Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

(Abridged)

Q&As

REPORTER: Was the victory of "Nadeshiko Japan" (Japan Women's National Football Team) a point of conversation in today's roundtable ministerial discussions?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: It was not directly covered in the course of ministerial roundtable discussions.

REPORTER: Although it may not have come up in ministerial discussions, did it come up in conversation at all?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe that the ministers may have talked about it individually. I was the last to join the meeting directly before it started, and as I was sitting next to Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Takaki, I congratulated him and shook his hand, given that he is the minister responsible for sport.

REPORTER: What are your thoughts on the victory?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Since the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, there have been regrettably hardly any opportunities for the nation to come together and celebrate. This remarkable achievement therefore will be a source of great joy for the nation as a whole, including the people who have been affected by the disaster. From this perspective I would like to state my heartfelt appreciation to the players, coach and staff members of the Japan Women's National Football Team for having come so far and accomplished so much.

REPORTER: You said that for the semi-final you overslept and didn't watch the match. Did you manage to see the final?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I made sure that I watched it, yes.

REPORTER: The Japan Women's National Football Team will be visiting the Prime Minister's Office today. Is the Government planning to give the team an award or commendation of some description?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Given the scale of their achievement, the government would naturally like to present them with something, but specifically what that will be has yet to be decided.

REPORTER: I would like to ask about the status of considerations concerning the halting of shipment of beef from Fukushima Prefecture. Also, over the weekend there were other cases (of contaminated beef) discovered in locations outside Fukushima Prefecture. What will be the Government's response to the situation in other prefectures?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: It is highly regrettable that levels of radioactive cesium that exceed the set provisional regulations values have been found in beef cows that have been shipped, and the Government feels very sorry for both consumers and for persons involved in the livestock industry. At the current point voluntary restrictions on the shipment of beef from Fukushima Prefecture are in place, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) are currently in the process of finalizing discussions with Fukushima Prefecture concerning the guidance on shipment restrictions that should be put in place by the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters.

REPORTER: Various cases have been found outside Fukushima Prefecture. What measures will be implemented for other prefectures?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: For locations outside Fukushima Prefecture, the Government will be implementing as detailed monitoring as possible. The cause of the problem in Fukushima Prefecture is known to be rice straw feed, and as has been reported in the press already, MAFF is making every effort to cooperate with prefectural governments to gain an understanding about the status of rice straw that has been provided as cattle feed. If a problem should emerge, structures already exist to track shipments of meat and based on the circumstances judgments will be made, starting first of all with Fukushima Prefecture.

REPORTER: On a similar note, many of the cattle farmers have indicated that they were unaware of guidance from MAFF, instructing that cattle feed that had been stored outdoors should not be fed to cattle. Was there a problem with this method of notification?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The Prime Minister's Office is not yet aware of the specificities of the problem, but the result was that the information was not sufficiently circulated, causing great worry and inconvenience for livestock farmers and consumers alike. This is something that the Government is very sorry about. MAFF is currently checking and investigating the specific problems.

REPORTER: On a related note, similar cases have been detected in Niigata and Yamagata Prefectures, however in your response just now you mentioned that first of all a judgment will be made with regard to Fukushima Prefecture. Will other prefectures also be subject to investigation and examination in the future? In addition, does the Government not consider that examinations should be implemented not merely in locations where cases have been discovered, but rather that the area for examination should be widened, as a means of preventing the spread of further damage in advance?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In order to ensure that the impact of this incident does not widen, various prefectures in addition to Fukushima Prefecture are already cooperating with regard to the distribution of rice straw. The result of this cooperation is that we are clarifying where rice straw feed that contains high levels of radioactive cesium has been transported and consumed in case of cattle other than those in Fukushima Prefecture. We are currently tracking these shipment and distribution routes, and the surrounding prefectures and MAFF are already engaged in thorough cooperation to advance such measures.

