Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: First, there is one thing I have to report. Minister for Reconstruction in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Ryu Matsumoto has resigned, and as we cannot waste a single day for reconstruction, the Prime Minister was working to quickly select a successor. Just a moment ago Senior Vice-Minister Tatsuo Hirano of the Cabinet Office was called to the Prime Minister's Office. The Prime Minister requested that he take up the position of Minister for Reconstruction in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, and Senior Vice-Minister Hirano accepted. We are now coordinating and considering a successor for Senior Vice-Minister Hirano. It is still unclear how long this process will take, but at the very least we plan to have an attestation ceremony held for Mr. Hirano today. We have yet to determine a time for this, but are in contact with the Imperial Household Agency about it.

Q&As

REPORTER: What did the Prime Minister say about his aims for giving this Cabinet post to Mr. Hirano?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Since before the disaster Mr. Hirano was tremendously versatile as a Senior Vice-Minister in overseeing Japan's national strategy, an extremely important task. Moreover, also as a native of Iwate Prefecture, he was very active in responding to the disaster within his position in the Cabinet Office. Under the direction of Minister Matsumoto, Senior Vice-Minister Hirano carried out a central role in those operations, and in particular livelihood assistance. The Prime Minister said that he would like to appoint Mr. Hirano in light of continuity and his achievements in carrying out those operations.

REPORTER: Mr. Matsumoto resigned after only nine days in office, and now Senior Vice-Minister Hirano has been nominated for the post. Do you not think that this type of resignation will interfere with reconstruction activities?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Minister Matsumoto has apologized for hurting the feelings of disaster victims as a result of his demeanor. The Government feels the same way. On the other hand, we are working to ensure that reconstruction efforts are not delayed. That is why we have received approval to appoint Mr. Hirano to the ministerial post as he is appropriate in terms of continuity and perceptiveness. We can, and must, move forward so as not to impact practical matters.

REPORTER: It has been reported that Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku was also nominated for the post but declined. Are you aware of this? If so, please tell us about the circumstances behind that.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As far as I am aware, just a little while ago Prime Minister Kan decided to request someone for the post for the first time. He forwarded his first request to Senior Vice-Minister Hirano, who then accepted the post.

REPORTER: You mentioned that coordination is being undertaken to select a succeeding Senior Vice-Minister. From what perspective are you selecting candidates? Are you seeking continuity, as with Mr. Hirano, or looking for an individual from the disaster area, for instance?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: First, Mr. Hirano, the succeeding Minister, has accepted his appointment as Minister and has asked for some time to think about that issue. The succeeding Senior Vice-Minister will be in charge of reconstruction, while Senior Vice-Minister Hirano was in charge of both reconstruction and national strategy. He says he would therefore like to hear the views of Minister for National Policy Koichiro Gemba. Currently, efforts are being made in parallel to coordinate this under soon-to-be Minister Hirano.

REPORTER: In discussions thus far between the Prime Minister and Mr. Hirano, has there been any mention of change on the heads of local response headquarters?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Normally my afternoon press conference is scheduled to be held at 4:00pm. I know that there is high interest in the new Minister, and but up until just before I came to this conference, all I had heard was that Mr. Hirano had accepted his nomination and requested a little time to think about issues such as who should be the new Senior Vice-Minister.

REPORTER: In light of the circumstances, there are strong assertions from the ruling parties as well that the Prime Minister must take responsibility for his decision to appoint Minister Matsumoto. Similar claims have even emerged from within the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), including from Chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee Jun Azumi and former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. What are your thoughts about this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am aware of the various unsympathetic opinions, but at the same time, and as I said in this morning's press conference, in the event of a disaster we must decide on basic policies, in particular, as quickly as possible. Moreover, today a policy for the second supplementary budget was decided on. Next we must put that into the form of a draft budget, receive the Diet's approval, and have it enforced as quickly as possible. Also, whatever the case, if we do not get the Act on Special Provisions concerning Issuance of Government Bonds passed as soon as possible, reconstruction will not move forward. As you can see there are issues that cannot be stalled even for a day. Therefore, while accepting harsh criticisms, we must nevertheless carry out our incumbent responsibilities in a steadfast manner.

REPORTER: Does this mean that Senior Vice-Minister Hirano will also be in charge of disaster prevention?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think that is basically what will happen.

REPORTER: Regarding the plan to swear in Mr. Hirano, you mentioned earlier that you had yet to decide on when this would take place. Do you think he will be sworn in tonight or during the early evening?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We have gone as far as agreeing with the Imperial Household Agency on holding final consultations to have this completed today as soon as an official decision is made. Of course, we want to have this completed before it gets too late so as not to trouble His Majesty the Emperor.

REPORTER: The press conferences of Mr. Goshi Hosono, Minister for the Reconstruction from and prevention of Nuclear Accident, have become more open compared to when he initially took office. The press conferences of the Minister for Reconstruction in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, however, were not made open. I think that there are some disaster victims that would like to clearly see comments made by the Minister, as the position deals with the problems they face. What are your thoughts on this issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The Cabinet as a whole has always asked everyone to do their best to make press conferences as open as possible. Nevertheless, the circumstances of each office differ, as does office management, so this issue is basically up to the responsibility and discretion of each Minister. Nevertheless, I will inform Mr. Hirano that there are people with such views.

REPORTER: Changing the subject, I have a question in relation to the Genkai Nuclear Power Station. Today, it appears that the Prime Minister met with Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda and Minister Hosono. I believe that the Governor of Saga Prefecture is also requesting to meet with the Prime Minister. Has any progress been made on this matter?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I do not know all of the details of the specific discussion that took place between the Prime Minister, Minister Kaieda, and others. I understand that they discussed the overall issue of nuclear safety and that the Prime Minister received reports from Minister Hosono and Minister Kaieda on the developments of their respective work.

REPORTER: Does that mean that at the current moment the Prime Minister intends to meet with the Governor?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have yet to hear anything definite. However, we have both recognized that a formal explanation must be provided to local residents.