Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

Q&As

REPORTER: It appears that there is an understanding that Minister of Environment Ryu Matsumoto will be appointed as Minister for Reconstruction. Could you tell us of the aim behind Minister Matsumoto being given this new role?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am aware of the press reports about this, but that decisions pertaining to the appointment of Cabinet ministers are the exclusive prerogative of the Prime Minister and as the Prime Minister himself has not made any statement I think it would be presumptuous of me to say anything at this point.

REPORTER: May we understand that the new minister will be appointed on Monday? Also, with regard to the secretariat that will be established for the Reconstruction Headquarters, at the current stage what do you anticipate its scale will be, including the number of personnel? Also, what will be the scale of the three local response headquarters and what do you think the immediate challenges will be?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Although nothing has yet been finalized, efforts are being made towards the holding of the first meeting of the Headquarters for Reconstruction on Monday, June 27, once the minister and heads of the local response headquarters have been appointed. Nothing has been confirmed at the moment. However, with regard to the secretariat, in order to ensure a strong and dynamic structure for the promotion of reconstruction, work is proceeding to select specific staff members, with a view to establishing a secretariat with a certain number of staff and functions. However, at the current stage specific numbers of staff have yet to be finalized. This is something that the Minister for Reconstruction will ultimately decide and without the opinions of the person who will be appointed to the post, at the current point nothing can be finalized.

REPORTER: I understand that the decision about who will serve as Minister for Reconstruction is yet undecided, but at the current point do you still consider that it would be preferable for the position to be a dedicated one within the Cabinet?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As I have stated previously, while it would be preferable for the Minister for Reconstruction to be dedicated to this position alone, among the 17 members of the Cabinet there are various jobs and responsibilities to be taken on other than that of reconstruction. It is also the case that other ministers will have some work remaining that is related to reconstruction. Given the limitations placed on the Cabinet due to the 17-member framework, I believe that the Prime Minister is currently giving a great deal of thought to the ways of dividing work among the members of the Cabinet and their responsibilities.

REPORTER: Yesterday there was an announcement that radiation surveys in Fukushima would continue for the next 30 years. This will include epidemiological surveys and research. Should we infer from this that if data emerges show incidences of leukemia, for example, relating to radiation at Fukushima, the Government still intends to apply compensation measures, even after 30 years?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: At the current point, efforts are continuing to ensure that such an eventuality does not occur, and on the basis of the information that is currently available the Government believes that such issues will not emerge. However, given the importance of making every effort to ensure that such a situation does not arise and in view of the feelings of the people involved and those affected, the Government intends to continue health checks and monitoring for the long term. If a situation does arise that is directly affected by the accident, then I believe that it would only be natural that those affected would be eligible for compensation. However, I repeat that the current understanding is that such a situation is unlikely to occur and the health checks will continue as a means of preparing for all contingencies.

REPORTER: The other day I joined Prof. Cham Dallas, who was a member of the team that dealt with the Chernobyl accident, on his visit to Fukushima. In various countries around the world, there are excellent technologies for removing radiation and there are concrete measures that can be taken while protecting that would protect the lives of staff working at the power station. However, there are no channels of communication for such offers. In response to an inquiry from Okawa Kogyo, I guided a team on the visit to one of the hotspots in Fukushima. Although the Government has been keen to engage in the screening process for the national budget in a very public manner, the manner for purchasing has been different. The countries of the world are making their technologies available and therefore I believe it would be better to utilize a number of these instead of relying on the technology of Areva SA alone for decontamination. Only yesterday I heard from a Chinese company that they have the technology to clean contaminated soil and mud and would be prepared to provide it free of charge for the sake of a better world. Does the Prime Minister's Office intend to make the process of purchasing and contracting open to the public? I would like to hear your opinions.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Since the time of the accident we have received a variety of proposals from various sources in Japan and overseas about technologies capable of responding to the accident situation, including some proposals that I have received directly myself. The Government has received such proposals and I am also aware that Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has also directly received similar proposals. Ultimately the most important thing is the technologies themselves that are being proposed, and rather than this being something the Government can make a decision on, it is something for experts at TEPCO and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) to consider, taking into consideration the effectiveness of the various technologies. The Government is totally open to such proposals from any source and if they are submitted to TEPCO or NISA and prove to be effective then we would seek to utilize them.

