Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary

JAPANESE

Q&As

REPORTER: With regard to the timetable for the completion of the temporary housing, today in a Diet committee meeting, the Prime Minister stated that he wished to ensure that all people could be relocated to temporary housing by around the time of the Obon holiday period in August. I realize that this is a final target, but are there any interim targets, including specific figures that the Government is considering?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Please direct your question about that to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) for details. My understanding is that the aim is to complete over 30,000 temporary housing units by the end of May, assuming of course the procurement of materials and land. With regard to the timetable for construction thereafter the Government will need the cooperation of prefectural governments in procuring land for the temporary housing and my understanding is that it is the strong wish of the Prime Minister to achieve completion with the cooperation of the prefectures.

REPORTER: When you say "strong wish", do you mean that the target of completion by the Obon holiday period is not a concrete one, but just an aspiration? Is there no clear roadmap towards completion?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: My understanding is that an outlook has been completed for the majority of related items, including the procurement of materials for temporary housing. Ultimately there are other factors to be considered including the procurement of land and matters unrelated to construction. The current status is that the Government has set forth this outlook for completion and the central and prefectural governments will make every effort to work with the greatest speed in achieving the target set out in the outlook.

REPORTER: On a related note, is the Government considering extending the period that residents are permitted to live in the temporary housing?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In principle, the period that temporary housing is provided is set at two years and a clear decision will have to be made on the period that the housing can be used. However, the first priority is to ensure that all people who wish to use temporary housing have access to it. Also, given the status of the disaster-affected regions and the situation at the nuclear power station, I think that there is a shared recognition that there will be a number of regions where people will find it difficult to leave temporary housing within two years. However, with regard to procedures the first priority is to ensure that everyone who so wishes can have access to temporary housing.

REPORTER: In the Diet committee meeting, you made a comment that I could not quite understand concerning special legislation for employees at the nuclear power station and the reemployment of residents in the vicinity of the power station. Could you expand on this a little more?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: For the residents who have already evacuated or who will evacuate, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is making thorough provisions for compensation, with the support of the Government. At the same time when you consider the region as a whole or the work places in the areas affected, it is a fact that there may be some areas where compensation from TEPCO alone will not resolve all cases. For example, with regard to agriculture and livestock farming, in order to return the land to its pre-accident status, it will be necessary to improve the soil quality, and also for the livestock farmers who have regrettably lost continuity in their business, it will be therefore necessary to consider what measures will be needed to achieve regeneration. These are aspects that cannot be resolved by the provision of compensation money alone. In addition, with regard to the people who had jobs connected to the nuclear power station, even if the timetable as set forth by TEPCO is completed as planned in the next six to nine months, there will still be various operations that will need to be implemented to contain the situation and the people who used to work at the station will probably not be able to return to their jobs. If these people cannot find employment in the future, their situation will not be improved in the long-run by the provision of a temporary compensation payment and in terms of industrial policy, it is the Government's responsibility to ensure that these people can find new places of employment. It is not for me to say at the current point for whom specific measures or benefits will be required or whether legislation will be required to implement such measures, but if required, a request will be submitted to the Diet to consider legislative measures.

REPORTER: When you speak about people employed in work relating to the nuclear power station, how close is the relationship to the power station of the people you are talking about? If they are very closely related to the power station, there could be some residents who view them as part of the problem in the first place. What is your view in this regard?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I do not really share your observation. In response to the accident, I recognize that it is the responsibility of TEPCO as the company and operator involved, and of the Government as the body that has monitored the industry to perform the duties that are expected of them accordingly. However, the people who work on site in the nuclear power industry are in a broad sense employed in work that relates to and is based on Japan's energy policy and therefore, I believe that after the situation is brought under control, irrespective of the national energy policy, these people should be shown consideration in some form of employment or industry policy.

REPORTER: I have a question regarding the Planned Evacuation Zones. Today Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuyama met with the mayor and leaders of Iitate village and proposed areas outside Fukushima Prefecture as specific locations for evacuation, in response to which the mayor of Iitate village requested that the proposal be reconsidered. What is the current status regarding the coordination of locations for evacuation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The residents will each have their own individual needs based on individual circumstances, including work, schooling and other factors. Given this reality, efforts are being made to firstly evacuate the residents as quickly as possible and also ensure that the locations to which they are evacuated are in accordance with their needs and wishes to the greatest extent possible. Today Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuyama heard a number of specific requests from the mayor of the village and efforts will continue to be made to seek to respond to these requests and implement evacuations accordingly.

