Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

Q&As

(Abridged)

REPORTER: I would like to inquire about the restart of operations at Hokkaido Electric Power Company's (HEPCO) Tomari Nuclear Power Station. It appears that Hokkaido has requested the Government to indicate its understanding on whether the facilities are operating. First, what is the Government's understanding on this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The unified policy of the Government as of July 11 regarding whether a primary or secondary assessment would be applicable based on whether the facility is in operating is clear, as it was put in writing. And I believe that I have already said that the plant is subject to the secondary assessment as it is indeed in operation.

REPORTER: In that case, will it mean that its commercial operations will be permitted to restart without the facility undergoing a primary assessment first?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: If HEPCO applies for the final inspection component of the regular inspection, the comprehensive load performance inspection, in accordance with laws and regulations, the Nuclear and Industrial Policy Agency (NISA) will conduct an investigation. As a result of NISA's investigation, the status of implementation will then be reported to the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) and, after requesting NSC's views on the points of concerns about ensuring safety, if no problem is found, the regular inspection will be concluded.

REPORTER: On a related note, what specifically will NSC be checking? Are they going to establish specific confirmation items?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Regarding this point, it is possible to request the opinions of NSC based on Japan's laws, therefore on this occasion - and this also applies to the so-called primary and secondary assessments - we have been approaching the issue of restarting nuclear plant operations based on the basic awareness that it is important that checks go beyond NISA alone and that NSC also participates in a committed manner. We will be sure to carry out these procedures - of requesting the views of NSC based on this awareness - but it is really up to NSC, an independent organization, what views they choose to express.

REPORTER: On a slightly different topic, I believe there is a meeting scheduled for the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters this evening. What are the conclusions - or perhaps I should say what are you planning to decide - regarding temporary re-entry within the three-kilometer zone and the removal of the emergency evacuation preparation zones?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Today, the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters will receive a report on the safety situation at the nuclear power station, and based on that report, it plans to carry out discussion on how to deal with various evacuation zones and other areas in the future.

REPORTER: Related to the question earlier about Tomari Nuclear Power Station, my question is regarding stress tests. Operations of the Unit 3 reactor of Tomari Nuclear Power Station have restarted, but the power station has yet to recommence commercial operations, leaving the situation only half resolved. If a request is received for a restart that is subject to a primary assessment, will you conduct a primary assessment and then inquire the opinions of NSC during the final screening in a similar fashion to dealing with other nuclear power stations? Or, is NSC only consulted in special circumstances when the station in question is not subject to the primary assessment?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Basically, as I just mentioned, our fundamental way of thinking about the so-called stress tests, primary assessment, and secondary assessment, is that checks will not stop with NISA, but that it is important to have NSC participate as well - it is important to implement a system of double-checking. Therefore, if a facility is subject to a primary assessment, NSC will participate in that primary assessment. In this way a solid system of double-checking will be put into practice.

REPORTER: It appears that electric power supply and demand within the jurisdiction of Tohoku Electric Power is running tight. Today, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is to provide Tohoku Electric Power with 1.4 million kilowatts of power, and similar undertakings are being carried out by other electric power companies. In addition to these exchanges between power companies, is the Government planning to implement any measures?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The impact of the recent flood disaster also played a role in the provision of power to Tohoku Electric Power on this occasion, as initially presumed non-nuclear power supply levels have temporarily dropped. So, in that sense, I believe that it is important that recovery is expedited as much as possible so that further trouble is not caused of course for Tohoku Electric Power, who is being directly impacted by this problem, but also for non-nuclear power generation facilities, although on this occasion the cause was the flood disaster so there are some aspects that are unavoidable.

REPORTER: According to an investigation by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education, the total number of students in Fukushima Prefecture that have transferred schools following the March 11 disaster, or that are scheduled to transfer during summer vacation, amounts to at least 14,000 students. The reason that the majority of these students are transferring is concern over radiation. Please offer your views on this situation.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In any case, I offer my sincerest apologies on behalf of the Government, who has promoted a nuclear energy administration for many years together with electric power companies, and now, as a result of the nuclear power station incident, have caused so much inconvenience and anxiety. The parties involved possess various different concerns and, amidst those circumstances, I feel terribly sorry that even individuals outside of the evacuation zone, and especially children, have been compelled to voluntarily evacuate. For one thing, I intend to resolve the problem as quickly as possible and implement more thorough decontamination or monitoring activities so as to create an environment where people can feel safe raising their children in Fukushima Prefecture. Furthermore, I will of course instruct TEPCO to provide proper compensation for those individuals that do voluntarily evacuate due to concerns over their children.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Yesterday, in the meeting between United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Prime Minister Kan, the Prime Minister indicated his intentions for Japan to actively participate in a high-level meeting on nuclear power incidents. What is the current status of considerations regarding the Prime Minister participating in that meeting?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: We are making preparations and coordinating so that the incumbent Japanese Prime Minister at that time will be able to attend the meeting.