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 of which concerns the second-round guidelines that have been decided on by the Review Panel on Conflicts over Compensation for Damages by Nuclear Power. In specific terms these second-round guidelines have recognized the psychological damage due to people being forced to evacuate and also the harmful rumors at the current time associated with the agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism industries that can reasonably be deemed to be damage caused by the nuclear power station accident. The Review Panel will continue to investigate and consider the relationship between the status of damage and the power station accident in greater detail. In order to provide expedited assistance to those affected, the Review Panel will proceed with its considerations as quickly as possible, and it is expected that a final concept covering all aspects of damage due to the accident will be completed and compiled into an interim guideline around July. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is planning to hold a press briefing about these second-round guidelines from 5:00pm. For further details please direct your questions to MEXT.

With regard to the second item, I believe that Minister Kaieda has made a report in a recent Diet committee meeting, but a report has been received that at around 2:30pm today on the southern side of the Unit 4 reactor of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station there was the sound of an explosion and smoke was seen to be rising. Final confirmation is currently being made concerning this incident, but a report has been provided that no-one has been injured and that the monitoring posts that measure radiation have not shown any change in their readings. With regard to the cause of the incident a report has been provided that there is a high possibility that an unmanned machine in that location that was being used to clear debris could have malfunctioned, causing an oxygen tank to rupture. Whatever the case the incident is not related to the reactor itself and was located on the south side of the reactor building. I think that reports of an explosion and smoke rising are likely to cause great worry and the details of this incident will be further investigated. In addition, we will take all necessary measures to ensure safe operations at the plant, including for the various debris disposal operations.

Q&As

REPORTER: The head of the local Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters in Fukushima has been absent for more than ten days. Why has a successor for this person still not been decided?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I became aware of this situation today and the Prime Minister also received a report upon his return to Japan. As it is not ideal to have the head of the headquarters absent for such a long period, in this case more than ten days, while I believe that the person in question wishes to return to his duties in responding to the local situation, in the interim period I hear that arrangements are being coordinated to have a senior vice minister or vice ministers for parliamentary affairs act as head of the Local Headquarters in the interim.

REPORTER: If the person in question is unwell then that cannot be helped, but in the normal situation I believe that it would be the case that a replacement would be found immediately. What is the reason that there has been no replacement for such an extended period?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I responded to a similar question in the Diet today, and while there is no mistaking that it is important to have a representative of political leadership on site, it is the case that a senior figure at the working level, in this case the Vice Director General of the Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency (NISA), is taking responsibility for operations on site. Also, although I have not confirmed whether there have been any visits over the last ten days, certainly over the last month-and-a-half to two months there have been other political leaders who have been engaged in the work supporting the head of the local Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters. For example, in the case of the issue surrounding school yards, where it has been necessary a parliamentary representative of MEXT has visited the local areas, and Senior Vice Minister Matsushita of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuyama have made local visits relating to the status of planned evacuations. In this way the work that needs to be implemented by political leaders is being coordinated by a number of people in addition to the head of the local headquarters and a response structure has thus been advanced. I hope that the person in question recovers from his illness quickly and is able to return to his position. In the meantime it has been judged that the senior figure at the working level is cable of overseeing the on-site operations.

REPORTER: I hear that the Review Panel on Conflicts over Compensation for Damages by Nuclear Power was unable to decide on detailed criteria for psychological damage for the second-round guidelines. What response will the Government make to this issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am aware that this is not a legal matter, and it is extremely difficult to judge the scope of general civil damages and the scope of reasonable cause. The members of the Review Panel are currently engaged in their work, fully cognizant of their responsibility to set out clear guidelines so that compensation can be paid to those to whom it should be paid. At the same time I believe that the people who have suffered damage will want to have an outlook as soon as possible concerning just how much compensation they can expect to receive. I am sure the members of the Review Panel are working hard already, but I would like to ask them to further accelerate their work.

REPORTER: With regard to the second-round guideline, what sort of structure is the Government seeking to implement?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think that the issue of psychological damage will require further refinement, but this second-round guideline contains a policy for damages relating to malicious rumors in particular. We have already consulted with agricultural and fisheries cooperatives and commerce and industry associations concerning the direct restrictions on shipment and with their cooperation procedures are actually being advanced towards payment of compensation. I am sure that these people continue to work under severe conditions and with their cooperation the Government is seeking to make temporary compensation payments for damages accruing from harmful rumors as soon as possible, which will be calculated on the basis of previous sales and profits.

REPORTER: How will the Government proceed with the draft bill relating to the compensation scheme for the nuclear power station accident?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Work to compile the draft bill is progressing under the leadership of METI Minister Kaieda, who also serves as the Minister for the Response to the Economic Impact caused by the Nuclear Incident. Naturally it would be preferable to base discussions on the draft bill on detailed information and facts concerning the management and financial status of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), but as the investigation into TEPCO is being implemented on the basis of efforts by a third-party committee, while we receive their cooperation, we will also look at the actual status of compilation of the draft bill and seek to submit it to the Diet for deliberations at the appropriate time.

