Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO I have one item to report to you today. Although it is not normally the case for me to refer directly to specific news reports, despite the incorrect reports that appear from time to time, I would like to refer to one specific report in the morning edition of the Asahi Shimbun on Saturday, June 11, which led with a headline of "Initiative to Water Down the Efforts of the Investigation and Verification Committee into the Nuclear Accident." The article appeared on the front page and started by alleging that the Government's National Policy Unit (NPU) submitted an idea to Prime Minister Kan to put the Investigation and Verification Committee for the Accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Nuclear Power Stations under the influence of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). I would like to state here that there has never been such an idea submitted by the NPU to the Prime Minister. Accordingly, the entire article thereafter, which is premised on this supposed submission of an idea is completely lacking in any factual basis. It refers not only to the Government but to the supposed idea for former METI Minister Naoshima and former METI Vice Minister Kondo not becoming members of a panel, and these points too are entirely lacking in any factual basis and give an entirely different impression to the actual facts of the matter. I intend to lodge an extremely strongly worded protest with the newspaper in question and request that a correction be printed. In addition, under normal circumstances I would not mention it, but given that the article I have just mentioned has been written, I would refer also to another front-page story of the morning edition of the Asahi Shimbun on Thursday, June 9, in which there were a number of articles concerning the selection of a leader for the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). These articles alleged that I had met with various persons and held meetings up to June 8 concerning the "post-Kan" era. These articles are also completely groundless and I would like to protest strongly at their erroneous content.

Q&As

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Yesterday the Prime Minister spoke about a government agency for the promotion of natural energy. Could you tell us, as far as you are able, what the Prime Minister meant by this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO This is something for which a team has only recently been established, under the Council on the Realization of the New Growth Strategy. The Cabinet has engaged in various considerations to date on this issue, and this team has been established on this occasion to further advance deliberations and gather various opinions and knowledge on the subject.

REPORTER: So do you envisage that a cross-ministry organization will be established, formed around the basis of the team headed by Minister Gemba?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO No final conclusion has been reached, but I think that at the very least the team would be one significant pillar of such an organization.

REPORTER: Are there no concerns that the creation of such an agency would overlap with the work of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE)?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO It has been the case to date that two government agencies have been largely responsible for policy matters pertaining to natural energy. The first is ANRE, which has dealt with issues relating to energy and resources, and the second is the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), which has dealt with natural energy from an environmental perspective. I believe that the intention of the Prime Minister is that it is necessary for the Cabinet to make a more integrated and dynamic response to this issue and therefore I do not think your observation about overlapping of work content is relevant.

REPORTER: I realize that it is maybe too early to know at the moment, but as the Prime Minister has referred to an "agency," do you think that a new governmental organization will be created?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO I think that the Prime Minister was referring to an "agency" as one of a number of ideas. Given the current reality in which ANRE and the MOE are engaged in matters relating to natural energy and there are probably other ministries and agencies involved in a cross-governmental capacity in certain areas, it was deemed necessary for the Cabinet to implement considerations and advance the overall process in a cross-governmental manner. The actual structure of the body to advance considerations and work on this issue will be a significant theme for discussions and that is what the Prime Minister meant when he referred to an "agency."

REPORTER: The creation of a new governmental body would be a medium-term undertaking and I believe that for the Prime Minister to make a statement on a future structure when he is due to resign in the relatively near future is rather paradoxical. Do you not find such a statement to be a little bit strange?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO The work that the Cabinet is responsible for is not implemented by a single person or even a single Cabinet, but rather issues such as integrated reforms of social security and taxation systems are things that need to be done for the future of Japan 20, 30 and 50 years hence. It is therefore natural that the Cabinet is doing what it is able to do and the Prime Minister is also engaged in his work with a view to doing now the things that can be done, with an eye on the future of Japan several decades from now.

REPORTER: With regard to the initiative outlined by the Prime Minister yesterday, has he consulted on this issue with other people, such as Ministers Kaieda or Matsumoto?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO I believe that the Prime Minister set out the basic direction for the work of the Cabinet in the meeting of the Council on the Realization of the New Growth Strategy.

REPORTER: So that means that he has not yet engaged in any specific consultations with other ministers?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO I am not aware of all of the details about the conversation the Prime Minister might have had with ministers, however, in the forum of the Council on the Realization of the New Growth Strategy, he mentioned the possibility of an "agency" as an example. That is my understanding.

(Abridged)