Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Japanese

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura

(Abridged)

Next, I would like to report on the Ministerial Meeting on Decontamination and Special Waste Treatment, which convened following the Cabinet meeting. This meeting was held in accordance with orders delivered by the Prime Minister last week, when he requested that a meeting between related ministers with the Chief Cabinet Secretary as the head be held in order to strengthen the structure for decontamination and treatment of contaminated waste. At the beginning of the meeting, I reported that as of today, staff from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism (MLIT), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) would commence dual appointments at the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), and, furthermore, that many of those staff will be dispatched to onsite locations. Moreover, I called for the government's complete support in advancing this program, including further cooperation in the provision of human resources in efforts to continue strengthening this structure. Minister of the Environment Goshi Hosono then provided an explanation about future decontamination undertakings and efforts to strengthen the structure, calling on the cooperation of the ministries. In response, each minister expressed his and her resolve to provide active cooperation, including human resources. The Government will continue concerted efforts to develop a structure based around the MOE.

Q&As

REPORTER: With regard to the ministerial meeting on decontamination, you mentioned that each ministry expressed their will to provide cooperation. Did Ministry of Defense Yasuo Ichikawa make any remarks concerning the participation of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in decontamination activities?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: Some media sources are reporting this as if some decision had already been made, but the current situation is that we are still considering it. Of course, in terms of direction, we are working so that the SDF can cooperate in these activities.

REPORTER: Did Minister Ichikawa say that?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: Yes, he did.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: If staff from ministries other than the Ministry of Defense (MOD) were to be dispatched, such as the MAFF and METI, for example, specifically what kind of work would they engage in?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: More so than physical labor, they would fulfill the role of a command tower, formulating decontamination plans for contaminated areas and ordering various materials and services needed for the actual work.

(Abridged)