Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary

JAPANESE

Q&As

REPORTER: In the Diet Budget Committee meeting, the Prime Minister has stated once again that temporary housing will be completed and all persons moved in by the time of the Bon period in August. The Government is giving conflicting signals concerning the timing of completion for temporary housing and this is causing unnecessary trouble for the disaster victims and evacuees. Does the fact that the Prime Minister has made the same statement once again indicates that the Government has a firm plan to complete temporary housing by the Bon period?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The Prime Minister's comments were made in the context of exchanges in the Budget Committee meeting. Based on the Prime Minister's strong resolve, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) is working on a timetable for temporary housing.

REPORTER: With regard to the completion of temporary housing, although the Prime Minister is saying that it will be finished by August, MLIT has indicated that such a target would be difficult to achieve. Given this current status, is it the case that work to complete temporary housing will be brought forward, based on the Prime Minister's strong resolve?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Given the strong requests we have received from the victims and evacuees in the affected areas, the Prime Minister has indicated his strong resolve that temporary housing should be completed by then, and the current status is that MLIT is making further efforts to bring forward the completion date for temporary housing.

REPORTER: So is it correct to say that currently the situation is a difficult one but that efforts are being made to bring forward the completion of housing, but without a specific target being set out for completion?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: MLIT is working on the basis of firm instructions from the Prime Minister, which has already been given before today, and work is continuing along those lines, although I do not know the specific details of the processes involved. However the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has spoken today about setting out a timetable and I believe that a timetable for operations will be issued based on the Prime Minister's strong resolve.

REPORTER: The Cool Biz season has begun today and I can see that you are taking the initiative and had adopted the Cool Biz style. However, in the Budget Committee meeting today, it was the case that the response of Cabinet ministers to the Cool Biz season was piecemeal, with some choosing to adopt the style and others not. What are your views on these discrepancies within the Cabinet concerning Cool Biz?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The purpose of "Cool Biz" or "Power Conservation Biz" is not related to what people wear, but rather to contribute to power saving by setting the air-conditioning at a higher level. Accordingly, the ultimate end of the campaign is not to concentrate on what people are wearing but make it clear that it is permissible to wear Cool Biz clothing while the air-conditioning is set at a higher level. No one is being forced to wear lighter or cooler clothing. As the temperature today is relatively cold, I wondered myself about what to wear. Although the Cool Biz style doesn't particularly suit me, given the fact that today is the start of the Cool Biz campaign, which has started one month earlier than normal, I decided to join the Minister of the Environment in wearing lighter clothing as a means of promoting this campaign and taking the lead in an easy to understand way about the start of the Cool Biz or Power Conservation Biz campaign today.

REPORTER: In the recent committee meeting Minister Noda stated that unless legislation was created for integrated reform of taxation and social security it would be impossible to formulate a second supplementary budget. I do not quite understand the link between tax and social security and the second supplementary budget. Could you provide an explanation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think that you should ask Minister Noda about his intentions. My understanding is that if we proceed in line with the three-party agreement that was reached yesterday and that agreement is used as the basis for the second supplementary budget, then that is where the relation with tax and social security reform lies. In other words, if half of pension reserves are earmarked as fiscal revenues and fundamental reforms are implemented as a part of the second supplementary budget, I think the logic of the argument holds. However, with regard to the actual formulation of the second supplementary budget, although there is a common understanding that a second supplementary budget will be necessary, the Government has yet to come to a final decision on its composition.

REPORTER: In that regard, if the second supplementary budget is compiled based on legislation for tax and social security reform, I think it will definitely be the case that the current Diet session will have to be concluded at the end of June before the supplementary budget can be approved. Is this the case?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe the intent of Minister Noda's comment was as I have just explained. However, the question of when to issue the second supplementary budget and considerations of how this would fit into the current Diet session have yet to be examined.

REPORTER: I have a question concerning the issue of double housing loans. As a means of providing relief to disaster victims who face the prospect of taking on a second housing loan, is the Government considering the injection of public funds as a relief measure?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The Government as a whole recognizes the importance of resolving this issue of double housing loans. This issue involves various different cases under the general term of "double housing loans" and speaking frankly it is a difficult issue to resolve, in terms of the actual policy measures that would be possible to offer relief to people with double housing loans. I am aware that the Financial Services Agency and ministries and agencies involved in policy financing are currently considering this issue and yesterday I made a request to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) to consider this issue when formulating their vision for reconstruction and bring to bear any knowledge or expertise that exists within the party on this issue. The Government wishes to further strengthen coordination and consideration of this issue through inter-ministry cooperation, and seek further ideas and expertise.

REPORTER: You have previously mentioned that there are too many headquarter bodies that have been established for reconstruction and have stated that the Government is considering streamlining these bodies. However the formation of the central headquarters for reconstruction measures has yet to be decided. What is the current status of considerations on this issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The general picture for how to make the bodies established for reconstruction as easy to understand as possible has largely been decided and I think I will be able to make an announcement either tomorrow, or on May 6 or 9 concerning this issue.

REPORTER: A number of press reports have claimed that former Prime Minister Hatoyama has requested Mr. Ichiro Ozawa to refrain from trying to bring down the Kan Administration. What are you views on this issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This is a political issue and is one about which I have not heard anything directly. Therefore, as is usually the case I would like to refrain from comment.