REPORTER: I have heard that there was an exchange of opinions among ministers today in the roundtable ministerial discussions concerning Japan's energy policy. What was covered in these exchanges of opinions?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Issues relating to energy are dealt with by a wide variety of ministries and agencies and ministers themselves, starting with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of course, and also Minister for the Restoration from and Prevention of Nuclear Accident Hosono, as well as Minister Gemba, given that energy is a part of national policy. Research into nuclear power, for example, is also dealt with by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It is important that the status of considerations and work at these various ministries is coordinated in sequence and that the various actions underway are structured accordingly, and we have decided that I will be in charge of this coordination in my capacity as Chief Cabinet Secretary.

REPORTER: Last week Minister Nakano tabled a proposal that all ministers should gather to engage in an exchange of opinions sometime during the week or at the beginning of next week. Was that the purpose of the discussions today?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: No, that is not the case. A meeting of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters is scheduled for today, and given the status of discussions in the Diet Budget Affairs Committee it would be difficult to find time to have sufficient discussions on this issue this week. Various considerations on the issue of energy policy are being given by the ministers concerned and I am working to coordinate a means whereby all these considerations can be shared among the relevant ministers as a whole.

REPORTER: If that is the case, what will be the agenda for the meeting of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters today?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: My understanding is that now Step 1 has been largely achieved, on that basis discussion will turn to future response to the incident and the meeting will seek to make other decisions that need to be made.

REPORTER: On a related note, there has been talk that the formation of an Energy Basic Plan may be delegated to Minister Gemba. Is this true?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The person designated by law to compile energy policy is the METI Minister. However, in general terms and not limited to the current incident and related issues, as there is a Minister for National Policy and a National Policy Unit (NPU), in a broad sense I believe it would be only natural for Minister Gemba and his team at the NPU to engage in various considerations relating to national strategy. For example, the NPU has been involved in discussions on taxation and social security and in that sense, with regard to energy policy I believe that Minister Gemba and Minister Kaieda, as the minister responsible, will engage in thorough cooperation and consultation together on this issue.

REPORTER: Returning to the point about Nadeshiko Japan, you mentioned that the Government is considering presenting some kind of award. If this is the case, would it be an award to the team as a whole, or an individual award to Ms. Sawa, who was the winner of the Most Valued Player award at the FIFA Women's World Cup?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Nothing specific has yet been considered. However, given that the achievement has given a great deal of encouragement to disaster-affected people and the public as a whole, the Government will be making specific considerations on the way it can properly recognize such an achievement.

REPORTER: The Unit 1 reactor at Oi Nuclear Power Station, which was under controlled operations, experienced some trouble and operations have been suspended. Given that operations have been suspended, I believe that this has led to a decision that the power station will be subject to a primary assessment. Do you think that this decision will have an impact in some way on the restarting of operations at the Unit 3 reactor of Tomari Nuclear Power Station, which is also under controlled operations at the moment?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think these two cases are not directly related, being distinct from one another.

REPORTER: If that is the case, if the Unit 3 reactor of Tomari Nuclear Power Station receives the all clear under the current examination implemented by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), will it be possible for operations to be restarted?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I do not believe I have said anything about this matter previously.

REPORTER: So does that mean that you will be making a decision from now?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The process is currently being coordinated.

REPORTER: There have been a number of press reports that the Government has decided on a policy of requesting companies and households in the service area of Kansai Electric Power Company to conserve power. What are the facts behind these reports?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The suspension f operations at the Unit 1 reactor of Oi Nuclear Power Station will have a significant impact on power supply within the service area of Kansai Electric Power Company. In addition, operations at the coal-fired power station at Misumi operated by Chugoku Electric Power Company are also suspended, and this will have a significant impact on the outlook for energy supply and demand for western Japan as a whole. Chugoku Electric Power Company is currently implementing detailed examinations concerning a forecast for when operations can be restarted at the coal-fired power station, and based on the outcome of that examination the Government will announce an outlook for supply and demand and countermeasures, within the course of the next few days. Given the current status of supply and demand in western Japan and in the service area of Kansai Electric Power Company in particular, I believe that it is likely that specific requests will be issued for cooperation on power saving.

(Abridged)