Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

(Abridged)

Q&As

REPORTER: It would appear that the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has decided on a policy to halt shipment of beef. Is the Kan Administration also looking towards implementing such a policy?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: My understanding is that the MHLW is in thestage of consideration and a final decision has yet to be reached. At the current point the farmers concerned are exercising self-restraint and voluntarily refraining from shipment. With regard to whether the Government will make a formal decision, we are currently engaged in consultations with the prefecture and other bodies and seek to swiftly make a decision on our response.

REPORTER: I believe that if a formal decision were to be made, this would require a meeting of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters. Is there a plan for such a meeting to be held?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As other restrictions on shipment have been implemented based on the instructions of the head of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters, and while the relevant ministers will be consulted, the head of the Response Headquarters is able to make a decision without convening a meeting, which has been the case for the imposition and lifting of restrictions on shipment to date.

REPORTER: With regard to the export of nuclear power generation technologies, in previous press conferences you have stated that if there is a request from other countries including Vietnam for such exports, the Government would seek to respond to such requests on the basis that safety has been confirmed. However, given the Prime Minister's statement about the phasing out of nuclear power in Japan, does this mean that there is still no change to this kind of nuclear power generation diplomacy, and that the Government will seek to export technology if requests are received?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Basically, if another country evaluates Japan's technology as being of a high level, and bearing in mind that for the foreseeable future Japan itself will continue to use nuclear power generation on the basis that it is the safest in the world, then in such cases the basic premise would be whether a partner country makes a decision to request such technologies.

REPORTER: On a related note, and referring to a question I asked in this morning's press conference, there are press reports that the Vietnamese government has made a request to Japan for such technologies and an informal agreement has been concluded. In addition, the Lithuanian government announced on July 14 that exclusive negotiation rights have been granted to a consortium of Hitachi, Ltd. and General Electric Company (GE) for the construction of a new generation nuclear power station. In other words it seems to be already a fact that exports of nuclear power generation technologies are being made. What are your views?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Even following the recent incident, the fact that other countries still evaluate Japan's technology highly is something that I would like to view in a positive light.

REPORTER: In his recent press conference the Prime Minister stated that he keenly felt that nuclear power stations and nuclear power generation technology were something that we cannot control. It would seem to be rather contradictory for Japan to export technologies that "cannot be controlled" to other countries. What are your views?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Although my intent is always to fully understand and interpret the words of the prime minister made in his press conferences, I do not recall precisely at the moment the context of that particular comment within the press conference as a whole, and therefore I do not think that I can respond to this question.

REPORTER: Although four months have already passed since the disaster, the removal of debris has not made much progress. For example, at a kindergarten in Shizugawa, on the day of the tsunami the children at the kindergarten escaped by climbing up a mountain without even crying, despite the fact that their kindergarten was already situated on high ground. Also, at gasoline stands along the coast, despite the fact that main electricity is available, they are generating their own electricity. The people in these communities who have been affected by the disaster have a strong sense not of bousai (disaster prevention), but rather of kyousai (coexisting with disaster). Their hope is that rather than the central or local governments designating areas as being dangerous, meaning that the local people can no longer work there or rebuild their houses there, instead they want to do more on their own initiative. Is the Government not considering the establishment not of special zones, but rather of special self-governing areas in certain regions? I would like to hear your opinions.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Could you clarify what you mean by kyousai?

REPORTER: It is a phrase that is being used to describe efforts to coexist together, side-by-side, with a disaster situation. For example, when I visited Taro, I noted that there are construction methods that make it possible for buildings not to withstand a tsunami, but rather avoid the full force of a tsunami. Upon hearing this many of the local people wanted to know more and also mentioned that the central government is probably not considering ways to boost the skills and knowledge of the local people by creating a self-governing area, for example. This is what was said by the local people and is the reason I am asking the question today.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The recommendations of the Reconstruction Design Council and also the consistent view of the Government recognize that the areas damaged by the earthquake and tsunami cover an incredibly wide area and the topography and socio-economic structure of the various disaster-affected areas differ. In addition, I am also aware that there are considerable differences among the various areas concerning the question of how to go about rebuilding home towns that have been damaged in the disaster. Accordingly, the Government is currently working on designing specific structures of special zones you have just mentioned. Various possibilities are currently being examined, including the possibility of designing the entire affected areas as special zones as well as further separating them into smaller units. The Government is also considering how to respond to residents in these smaller units who have specific wishes for how they want to reconstruct their communities and what structures they need in order to be able to do this. Whatever the case, there will not be a situation in which the central or prefectural government gives directions that reconstruction in a given area has to be implemented in a specified manner. The Government will prepare various choices, or menus, for support measures and the local residents may refer to these when making independent decisions concerning the image they have for the reconstruction of their community. If the residents require further knowledge or expertise, then the Government will certainly provide the things that it is able to provide. If there are communities as you have described that seek to reconstruct their region in a manner that seeks to coexist with disaster (kyousai), then the Government will provide assistance for the formulation of a reconstruction plan based on such a policy.

