Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

Q&As

REPORTER: I have a number of questions concerning the draft bill for the compensation scheme for nuclear-related damages. On a number of occasions, you have made statements to the effect that in order to gain the understanding of the public, it will be necessary for financial institutions, including banks, to provide debt forgiveness to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). Although the draft bill was submitted to the Diet today, there is still no attempt on the part of the banks to engage in debt forgiveness. What are your views on this situation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As I have said previously, at the current point this is basically an issue between private sector companies and one on which TEPCO and the financial institutions that are its stakeholders will engage in consultations. The scheme is constructed so that TEPCO will provide a report to the Government concerning the status of cooperation from financial institutions, and after considering various issues ultimately the minister responsible will consider the support being provided to TEPCO and give approval. The Government therefore wishes to monitor the consultations between TEPCO and its stakeholders.

REPORTER: Also, with regard to the minister responsible, the draft bill only refers to the "minister responsible" who shall be responsible for administration, dealing with personnel matters and deciding the amount of money to be provided, for example. Is this minister expected to be the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry or another minister?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In the current draft bill the minister with jurisdiction is Minister Banri Kaieda, not in his position as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, but rather in his position as Minister for the Response to the Economic Impact caused by the Nuclear Incident. The jurisdiction for the major items in the draft bill lies with the Minister for the Response to the Economic Impact caused by the Nuclear Incident. At the same time, in certain sections of the bill, relating to current powers to impose power regulations, this authority remains with the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. Accordingly, the draft bill has multiple ministers responsible, including the two I have just mentioned, and this is the reason why the wording is "minister responsible."

REPORTER: In that case, which minister will be responsible for deciding personnel matters and the amount of money to be provided?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In principle that would be the Minister for the Response to the Economic Impact caused by the Nuclear Incident.

REPORTER: The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has decided to oppose an extension of the current Diet session. What are your thoughts on this stance?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe I also stated this morning that given the ongoing response to the disaster and recovery activities, unless we can ensure the passage of the bill on special measures for government bonds as backing for the expenditure relating to disaster-response activities, it would result in the various activities being unable to be implemented. Given this reality it is of pressing importance to gain the understanding of the Diet as soon as possible, and the Cabinet will be consulting with the ruling parties on this matter as well.

REPORTER: Is it your understanding that an extension of the Diet session will be required in order to ensure the passage of the bill on special measures for government bonds?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Starting from the bill on special measures for the government bond, there have been a number of urgent matters that require the attention of the Diet. They include reactions to the parts of the disaster response that are not sufficiently covered by the first supplementary budget, which are urgent issues for the people directly affected by the disaster, and about which this morning instructions were given in the roundtable ministerial discussions. In addition, the opposition parties have stated their strong desire for urgent action in this area at the Diet. Therefore, the question of whether it is advisable to close the Diet session is something that will be discussed by the ruling parties.

REPORTER: Up to now you have stated your personal opinion that given the urgency of various matters it would be preferable for the Diet session to continue as long as possible. Is there no change to your own personal opinion?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In view of the damage caused by the disaster and the status of the nuclear power station, in general that is my opinion, but this is something that will be deliberated in concrete terms by the Cabinet and the ruling parties.

REPORTER: And finally, don't you find it strange that the current Diet session should be extended under the Prime Minister who has in effect announced his intention to step down?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Prime Minister Kan stated that once certain progress has been made in the response to the disaster he would hand things over to the younger generation. I believe that the Government will seek to consult with the ruling parties on necessary responses in order to achieve "certain progress".

REPORTER: Today the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture and medical personnel visited the Prime Minister's Office and submitted a proposal concerning exposure to radiation. The proposal notes that while various efforts are being made to assess and understand the health status of residents in Fukushima Prefecture, there is a need for active involvement on the part of the central government. The Roadmap issued by the Government in May included a provision that the mid- to long-term health of the residents would be monitored. Given the submission of this proposal, what specific measures does the Government intend to take?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Today the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture Mr. Hidehiko Yuzaki, and the President of Hiroshima International Council for Health Care of the Radiation-exposed (HICARE) and President of Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital & Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital Dr. Hiroo Dohy visited the Prime Minister's Office and submitted a proposal concerning exposure to radiation. Unfortunately the Prime Minister and I were engaged in Diet affairs and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuyama met with the representatives. From now the Government will examine in detail how it can respond to the content of this proposal. The Government should be actively involved in efforts to support people who have been exposed to radiation and has received opinions and views from a number of specialists, given the importance of working robustly to monitor and manage the health of the residents in the vicinity, including those engaged in operations at the nuclear power station. The Government will duly refer to the proposal received today and advance further consultations with the related organizations and Fukushima Prefecture seeking to thoroughly fulfill its responsibility to protect the health of the residents for the long term.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Exactly one month has passed since the complete shutdown of the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station. The governors of Fukui, Saga, and Niigata - the municipalities with nuclear power stations - are cautious about restarting the nuclear power stations which are currently shut down for routine inspections, etc. It seems many people share the view that it should be the Government that decides about the safety of nuclear power stations. What are your thoughts on this issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe the people in these areas with nuclear power stations have been greatly troubled by this situation, especially those people who govern, including the governors of the respective areas. Naturally, the safety of the nuclear power stations must be fully ensured for the governors and residents of the respective areas. Also, bearing in mind the incident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, we believe that the restart of the nuclear power stations is naturally contingent on fully ensuring their safety. Furthermore, we believe that the Government must demonstrate their safety to the governors and residents in a fully responsible manner. To this end, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) has given instructions to each power company regarding the necessary measures, and their implementation status, etc. are in the process of being checked. The Government will proceed to take robust steps in order to obtain the consent and understanding of the respective governors as well as the residents.

REPORTER: I have another question. Yesterday, Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) Chair Haruki Madarame said that the review of various guidelines, including the guideline for reviewing the safety design of nuclear power stations, will start as early as this month. Will this also play a factor then?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The opinions and considerations of the NSC must of course be given priority. These items will be considered comprehensively. Once the Government is able to confirm in a responsible manner that the nuclear power stations are safe, we will fully inform and assure their safety to the people of the respective areas.

(Abridged)

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As I said, I am forwarding the request as I promised.

REPORTER: During this morning's press conference, I believe there was a request that you confirm with the Prime Minister about the submission of the additional supplementary budget bill and its timing, as it's a little hard to follow with a series of ministers making comments. If there is anything you were able to confirm, please share that with us.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We hope to submit the bill at the earliest possible date in July.