Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

Q&As

(Abridged)

REPORTER: On a separate topic, the Bank of Japan's latest quarterly ("Tankan") survey lists the business confidence for large manufacturing enterprises as -9 points, with deteriorating by 15 points from the previous survey. I would like to ask what the Government stance on this survey is, and what will be the Government response in light of these results.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: There is no doubt that the economy of Japan suffered severe damage as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake. In consideration of that, I believe that numbers like these are something which we have to accept in straightforward manner. Then again, I want to point out that the three-month projection for the economy is to improve greatly, to +2 points. The Government has worked to grasp the exact situation in many different sectors of the economy, and it must be noted that the manufacturing industry has recovered at a pace higher than our initial expectations. Supply chains seem to be beginning to recover. So although situations remain tough, my understanding is that many people in every part of the economy are now steadily advancing efforts toward recovery. I think that more than anything, economic recovery in the disaster-affected areas is one of the most serious remaining problems we face.

REPORTER: I have a question about the staff to be posted under Minister for the Restoration from and Prevention of Nuclear Accident Goshi Hosono. What will be done to find personnel with detailed knowledge about nuclear power? Are you thinking about seconding staff from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: That is up to the judgment of Minister Hosono. It's true that there are many people in METI with detailed knowledge of nuclear power, so he will be consulting with METI and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. That said, METI is not the only organization with staff members who know a lot about that topic. The Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) is part of the Cabinet Office and is thus positioned under Minister Hosono. Although it is technically an independent organization, in the most general sense it is overseen by Minister Hosono. I think this was the case also for the Japan Atomic Energy Commission.

REPORTER: Some have pointed out that although Mr. Hosono is the Minister for the Restoration from and Prevention of Nuclear Accident, he has no legal right to issue instructions or orders. Any comments on this point?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: You might say that, but for example, with my position, I really only have the authority to issue orders to the Cabinet Secretariat and a very small portion of the Cabinet and Cabinet Office. On top of that I have the authority and responsibility for overall coordination among agencies. With these powers, I am consulting with various ministries, agencies and ministers that are directly responsible for a number of specific matters and am propelling work forward on each of them. I would also like to point out that even the Prime Minister and the Cabinet do not have the power to issue direct orders to each of the ministries and agencies under the current Cabinet Law. Nevertheless, for important issues faced by Japan, the Prime Minister exercises his powers directly and decides on the direction the Government should pursue. The authority of the Minister for the Restoration from and Prevention of Nuclear Accident is similar to this.