Home > News > Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary > November 2011 > Monday, November 7, 2011 (PM)
Monday, November 7, 2011 (PM)
Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)
[Provisional Translation]
Q&As
(Abridged)
REPORTER:I asked about this in this morning's press conference as well, but has the Government acquired any new information or have there been any developments concerning the arrest of the Chinese fishing boat captain off the coast of Nagasaki Prefecture?
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA:There is no new information. The Nagasaki Coast Guard Office of the Japan Coast Guard is conducting an investigation, and they are looking into the circumstances of the incident, treating the one individual as a suspect and the remaining 10 as witnesses. That is what I have heard.
(Abridged)
REPORTER:On the same topic, a summit meeting between Japan and China is scheduled to be held during this weekend's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting. How does the Government think that the arrest of the Chinese fishing boat captain will impact Japan-China relations?
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA:Well, there have been similar cases in the past, and we intend to have procedures carried out according to the laws of Japan. We have not received any messages or communications of mention from China regarding this matter, so, although this may sound rather blunt, the investigation will continue to move forward in a matter-of-fact manner.
(Abridged)
REPORTER:With regard to the procedures for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), in the hypothetical case that the Prime Minister makes an announcement at APEC, will the approval of the Cabinet be necessary?
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA:No, it will not.
(Abridged)
REPORTER:Going back to the issue of the TPP, you have mentioned - including in this morning's press conference - that the issue at hand is whether to participate in negotiations, and that nothing is set in stone in terms of joining the TPP. However, once the Government joins the negotiations process, will there be a place for the detailed content of said negotiations to be made clear to citizens and for discussion to be carried out?
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA:Until the beginning of this year we held the "Opening Japan Forum" three or four times, where discussion on these types of high-level economic partnerships was carried out at various local areas. What you are referring to, of course, is based on the premise that we will join the TPP. If Japan is to join the TPP, it is naturally assumed that we will do so while properly notifying citizens that there will be various problems faced along the way, and do so on a nationwide basis. But, again, that is under the premise that we will join the TPP.
(Abridged)