REPORTER: Given the situation with the divided houses of the Diet, what sort of cooperation will you be seeking from the opposition parties?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I expect that various opinions will be forthcoming from both the ruling and opposition parties. If possible we would like to refer to these various comments before submitting the draft bill to the Diet so that the details could be finalized before it is submitted. It is therefore a little regrettable that no specific proposals have been made and no questions concerning the direction for the draft bill have been forthcoming from the Diet. If members of any party have opinions, they need not submit these directly to the Government but if they were to announce them publicly and demonstrate their thinking we would seek to refer to such opinions and make efforts to submit the draft bill promptly for Diet deliberation.

REPORTER: I understand that the Review Panel has been engaging in legal and administrative works, but it is impossible to deny the impression that the work of the Review Panel is being delayed and is not producing clear outcomes. How do you think political leadership should be demonstrated over this panel?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The guidelines being compiled by the Review Panel are not decided by law or through political processes but are being created objectively by third-party experts and to intervene in the content of the guidelines would be counter to the original intention. However, as I have just stated, I believe that the people who have been affected by the accident will want a policy to be issued as soon as possible, and I believe the members of the Review Panel and the working-level members assisting them share the same opinion. The Government therefore has asked the members of the Review Panel to speed up their work and if there is any assistance the Government could provide to accelerate the process, or any areas of assistance that could be enhanced, then we would naturally seek to respond accordingly.

REPORTER: The US rating agency Moody's has announced earlier that it is considering downgrading the rating for Japanese Government Bonds. Minister Yosano has given his opinion that this should be interpreted as a message to the Government to promote fiscal soundness, in particular, comprehensive tax and social security reform should be implemented immediately. What are your thoughts on this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I repeat what I have said before that I would like to avoid commenting on ratings by private sector rating agencies. I believe that given the extremely serious fiscal situation that Japan faces, we must make every effort towards achieving fiscal soundness. The comments of Minister Yosano represent his views from his own position, but from my position as the spokesperson for the Government as a whole, I think it would be preferable to refrain from making further comment.

REPORTER: A party leaders' debate will be held tomorrow. What does the Cabinet want to appeal at the debate which the public will be watching?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Regarding not the questions at the Diet but what we would like to appeal,, although there may be instances we can take initiative, I believe a party leaders' debate is essentially a forum where the leaders of the opposition parties ask questions and discussions take place. If possible, I hope we can have constructive discussions based on the proposed ideas about reconstruction or ideas about how to further accelerate the livelihood support for the victims which is still very much inadequate, and ideas about how to further speed up the responses to the nuclear power incident.

REPORTER: The opposition parties indicate that they are preparing to submit a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet, perhaps as early as after the party leaders' debate. How do you intend to respond?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am confident that the ruling party will vote down the motion without making a fuss. Of course I don't doubt that there are views that the some actions the Kan Cabinet has taken since the earthquake are inadequate, especially from the point of view of all those who were affected. On the other hand, however, in these present circumstances when indeed every day various things are happening, be it the nuclear power incident or the restoration and reconstruction work in the affected areas, I believe it is vital that the Government fulfills the responsibilities it has been given. Furthermore, although I believe that those who are submitting the no-confidence motion are doing so with the aim of getting the motion passed, they are not thinking about what sort of politics under what sort of framework they will advance after it is passed. This concept of maintaining the status quo without thinking about the future is impermissible in light of the disaster areas. I believe many Diet members will understand this.

REPORTER: At the joint press conference with the integrated headquarters, TEPCO announced that it still has some of the video recordings from their video conferences between the TEPCO headquarter office and Mr. Yoshida and others from when the nuclear incident occurred up to now. What are your opinions about preserving these recordings?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: If they still have the recordings, then naturally I believe we can ask TEPCO to keep and hold onto the recordings. I'm not sure if I can assert that TEPCO should disclose all of the recordings since they may include content related to the company's management and so on, but at the very least I believe TEPCO naturally should disclose all of the recordings which concern the response to the nuclear incident. Of course we would like TEPCO to also give us a report.

REPORTER: Regarding the no-confidence motion against the Cabinet, Mr. Ichiro Ozawa who has also served as President of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) hinted that he will support the motion. What are your thoughts? Would that be considered impermissible?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I follow what is being reported by the various media, but I am not personally aware of what former President Ozawa has said. It's hard to imagine that former President Ozawa, who exerted efforts to transform Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politics as a member of the DPJ, would take such an action.

REPORTER: I have a question related to the wage cuts of national civil servants. The wage cuts do not apply to local government workers, and you have also previously said that local government workers are not included in this measure because the legal framework for local governments differs from that for the national government. There are views that that was done out of consideration for the All-Japan Prefectural and Municipal Workers Union (JICHIRO), etc. What is your response to that?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe there will always be such a shrewd s perspective. However, the DPJ has all along been calling for decentralization and local sovereignty. It has been urging that regional matters be decided by the regions. Under current laws, while the wages of national civil servants shall be decided by the Government, the wages of local government workers shall be decided by their respective heads of municipalities and legislatures. In this context, naturally I believe it would be completely illogical for the DPJ, which calls for the further increase in sovereignty of local governments, to take a top-down approach of a centralized government and be telling local governments, "This is what the Government is doing so you local governments better listen to us."