REPORTER: Countries around the world have said that they would like to show such technologies to the public and if they do not work, then they want to make a presentation at the next World Economic Forum.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This is a technical matter and there will be a number of opinions about how to engage in consultations. The position of TEPCO and also of the Government, through NISA in particular, is that we remain open to any technology that would prove to be effective. The channels for communication and submission of proposals are open at TEPCO and NISA and in such situations I hope that any proposed technologies would be examined and decided on by the relevant experts.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: There is talk that considerations are underway to delay budget requests for FY2012 by approximately one month compared to normal, starting from the end of September. What is the status of such considerations, and if it is actually the case that budget requests will be delayed by one-month do you think this will hinder the budget compilation process for next year's budget?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am aware of press reports to this effect, but I have not received any report or request for consultation from within the Government concerning a change to the period for budget requests.

REPORTER: On a related note, I believe that the first set of recommendations from the Reconstruction Design Council will be issued tomorrow. Based on those recommendations, by when do you think the compilation of the third supplementary budget will be completed?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: First of all, we are currently at the stage of making every conceivable effort to respond to items that require urgent budgetary allocation under the second supplementary budget. Naturally the Government wishes to proceed with compilation of the third supplementary budget towards full-fledged reconstruction as soon as possible. However, the main policies will be decided on the basis of the recommendations submitted by the Reconstruction Design Council, it is too early to say when the third supplementary budget will be completed, due to the fact that the supplementary budget allocations will be considered on the basis of the recommendations. Also, toward the establishment of the headquarters for reconstruction, work has been initiated and the Government will thus work for compilation in an expedited manner.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Returning to the first question in the press conference, if it is the case that Minister Matsumoto is appointed Minister for Reconstruction, do you think it would be preferable to maintain his responsibilities as Minister of Environment, or to be appointed purely as Minister for Reconstruction?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The authority to appoint Cabinet members is the exclusive preserve of the Prime Minister and I too have been appointed as Chief Cabinet Secretary by the Prime Minister. Therefore, unless I receive specific instructions from the Prime Minister to explain the reasons for personnel decisions, I think it would be presumptuous of me to make any comment in my position as Chief Cabinet Secretary.

REPORTER: If it is the case that the Minister for Reconstruction will be Minister Matsumoto, it could be considered that the appointment of a current Cabinet member is reducing the scope of the Cabinet reshuffle. Is such a viewpoint correct?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: With regard to this point too, I think that it would be presumptuous of me to make a comment from my position as Chief Cabinet Secretary. However, as I stated this morning, I don't believe that specific instructions have been given yet.

REPORTER: Do you think that Minister Matsumoto could manage the double responsibilities of environment and reconstruction? Is the work of the Minister for Reconstruction the kind of appointment that can be done concurrently?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In general terms, when considering the scale of the disaster it would be preferable to have a minister dedicated to the task of reconstruction. At the same time, the Prime Minister must give serious thought to how to allocate ministerial responsibilities, given the constraints of the 17-member Cabinet structure.

REPORTER: I understand your position that you are aware of press reports that Minister Matsumoto will be appointed as Minister for Reconstruction. Minister Matsumoto has served as Minister of State for Disaster Management to date and has engaged in measures for reconstruction and post-disaster response. From your perspective, how do you evaluate the actions of Minister Matsumoto to date and do you consider that he has sufficient capabilities to proceed with reconstruction going forward?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Minister Matsumoto and I are both members of the Kan Cabinet. He is also senior to me in terms of age and political experience and therefore I think it would be presumptuous of me to make an evaluation of his abilities.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: It has been reported that Vietnam would like to purchase Japan-designed nuclear power stations. Given the significant problems that have emerged concerning Japan's nuclear power stations, do you think that such demand and requests for purchase should be responded to?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: With regard to the nuclear accident, all persons involved are currently engaged in diligent efforts to find the causes of the accident and use the lessons they provide to further improve safety. As we move to make a comprehensive judgment concerning the causes of the accident and the problems that the accident has highlighted, if it is the case that the nuclear power-related technologies of Japan receive a good evaluation then that is something that we should be appreciative of.

REPORTER: It has been reported by some media outlets that in a press conference on June 20 following the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ministerial Conference, Minister Kaieda stated that the "Mark I" containment vessel manufactured by General Electric (GE) and currently being used in the Unit 5 reactor of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is one of the challenges for the future, including consideration of decommissioning the reactor from the perspective of safety. Are we to understand that this consideration of the decommissioning of "Mark I" reactors is something that is shared by the Prime Minister's Office?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Are you referring specifically to Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station?

REPORTER: No, I am referring to considering of the decommissioning of all "Mark I" reactors.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have received no reports or consultations on this matter. As I am unaware of any specific statements on this matter from those related to nuclear power, I do not think that I should make any comment. However, Japanese nuclear power plants include components that are manufactured abroad and brought to Japan for operation. In newer power stations there are more instances in which Japanese technology is being directly used. Therefore, this is not a question that concerns specifically Japan-made or non-Japan-made components and technologies.

(Abridged)