Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary

JAPANESE

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have one item to report, regarding the lifting of restrictions on shipment. Today the Government issued instructions to the governor of Fukushima Prefecture to lift the shipment restrictions on a number of products produced in certain areas of the prefecture. These products are non-bulbous leafy vegetables, including spinach; and bulbous leafy vegetables, including cabbage, produced in a part of Fukushima Prefecture, excluding the planned evacuation zones in the town of Shinchi and the cities of Soma and Minamisoma, t. For further details please direct your questions to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).

Q&As

REPORTER: According to the morning edition of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, there is a possibility that the cooling pipes of the Unit 3 reactor at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station were not damaged by the tsunami but by the preceding earthquake. Do you consider that there was a problem with earthquake countermeasures at the power station?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The report by the Asahi Shimbun, as far asI am aware, says that, a particular simulation shows that although the water injection system was damaged by the earthquake, the injection and cooling functions continued to work well. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) is engaged in thorough investigation and analysis of this issue and the Government is seeking to confirm the situation at the station at the time to the greatest degree that it is possible to do so. Whatever the case, it is without question that the tsunami caused tremendous damage, and this is what led to the incident. At the same time various data are being analyzed to assess the status of damage at the power station before the tsunami struck, and the results of this analysis will be utilized in safety measures at other nuclear power stations.

REPORTER: Today Chairman Ishiba of the Policy Research Council of the Liberal Democratic Party expressed his opposition to the amendments to the Cabinet Act, relating to the increase in Cabinet ministers. How does the Government view his remarks?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have not heard from him directly, but the Government wishes to gain the understanding of as many members of political parties as possible with regard to this amendment.

REPORTER: If the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is opposed to the amendments to the Cabinet Act, given the current situation in the Diet it is unlikely that the draft bill would be passed. How do you intend to seek the understanding of the LDP moving forward?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Although I have not heard about the specific status, I am aware that members of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) are making efforts to respond to Diet questions and call on other parties for cooperation.

REPORTER: The fact-finding mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has begun full-fledged investigations today with regard to the incident at the nuclear power station. What does the Government consider to be the significance of the investigation by the IAEA fact-finding mission and what expectations does the Government have?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Later today I will meet with the members of the fact-finding mission. This incident is not just significant for Japan, but also is one that has caused inconvenience around the world, particularly for Japan's neighboring countries, and is therefore significant also for the world. Various technologies and knowledge about nuclear power on a par with and beyond the knowledge and technologies of Japan are available in other countries and the Government expects that this fact-finding mission will be able to help to clarify why the incident occurred and why it could not be brought under control sooner, with the benefit of the experience of these external experts. The mission will also be of significance for improving the safety of nuclear power use in the future for Japan and other countries.

REPORTER: It is expected that an overview of the findings of the mission will be submitted to the Government on June 1. What is the relationship between the findings of the IAEA fact-finding mission and the Nuclear Incident Investigation Committee that the Government is seeking to implement from now, and how will the findings of the IAEA be used in the investigations of the Nuclear Incident Investigation Committee?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The Government intends that the Nuclear Incident Investigation and Verification Committee will be an independent body and the specific ways in which the findings of the IAEA mission are utilized by the Committee will ultimately be formally decided by the head of the Committee and the other members. I think that in general it would be natural for the members of the Nuclear Incident Investigation and Verification Committee to advance their own investigations on the basis of the investigations implemented by experts from an international body such as the IAEA.

REPORTER: On a related note, the members of the Nuclear Incident Investigation Committee have the option to seek the opinions of experts from international bodies, but how will they do so?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The broad direction for the investigation has been set out by the Cabinet decision but with regard to specific directions I believe that it should be decided by the members of the Committee independently.

REPORTER: I have a question about the reduction of national public employee salaries, about which agreement was reached with some of the labor unions the other day. In the event that the salaries of national public employees are reduced, the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications has stated that he wishes to ensure that the reduction measures are not applied to employees in local governments. What is the Government's stance on local public employees, in the event that a draft bill is submitted to the Diet and the salaries of national public employees are reduced?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In systemic terms there is no framework available for the central government to determine the remuneration of local public employees. This is something that each local government should decide, from the perspective of regional authority and decentralization.

REPORTER: Under the current law there is an obligation for the salaries of local public employees to be decided with reference to the salaries of national public employees. In the event that local government salaries do not reflect the salary reduction for national public employees, will local governments not have to revise their local finance plans? Or will this have to be reflected in the local finance plans for next fiscal year?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: On the basis of the current law it will be the case that individual local governments will make their own decisions on salaries. I am aware that to date there have been cases where a number of local governments have already implemented broad-based pay cuts for their public employees based on various local circumstances and regardless of the fact that the salaries of national public servants have not been reduced. Therefore, this is something for the local governments to decide themselves, on the basis of various legislations and social situations.

REPORTER: I have a question concerning Special Advisor Oriza Hirata. Has he provided any subsequent explanations about his comments to you?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku has cautioned Mr. Hirata concerning his statement and has ascertained the facts of the matter, but I have received no specific report. I expect that the matter will be sorted out and that I will be provided with a report.

REPORTER: A number of days have already passed since he made the statement. Do you not think that a person who made such public statements should resign?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think it is necessary to thoroughly understand the content and actual context and intention of the person who made the statement that has been reported in the press.

REPORTER: According to a number of newspapers, the LDP and New Komeito Party are planning to submit a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet. There are some members of the DPJ who have similar feelings. What are your thoughts about the moves to submit a no-confidence motion and if it is submitted and approved, what kind of decision would this prompt?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think that based on the Constitution and legislation it is only natural that the various party factions in the Diet would consider various actions and judgments on the basis of the bills they are able to submit to the Diet and it is not something for the Government to comment on. As for the latter part of your question it is hypothetical and would be basically something for the Prime Minister to decide.

REPORTER: On a related note, Mr. Haraguchi, the former Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, has stated that it would be strange if the issue surrounding the 20mSv standard for radiation in school yards is not resolved. He also made a statement today to the effect that the top leadership should be changed. Does the Government have any plans to reconsider the situation concerning the 20mSv standard for radiation levels in school yards and what are your thoughts on the former minister's comment that Prime Minister Kan should resign?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Today there was a question in the Cabinet Committee meeting concerning the issue of the 20mSv standard for radiation exposure and a particularly detailed explanation was provided. To the extent that I understand the situation, the real message about this issue has not been sufficiently conveyed. As a result, the situation has caused undue concern. This is highly regrettable. However, the Government does not view the 20mSv level to be acceptable and the current situation, based on analysis implemented by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in school yards in Fukushima Prefecture, shows that there is absolutely no likelihood of levels reaching 20mSv. Already radiation levels are decreasing and further continuous efforts are being made to ensure that they decrease further, as close as possible to the 1mSv level.

REPORTER: And with regard to the statement that the Prime Minister should be changed?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have not heard about this directly, so I would like to refrain from comment at this time.