REPORTER: I have a question concerning the Government's stance with regard to the development of the Monju fast-breeder reactor. Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Takaki this morning stated in a press briefing that it is only natural that further discussion be implemented on this issue, leading some press reports to indicate that the fast-breeder reactor development scheme would be halted, but then he retracted his statement. Recently, there have been a number of imprudent statements by Cabinet ministers, including former Minister for Reconstruction Matsumoto, and I would like to ask for your views on this issue.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: First of all, I have received reports concerning Minister Takaki's comments and I believe his response stressed that a response would not simply be a matter of either halting operations or continuing them. Therefore if press reports have indicated that the minister stated that one or the other of these actions was being considered, I believe that this is a case in which the minister's comments have been misread. Whatever the case, with regard to the overall format for nuclear power, based on an investigation into the recent incident, we are currently at the stage of implementing overall considerations and have not yet reached a point where individual cases, such as the Monju reactor, can be considered.

REPORTER: A number of Cabinet ministers have expressed critical comments about the press conference of the Prime Minister on nuclear power generation, pointing out that further discussion was required prior to a press conference. I wonder what your thoughts are about whether the Prime Minister should have given a press conference only after finalizing discussions a little further within the Government and ruling parties.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In my press conference on the day after the Prime Minister's press conference, I stated that my understanding was that the Government and ruling parties had reached a substantive consensus for short-term and medium-term measures, namely that nuclear power generation should continue to be utilized as we gradually reduce our degree of dependence on nuclear power in a phased manner. I also referred to another short-term issue, which is making every effort to ensure power supply, before referring to the long-term view. Although my choice of words may not have been appropriate, I stated that I believed that the objectives for the long-term as stated by the Prime Minister represented his own personal view. In this way, I clearly delineated my interpretation of the Prime Minister's comments as a whole. I am sorry if my intention to delineate short, medium and long-term issues was not made clear in my press conference.

REPORTER: On a related note, in today's roundtable ministerial discussions you apparently indicated your intention to establish a forum for ministerial discussion regarding the nuclear power issue. Is this your intention?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: It has been the case from before that all ministers have engaged in discussions in the forum of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters, and there is also the forum of ministerial roundtable discussions. However, while I believe that all ministers share the same opinion, it is necessary to make further efforts to devise a platform through which we can share a consistent view and I have begun considerations on what form such a platform should take.

REPORTER: On a note relating to power saving measures, I get the feeling that this press conference room is quite cool, but before you came into the room it was quite warm. I believe the temperature may fluctuate depending on the number of persons in the room, but what temperature is the air conditioning system set at in the Prime Minister's Office?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe that temperature can be controlled in each individual room, but my own office is set at 28 degrees Celsius.

REPORTER: Do you know what temperature the press conference room is set at?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I do not know what the temperature setting is in here. I think perhaps that when a press conference is given, the lights and number of people in the room contribute to making it even hotter.

REPORTER: Various discussions took place at the ministerial roundtable discussions today regarding the Prime Minister's comment on nuclear power stations. Although you did not really elaborate on this topic at your press conference this morning, considering that you yourself were also giving comments at the gathering, I believe it is better if there is an explanation from your side since this is an important subject. What are your views on the explanations which were provided at the gathering of ministers?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: First of all, regarding the Cabinet meeting and the ministerial roundtable discussions that followed, I take pride in the fact that I have had the opportunity to and continue to lead the way in advancing the Act on Access to Information since its inception all the way through to the amendments being deliberated at the current session of the Diet. Nevertheless, I believe there are both historical and practical reasons why the Cabinet meeting and the roundtable discussions are not on the record. In this context, with regard to the matters I am able to discuss, I have tried to provide as much explanation as possible. Although you seem to think that various discussions took place, this is not the case. The Prime Minister was asked to provide an explanation for the purpose of having a shared understanding, and he gave an explanation. In response, I said we should spend some time discussing this in order to ensure that we have a shared understanding, or make efforts to have a common understanding on this whole subject rather than have piecemeal information about the Prime Minister's press conference from news reports and so on. Only three people made relevant comments.

REPORTER: Regarding this issue, I understand that the ministers will be meeting as early as next week to exchange views. As a result of the discussions, do you foresee, for example, that the Prime Minister's policy will be incorporated into a plan of some sort or that the outcomes of the discussions based on the policy will be made into a Cabinet decision? What sort of outcomes do you foresee resulting from the discussions?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: First, while we hope to start the discussions sometime next week, next week much of the ministers' schedules will be tied to the Diet Budget Affairs Committee meetings that will be held on consecutive days. Therefore, to what extent the ministers will be able to have a lengthy discussion will depend realistically on the coordination of ministers' schedules. We hope the discussions carried out on this basis will lead to outcomes. As I mentioned a moment ago, whether it is about the Prime Minister's comments or the discussions taking place at the government ministries and agencies - the intent of holding more thorough discussions among all ministers is not only to discuss the Prime Minister's press conference from the other day, but also to discuss the variety of measures being taken in relation to the nuclear power station. We have the issue of beef to discuss still, as well as the topic of nearing the completion of Step 1. Based on the need to ensure a shared understanding on a variety of issues, I am saying that a forum for discussion is necessary.

