Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have one item to report to you, concerning restrictions on shipment. Today, in accordance with Article 20, Paragraph 3 of the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness, it has been decided to establish restrictions on shipment of shiitake mushrooms grown on Raw Log in facilities in the town of Shinchi in Fukushima Prefecture. Instructions to this effect have been communicated to the governor of Fukushima Prefecture. For further details please direct your questions to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).

Q&As

(Abridged)

REPORTER: In his recent press conference Prime Minister Kan indicated a policy of phasing out nuclear power stations, with a view to bringing their number down to zero. However, he subsequently stated that this was his personal view and was not something that had been approved by the Cabinet, therefore seeming to correct his earlier statement and change course. You have also stated that such a policy is not something that has been approved by the Cabinet, so I would like to ask again. Is this policy something that represents the personal opinion of the Prime Minister and has not been discussed at Cabinet level? Or are there plans to discuss this issue at some point in the future at Cabinet level? If the issue is discussed, will it be focused on the phased decommissioning of reactors, or will it be based on continuing our dependence on nuclear power generation into the future? Bearing in mind that the Energy Basic Plan of Japan states that dependence on nuclear power will be increased to 50% in the future, will such discussions have an impact on the plan? I would like to hear your responses on the basis of the current situation.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The Prime Minister has not changed course. If you read the transcript of the press conference, you will find that the Prime Minister's comments are consistent. This also responds to one of your subsequent questions, but the Prime Minister stated that the Energy Basic Plan would be revised from a clean slate. Although this is not something that has been decided by the Cabinet, it is the clear policy of the Government. In the course of revising the Energy Basic Plan from a clean slate, the Government will seek to reduce dependence on nuclear power generation in a phased manner and promote the use of natural energies and energy conservation. This is something that you can take as being a policy that has been accepted by the Cabinet. What the Prime Minister said in his press conference was that on the basis of this Government policy he seeks to create a society in the future that does not need to depend on nuclear power generation and that the Government has a policy in place in order to head in this broad direction. However, with regard to the question of ultimately aiming for a society that does not depend on nuclear power, this is truly something that requires a process of national debate and this is also something that the Prime Minister stated in his press conference, indicating his wish to proceed with such national debate. Naturally it will be the case that in the course of discussions that will take place in the Cabinet, the Diet and in the public sphere on the future of Japan and the phased reduction in dependence on nuclear power, a variety of angles will be covered, from which a single direction will be formed. The elements of this debate are currently being carefully considered, with efforts being led by the National Policy Unit (NPU), including examination of short-term, mid-term, long-term, and energy supply and demand outlooks. The elements of the discussion will be presented to the public and will form the basis for future national debate on this issue.

REPORTER: When you say a society that does not depend on nuclear power, are you inferring a society with zero nuclear power stations, or with a very low degree of dependence on nuclear power? In other words, does the "non-dependence" include leaving a few nuclear power stations remaining in operation? Also, with regard to national debate, are you considering the utilization of direct and democratic means of seeking public opinion, such as in the form of a referendum?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Firstly, with regard to your latter question, under current legislation there is no system in place for seeking the opinions of the public in a national referendum on individual issues of national governance. When in opposition the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) submitted a proposal to enable the holding of national referendums, but unfortunately this proposal failed to gain a majority in the Diet. I believe that at the current point the Cabinet will seek to make a response based on national debate and the degree of national consensus that can be gained under the existing system. From that point discussion will be engaged in the Diet. With regard to your first question, in his press conference the Prime Minister stated that we should seek to create a society that would not be dependent on nuclear power, although I do not have notes of the press conference with me and cannot quote his exact words. I do not think that the issue of creating a society that does not depend on nuclear power and the issue of what this would imply for nuclear power at that point are the same thing. It was with this matter in mind that the Prime Minister stated that he sought to launch national debate on this issue.

REPORTER: So from this we can understand that the definition of "not being dependent" on nuclear power is currently still unclear?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: No, what is clear is a vision for a society that can function without being dependent on nuclear power.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: I believe that a request has recently been submitted to the Government by Mr. Gunji, Diet member of the DPJ and others, concerning the swift creation of a system for examining all beef cattle in all prefectures of Japan as well as the Government purchase of the beef concerned. I hear that you responded positively to this request. Could I ask how the Government intends to respond to this issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I responded to the request by stating my understanding that the Government must make maximum efforts to restore confidence in the safety of beef at the earliest juncture, both from the perspective of consumers and also from the various businesses involved, including beef producers and also transportation businesses. The basic direction has been discussed within the DPJ and I believe that the direction they have discussed is largely a desirable one. However a specific response will be decided that takes into account the actual status of beef production and distribution among other matters. I will be instructing MAFF and MHLW, which are the government ministries most closely involved with this issue, to respond to these requests to the greatest degree possible. Also, as a number of expert views and opinions have emerged within the DPJ, I will be asking that this information be provided to the various ministries and agencies involved as a basis for consultation.

REPORTER: I asked a question in this morning's press conference concerning the disposal of debris and rubble. The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) has indicated that there are 64 municipalities that require disposal of debris, however still only 17 local governments have submitted an application to the MOE for expenses relating to the disposal of debris. Local governments have indicated that the procedures for application are extremely complicated, including many separate forms and attachments and this is the reason why they have not yet been able to submit applications. Does the Government intend to improve the application process for debris disposal?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Opinions similar to those you have just mentioned were heard from an early stage, and I think that it was from the end of May that personnel from the MOE have been visiting the disaster-affected local governments and municipalities to listen to local opinions and wishes, and have been making effort to provide support for completing the paperwork relating to debris disposal. One of the reasons that the number of applications is small is because of the large amount of debris that needs to be disposed of. The Government has requested the MOE to provide more accurate information on applications and also, given that the budget is currently being deliberated in the Diet, to make further efforts so that the budgetary allocation can be swiftly distributed to facilitate and expedite the disposal of debris.

