Press Conference by the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The contaminated water issue
• Two and a half years since the Great East Japan Earthquake

(Abridged)

REPORTER: I understand that the Government recently announced its intention to be at the fore of addressing the contaminated water issue. Could you once again share with us the specific measures the Government has in mind in relation to Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairperson Tanaka's claims that it is necessary to release the contaminated water into the ocean after dilution to a level below acceptable limits?

DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY KATO: The Committee on Countermeasures for Contaminated Water Treatment is currently discussing future actions, including the possibility of releasing water that passes through an underground bypass or sub drain with a radiation level below the acceptable limit into the ocean. As we implement these measures, we will not only leverage the insight of specialists but we will also ask the Nuclear Regulation Authority to cooperate in order to ensure that we have the understanding of the local residents in Fukushima.

REPORTER: As of today, it has been two and a half years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. We still face a mountain of issues with many people still yet to return home, not to mention the issue of contaminated water. Could you share with us how the Government intends to work through the issues with these people?

DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY KATO: As you pointed out, it has indeed been two and a half years since the earthquake. The reconstruction following the Great East Japan Earthquake is extremely challenging, even compared to, for instance, the reconstruction that followed the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, due to the earthquake's strength, the size of the affected area and the disaster's complexity. Therefore, the Government developed plans and a schedule for removing debris and redeveloping infrastructure and housing and is managing its progress by regularly monitoring the recovery and revising the plan as necessary. As for the current state of reconstruction, 79% of the disaster waste and debris have been disposed, with completion forecast to occur this year in Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures. Furthermore, the reconstruction of infrastructure has been advancing almost as planned following the schedules created by each municipality. Furthermore, as for the redevelopment of housing, which is the most pressing need of the residents of the affected areas, the legal procedures for the group transfer for disaster prevention in the planned areas has been completed and more than one third of the locations have commenced land development. I understand that more than half of the land required for the construction of public housing for disaster victims has been secured. However, on the other hand, with regard to the redevelopment of Fukushima Prefecture, while the initiatives to enable the return of residents are underway, with the revision of the evacuation zones having been completed, we are in a situation where it is difficult to make an accurate forecast due to health concerns and anxieties caused by radiation. In light of this, budget requests for FY2014 have been made in order to address the issues we are facing at this stage of recovery, which include the steady redevelopment of housing as per the schedule, industrial reconstruction by leveraging local resources, redevelopment to enable the return and settlement of residents after the accident, and the development of communities for long-term evacuees. Moving forward, we will continue to listen to the affected communities and strive to accelerate reconstruction while assessing the effectiveness of each measure we take. Furthermore, we will go beyond mere reconstruction and aim to rebuild Tohoku as a region of new creativity and potential. The Government will use all the resources at its disposal to achieve full recovery from the earthquake.

REPORTER: Prime Minister Abe stated during the International Olympic Committee Session that the issue of the contaminated water in Fukushima is absolutely under control and that the water is completely blocked within the 0.3 km2 area of the plant. On what grounds did the Prime Minister make these claims? Could you also tell us how large is the area in which the Japanese Government conducts tests of seawater near the power plant?

DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY KATO: The Prime Minister said that the influence of the contaminated water is completely blocked. As you know, the Government is monitoring the level of radioactive material in the seas around Japan and in waters further afield. The results of this monitoring shows that the influence of the contaminated water is contained in the bay within the 0.3 km2 area of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Furthermore, the readings in the bay measure below the limits. Additionally, as a result of the monitoring of the seas around Japan, we have discovered the level of cesium in the waters of the Pacific Ocean off the coast from Miyagi down to Chiba Prefectures, including Fukushima, is very low and presents no problem and is 1/500th of the WHO's drinking water maximum allowable level (10 Bq/liter) at the highest reading. I understand that given this situation, these are the grounds on which the Prime Minister said that the influence of the contaminated water is completely blocked.

(Abridged)