REPORTER: Related to the no-confidence motion, the Prime Minister indicated his intention to meet and talk with past presidents of the DPJ while on his trip abroad. Has a concrete schedule for these meetings been decided on?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As I am not the Prime Minister it is difficult for me to comment directly for him, but the Prime Minister has indicated that he wants to inquire about the opinions, views, and perceptions of former Prime Minister Hatoyama regarding a broad range of issues, including the no-confidence motion as well as insight into resolving the nuclear incident and even reports about this trip abroad. It is my understanding that the Prime Minister has asked to see former Prime Minister Hatoyama.

REPORTER: Are there plans for them to meet in the coming days?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The Prime Minister had a busy schedule this afternoon with the Diet Committee meeting, and has a debate with the opposition party leader tomorrow. It is my understanding that, amidst this busy schedule, he has said that he would like to prioritize such a meeting. However, I am sure that former Prime Minister Hatoyama is also busy, and I have not heard anything about a specific schedule for their meeting.

REPORTER: During discussions on the injection of seawater into the nuclear power reactor during today's meeting of the Special Committee on Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Kaieda commented that he ordered the injection of seawater into the No.1 reactor at 5:55pm on March 12. You also said that the Prime Minister and Mr. Kaieda instructed to start the injection as soon as the preparation is ready. But, under the explanation given by the Government, as of 6:00 pm, the order was simply to start studying the possibility of injection of seawater. Why did his answer slightly change?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: There may be people speaking from memory and those that take personal memos, but we are all trying to report on the course of events as accurately as possible. However, according to a reinvestigation into documents and materials of NISA and other agencies concerning the issue of the 6:00pm order, creation of a written order based on law was started just after 6:00pm. As everyone knows, computers record the time that a document is created. So, recalling the course of events based on these facts - of course everyone recalled that the injection was going to take about one hour for preparation - an order was made to advance preparations with that premise in mind. Only, Minister Kaieda's report was more accurate as he recalled that before preparations were made an order with a legal basis was issued.

REPORTER: You have briefly touched upon this at the Diet, but Mr. Kaieda had said earlier, "he issued an oral order first, then issued a written order." So, is 7:55pm, at which the written order that confirmed the oral order issued at 5:55pm the time of the official order?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: That was when creation of the document started, so legally speaking the verbal order given at that time would be the order based on the Reactor Regulation Act. That is the correct legal interpretation. The documents are painstakingly organized; however, I have not brought the memorandum with me today. When the document was completed is when the verbal order was clearly recorded, but without the memo I cannot say when that was.

REPORTER: If the order was given at 5:55pm, why was it necessary to give an order at 7:55pm?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Regarding the 7:55pm order, I have a thorough chronological memo for answering questions at the Diet, but I do not have that with me now. I am thus unable to provide an accurate answer from memory, but in addition to the order being made based on law, another order was issued based on the awareness that injection would be possible, as the Prime Minister continued meetings with staff from TEPCO, prompting them to commence preparations. It also appears that NISA kept record of those memos as much as possible. So, under those circumstances, just as the Prime Minister has repeatedly stated, he consistently gave orders for the prompt injection of water. I do not find it strange that at times he may have repeatedly emphasized that water should be injected quickly once preparations were finished.

REPORTER: Are the Government's materials that Mr. Tanigaki pointed out before correct when they state that the Prime Minister gave the order at 6:00pm?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: That is correct in a sense. However, no confirmation has been made of the phrasing that the Prime Minister used at the time when verbally making the order or of who took the memo and in what capacity. Nevertheless, at the very least it is safe to say from other evidence as well that the Prime Minister's intention to inject water was conveyed around that time.

REPORTER: There is an argument that the Prime Minister may have ordered to halt the injection of sea water. Against this, there is a counterargument that the order was not issued because the Prime Minister did not even know the fact that the injection had already started; therefore, it was impossible for him to issue the order to stop the injection. However, the discourse provided does not seem to make sense.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Has the Prime Minister said that he did not give the order?

REPORTER: He explained that he did not issue the order to examine the possibility of the seawater injection.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have commented on this numerous times today already, but I remember clearly from a rather early stage that the injection was still to take one and a half hours after the initial order. Although I was not present at the meeting that convened around 6:00pm, it ended in around 20 minutes and then reconvened about one and a half hours later. TEPCO had reported that preparations would take about one and a half hours, so instructions had been given to inject water and I have received report that during that time the decision was made to conduct a precautionary check to ensure that there was no risk. Therefore, I believe that his comment is based on the premise that there was no concrete report of starting the injection at the 6:00pm meeting.