Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

Q&As

REPORTER: In response to questions in the Diet Budget Affairs Committee today, the Prime Minister indicated his desire to attend the Peace Memorial Ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August. Has it been decided by the Government that the Prime Minister will attend these ceremonies? In addition, if the Prime Minister does attend, there are some who expect that he will announce a policy of abandoning nuclear power generation. What message will the Prime Minister be announcing, if he attends these ceremonies?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: An invitation has arrived for these ceremonies, but as they is still some time left, I have not received any reports about what has been confirmed specifically and what preparations are being made.

REPORTER: On a related note, last year on Atomic-bomb Day in Nagasaki the cities of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki issued a request for the Three Non-Nuclear Principles to be set in law, and the Prime Minister said that he would give the matter consideration in his own capacity. Since then, has the Prime Minister or the Government given the matter any thought?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I am aware that the Prime Minister stated that he would like to consider the matter himself and he has probably looked into the matter and given it consideration. However, the Prime Minister has not given any instructions to the Government on this matter.

REPORTER: In the Diet Budget Affairs Committee, Minister Kaieda has stated that "once a certain time has come I would like to take responsibility," indicating that he may be considering resignation. I believe that following the resignation of the Minister for Reconstruction and now Minister Kaieda, who is one of the ministers with a central role in responding to the nuclear accident, indicating the possibility of resignation, the Government is placed in an extremely serious situation. What are your views?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe that Minister Kaieda is working very hard indeed to fulfill his duties in a very difficult situation, particularly with regard to the nuclear accident. I have not asked him about the intent of his comments. However, just after midday today I met directly with Minister Kaieda and Minister Hosono and we engaged in talks together. I believe that Minister Kaieda will continue to make every effort to engage in the work to respond to the nuclear accident, which is still work in progress and that he has a strong sense of responsibility in engaging in this work.

REPORTER: With regard to the restarting of operations at Genkai Nuclear Power Station, the conflicting statements by the Prime Minister and concerned ministers have caused confusion among relevant local people. Under such circumstances, one of the ministers in charge now says that he intends to resign in the near future, I think that this would further exacerbate the difficulty for the heads of local government, as politicians, to come to a decision regarding the power station. What are your views from your standpoint as a politician? Do you think the current confusion will have an impact?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have not directly heard the intentions and purpose of the various statements. However, as a politician, I carry out my daily duties, including those as a press spokesperson, with a sense of responsibility.

REPORTER: In your discussions this afternoon with Ministers Hosono and Kaieda did you discuss the status of coordination concerning the Government concept for restarting operations at nuclear power stations, including Genkai Nuclear Power Station? Do you have an outlook for when an announcement can be made?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Various considerations and coordination are currently underway, but unless an easily understandable explanation can be provided, as I have stated before, the Government's response will remain difficult to understand, thus causing inconvenience and worry for the governor, mayor of Genkai town and local residents. I would like to provide a report when all coordination has been fully and comprehensively completed.

REPORTER: Regarding the stress tests, they are apparently going to be conducted on all operating nuclear power stations in addition to the ones that are currently suspending operations. Depending on the circumstances, or the outcome of the tests, is it possible that any currently operating nuclear power station will be suspended?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: There is no meaning in carrying out these tests unless we respond in the event that they show inappropriate results. However, regarding the specific details such as when and how we will conduct the tests, basically, we will refer to the stress tests being conducted in Europe and create a confirmation system in order to ensure that citizens feel a stronger sense of reassurance. Thus, it is not my understanding that the newly created system this time is exactly equal to the stress tests being conducted in Europe.

REPORTER: The issue of stress tests is extremely difficult to understand and confusing. What do you think is the biggest cause for this confusion? In other words, if the issue was addressed from the bottom up and thorough discussion was properly held, this kind of confusion would not occur. I do not think that this type of difficult-to-understand situation does not normally emerge unless an order is abruptly given from the top-down or there is some other extraordinary circumstances. What is your take on this issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Ultimately, I am in charge of disseminating the information of the Government to the citizens. If there is anything that is difficult to understand, then it is entirely my fault.

