Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga

• Special tours of the Prime Minister's Office and Official Residence for Children
• The Advisory Committee on Cultural Exchanges in Asia

I have an announcement regarding special tours of the Prime Minister's Office and the Prime Minister's Official Residence for children in the upper grades of elementary schools and junior high school students. Recently a special tour was conducted of the Prime Minister's Office and the Prime Minister's Official Residence for students of Kojimachi Elementary School and Kojimachi Junior High School. Following on from this tour it has been decided that on April 20 a special tour will be conducted for children from Fukushima Prefecture. In Fukushima Prefecture an NPO engaged in support activities for children has devised a plan titled "Tours Linking Fukushima and Tokyo" for the purpose of supporting the formation of future careers for children. We support the aims of this plan and accordingly have decided to conduct a special tour of the Prime Minister's Office and the Prime Minister's Official Residence. For further details please direct your questions to the Prime Minister's Office. As I have reported previously, we are looking into the possibility of implementing further special tours in the summer months. Although the details have yet to be decided, on the proviso that the tours do not interfere with the daily work of the Prime Minister's Office, we are planning to conduct group tours for elementary and junior high school students on certain days during the summer holiday period. The details of these tours are expected to be announced by the end of May.

My next announcement concerns the holding of "the Advisory Committee on Cultural Exchanges in Asia." This meeting has been established based on one of the "Five Principles of Japan's ASEAN Diplomacy" announced by Prime Minister Abe in January this year in Indonesia, namely, "to protect and nurture Asia's diverse cultural heritages and traditions." In specific terms the meeting is a measure aiming to strengthen relations through cultural exchange with Asian countries including ASEAN, with which Japan shares multifaceted relations that go beyond politics and economics. Experts on cultural matters will engage in discussions in the forum of this meeting. There are 11 members of the meeting, as distributed to you in the handout. The first meeting is scheduled to take place from 6:00 pm on Friday, April 19, and the Prime Minister is also scheduled to attend to make opening remarks. It is expected that the meeting will submit a proposal to the Prime Minister in September. This proposal will form the basis for a new and specific cultural exchange policy between Japan and Asia and we seek to announce this new policy at the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit Meeting in December.

Q&As

• Special tours of the Prime Minister's Office and Official Residence for children
• Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting
• Avian influenza in China
• The TPP
• Response to the situation of North Korea

REPORTER: With regard to your opening statement on special tours of the Prime Minister's Office and the Prime Minister's Official Residence, which children from Fukushima will be visiting?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: An NPO in Fukushima has planned "Tours Linking Fukushima and Tokyo." One of the tours being planned is to bring children to the Prime Minister's Office. The name of the NPO is Frontier Minamisoma. The tour is being arranged by this NPO and so I would request that you make inquiries with the NPO concerning the details. In any case, the tour scheduled for April 20 is being planned as part of "Tours Linking Fukushima and Tokyo," which aim to support children from disaster-affected regions. The Prime Minister's Office is looking into holding such tours on a regular basis from the summer, so it could be said that in a certain sense this tour is going to be a test case.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: What is the status of arrangements for the Japan-China-Republic of Korea (ROK) Trilateral Summit that is planned for the end May?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As the ROK is the host country for the Trilateral Summit, the arrangements are largely being coordinated by the ROK. As I have stated previously, the Government is considering the summit positively and arrangements are currently being made by the ROK. At the current point the schedule for the summit has yet to be decided.

REPORTER: Has any contact with regard to the summit been received from the ROK in particular in the last few days?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: There has been nothing particular. Arrangements and coordination are ongoing.

REPORTER: With regard to the issue of avian influenza, the Chinese authorities have noted the possibility of limited person-to-person transmission. How does the Government of Japan view the situation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The current situation with regard to avian influenza is that a total of 82 people have been confirmed as having been infected, of whom 17 have died. However, I hear that sustained person-to-person transmission has not been confirmed at the current time. The Government will continue to collect information about the ongoing situation.

REPORTER: The day after tomorrow in Indonesia a ministerial meeting on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement will be held in conjunction with the Meeting of APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade. Will the Government be sending Minister Amari to this meeting?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Arrangements are being made in the Diet to send Minister Amari.

REPORTER: What is the aim in sending Minister Amari to attend the meeting?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As all the countries concerned will be gathering in Indonesia, the aim of sending Minister Amari is for him to explain Japan's concepts to the various countries and gain their understanding.

REPORTER: There are still four countries that have not indicated their agreement to Japan joining the TPP negotiation process. What is the outlook for gaining their approval at the current time?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As all countries concerned will be gathering in Indonesia, the aim is for Minister Amari to attend the meeting, assuming that his Diet commitments permit him to do so, and explain Japan's position. That is the direction in which we are aiming.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: With regard to a missile launch by North Korea, have there been any signs that such a launch is imminent?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The situation is completely unchanged from yesterday. However, as you are aware, the provocative words and actions by North Korea have become fewer in recent days. Nonetheless, the Government will continue to engage in robust efforts to monitor the situation.

REPORTER: It was said that there was a high possibility of a launch between April 10 and 15, and the Self-Defense Forces moved to deploy PAC-3 units during this time. Could you tell us what might present grounds for the Government to cancel the deployment of PAC-3 units or change the current deployment in response to a potential missile launch?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I think you can understand that naturally I do not want to make any specific comment on this issue due to its nature. In any case, the Government is continuing to make every effort to protect the safety and security of the public.