Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

Q&As

(Abridged)

REPORTER: It is now three months since the Great East Japan Earthquake and although the Government has said that it will make every effort to improve its response, it has been also pointed out that the divided Diet and the political confusion within the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) are leading to delays in the response to reconstruction. What are your thoughts in response to such observations? Also, if it is the case that these issues are in fact causing such delays, how does the Government intend to overcome them?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think that when viewed from the perspective of people directly affected by the disaster, it will be natural that there are those who will say that there are many inadequacies in the Government's execution of administrative power. We must take such criticisms with the utmost seriousness. However, the Government is engaged in efforts to do everything it can to the greatest extent possible. Of course there are some things that the Government cannot do without the understanding of the Diet, including the passage of legislation and budgetary measures, and the Government is making every effort to improve its responses based on the premise of the current situation in the Diet. Efforts are being made, therefore, to gain broad-based approval and understanding from the Diet. The Basic Act on Reconstruction has today been approved by the House of Representatives and while it is natural that there will be critical voices asking why this could not have been achieved sooner, the fact is that in this situation where the houses of the Diet are divided it was necessary to receive the constructive opinions of the members of the opposition parties. On the basis of these consultations, we have been able to formulate a better piece of legislation, which today has been approved by the House of Representatives. I believe that the only way to progress is by engaging in such cooperative efforts.

REPORTER: What are your thoughts about the observation that the political confusion in the DPJ has caused delays in the response to reconstruction?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: There are various interactions and relations within the Government and the Diet as a whole, and the Government has been making efforts to ensure that these various relationships do not impact the execution of administrative power. I believe that the Government has been able to achieve the execution of power in this way to date.

REPORTER: I have a question concerning the issue of double housing loans, for which the DPJ and the New Komeito Party have compiled response measures. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is also currently considering this issue and I believe that there will be no great divergence in the measures drawn up by all three parties. There have been indications that the Government is seeking to advance consultations among the three parties with a view to passing related legislation by the end of the current session of the Diet. How will the Government be responding to this issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: There are various ideas concerning this issue within the DPJ and the Government has been engaged in liaison with the party in a consultative process, which has resulted in the proposal put forward by the DPJ. Naturally, the various items that would need to be incorporated into legislation will need the broad agreement and understanding of the Diet and this is something that the party must engage in. However, at the same time that the party is engaging in these consultations, the Government is also engaged in its own preparations and consultations on what aspects of the issue can be implemented without the need for new legislation.

REPORTER: According to reports this morning, the number of people missing following the disaster stands at 8,000. What will the Government's response be from now in relation to these missing persons?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Since the disaster struck, many people, including the police and fire services and members of the Self-Defense Forces have been diligently engaged in search missions for missing people. However, given the nature of the disaster and the fact that the region was hit by a tsunami, it is very regrettably a fact that in such scenarios there will be a significant number of people who will remain unaccounted for. However, in view of the feelings of the people related to the missing persons, while the chances of finding them diminish as time passes, it is our intention is to continue to make every effort to search for them. At the same time, when bodies are now found it is often the case that the deceased cannot be identified. There are scientific methods available, using DNA testing, which can help in the identification process and by using such methods we hope that we can return the bodies of loved ones to their families as soon as possible. Given that such methods exist, tenacious efforts will continue to search for those who remain missing.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Regarding the "double loan" problem, the proposal of the opposition parties states that the Government should directly buy the debt through public organizations. I believe this is different from the proposal of the DPJ, which urges to establish a public-private investment fund. Please tell us your current thoughts on the proposal of the opposition parties.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: What you just noted now has gotten much attention. However, what's really important here is to specifically help those who are struggling in the face of the double loan problem, to prevent people from giving up on reviving their businesses because of this when in fact revival was otherwise possible, or in the case of individuals, to avoid a situation where people are left with only the excessive burden of their mortgages and so on. What's important is that we understand what the problem is and whether people are struggling in the areas, and how to cope with the problem most appropriately, while of course at the same time thinking about the moral hazard problem. I do not believe the issue you just raised is an essential issue to begin with.

REPORTER: According to the Prime Minister's itinerary, he is not scheduled to give a press conference today. Up to now, I believe the Prime Minister in principle has been giving press conferences at a pace of about once a week since he began holding press conferences (after the earthquake). However, he has not held a press conference once this week, ever since he made his infamous remark at the meeting of the DPJ parliament members last week. What do you think about this? Also, is a press conference scheduled anytime soon?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am neither fully aware of nor do I have full control of the Prime Minister's schedule regarding what he is specifically doing at such and such a time. However, let me say that I am of the opinion that opportunities to receive everyone's questions in the form of a press conference should be established as much as possible, and I understand that the Prime Minister also feels the same. In this context, I understand that the Prime Minister's staff decides on the specific date that fits in with the variety of other tasks he has to attend to. More specifically, today, for example, the Prime Minister was at the meeting of the Budget Committee for seven hours straight, or maybe it was six hours. Please excuse me for what I am about to say, but the Diet meetings should naturally be given priority over press conferences in terms of public duty. Naturally, a fair amount of preparations also goes into such public duty. Bearing in mind these scheduling issues, among other issues, I hope further efforts are made to ensure that press conference opportunities are set up as often as possible.