Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The deployment of Osprey aircraft to Okinawa
• The final report of the Government's Investigation and Verification Committee on the Accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station of TEPCO

REPORTER: I would like to ask a question related to Osprey. On a TV program which Minister of Defense Satoshi Morimoto appeared in this afternoon, he stated that Japan and the United States (U.S.) are negotiating for Ospreys to follow a safer flight path in Futenma. Can you verify the facts as to whether the two countries have entered into specific negotiations?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: At this time, there are no bilateral consultations taking place in order to create any kind of a new framework, that is, to create a framework for negotiations. We are now reviewing what can be done, and as part of this, Japan is requesting the U.S. through diplomatic channels to hold a meeting of the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: The Government's Investigation and Verification Committee on the Accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Stations of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has come out with its final report. In the report, the Committee deemed that the Prime Minister's Office's intervention in the responses taken at the site of the accident "was inappropriate" and "had a more negative than positive effect." What is your assessment of this evaluation? Also, how will the Government be addressing these issues moving forward?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: Today, the Committee held its final meeting, and the report has already been hand-delivered to the Prime Minister. The report of the Government's Investigation and Verification Committee on the Accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Stations of TEPCO was compiled based on the investigations and verifications performed of the causes of the accident and its other aspects over a period of more than one year since May 24 of last year. Hearings with many stakeholders and other activities took place during this time to compile this vast report. I would like to express my deep respect to Committee Chairperson Yotaro Hatamura and the rest of the Committee members as well as to the Secretariat. With this, we now have verifications conducted and reports submitted from the Independent Investigation Commission on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident, the National Diet of Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC), and the Government's Investigation and Verification Committee. The Government will carefully read the contents of each report and conduct a review, and on this basis, take necessary responses. That is a very rough overview. The reports are quite extensive, and I am now in the process of receiving lectures on their summaries. As such, I am unable to make very detailed comments regarding the contents of the reports as of yet. I have given you the general picture.

REPORTER: Regarding a related matter, specifically, at what kinds of forums will the Government be conducting its reviews?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: Above all, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Agency to be newly established will be carrying out the reviews. They will take charge; I believe they will be the offices which will conduct the most reviews. Of course, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has long been involved, and I believe it will be one of the offices conducting the reviews. Right now, it is not yet decided how the respective offices will perform the reviews.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: On the issue of Osprey, what is the Government's view regarding the security needs of deploying Ospreys to Okinawa?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: The 24 CH-46E aircraft now in use by the U.S. Marine Corps are becoming quite old. According to the explanation of the U.S. forces, or the explanation given by the U.S., the Osprey offers twice the speed, three times the payload, and four times the range. In this sense, deterrence in the greater Asia-Pacific region and East Asia will improve dramatically. We have received sufficient explanations regarding such implications. We believe that the replacement of the models will newly expand or further strengthen deterrence.

(Abridged)