Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

Q&As

REPORTER: I would like to ask about the matter of the nuclear safety agency. Earlier Mr. Goshi Hosono, Minister for the Restoration from and Prevention of Nuclear Accident, at a project team meeting of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) explained the policy of establishing the safety agency as an extra-ministerial bureau of the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), which was subsequently endorsed, but what is the implication of this-why was it established under the MOE rather than the Cabinet Office?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Officially, I will confirm the final details with the related ministers, probably tomorrow. I think that this will take place on August 15 at the latest, and I think I will be able to make a report at that stage.

REPORTER: Can we understand that you are saying that this will finally be a Cabinet decision?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Yes, we are aiming for that now.

REPORTER: If the meeting of related ministers is to be held tomorrow, will the Cabinet decision also be made tomorrow?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: No, the related ministers will not be meeting until after mid-day tomorrow and I expect the decision will be finalized at the Cabinet meeting on August 15 at the latest.

REPORTER: In relation to that, are we to understand that Mr. Hosono presented his "MOE" plan after gaining the approval of both you and Prime Minister Kan?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: The views related to this matter, including those of myself and the Prime Minister, were coordinated at Minister Hosono's office, and now he is working out the final details so that final confirmation in that policy direction can be made by tomorrow or by Monday next week at the latest.

REPORTER: At the current stage, are there any views expressing opposition to the "MOE" plan in particular yet? I mean, at one point there was an idea of placing the agency under the Cabinet Office, so I think that over this period of time two different policies have been presented simultaneously. What do you think?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have not confirmed whether or not there have been any such views. The current situation is that Minister Hosono will coordinate the views of the related people, including the Prime Minister, and including the discussions within the DPJ project team, and then work out the final details for the policy of establishing an extra-ministerial bureau of the MOE. After that, we will reach final confirmation at the meeting of the related Cabinet ministers that will take place tomorrow or on subsequent days.

REPORTER: I think that at the press conference the other day you were saying that you would appoint a full-time minister in charge of this new organization, and in a format close to a full-time appointment. If the new organization is an extra-ministerial bureau of the MOE, although it may depend on how one weighs the importance of the MOE, and if the Minister of the Environment is to have jurisdiction, then I think we cannot really say that it is close to a full-time appointment. How are you going to guarantee that?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I think the point here is really how you think about the scope of "close to full-time." In the case of the Cabinet Office, given the current number of ministers, if we do not ask them to take charge of several kinds of work at the same time, including areas that are completely unrelated to nuclear regulation, a substantial burden will be placed on other people/organizations. Given that environmental administration and nuclear regulation have a certain degree of affinity, we are comprehensively adjusting such matters as whether we should get the Minister of the Environment to be responsible for both, whether or not this approach is valid and appropriate when seen from the perspective of which of the two plans will be closer to a full-time appointment, and whether or not we should increase the number of ministers.

REPORTER: My question is in relation to this. If you decide to establish an extra-ministerial bureau of the MOE, which is a small agency with fewer than 1,000 people, I think some people will point out the potential problem of the balance of personnel. What are your thoughts regarding this matter?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: That is why, at the stage when those kinds of matters have been finally decided there will be various explanations from Minister Hosono about the content that has been finally decided.

(Abridged)