REPORTER: Related to this, I have a question on Monju which came up earlier. I recall that at the review of government programs before last year's, a conclusion was reached that a review of the Monju's research and development budget was needed in light of the policy vision concerning nuclear fuel cycle. Monju is expected to be put into use 40 years from now - still quite a long way away - and for some time to come several tens of billions of yen are expected to be provided in budgetary allocation every year. With the Prime Minister saying that steps will be taken to achieve zero nuclear power in the future, what sort of budget request do you intend to make for next fiscal year's budget?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As I said a moment ago, the short-term and medium-term vision of the Government is clear - that is to continue utilizing nuclear power stations for some time to come while gradually reducing the dependence on nuclear power stations, and in this context, to thoroughly ensure the stability of electric power supply. As for the longer-term goal of achieving a society which can manage without nuclear power stations, the questions of how long of a span this will require and what steps will be taken are, indeed, matters on which the Government will be reaching a conclusion as we discuss how to actually materialize the short- to medium-term goals that I mentioned a moment ago. In this context, I believe a clear Government vision will be set out in the course of defining the overall energy policy bearing in mind the verifications of the nuclear incident and other factors. I believe now is not the stage for largely modifying the policy towards a specific direction based on a set of prejudgments.

REPORTER: Regarding the primary and secondary assessments of nuclear power stations, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) has just announced the assessment method and implementation plan. What is the legal basis of the assessments to begin with? I believe it will be hard to obtain reliability and credibility without a Cabinet decision or legislation. What are your thoughts?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The assessments are not based on law. As part of our responsibility with respect to all nuclear power stations, the Government will be requesting the assessments from the perspective of raising the sense of safety and assurance of the people.

REPORTER: The document states that assessments of nuclear fuel cycle-related facilities will be considered separately. I believe this includes Monju. What is the status of the considerations? Does this mean that nuclear fuel cycle-related facilities will be assessed separately from the primary and secondary assessments?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: At the very least at this point in time, we have not yet entered the stage of carrying out specific considerations. First, NISA, at the center, is making efforts to see to it that the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) confirms the specific scheme presented by NISA to the NSC as fast as possible and that this scheme is implemented.

REPORTER: This question also concerns Monju Nuclear Power Station. Are there no prospects for the Prime Minister to reach a conclusion on the continuation of operations at the nuclear power station during his term in office?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I do not believe I should make presumptions about such future issues.

REPORTER: This question is concerning the primary and secondary assessments. It is my understanding that they will ultimately take into consideration the views of the NSC, but do you believe that at present the Government has produced a scheme sufficient enough to give assurance to the people and gain their approval for restarting operations at nuclear power stations?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: This is really question for specialists and technical experts. I am not an expert worthy of making such an assessment, and while Prime Minister Kan is quite knowledgeable about these technical issues, he is not a specialist with the ability to make such assessments either. That is precisely why we have adopted a process where the assessments do not stop in NISA but continue on for confirmation by NSC. There of course may be some room for political or governmental effort in light of the decisions made by experts concerning the technical safety, but for now we must leave the technical issues up to the experts.

REPORTER: There was an assembly this afternoon at the House of Representatives Members' Office Building where attendees called for the early resignation of Prime Minister Kan, and to which approximately 30 members of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) attended in person. First, what is your take on this? Also, some of those members have expressed their criticism of ad hoc measures taken with regard to the resumption of operations at nuclear power stations. What do you think about such views being expressed within the ruling party?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I intend to take the diverse range of views coming from both within and outside of the ruling party seriously. However, speaking from the position of being entrusted with executive power, today the second supplementary budget bill was presented in the Diet, and it is our responsibility to ensure that this bill acquires the understanding of the Diet and is passed as quickly as possible in order that various operations are pushed forward in terms of actual reconstruction.

REPORTER: The Prime Minister has said that he intends for Japan to abandon nuclear power generation. I have been traveling to the energy-producing facilities of various countries for many years, and I know about a method called thorium nuclear power generation. Thorium is a material that is commonly found when mining for rare earth, and it can be burned together with plutonium to generate power. This method does not cause meltdowns and it is said that with Japan's advanced technology thorium nuclear power generation is an actual possibility. I know that Japan possesses large quantities of plutonium. Has thorium nuclear power generation ever been considered in discussions, as well as in terms of ridding Japan of its plutonium by burning it? Please tell me your thoughts on this.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I apologize but I do not know the answer to your question. I am sorry but without confirming it I do not know if the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE), or in a broader sense the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), have considered this in the past.

REPORTER: Please let me ask another quick question. You just mentioned that you want the second supplementary budget passed as quickly as possible. Today, in a press conference Minister Gemba indicated his understanding that it would be best to select the next DPJ President during August. Do you share the same awareness as Minister Gemba?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I do not believe that I should be commenting on party-related matters here in this capacity.