REPORTER: Regarding the issue of temporary housing, at the Budget Committee meeting today Prime Minister Kan apologized for not being able to fulfill his well-known promise to complete moving all applicants into the housing by the Obon holiday season. How does the Government plan to seek the understanding of the people in the disaster regions? Also, when do you expect applicants to be able to move into this housing? Please answer these two questions.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: For a more detailed explanation I would like to ask you to forward this question to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). However, it appears the circumstances are that there were additional requests made by local residents at a later stage, creating a discrepancy between the initially planned number of houses and the additional requests that we are currently responding to. Nevertheless, regardless of those circumstances, we still must apologize to these people, in particular, as we were unable to fulfill our promise, and that is why the Prime Minister made such an apology. I agree with the response of Prime Minister Kan, and I intend to work harder with the local governments, who know more about the actual needs on the local level, so that we can supply the necessary housing as quickly as possible.

REPORTER: Is it difficult to provide a forecast about when that will be?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Again, please forward these questions to the MLIT.

REPORTER: I would like to ask about something completely different. Excluding the three prefectures affected by the disaster, the remaining 44 prefectures will make the complete transition to terrestrial digital broadcasting on July 24. It is estimated that 100,000 households will stay on analog televisions without making the transition. Moreover, according to a questionnaire completed by the users of our Internet broadcasting service watching this press conference right now, only 56% of viewers have switched to terrestrial digital televisions. Setting this aside, there is concern about the confusion that will ensue in those 100,000 households once the transition is complete. How does the Government view this situation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Broadcasting stations, related organizations, and the private sector have carried out activities, including voluntary ones, of course in addition to the Government, to do everything we can to spread awareness about the transition. Compared with the initial fears, I believe that a substantial proportion of households are aware of the transition and have made the switch. Nevertheless, it is possible that there is some of the elderly population, in particular, that will be surprised by the actual termination of analog broadcasts. Therefore, a response is being carried out by mainly the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) by establishing a call center to respond to inquiries, and they have now set up a system to promptly respond to these inquiries 24-hours-a-day by increasing call center personnel. We are thus putting every effort into responding to this issue as best we can. I would like to ask all television station reporters - and I am sure that the relevant parties at television stations have already worked hard to spread awareness about this issue - but, as the switch is going to take place a day after tomorrow, I would also be very grateful if everyone from other media outlets as well would cooperate in spreading awareness about the transition.

REPORTER: The transition in the three disaster-affected prefectures is supposed to take place at the end of March of next year. Is it safe to say that this is still the plan for the time being?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Yes, we extended the deadline for the three disaster-affected prefectures. However, we are causing trouble for disaster victims that have access to television as well as television stations that are able to broadcast, because the current situation, where analog and digital broadcasts are being made simultaneously, has continued for longer than initially planned. Efforts are being carried out mainly by the MIC while observing progress of restoration efforts from the disaster so that we can make transition by our current target deadline.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: There is concern over secondary exposure, internal exposure, to radiation caused by foods. Radiation contamination was detected in beef and that is now causing concern. At the same time, it has been deemed okay to ship sludge manure if the contamination level is lower than the 200-Bq standard established by MAFF. Now, however, there is great concern that these standards will lead to the further contamination, or re-contamination, of fields in uncontaminated areas or decontaminated areas. The basis for this standard was a set of guidelines drafted by the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC), but can you say that the standards established by each individual ministry and agency are in fact strict? Are they strict enough to protect the health of national citizens? Isn't it necessary to revise these from a fundamental level? I would like to hear your understanding of this.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has already commented about the beef problem in a straightforward manner in the Diet, we have caused a significant amount of trouble to consumers and those in the livestock industry because our response lacked appropriate foresight and was late in detecting the contamination of rice straw by radioactive cesium. All of the ministries are currently working together to check every potential aspect to ensure that there is no possibility that similar cases, or route, of contamination still exist - in other words, radiation being ingested by livestock, or the spread of radioactive materials throughout the food chain. It is my understanding that the safety standards that we use are sufficiently conservative, which must be seen separately from the issue of overlooked contamination routes. Nevertheless, I believe that it is necessary to make such standards even stricter, or perhaps flexible in some case, in light of various international expertise, as it is important to take every precaution. We must continually revise these standards in consideration of safety while assessing the expertise of other countries.

REPORTER: If that is the case, what is your perception of the issue of sludge manure?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have received report that the current standards are quite conservative. Anything more than that becomes rather technical, so I ask that you forward more technical questions to MAFF.

REPORTER: I apologize as I asked about this during the morning press conference, but in regards to Unit 2 of Mihama Nuclear Power Station for which the Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) has requested approval to continue operations, Fukui Prefecture has indicated that it will not accept the application unless the national government presents the dangers inherent in long-term operations along with a new set of screening standards. Does the Government intend to present, or consider presenting, a new set of screening standards?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Today, I received a report that KEPCO submitted such a request. A safety check must be carried out every 10 years and such a request should be submitted one year in advance, so we actually have one year before a final decision must be made. During this period the nuclear power station will of course undergo the secondary assessment, which has been established as a general rule. Furthermore, in consideration of the conclusions of the NSC in their verifications of the incident in Fukushima, as well as the various discussions that are scheduled to take place in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) this fall, where a unified, international consensus may be introduced regarding stress tests, for instance, I plan to have primarily the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) and NSC conduct thorough verifications from a technical and safety perspective to figure out how, and if, safety can be guaranteed.

(Abridged)