Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

JAPANESE

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano

(Abridged)

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: First, I have one item to report. The Government has decided to partially lift the restrictions on the transfer of cattle in Miyagi Prefecture to outside of the prefecture as well as their shipment to slaughter houses. Today, in accordance with the provisions of Article 20, Paragraph 3 of the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness, instructions to this effect were issued to the Governor of Miyagi Prefecture. These instructions were issued on the basis that, in Miyagi Prefecture, the feeding of cattle is being properly managed, safety management mechanisms have been established, including the testing of all cattle, and a shipment management system has been assured. Miyagi Prefecture will responsibly ensure that the feeding of cattle is properly managed and contaminated rice straw is disused and isolated. If cattle farmers fed their cattle contaminated rice straw or have not been inspected for contaminated rice straw, all of their cattle will be tested. Farmers other than those who must test all of their cattle will have to test at least one of the cattle being shipped in the first shipment, and the tests must yield a radiation reading of under 50 bequerels/kg in order for the shipment to be approved. Please make sure there is no misunderstanding that this is a partial lifting of restrictions. That is, only shipments from farms which are confirmed to have safety management systems will be approved. As all cattle will be tested, there may be cattle found with a radiation reading above the provisional regulation values stipulated in the Food Sanitation Act. However, please understand that this arrangement will indeed ensure that contaminated cattle are eliminated, and that this shows that the safety management system is functioning. Now, as for cattle in Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture and relevant ministries and agencies have discussed implementing a shipment management arrangement similar to Miyagi Prefecture's. However, as beef from cattle in Fukushima Prefecture that were not fed contaminated rice straw were found to have radioactive cesium above the provisional regulation values, today we decided that until the investigation on the cause is completed in Fukushima Prefecture, the restrictions in Fukushima Prefecture will not be subject to the partial lifting based on the implementation of shipment management. With regards to Fukushima Prefecture, after the investigation into the cause is completed, Fukushima Prefecture and relevant ministries and agencies will be discussing appropriate safety management systems on the basis of the investigation findings. For 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

REPORTER: Regarding the Fukushima case, I understand that the lifting of restrictions will take place after the investigation into the cause is completed. However, can you tell us how long you expect this to take?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I believe the earliest as possible the better. However, indeed without clearly knowing the cause, we cannot be certain that unsafe cattle are being eliminated. Therefore, we would like to be certain that the cause is known. In any case, I do not really expect this to take too long.

REPORTER: Regarding the fact that the cattle are believed to have not been fed contaminated rice straw, at this stage are there any causes you have in mind?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: I have been briefed about several plausible causes. However, we have to be cautious. I have been informed that thorough investigations will be carried out in Fukushima Prefecture, including on-site investigations. I believe it is better that I wait to report until the cause is known.

REPORTER: You said this will not take too long. Earlier, Senior Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Tsutsui indicated that he presumes the lifting of the restrictions in Fukushima will be delayed by two to three days. Do you more or less agree with his view?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Regarding the cause, several possibilities can be envisioned. If the cause turns out to be just as we assumed, I believe the schedule will look something similar to that. However, we cannot let our guard down. We should ascertain the cause as quickly as possible and lift the restrictions at that point.

REPORTER: I have a related question. To confirm, is my understanding correct that the restrictions in Miyagi Prefecture will be lifted today? Also, I believe shipment restrictions have been placed in Iwate and Tochigi. I would like to confirm whether discussions are progressing with these prefectures.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: Let me just reiterate, please do not mistake that this is a partial lifting that approves shipments based on safety management. But yes, this measure is effective today. And as for other prefectures, the Government is in talks with them to establish management systems similar to Miyagi Prefecture's. If these systems are thoroughly ensured, I believe shipments will be approved based on similar management arrangements.

REPORTER: If cattle that are contaminated for unknown reasons are newly found in Fukushima Prefecture, I believe consumer concerns will not be allayed in Miyagi Prefecture either, where shipment restrictions have now been lifted. How does the Government intend to deal with this, including the spread of reputational damages?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: In Miyagi Prefecture, too, all cattle will be tested if farmers used contaminated rice straw or have not been inspected for contaminated rice straw. If by remote chance the tests indicate high radiation levels, the cattle will be eliminated. Other farmers will also have to test at least one of their cattle. I believe these ensure thorough checks. In this sense, for Fukushima Prefecture, there is a view that since the shipment of contaminated beef took place in April, a while ago, it will be OK if similar management systems are put in place. However, just in case, we have decided to wait to respond until the cause is fully confirmed.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: I would like to ask about an entirely different topic. Yesterday, former Director of the Office of Japanese Affairs of the U.S. State Department Kevin Maher noted that immediately after the accident at the TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power station, the Obama administration had made specific considerations for evacuating some of the U.S. forces in Japan to outside of the country. What are your thoughts on this matter?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO: As this is not an official or formal comment of the U.S. Government and as this matter relates to diplomacy, I believe I should refrain from directly responding to your question. However, let me say that especially in the initial stages of the nuclear accident, the Japanese Government also had difficulty in gathering sufficient information. Foreign stakeholders in Japan had access to even less information. In some sense I believe it is in a sense natural that such stakeholders, besides those in the U.S. Government, make a variety of considerations. If a similar incident occurred in another country, I believe we would have made similar considerations.