REPORTER: Some think that this confusion was caused by the stress tests while others think it has to do with the inappropriate sequence of events, as Minister Kaieda issued the safety declaration on resuming operations on June 18 before the call for stress tests was made. Was Minister Kaieda's press conference on June 18 appropriate to begin with?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think that it was appropriate.

REPORTER: If that is the case, then don't you think that it's necessary to straighten out the relationship between the press conference and the stress test?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Yes. I have been saying this since yesterday, but regarding safety, the Government has performed strict and thorough safety checks and confirmations based on existing laws in response to the earthquake, tsunami, and the nuclear incident in Fukushima. It is the Government's understanding that safety has been confirmed. However, there are many citizens that are still concerned, so we are now making various efforts and exploring different ways that will allow citizens to feel more assurance and comfort regarding safety.

REPORTER: I have another question. You said that you are exploring various measures and that you will provide an explanation once things are sorted out. Why did Minister Kaieda make an announcement yesterday despite things not being sorted out yet?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: While various deliberations are underway in the Diet, it is the responsibility of the Cabinet to report on matters once they have reached a certain level of progress. Therefore, in a manner of speaking, it is the responsibility of the Cabinet to explain as much as possible about matters that are to be topics of Diet deliberation. At the same time, it is also the Cabinet's responsibility to make things as easy to understand as possible for the public. This is my understanding of the situation.

REPORTER: Regarding the restarting of Genkai Nuclear Power Station, there is a possibility that the suspended nuclear power station will not recommence operations on schedule, as the Mayor of Genkai Town has now announced his decision to withdraw permission to restart the power station. Can you confidently say that, despite these circumstances, energy and electrical power supply will be sufficient during the summer?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Electrical power supply and demand is currently being considered, or analyzed, based on various possibilities and circumstances. We are not doing this based on the assumption that Genkai Nuclear Power Station will be restarted for sure. We are considering various cases, including the event where the facility cannot be restarted, as well as the event that it can.

REPORTER: You said that in this morning's press conference that the issue of the general implementation of stress tests and the issue of restarting suspended nuclear power stations were being confused. However, listening to the Prime Minister's answer to a question from Diet member Satsuki Katayama today, the issues seem rather easy to understand. It actually seemed that the Prime Minister himself did not distinguish between the two. He said that the problem in both cases is in the conventional system in which facilities are restarted upon the decision of Minister Kaieda and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA). He also said that is why new standards are to be created. Therefore, I cannot believe that he separates the two issues in the same way you do. What is your opinion of the Prime Minister's thoughts on this issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: To give you the background, NISA has been until now thoroughly responding to the nuclear incident. The Government has already noted the necessity to revise the current system of NISA and the Nuclear Safety Commission, as was stipulated in the IAEA report. Amidst these developments, there was difficulty acquiring understanding on the safety of facilities based on comments by personnel of NISA and the Ministry of Trade, Economy and Industry (METI) - although the obvious and current legal mechanism or procedure is that these two groups alone should explain this issue. I believe that it was in response to this that the Prime Minister made his statement. I think he was speaking about what needs to be done in order to make the public feel reassured, and I think his statement applies to both medium- to long-term and short-term issues.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: On a related note, in his comments at the Budget Committee meeting a little while ago, Minister Kaieda commented on the stress tests, saying, "There are certain things for which we will demand a interim reports, and those for which we will demand just a final report. I plan to make a decision on this matter, including on how to separate these issues." If stress tests are to be conducted in earnest, it will take quite a long time. Due to this, are you considering doing this in phases using interim and final reports?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have really said this a number of times I think. The IAEA recommended that we implement the kind of stress tests conducted in Europe, and as I just mentioned, safety at the nuclear power stations in question has been fully confirmed through other methods. Nevertheless, we recognize the need to still come up with certain innovative processes to fully reassure the public on this issue. While referencing the procedures for the stress tests recommended by the IAEA, we are in the process of establishing an innovative system. I also heard Minister Kaieda's answers on this point in the Diet, and including what he mentioned, I will add that we are also considering the implementation of a kind of checks and balances system that would involve NISA. We are currently working out the details of what measures we will undertake.