Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: I would first like to report on an announcement concerning the Minister for Civil Service Reform. Currently, the position of Minister for Civil Service Reform is held by Deputy Prime Minister Okada. Given that Deputy Prime Minister Okada is required to concentrate on Diet deliberations relating to the draft bills for the comprehensive reform of social security and taxation systems, and in view of the necessity of also ensuring the swift enactment of the draft bills relating to the reform of national civil servant system, as of today, it has been decided that Minister Masaharu Nakagawa will be prevailed upon to take on the portfolio of Minister for Civil Service Reform and letters of assignment are scheduled to be issued to Minister Nakagawa today. In addition, Minister Nakagawa will also be responsible for the draft bills relating to the fundamental reform of independent administrative agencies of which preparations are currently carried out in earnest toward submitting the bills to the Diet.

My next announcement concerns the series of simultaneous terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has issued a statement with regard to the series of simultaneous terrorist attacks that occurred yesterday. I mentioned this incident in my press conference this morning, and with regard to the fighting in various locations in Kabul, the Japanese Government has received information that the anti-government insurgent attacks have now all been brought under control. In addition, today, the Government has engaged in efforts to reconfirm the safety of the Japanese citizens who are known to be resident in Kabul and has confirmed the safety of all citizens. The terrorist attacks today have resulted in one explosion within the grounds of the Japanese embassy caused by a further launch of a mobile anti-tank rocket, which has caused damage to the walls of the embassy compound. According to the latest information from the Japanese embassy in Kabul, there have been a total of three explosions in the embassy grounds, not four explosions. As I stated before, the Minister for Foreign Affairs has issued a statement concerning the attacks.

Q&As

• Missile launch by North Korea (response by the Japanese Government)

(Abridged)

REPORTER: With regard to the verification team into the Government's crisis management response relating to the launch of the missile by North Korea, has the first meeting been held yet?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: I have received a report that the first meeting was held from 1:10pm today, chaired by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Saito. I did not mention the other members of the team this morning, but they are Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Nagashima, who serves as Deputy Chair, and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management Yonemura, who serves as Secretary-General. The other members of the team are Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura, Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Sakurai, and Director General Matsumoto, Bureau of Operational Policy at the Ministry of Defense.

(Abridged)

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: At 7:42am "reports suggesting that some kind of flying object has been launched are currently being confirmed," were received, and this was based on SEW (Satellite Early Warning of the U.S.) information. This information was reported to the Prime Minister, Chief Cabinet Secretary and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management, rather than to the Prime Minister's Office. What was your other question?

REPORTER: Was the missile being monitored when it disappeared from radar?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: At around 8:00am the Vice Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Office reported to the Minister of Defense that it appeared that the flying object had fallen into the sea and there was no anticipated impact on Japanese territory. After that the Director General of the Bureau of Operational Policy of the Ministry of Defense, who was in the Crisis Management Center at the Prime Minister's Office, reported that although the Ministry of Defense had gained SEW information suggesting that some kind of flying object had been launched from North Korea, the accuracy of the SEW information was being confirmed, and that at that point in time no flying object had been confirmed on radar as heading for Japanese territory. In addition, at approximately 8:03am, the Minister of Defense telephoned me to give a brief report that at 7:40am some kind of flying object had been launched, but it appeared that it had fallen into the sea and that there would be no impact on Japanese territory. I believe that this information was shared not only by the Minister of Defense, but also between the Ministry of Defense and the Crisis Management Center at the Prime Minister's Office.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: You have stated that at 7:42am the people who were aware of the situation were the Prime Minister, Chief Cabinet Secretary and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management. Basically it was the case that the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management was in charge of operations at the Crisis Management Center on this occasion. Is it therefore correct to assume that although in a briefing at the Crisis Management Center at 8:16am, in which it was stated that information was not yet available, in actual fact the Crisis Management Center at the Prime Minister's Office was aware of the situation at 7:42am?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: At 8:16am a document was transmitted from the Central Command Post of the Ministry of Defense to the Crisis Management Center. The lack of available information refers to information other than that provided by the Ministry of Defense.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: On a related note, you state that at shortly after 8:00am the Crisis Management Center was aware of the situation, although not in writing. According to the Ministry of Defense, the Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Office had reported to the Minister of Defense at 7:50am that the "target has been lost." It would therefore appear that it took 10 minutes for this information to reach the Prime Minister's Office. What are your thoughts on this 10 minutes time lag?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: The report form the Vice Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defense was at exactly 8:00am. A little earlier at 7:50am the Chief of Staff has stated that he reported to the Minister of Defense that U.S. forces had detected a flying object, but that the target had been lost.

(Abridged)