REPORTER: Given the current status of progress, is it likely that evacuation can be achieved within one month?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: If evacuations were to be implemented without regard for the wishes of the residents, then, it would not be difficult to achieve evacuation within one month. However, maximum efforts are being made to respond to the situations and needs of the residents, which may not be 100% in accordance with all wishes, but such coordination efforts are nonetheless being made between municipal, prefectural and national governments.

REPORTER: I have a question regarding temporary entry into the no-entry zone. According to some reports, the Government is looking to start the temporary entry operations for some local governments at the earliest during the national holiday next week. The Prime Minister had earlier stated that these operations would begin after the national holiday was over. Is the Government considering the possibility of implementing operations during the holiday period for some municipalities?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The Prime Minister yesterday stated that the target was to begin temporary entry operations after the national holiday, but this did not mean that it would begin only after the national holiday because everyone would be taking a break. Efforts have been ongoing to respond to the greatest extent possible to requests, regardless of the national holiday. The target stated by the Prime Minister was one outlook for the operations and the Government continues to make maximum efforts to implement these operations. At the same time, the cooperation of the local governments is essential in order for progress to be made and efforts are being made to expedite the operations as quickly as possible, but also bearing in mind the various situations that are being faced by the local governments. The current target is to start operations after the national holiday, but if they can be initiated before that, we would like to start them as early as possible.

REPORTER: I would like to ask about the format of the organization that will deal with the reconstruction. At present, I believe there are a variety of recommendations being put forward in the Government by opposition parties, such as those calling for the creation of some kind of "Reconstruction Agency." What is the situation regarding the Government's development of an organization to manage reconstruction?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: There are currently a range of opinions and much coordination underway between the parties, aimed at the formation of a body which can tackle the issue of reconstruction in a robust and prompt manner. Based on these discussions, the Government is considering a number of possibilities and options for the specific format of such an organization.

REPORTER: You mentioned the word "prompt," but there are those who feel the process has been a little slower this time compared to the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake. What is the reason for this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Put simply, although I think we can use that time as a reference and compare whether things are moving more slowly or more quickly than during the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake, the types and circumstances surrounding the earthquake damage are different, as is the political situation. Therefore, I do not think it is necessarily an issue of simply how fast or slow things are moving in comparison to the other earthquake. Of course, recovery, that is to say the support for people's livelihoods, is still a fairly urgent concern, and we are at a point where we must make progress with concrete efforts for this, and also for reconstruction. Either way, as I said recently, I believe we must unveil a firm stance on the matter before the end of the Golden Week holiday period.

REPORTER: In discussions with the various parties, the Prime Minister has requested Shizuka Kamei of the People's New Party to think about a Reconstruction Implementation Headquarters, while Policy Research Council Chairman Koichiro Gemba has discussed basic laws with Shigeru Ishiba, Chairman of the Policy Research Council of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). It seems that the efforts are all over the place. In this regard, do you think there is a problem with the Prime Minister's leadership?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Because we are in the situation we are in, we must assume that there are a range of opinions and ideas in all sectors of the nation, and at every level. I believe that one way to proceed is to strive to find, through a variety of routes, a path that would respond to the opinions and requests from the people of the various party factions.

REPORTER: In the earlier Diet committee meeting, LDP Diet member Fukushiro Nukaga asked "Do you intend to create an investigation committee for the nuclear power station incident?" to which the Prime Minister replied "That is an extremely important point," going on to say "Regarding the incident at the nuclear power station, I believe the time has come for us to consider a committee to perform a clear investigation of the cause." You have also previously expressed recognition of this fact, saying "It is necessary to verify this by third party." How are discussions regarding this progressing at present?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In terms of the recent incident, I think this would include TEPCO, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), and in a broad sense, also the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC), but the said body should be a "third party" basically. Besides, consideration should probably be undertaken by an organization which has a specific, specialized view on the subject. We are currently headed toward a review of whether we can put together such a team, which will be able to work in this manner.

