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, concerning the imposition of restrictions on shipment. It has been decided that restrictions will be imposed on plums produced in certain areas of Fukushima Prefecture and also on yamame, a kind of trout, caught in certain areas of the Prefecture, excluding farmed fish. Instructions to this effect have been issued to the Governor of Fukushima Prefecture. The restrictions on shipment of yamame are not designated by municipality, as has been the case to date, but by designation of certain rivers. 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: The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP) has indicated that with the exception of the Basic Act on Reconstruction, the next Cabinet to be formed should deal with other measures. Given this reality in the Diet, how will the Kan Cabinet be responding to this situation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe that each party will hold various opinions and there are various political, administrative moves underway, including in the response to the disaster and power station incident, and the lives of the people are continuing. Given this current situation it is my hope that the Diet will respond accordingly, and act to formulate policies from a perspective that is mindful of public sentiment.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: The president of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), Mr. Atsushi Saito, has stated in an interview with the Asahi Shimbun last weekend that it would be preferable to deal with Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) in the same way that Japan Airlines (JAL) was dealt with, referring to the possibility of legal liquidation and delisting from the stock exchange. How do you feel when you hear such opinions? In addition, is there no change to the Government's policy of ensuring that TEPCO does not fall into bankruptcy and maintains its stock exchange listing? Also, do you believe that as a result of the asset assessment and financial adjustments currently underway at TEPCO, a future option for the company will be delisted from the stock exchange?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As I have said on previous occasions, the Government is making every effort to ensure that TEPCO thoroughly fulfills its obligations to provide compensation and ensure sufficient funds for this purpose. In addition, unless the obligations of the many operators, in particular small and medium companies, who are working to deal with the incident, can be assured, it will have an impact on the operations to bring the situation at the power station under control. If legal liquidation measures were to be implemented, these two obligations would not have priority and this would cause severe problems. The Government's primary concern, therefore, is that legal liquidation should be avoided. Also, in the case of JAL, a so-called sponsor was found and corporate restructuring has been implemented, and further consideration will be required to assess whether such a scenario would be feasible in the current situation. The Government's position is that TEPCO should thoroughly fulfill its compensation obligations under the scheme that was recently announced and make every effort to bring the situation at the power station under control.

REPORTER: On a related note, today the share price of TEPCO fell to its variable price limit in response to such concerns. I believe that the sudden drop in the share price is a reflection of extreme market sensitivity due to the lack of clarity about a future direction for TEPCO, including such points as when the draft bill on the compensation scheme will be submitted by the Government; to what extent the Government will support TEPCO, in view of your own comments on debt forgiveness; and the extent to which TEPCO will be required to take responsibility for the incident. How do you view this situation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Firstly, with regard to the comments by the president of the TSE and their impact on share prices, these are entirely matters for the private sector and therefore as a representative of the Government I should refrain from making comments. With regard to the compensation scheme for TEPCO, dedicated efforts are currently being made to compile the draft bill and with the understanding of the Diet, the Government seeks for the draft bill to be passed at the earliest possible juncture. I have not made any statements concerning debt forgiveness. My comments were in response to a question about whether we could gain public understanding for the issue.

REPORTER: What is the general outlook for the submission of the draft bill?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The various authorities responsible are engaged in dedicated efforts to compile the draft legislation, and once it is completed, it will be submitted to the Diet.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: There are a number of press reports that the Government is considering implementing evacuations for residents in areas that are not currently designated for evacuation, but where there is a possibility of annual exposure to radiation exceeding 20mSv. Are any considerations underway to review the current evacuation areas?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Over certain areas where certain levels of radiation have been measured, it is already the case that these entire areas have been designated as planned evacuation areas and requests to residents to evacuate have been made accordingly. However, regrettably, while some parts of the planned evacuation areas may not be subject to high doses of radiation, there are some localized areas, where, due to topographical or other factors, the radiation levels have been found to be high. In such areas monitoring activities are being stepped up to ensure that cumulative radiation would not create health hazards to the residents in these areas and their vicinity. On the basis of monitoring results the Government will respond appropriately to the situation.

REPORTER: Once detailed monitoring results have been acquired, is it possible that the Government could issue evacuation orders not for wide areas, but for particular residents or houses?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Once it has become clear why high radiation volumes have been measured in such highly localized areas, there are a variety of measures that could be taken, including for example measures to decontaminate the area, or consideration being given to the probability of the radiation levels falling due to topographical conditions, leading to decreased concerns about cumulative radiation doses. In response to each case the Government will prioritize the safety of residents and continue to monitor the situation.

(Abridged)