Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The leakage of contaminated water from TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

(Abridged)

REPORTER: On a separate issue, since last week the leakage of contaminated water at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has once again been widely raised in the international community as a source of concern. In your press conference on August 21 you stated that the Government will make every effort to respond to the situation. I would like to ask about the Government's resolve and in what ways it intends to respond to the issue. Also, the other day in the press conference of Governor Inose of Tokyo, an overseas journalist asked whether the current situation would impact the bid for the 2020 Olympic Games. This is a point that is being asked in some quarters, so can I ask for your views with regard to this matter?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: It is highly regrettable that contaminated water has been found to be leaking from water tanks. The current leakage is separate from the structural issue of contamination of groundwater that has been addressed to date, and one of the primary issues with the recent leakage is that management of the tanks, including patrols and management of valves, has not been sufficiently implemented. Whatever the case, as the safe storage of contaminated water with high concentrations of radiation is one of the fundamental prerequisites for the decommissioning of reactors 1 to 4 of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the Government will therefore step forward to ensure that the causes of the current leakage are clarified swiftly and that measures are implemented to prevent reoccurrence. The Government will make maximum efforts to assist in fundamental reforms to the current structure relating to contaminated water. In actual fact I gave instructions two weeks ago to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry to implement all fiscal measures possible, including the utilization of reserve funds, in order to advance swift and fundamental countermeasures. Today the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry is visiting the power station and he will make a decision based on the results of his visit. The current policy of the Government is to do everything possible to ensure that the situation is resolved without further delay. With regard to the bid for the Olympic Games, appropriate information is being provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its overseas missions, as well as on English language websites. Therefore I do not believe that there will be an impact such as that which you have suggested.