Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura

(Abridged)

Q&As

(Abridged)

REPORTER: This question is with regard to your opening statement. January 17 is a very significant day in Japanese history, as it marks the death of over 6,000 people. I was rather surprised that you did not mention this at the beginning of your press conference today. Do you not have any words of remembrance that you would like to extend on this occasion?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: Well, all right. I will briefly comment on that issue. I, myself, am actually a Diet member from Osaka. The earthquake struck in 1995, right after I was elected. Even for myself the disaster caused a great deal of - 17 years have already passed since then, which makes today, January 17, the 17th anniversary of when the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, a disaster of unprecedented damage, took the lives of more than 6,400 people. I would like to again express my sincerest condolences to those that lost their lives in this earthquake. Thanks to the exhausting efforts of local residents, local governments, and other related parties, this area has been able to achieve dramatic reconstruction over the past 17 years. At the same time, however, it is still necessary to pay attention to other issues, such as awareness of the affected elderly population and response for creating a more vibrant city. Personally, I have been involved in efforts by a private sector organization called ASHINAGA. This organization constructed the "Rainbow House" in Kobe as a psychosocial care initiative for children. The children from that house must already be high school or university students - the children born after that are already high school students. The organization conducts private sector activities that promote psychosocial care for such children. Japan must treat the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the recent Great East Japan Earthquake as valuable lessons, exploiting those lessons from every possible angle in addressing future disaster prevention countermeasures. In order to fully prepare against future large-scale earthquakes and other natural disasters, the Government of Japan carries out earnest considerations, including ongoing meetings by the Council on Disaster Countermeasures Promotion. We will exert every effort to ensure the continual promotion of comprehensive disaster prevention measures and towards realizing a society where all citizens can live in peace.

REPORTER: Yesterday, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology revealed that, directly following the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, they provided the United States military with the results of a provisional calculation carried out by SPEEDI through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Residents were only provided that information nine days later. This means that residents were subjected to unnecessary radiation for a total of nine days. Please comment on your understanding of this situation.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: Recently, an interim report was released by the Investigation and Verification Committee. The report pointed out that the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) did not have the idea of spreading SPEEDI information. Furthermore, according to the investigation conducted, I believe the report also noted that the information was provided to the U.S. military in response to a request. This is still an interim report; however, the related ministries have acknowledged the various points made in the report to an adequate degree within the context of an interim report and are in the process of verifying the information. Ultimately, various response and improvement measures will have to be produced in light of the results of the investigation report.

(Abridged)