Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura

• An overview of the Cabinet meeting
• The Ministerial Meeting on the Overseas Deployment of Integrated Infrastructure Systems
• The Reconstruction Promotion Council

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: I will start by giving an overview of the Cabinet meeting. The meeting approved four general measures, as well as the promulgation of cabinet orders and personnel decisions. With regard to statements by ministers, Prime Minister Noda made a statement concerning an acting Minister during the period the Minister in charge is away from Japan on an overseas visit.

In ministerial discussions following the Cabinet meeting, the Minister of Finance made a statement concerning the 2012 Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group. I made statements concerning the addition of priority public relations themes for FY2012 and the bills that are scheduled to be submitted to the extraordinary Diet session.

This morning the 18th Ministerial Meeting on the Overseas Deployment of Integrated Infrastructure Systems was held. The Minister for National Policy and I served as joint chairs of the meeting, in addition to which the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and the Minister of State for Disaster Management were in attendance. The meeting was also attended by the following persons in their capacity as experts: Mr. Keiji Sasabe, President and CEO of CTI Engineering International Co., Ltd., a core company that has won an international competition for a flood disaster mitigation project in Thailand and Mr. Toru Shiraishi, President of Obayashi Corporation. During the meeting a free-flowing exchange of opinions took place with the experts concerning the export of disaster management and prevention-related infrastructure. The ministerial meeting will continue to be held on an ad hoc basis in order to consider the formulation of measures to support specific package infrastructure export projects and develop region and industry-specific strategies. In today's meeting a decision was made concerning the full-fledged re-launch of overseas investment loans by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which will form part of measures to promote the overseas export of integrated infrastructure systems. A handout has been prepared concerning this decision. For further details, please direct your inquiries to the Office of the Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary.

I have one more item to report, concerning the 3rd meeting of the Reconstruction Promotion Council, which was held today. The meeting received an explanation from Dr. Makoto Iokibe, chairman of the committee, concerning the FY2012 Reconstruction Promotion Committee Mid-term Report, sharing awareness of the issues and engaging in specific considerations concerning the response of the Government to the four priority challenges towards reconstruction, and ways to further accelerate construction efforts. In addition, in order to comprehensively promote measures relating to the reconstruction and rebirth of Fukushima from the nuclear disaster, it was decided in the meeting today that a Nuclear Disaster Reconstruction Promotion Team, headed by Minister Hirano and myself, would be established under the auspices of the Reconstruction Promotion Council. There was also discussion on budget allocation for reconstruction measures. Prime Minister Noda stated that under the policy of recovery and reconstruction of the disaster-affected areas being of the highest priority, and also in view of the changing circumstances between the time the disaster struck and the present, it will be necessary to further strictly target the reconstruction projects that are truly necessary, from the perspectives of urgency and immediate effectiveness. The Prime Minister therefore expressed the wish that the ministers responsible for the various projects under their jurisdiction would respond in accordance with this need. For further details concerning the meeting, please direct your questions to the Reconstruction Agency.

Q&As

• The Reconstruction Promotion Council and the use of reconstruction-related budget
• The Takeshima issue
• The French national television station's inappropriate photograph and comment relating to the nuclear power station accident in Fukushima

REPORTER: With regard to the Reconstruction Promotion Committee, I believe that Dr. Iokibe referred to the way in which budgetary allocation for reconstruction is being used, noting that it is proper and reasonable for such budgetary allocation to be strictly prioritized for measures that focus on the disaster regions themselves. He pointed out that this raises an issue in terms of the response being made by the Government. What is the Government's reaction to these observations and what response will be made?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: One further comment made by Dr. Iokibe was his reference to the proper use of reconstruction-related budget under the three-party agreement for disaster management nationwide. There were various discussions on this matter in the meeting and the Prime Minister concluded the meeting with the comments I have just mentioned. To repeat them again, the Prime Minister stated that as had been noted by Minister for Reconstruction Hirano and Minister of Finance Jojima, under the policy of recovery and reconstruction of the disaster-affected areas being of the highest priority, and also in view of the changing circumstances between the time the disaster struck and the present, it will be necessary to further strictly target the reconstruction projects that are truly necessary, from the perspectives of urgency and immediate effectiveness. The Prime Minister therefore expressed the wish that the ministers responsible for the various projects under their jurisdiction would respond in accordance with this need.

REPORTER: In relation to the reconstruction budget, is it the case that Deputy Prime Minister Okada, who is part of the Government Revitalization Unit, has said today that a meeting comprising external experts could be convened, for example?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: The Deputy Prime did indeed make such comments. The issue of reconstruction budget is naturally included within the review of the Government Revitalization Unit, and he therefore stated that if there are any issues outstanding then he would seek to create an opportunity to hear the opinions of experts in a public forum.

REPORTER: Despite the fact that the Deputy Prime Minister has made this statement, is it still the case that the Government's basic stance is that as noted by the Prime Minister, that the budgetary matters will be predominantly coordinated and scrutinized by the Reconstruction Agency and the Ministry of Finance?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: Yes, as I have just noted, the current situation is one in which the Reconstruction Agency has advisory powers, with the Ministry of Finance engaging in detailed examination of budget requests.

REPORTER: I have a question concerning filing a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the issue of Takeshima. Following the comments by Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Kira about the possibility of the unilateral submission of a lawsuit, on October 12 Minister Gemba added to note that if such a submission was made the Government would watch for the response of the Republic of Korea. These comments suggest the possibility of a unilateral submission to the ICJ, but is the Government also considering the option of postponing a unilateral submission?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: There is no change to the Government's position of seeking a resolution to the dispute in a calm and peaceful manner in accordance with law. I believe that what Minister Gemba was referring to was that preparations are being advanced for the submission of the dispute to the ICJ on its own, nothing more and nothing less. The view of the Government at the current point is therefore nothing other than preparations are being advanced.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Following the international friendly football match in which France lost to Japan, the French national television station broadcast a photograph showing the Japanese goalkeeper as having four arms, and adding the mocking comment that this could be the result of the nuclear power station accident. What has been the response of the Government to this matter?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: In terms of the facts of the matter, it is indeed the case that the inappropriate comment you have just mentioned, relating to the Fukushima nuclear power station accident, was broadcast during an entertainment program on the national France 2 channel on October 13. In response to this program, on October 15 the Embassy of Japan in France issued a protest letter to France 2, pointing out that such expressions are hurtful to the feelings of the people who were affected by the disaster and also hinder efforts towards reconstruction.

(Abridged)