Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga

• An overview of the Cabinet meeting
• Cabinet decisions on the Basic Policies on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform, Japan Revitalization Strategy, and the Regulatory Reform Work Plan
• The first meeting of the Disaster Prevention Countermeasures Implementation Council
• The Healthcare and Medical Strategy
• Cabinet approval on the invitation to the President of Brazil as an official working visit to Japan

I would like to give an overview of the Cabinet meeting. The meeting approved 20 general measures, the promulgation of legislation, and personnel decisions. With regard to statements by ministers, Minister Amari and Prime Minister Abe made statements concerning the Basic Policies on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform. Minister Inada made a statement concerning the Regulatory Reform Work Plan and the partial amendment of the Basic Policies on Public Service Reform. Minister Yamamoto made a statement concerning the "Declaration on the Creation of the World's Most Advanced IT Nation." The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology made a statement concerning the Basic Plan for the Promotion of Education. Minister Mori made statements concerning the Annual Report on the Aging Society and the White Paper on Crime Victims. The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries made a statement concerning the FY2012 White Paper on Fisheries and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry made a statement concerning the Annual Report on Energy for FY2012.

Today the Basic Policies on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform, Japan Revitalization Strategy and the Regulatory Reform Work Plan were approved by the Cabinet. The Basic Policies on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform form the basic strategy for providing a path toward "a decade of economic revitalization" and based on these policies the Government will make every effort to crystallize policies and move them toward implementation. In addition, based on the Japan Revitalization Strategy, preparations have now been completed to formulate policies that will draw out the vitality of the private sector and create new market frontiers, and the Government will now move forward swiftly towards the implementation stage, working to ensure that the Japanese economy remains on track for robust growth. In particular, regulatory reform comes first and foremost as a means of achieving growth and by moving to steadily implement the Regulatory Reform Work Plan the Government seeks to promote fundamental regulatory reform. The Government will make concerted efforts to achieve the revitalization of the Japanese economy and will move to implement related policies with unprecedented speed.

This evening I will chair the first meeting of the Disaster Prevention Countermeasures Implementation Council, which is an expert study group of the Central Disaster Prevention Council. The establishment of the Disaster Prevention Countermeasures Implementation Council was approved in a meeting of the Central Disaster Prevention Council on March 26, with a mandate to advance disaster prevention policies from the deliberation stage to the implementation stage. The newly established council will engage in discussions on such issues as the challenges for implementing the results of the review of the legal system for disaster countermeasures and measures to overcome these challenges, and the formulation of a cross-government action plan to respond to a massive earthquake in the Nankai Trough and an inland earthquake striking the Tokyo metropolitan area. The aim of the council is to engage in efforts that are truly concerted, cutting across all Government ministries and agencies, and eliminating vertical segmentation, with a view to enhancing and strengthening disaster prevention countermeasures.

I would like to report that today nine ministers, including myself, reached an agreement concerning Healthcare and Medical Strategy. The Healthcare and Medical Strategy has been devised and formulated to contribute to Japan, which is now transitioning to a super-aged society, becoming the country with the longest healthy life expectancy in the world, as well as to contribute to the nurturing of healthcare and medical-related industries as strategic industries that will support the economic growth of Japan. The Healthcare and Medical Strategy was compiled in close cooperation with the formulation of the growth strategy that was approved by the Cabinet today, and incorporates content that I have announced to date in the forum of the Industrial Competitiveness Council. The Government will take this strategy forward and implement it steadily. For further inquiries about this matter, please direct your inquiries to the Office for Healthcare and Medical Strategy.

In today's Cabinet meeting it was decided to extend an invitation to Ms. Dilma Vana Rousseff, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil (ok) , as a guest on an official working visit, from Wednesday, June 26 to Friday, June 28. Brazil is home to the largest overseas community of persons of Japanese origin (Nikkei), said to number approximately 1.5 million, and there is a community of approximately 200,000 Brazilian nationals residing in Japan. In this way, Japan and Brazil share a special relationship, formed through human bonds, that has been nurtured through a long history and tradition. In addition, the two countries also share long-running cooperative relations focused on the natural resources and food sectors. Brazil has become a global power, with GDP that is ranked 6th in global terms (2011 statistics), and has a growing voice in the international community, through fora such as the G20 and BRICS. Through this visit it is anticipated that the leaders of our two countries will reaffirm the close cooperative relations we share, founded on our special relationship, and that strategic partnership between Japan and Brazil will be further deepened in various sectors.

Q&As

• The U.S. government's confirmation of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government against the Syrian opposition

(Abridged)

REPORTER: With regard to diplomatic matters, the United States Government has officially affirmed that the administration of President Assad in Syria has used chemical weapons, such as sarin, against the Syrian opposition. The use of chemical weapons has been spoken of as a "red line" previously, so how does the Government intend to respond to this issue moving forward, including at meetings such as the G8?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Whatever the situation the use of such weapons is absolutely unacceptable. The Government seeks to continue its cooperation with countries concerned, including the United States, using various diplomatic channels in the international community to emphasize that such weapons must absolutely not be used.

REPORTER: Given this formal recognition, the United States Government has indicated its intention to step up assistance to the Syrian opposition. Does the Government of Japan intend to cooperate in a similar direction?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As was recently announced, the Government of Japan intends to provide humanitarian assistance.

(Abridged)