturally present the Governor with an explanation of everything that has been decided or is in the process of being approved by the Cabinet on this issue up until the point that he leaves for Fukushima.

REPORTER: Additionally, concerning the temporary visits home, some are reporting that only one person per household will be allowed to enter the evacuation zone. What is the current feeling about this within your discussions on the matter?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: There are a variety of stages and possible situations associated with allowing members of the public to temporarily enter the evacuation zone, and so we are consulting local municipalities about this issue. We are currently undertaking a comprehensive and final coordination work to make it possible to carry out this operation while ensuring safety. I'm not exactly sure... well, I won't deny that the idea you mentioned is being considered within our discussions. That isn't to say that anything has been decided yet though. I hope to collect together the total package of our final ideas on allowing the public to temporarily enter the zone as soon as possible.

REPORTER: On a separate topic, in your press conference this morning, you said that you would leave the matter of Senior Vice Minister of Finance Mitsuru Sakurai having criticized the Prime Minister up to Minister of Finance Yoshihiko Noda. Were you contacted by either Mr. Sakurai or Mr. Noda after that?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: No, I was not.

REPORTER: So nothing in particular has been done about that? Have you given any instructions or anything?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I trust the Minister of Finance will respond appropriately to the situation.

REPORTER: I have a question about the Prime Minister's visit to Fukushima. You said he was visiting the evacuation shelters in Koriyama City and Tamura City. Although some areas of Tamura City are within the 30km radius of the station, I presume the shelters are located outside of the 30km zone. Is the purpose of the Prime Minister's visit then to listen to the various opinions of those who evacuated from the 20km zone, in terms of arriving at a decision on the no-entry zone and giving instructions on the planned evacuation zones?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: If I may elaborate, regarding the situation of the areas with which the Government has been discussing to newly designate as planned evacuation zones - something which has gotten a lot of media attention in particular - I have also spoken directly with the Governor and the village and town mayors. At the same time, we understand that there are many people at the evacuation shelters who were forced to evacuate shortly after the nuclear accident, with only the clothes on their back. I believe the Government has a heavy responsibility to fully support the livelihoods of these people. Although we are of course already holding dialogues on these issues, including the issue of the temporary return of the evacuees, I believe one of the purposes of the forthcoming visit to Fukushima is to further enhance and bolster our response, while getting a full and direct grasp of the situation as much as possible. Such issues as the temporary return of evacuees and the establishment of a no-entry zone are not directly related to the visit.

REPORTER: There are some new reports about the Government's disaster prevention guidelines for nuclear accidents, such as that the Government is planning to review the guidelines by the end of this year and to expand the priority area for disaster prevention measures which is currently set at the 10km radius area to 30km. Can you clarify the facts as well as tell us the status of the Government's review?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Leaving aside the assessment of whether or not we were able to predict the latest nuclear accidents, we know at the very least that our preparedness was not based on sufficient predictions. There is no doubt about it. Therefore, we have already begun taking emergency measures for the other nuclear power stations, including measures related to backup electricity, since we do not know when a disaster might strike. If there is anything we can do without waiting for the study of the accident, we have to take those steps and we have been doing that. However, it is so far not at the stage at which I am receiving reports, for example, that specific details like what you just mentioned have been decided, or that there are plans to decide on this or the other, or that a review is being undertaken for this or that reason.

REPORTER: Does the Government intend to finish reviewing the disaster prevention guidelines by the end of this year?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have not yet been informed that the disaster prevention guidelines are being scrutinized and reviewed. However, bearing in mind the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the relevant departments have been notified that if there is anything that can be done, they need to immediately get those measures started and implement them.

REPORTER: It seems that adjustments currently being made by Iwate Prefecture are heading toward the establishment of disaster risk areas where any new construction will be regulated and restricted until the coastal regions which were severely damaged by the tsunami formulate a plan for reconstruction. How do you feel about this course of action? Following on from that, what does the Government think about the necessity of regulating and restricting homes in areas like these, damaged by tsunami?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am aware that in Iwate Prefecture, based on the current legal system, various discussions and consultations are underway from the perspective of ensuring the safety of the people of the prefecture. In accordance with the situation in the regions damaged by the recent events and the calls coming from those regions, first and foremost, I believe it is necessary for the Government to address the issue of recovery and reconstruction. I believe a range of efforts are being made, in particular by the Governor, who knows the local situation and conditions more than the national government and who is charged with ensuring the safety of the residents of the Prefecture. If problems are highlighted in these efforts, in the context of the systems of the national government, for example, then the Government will consult local areas regarding what it can and should do based on those observations. Regarding the point you just made, however, I have been made aware of the efforts and the discussions in the prefecture by means of news and reports. That said, I have yet to receive any specific recommendations as to whether the Government should change any of its systems.

REPORTER: There were reports that a certain government office has been instructing staff members to ask people from Fukushima Prefecture who visit the office to register residence in the municipality to show certification that they have been screened for radiation. Previously, you called against such overreactions. However, given that this local government is doing something like this, there is the possibility that widespread discrimination is occurring, even beyond what is being reported. What are your thoughts regarding the measures taken?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I heard similar report about such a municipality yesterday. If we look at this in detail, the situation seems to have already improved, and yet, at the present stage, understanding of this issue is simply not sufficient. As a result, the people of Fukushima, who are already experiencing terrible hardships just from the direct damage due to recent events, are being caused additional substantial trouble by something which in a broad sense may be considered a harmful rumor, and for this, I am truly sorry. In order to eliminate these rumors, at the very least - and I want to reiterate this clearly and thoroughly - those working in the Government should act appropriately. At the same time, I sincerely hope for the media to understand and cooperate on this. Of course, we must be very careful in deal with the issue of radioactive materials, but the people within the 20km zone evacuated at an early stage of the accidents. We are now carefully monitoring the situation regarding radioactive materials in other regions.

Those who have entered the 20km zone for disaster response work - and this was the case when I entered the region recently too - are taking every measure necessary to prevent any highly concentrated radioactive material from escaping from the area. Accordingly, for foodstuffs and other items as well, rigorous monitoring has been conducted in order to ensure that no products are distributed which do not meet our strict safety standards. Therefore, I would like to request cooperation in doing as much as possible to widely report on the scientific facts of this issue and make it understood that we are not in a situation where people in other regions should be concerned about individuals coming out of Fukushima or items brought out of the Prefecture.