Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

(Abridged)

Q&As

REPORTER: The Basic Act on Reconstruction was put into force today. When will the Reconstruction Headquarters be established?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: It is my understanding that arrangements are currently being made under the supervision of the Prime Minister regarding the selection of the Reconstruction Minister and the heads of the local reconstruction headquarters. The Reconstruction Headquarters will be established once that system is in place. The issue of human resources selection is an important one, so I think it will be difficult to make a decision on this within today.

REPORTER: Does that mean that a decision will be made at the beginning of next week?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: It will be difficult to launch each headquarters on Saturday and Sunday, so, yes, it will likely be at the beginning of next week.

REPORTER: On a related note, you served as the minister in charge of the Basic Act on Reconstruction. Do you have any desire to become the Minister for Reconstruction?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I beg your pardon?

REPORTER: You served as the minister in charge of this issue since the beginning. Do you have any eagerness to become the Minister for Reconstruction?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The reason that I was the minister in charge of the Basic Act on Reconstruction is that it pertains to the organization of the Cabinet, and from that perspective, the Cabinet Secretariat has been in charge of the issue. The law dictates that the Prime Minister shall be the chair of the Reconstruction Headquarters and that I will automatically be the vice-chair. It also stipulates the placement of another minister to take particular responsibility over reconstruction activities, a Minister for Reconstruction. So, due to the way the law is organized, I have no such expectations.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: The appointment of the Minister for Reconstruction and launch of the response headquarters will take a week after the enactment of the law. Prime Minister Kan has voiced that he will allot every effort to disaster response, but I get the feeling that things are moving somewhat slowly. Do you believe that disaster victims will appreciate this response?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In addition to speed, the necessity to create a truly robust system, in particular with respect to personnel selection, for both political and official levels, has been pointed out by various committees. Furthermore, as we face restrictions in a greater sense due to a lack of understanding in the Diet concerning the increase of Cabinet ministers and vice-ministers, the decision was made in mind of the fact that a robust system would have to be constructed in a speedy fashion while also taking into account the possibility of making decisions too hastily, which would only cause problems later.

REPORTER: Watching dialogue between the ruling and opposition parties until now, I expected that the Basic Act on Reconstruction would pass around this time and that the amendment to the Cabinet Act would not pass. I believe that there was sufficient time to prepare for this outcome. Were preparations made? Also, are the Prime Minister and Cabinet considering making a decision about the Minister for Reconstruction at an early stage next week, say, by Monday?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have not heard specifically from Prime Minister Kan about when a decision will be made on that. However, it is my understanding that he intends to make a decision as quickly as possible, and I believe that such a decision will likely be made early next week. Moreover, while keeping an eye on the deliberations of the bill, to some degree we have been making various preparations, or pushing forward practical matters. Nevertheless, I would like you to understand that it is quite difficult to reach a de facto agreement on and make arrangements for personnel matters particularly at a time when the laws needed to do so are not yet in place.

REPORTER: I understand that the heads of local reconstruction headquarters will primarily be the subordinates of the Minister for Reconstruction. Will a decision regarding the selection of vice-ministers to be the heads of the local reconstruction headquarters be made simultaneously or will there be some sort of time lag due to such matters as the need to hear the opinion of the Minister for Reconstruction after he or she is appointed?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The immense importance of selecting suitable heads for the local reconstruction headquarters has even been pointed out in the Diet. I think it would be best to decide on the heads of the local reconstruction headquarters before the Reconstruction Headquarters is officially launched and commences operations. As such, it would be best if we ask for the opinion of the Minister for Reconstruction after he or she has been named and make an official decision at that time.

REPORTER: Without an increase in the number of Cabinet ministers, it is likely that vice-ministers will be appointed. However, some ministries only possess one senior vice-minister or parliamentary vice-minister. Nevertheless, I think that the heads of the local reconstruction headquarters will be chosen from among this group. Will the individual chosen be able to continuously serve both positions? Will this be adequate as a response measure?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Again, please understand that setting up a robust system amidst the restrictions we face will require some time, as personnel decisions, for example, cannot be made easily with the Prime Minister's authority alone or by simply talking to the individual that is to be the Reconstruction Minister.

REPORTER: In regards to the robust system that you refer to, it seems naturally illogical to consider this a "robust system" when the Reconstruction Minister will be serving double posts. Do you mean to say that the Prime Minister is using his authority to make arrangements to appoint a full-time minister?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This is unquestionably an issue that should be left to the Prime Minister. It would be presumptuous of me to stand here and try to speculate on his intentions in terms of minister selection. As you have pointed out, there are people who have voiced and believe that it would be preferable to have a full-time minister in charge of reconstruction. At the same time, however, the Prime Minister is considering various different ideas and making adjustments amidst a rather constraining situation where the number of ministers, senior vice-ministers, and parliamentary vice-ministers allowed is limited.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: On a different note, I have a question in regard to the news about the strong possibility that, despite claims that the venting, conducted directly before the hydrogen explosion of Unit 1 of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, was a success, it was actually a failure. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has even given testimony that the opening of the valves was insufficient and specialists have pointed out that data indicates that valves were opened once but then closed. In the report submitted to the IAEA by the Government, it was noted that the venting was successful. However, it appears necessary to again verify whether the venting was in fact a success. What are your thoughts on this matter?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am aware of the news reported by your company on this; however, the details of your question delve into some rather technical issues so I would like you to ask that question at one of the press conferences of the Government-TEPCO Integrated Response Office. Nevertheless, at the very least, I have received the report that there is no doubt that during the venting process the valves were opened and that a certain degree of air was released outside. If you want an accurate answer to the question of whether we can call this a "success" or a "failure," taking into account the indication that air pressure may not have been reduced enough or due to the possibility that the valve was not opened to a sufficient degree, I suggest you forward that question to someone with more technical or expert knowledge.

REPORTER: Concerning the Government's reexamination of the incident, by now it seems that matters will be left up to the verification conducted by the Investigation and Verification Committee. Can you comment about this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: First of all, I ask that questions concerning the facts and detailed course of events that the Government is aware of be posed to such fora as the Government-TEPCO Integrated Response Office. You will be able to receive a detailed explanation of the Government's understanding of the course of events there. Concerning the evaluation, of course it will ultimately be necessary to have a thorough evaluation conducted by the Investigation and Verification Committee from the perspective of a third-party.