Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Slightly changing the subject, yesterday, when Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Hirofumi Hirano visited Fukushima Prefecture, he expressed positive stance about expanding the list of eligible municipalities for the compensation of voluntary evacuees from the 23 municipalities indicated by the Dispute Reconciliation Committee for Nuclear Damage Compensation. Can you discuss this possibility?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: I believe you are referring to the areas excluded by the guidelines. Depending on individual situations, these areas may be eligible for compensation. That was established from the start. However, these individual cases will be settled through the mediation of the Dispute Reconciliation Center for Nuclear Damage, among other means. The communities in Fukushima strongly desire that compensation is paid out to all areas or all throughout the prefecture. We are aware of that. We are now considering whether there is any method of addressing this matter in addition to the existing compensation framework.

REPORTER: This afternoon, I believe Governor of Miyagi Prefecture Yoshihiro Murai came here to make a request to you regarding the response to the radiation issue. In response, I believe you said that instructions will be given out to the ministries and agencies. What sort of instructions will be given out?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: I understood that following his meeting with me, he would be making the rounds to the relevant office and ministries and directly explain his requests to them with regard to the items that they are respectively responsible for. I said that first I will give my instructions to the ministers at the working level. In other words, I said that I will instruct that the requests are carefully considered based on necessity. This is what is going on right now.

(Abridged)