REPORTER: I think a conclusion to the incident at the nuclear power station is tied in, to a certain extent, with the start-up of a third-party organization. As we must concentrate on dealing with the incident, I expect it is simply too hard to make any progress in inspection. Do you have a goal of any kind at present, in terms of time-scale? Regarding the starting of such an organization?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This is exactly as I have said. Basically, putting all our efforts into bringing the incident to a conclusion should, in my mind, takes priority. That has not changed. However, although the incident has yet to be concluded, the situation is different from the first few days after it began, for example. There is also much interest both at home and abroad on the investigation as well as what measures will be needed in response to its outcomes. Therefore, the significant point is that we are starting to study the situation, including whether or not inspections are possible, while preventing any effects which would impede the conclusion of the incident.

REPORTER: Changing the subject slightly, I would like to ask about the Awase Landfill Project, which is being advanced in Okinawa City, Okinawa Prefecture, by the national and prefectural governments. Project officials from the prefectural and national governments today presented the Governor of Okinawa Prefecture with an Application for a Revision of the Program for Reclamation of Publicly-owned Water Surfaces. This project has met deep-seated opposition for various different reasons. As the Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, why do you think that this application for revision was submitted to push the project forward at this particular point in time? Also, please provide your thoughts about the project itself from the perspective of your position.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I understand that this project has been advanced based on a strong, longstanding request by Okinawa City and the entire prefecture. Amidst those circumstances, there were various developments in the summer of last year, and Okinawa City proposed that significant revisions be made to the plan. In response, the national government agreed to these revisions under certain conditions. At that time, we provided certain points of concern, and we now ask that those points continue to be fully accepted on the local level and that the project be carried out accordingly.

REPORTER: This question pertains to a different issue related to Okinawa. This was briefly discussed in this morning's press conference, but it was mentioned that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense shared with each other views and information on Okinawa in that morning. What did they discuss? Also, on a related note, Secretary General Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa are going to visit Okinawa during or after Golden Week. Generally speaking, there are two main problems that Okinawa faces today-the base issue, that is, the Futenma issue, and the issue of Okinawa promotion. How does the Government intend to address each of these issues in the future?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As the Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, I hear various opinions and news about promotional measures in Okinawa and I would like to report that we are carrying out the clerical work that needs to be completed according to plan. I am of course involved in numerous discussions at the working level, and I have expressed that in the future, I would like to commence many different projects, including at the policy level, that include the Okinawans. I would like to ask you to forward questions pertaining to comments made by other ministers to the relevant ministers.

REPORTER: I hear that in discussions with the Mayors of Kawamata Town and Iitate Village that just took place, a proposal was made by the Government to have residents that have evacuated conduct patrols. What exactly are you envisioning?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: That was one idea raised, but a decision will only be made following thorough discussion with the relevant organizations and in particular with the prefectural government. I will report on this in some form in the event that it is considered more concretely and is pushed toward becoming a reality. However, in general terms, people that are evacuating from the planned evacuation zones want to live and continue working as close to their homes as possible. Nevertheless, there are many people that have trouble continuing their work and we face the problem of finding various ways, or any way, to find employment opportunities for these people. Meanwhile, we will have to ensure a solid response to such issues as crime-prevention after the evacuation is completed, and that will be primarily handled by the police. Nevertheless, there are areas that can be patrolled without having to ask the police to cover everything. That is where the proposal that you mentioned comes from; however, discussion on the topic is still immature and nothing has been determined as of yet.

REPORTER: Do you mean that the proposal is not about some form of voluntary crime-prevention activity by the community, but an activity that links to employment, in the sense that it would include employment measures?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: That is correct. We are currently contemplating ways to materialize such proposals. However, we have not yet decided to implement anything yet.

REPORTER: Changing the topic, former president of Livedoor, Takafumi Horie, was sentenced to prison today. Do you have any comments about this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We can only say that it is the decision of the court, as it was based on the conclusion of a criminal case. I do not believe this is something for the Government to comment on.

REPORTER: Were you friends or have you ever met before?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I may have met him before, but I do not really remember. We are not friends.