Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The promotion and development of Okinawa
• Instructions by the Prime Minister on a review of the usage of fighter aircraft by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and Japan Coast Guard patrol vessels
• Priority issues of the Abe administration
• The Prime Minister's meeting with the President of the Japanese Olympic Committee
• The disclosure of the first Cabinet meeting of the year to the press

(Abridged)

REPORTER: With regard to the budget for the economic promotion of Okinawa and application for landfill approval, I believe that Governor Nakaima is visiting Tokyo today to make some requests in relation to the budget for the economic promotion of Okinawa. Could you tell us if the Government considers the budget for the economic promotion of Okinawa and the application for landfill approval two issues that go together?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As the Government, we believe that we need to address the promotion and development of Okinawa on its own. Therefore, the granting of landfill approval is not dependent on the budget for the economic promotion of Okinawa as they are two separate issues.

REPORTER: Does that mean that there may be some delays?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Regardless of the situation, the Government will earnestly address the promotion and development policy for Okinawa.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Soon after the New Year, a Chinese aircraft repeatedly approached the airspace over the Senkaku Islands. Following this incident, I believe that Prime Minister Abe called a meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Defense and the Japan Coast Guard to instruct a review of the usage of fighter aircraft by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and Japan Coast Guard patrol vessels. Could you tell us exactly what those instructions were?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I will refrain from discussing the details of those instructions as they concern a number of issues. However, I believe that the meeting was to exchange information among the three parties to ensure that we are as ready as possible to protect the Senkaku Islands, which are a Japanese territory.

REPORTER: I believe that during the Democratic Party of Japan administration, the budget for the promotion and development of Okinawa increased significantly and is now in excess of 300 billion yen. Does the Government intend to maintain this level under the Abe Administration?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We have not yet formulated the budget for next year. However, the Government will allocate funds as necessary with the promotion and development of Okinawa being our priority, as we discussed earlier.

REPORTER: A number of meetings of eminent persons have been established under the leadership of the Prime Minister, such as a meeting to formulate the new Abe Statement and the Education Rebuilding Council. Some members of the ruling parties have voiced the opinion that the economy and reconstruction efforts should be addressed in a more conventional manner rather than focusing on Prime Minister Abe's political style. How does the Government intend to balance economic and reconstruction issues, and highlighting Prime Minister Abe's  political style?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Prime Minister instructed all Cabinet members to focus on the economy, reconstruction and risk management. Therefore, there is no doubt that these issues will be addressed with the highest priority. With this understanding, we will also steadily put into action the promises that we made during our election campaign and in the Liberal Democratic Party manifesto. Our position is that we will address the issues that need to be addressed.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: I understand that this morning, Prime Minister Abe met with the President of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), Mr. Takeda. During the meeting, the Prime Minister said that the Abe Cabinet will make every effort to bring the Olympics to Tokyo. Could you tell us about any specific support measures, if the Government already has some in mind?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I believe that it is still fresh in our memories, but during last year's summer Olympics in London, Japanese athletes won a record number of medals, acting as a great inspiration for Japan. Keeping this in mind, the Government would like to make every effort to bring the Olympics to Japan. This is our basic policy. Therefore, the Government will make every effort to do everything in its power to achieve this, while remaining in communication with JOC members. This remains the intention of the Government and we will ensure that we do everything we can.

REPORTER: Could you tell us why Cabinet Meetings were not previously open to the public? Are there any rules concerning this? This morning you stated that it has not yet been decided if future Cabinet meetings will be open to the media, but if you have any thoughts regarding this at this point in time, could you share them with us?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I too do not understand why the meetings were previously held behind closed doors. I think that those who work at the Prime Minister's Office may think that we are sometimes bound to the precedents set by our predecessors. After beginning work at the Prime Minister's Office for the first time I now have an understanding of the difficulties of the working environment. However, we believe that we should communicate as much information as possible to the public, that is, we should ensure that the Prime Minister's Office is as open as possible. Therefore, as a means of achieving this goal, the Prime Minister made the decision to open the meeting this morning to the public.

(Abridged)