Home > News > Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary > July 2012 > Tuesday, July 24, 2012 (AM)
Tuesday, July 24, 2012 (AM)
Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)
[Provisional Translation]
Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura
- An overview of the Cabinet meeting
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: I would first like to give an overview of the Cabinet meeting. The meeting approved 17 written answers in response to letters of questions by Diet members, as well as cabinet orders and personnel decisions. With regard to statements by ministers, Minister Matsubara made a statement concerning the White Paper on Police 2012. The Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications made a statement concerning the FY2012 Standard Allocation Tax Principles. The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology made a statement concerning the launch of H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 3 with the KOUNOTORI3 (HTV3, a cargo transporter to the International Space Station).
Q&As
- The deployment of Osprey aircraft to Okinawa
(Abridged)
REPORTER: I have a question concerning the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee, which came up in yesterday's press conference. Minister for Foreign Affairs Gemba has just noted that a meeting of the committee will take place on July 26 at which consultations on the safety of the Osprey transport aircraft will take place. Are we to understand that these consultations will go into specifics, such as revisions to the way Futenma Air Station is operated and about flight routes?
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: I think that the point that Minister Gemba was making was that the Government takes seriously the growing concerns among local residents concerning the safety of the Osprey aircraft and that various considerations are being made about what can be done specifically to allay these concerns. As part of this process, it has been decided that a meeting of the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee will take place on Thursday, July 26, where discussions will take place on what Japan and the U.S. can do. With regard to the specific items such as those you mentioned in your question, these will be matters for consideration from now and it cannot be said immediately which specific points will be raised for consideration.
