Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Today, certain news outlets reported that the Government is preparing to provide the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) with the scale of 2 trillion yen in public funding and make it a virtually state-sponsored company. It is correct to say that the Government will be making adjustments in this manner moving forward?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: This has only been reported by a few news outlets, so to put it more accurately, the Government is considering various different problems related to TEPCO at ministerial meetings on electric power reform and TEPCO and other venues. Moreover, next spring the Nuclear Damage Compensation Facilitation Corporation and TEPCO plan to jointly craft a special comprehensive business plan. As one of the efforts of that plan, it is my understanding that consideration will be paid to a financial subsidy to be provided through the Corporation. The Act to Establish Nuclear Damage Compensation Facilitation Corporation stipulates that nuclear power suppliers can submit applications to receive financial subsidies, but at present there has been no such approach from TEPCO.

(Abridged)