Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

REPORTER: From 7:00pm today the Headquarters of the Government and Ruling Parties for Social Security Reform will be launched. Could you tell us about the objectives of this body and its positioning?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: The Headquarters' composition will be almost the same as the body that compiled the final draft of the proposal for the comprehensive reform of social security and taxation systems in June this year. Although there are some differences in terms of the names you see on the membership list, it is a body comprising representatives of the Government and the ruling parties. From the Government side it includes relevant ministers and the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries. From the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) side there are the DPJ Leader in the House of Councilors, the representative of the Secretary General of the party, the Chairman of the Policy Research Council, and the representative of the Chairman of the Policy Research Council, among others. From the People's New Party (PNP), Secretary General Shimoji and Chairman of the Policy Research Council Kamei will be attending. As you can see it is a large body. The launch of this Headquarters marks the start of work to create a new draft for the comprehensive reform of social security and taxation systems, following the compilation of the final draft of the proposal in June, about which I have spoken before. I expect that the Prime Minister will make a statement  to the effect that he expects thorough discussions to be implemented that take into due account the international situation and future social security issues.

REPORTER: You have just mentioned the international situation and it is indeed the case that the debt crisis in Europe is causing changes to governments and the resignation of administrations in a number of countries around the world. As a politician responsible for national administration at this time, what is your perception of the current sense of crisis around the world?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: In the domestic context in Japan, we are currently faced with two large themes, namely reconstruction and bringing the nuclear power station accident to a conclusion in the near term, and the Government has repeatedly stated that it continues to make concerted efforts in this regard. A further theme is of course the Japanese economy, which is faced with deflationary trends and the appreciation of the yen. Recovery of the economy is something that Japan cannot achieve as one country acting alone. In the sense that it is important to raise public awareness about what the situation overseas is like, I believe that efforts should be made to send out information in a coherent manner. This is also something that Japan cannot do alone.

REPORTER: On a different subject, the election for the Duma, Russia's lower house, has taken place and the United Russia Party, headed by Mr. Putin has experienced a large drop in the number of votes it received. It is anticipated that this result could mean that Russia becomes a little more inward looking. What impact do you think this will have on Japan-Russia relations, including the issue of the Northern Territories?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: The final result of the election is not yet in and according to press reports it seems that the United Russia Party could manage to maintain a majority in the Duma. This is a domestic election in Russia and therefore I would like to refrain from making much comment about it. From the perspective of future Japan-Russia relations, my comment would be that we are currently engaged in cooperation in various areas, including both political and economic fields. In addition, there is no change to the Government's basic policy that has been stated to date, of seeking to raise Japan-Russia relations to an even higher level through the resolution of the Northern Territories issue and the conclusion of a peace treaty. The Government will continue to make due efforts in that regard.