Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

(Abridged)

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have a report about the lifting of shipping restrictions related to the nuclear incident. Today, in accordance with Article 20, Paragraph 3 of the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness, it was decided that shipping restrictions would be lifted from bamboo shoots produced in Kunimi Town and Tenei Village. The Governor of Fukushima has been informed of this. For further details, please direct your inquires to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) or the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).

(Abridged)

Q&As

REPORTER: Tomorrow is the final day for the ordinary session of the Diet. I would like it if you could speak about any initiatives or instructions offered by Prime Minister Kan regarding the ending of the ordinary Diet session, such as during today's Cabinet meeting or the informal gathering of ministers afterward.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: He didn't say anything with regard to the Diet. However, we did make a cabinet decision to promulgate the Basic Act on Reconstruction that was passed by the Diet yesterday and its related legislation on June 24. He stated that he wants everyone to work hard toward reconstruction.

REPORTER: If that is the case, yesterday you said that the naming of a minister of reconstruction would occur after the promulgation of the Basic Act on Reconstruction. Does that mean that the Prime Minister is aiming to name someone to this position on June 24?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: It isn't the case that the promulgation of the Act will immediately equal the naming of the new minister. I have yet to hear anything concrete about this from the Prime Minister, but I do imagine that would be the case under normal circumstances.

REPORTER: In addition to that, from the weekend until yesterday there was constant discussion between the Government and the leaders of the ruling parties about what approach to take for the ending of the Diet session. Do the core members of the Government share the recognition that Prime Minister Kan basically strongly wants to pass a bill on special provisions concerning the issuance of government bonds and the second supplementary budget while he is in office?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As I said after the meeting between the Government and ruling parties yesterday, we hope to gain the understanding of the opposition parties and smoothly extend the duration of this Diet session. Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary-General Katsuya Okada is currently working hard on this, and as long as he is doing so, I think that the chance is higher that things will go smoothly if other people do not make any comments on the matter.

REPORTER: My last question is about something Prime Minister Kan said while returning to his official residence yesterday. He stated that renewable energy is extremely important. From your position at his side, do you feel that he has the strong wish to enact the Bill to Promote Renewable Energies?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe that Prime Minister Kan has had a strong interest in the issues of biomass and renewable energy since when the DPJ was still an opposition party.

REPORTER: So does the Prime Minister feel strongly about the enactment of the Bill to Promote Renewable Energies then?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As I have said a number of times, the intention of that bill is not to create a new system, but to replace our current renewable energy policies, which are about to expire. It's not like the bill not passing will have zero effect on society - it will actually have a negative effect. Therefore, we really hope that the bill will be passed during this Diet session.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: My question concerns independent efforts by schools and municipalities against radiation exposure in Fukushima Prefecture. Some schools are independently distributing dosimeters. With the lack of instructions from the national government, in a number of municipalities, local schools are moving forward with their own efforts. How do you perceive these efforts from the standpoint of the national government?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think it is natural that people in Fukushima Prefecture and other prefectures, especially parents and school officials, have a strong concern about radiation exposure among children. The national government is currently making arrangements to set aside money to address this issue within the second supplementary budget. I think that local municipalities, which actually run each school, and the national government, which is responsible for nuclear policy, must work in cooperation with each other to define roles clearly. We need to take actions that can allow people to live as free of anxiety as possible. There is nothing that can be done about the fact that municipalities are quicker to act on certain issues than the national government. After all, it is municipalities that run the schools that directly deal with children. However, in spite of this, the Government should exert extra effort, including with the second supplementary budget, in order to become able to respond to these issues faster than local municipalities.

REPORTER: I believe that you already gave a comment on this issue, but some seem to feel that the enactment of the Bill to Promote Renewable Energies will take some time. Do you think that this is fully possible within the current Diet session?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Of course. I am currently asking the DPJ to work to gain the understanding of the opposition parties on this as much as possible including extending the current Diet session. The Government standpoint is that we have the strong wish to enact this bill within this Diet session.

(Abridged)