Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura

• The current situation and the tasks ahead regarding the recovery and reconstruction from the great earthquake and nuclear disaster response

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA:

(Abridged)

Next, in today's ministerial discussions following the Cabinet meeting, Minister for Reconstruction Hirano and I distributed materials and spoke about the current situation and the tasks ahead regarding the recovery and reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake and regarding the nuclear disaster response - the challenges which the Noda Cabinet has been working on as its top priorities. From my end, I made a statement concerning the nuclear disaster response. I believe the material has been distributed to you. The Government has implemented measures on a wide range of areas, including disaster reconstruction, radioactive contamination countermeasures such as decontamination and health management studies, measures to cope with the economic damages, and the decommissioning of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). These are interrelated challenges, and it is essential that the relevant ministries continue to work together to resolve the challenges in a unified manner. As the recovery and reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake and the responses to the nuclear disaster are both priorities which do not allow even a moment to pass by, I have also asked the relevant ministers to take appropriate measures to ensure that the work is passed on to their successors without leaving anything behind. For details, I ask that you please inquire with the responsible ministry that is listed at the bottom of the material which has been distributed to you.

Q&As

(Abridged)