Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The comfort woman issue
• The issue of the name of the Sea of Japan
• An interim report on the revision of the National Defense Program Guidelines
• The leakage of contaminated water from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

REPORTER: I would like to ask a question regarding the plans to erect monuments or statues of a "comfort women" across the U.S. An unveiling ceremony is scheduled to take place on July 30 in Glendale (, California) and a public meeting was also held recently in Buena Park. The installation of the statue is still in the planning stage but I have heard that there is an additional plan to install a statue in Irvine. I believe that the Japanese Government has no intention to turn the issue into a political or diplomatic issue and has been trying to settle the issue in the most unprovocative way possible. The Japanese Government does not have the means by which to discourage or block this wave of plans, but do you believe the issue will be resolved on its own?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We are aware of these developments. The Government has made efforts via the local Consulate General of Japan to gain their understanding of the views of the Japanese Government on "comfort women" and the initiatives the Government has made so far, by providing an appropriate explanation to relevant parties in the U.S. This is what Japan has been doing.

REPORTER: Am I then right to understand that the Government has no intention of changing its method of addressing the matter?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Regarding the comfort women issue, when we think of the women who experienced immeasurable pain and suffering we are deeply pained. Furthermore, the Japanese Government has been addressing the matter in our own way. Our position is that we should make this clear and that we should not turn this matter into a diplomatic or political issue. Government officials have also been trying to communicate this to the U.S.

REPORTER: What do you believe are the issues behind this wave of plans to erect comfort women statues in the U.S.?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I believe that there are a number of issues. However, the stance of the Japanese Government is consistent. We believe that we should not turn the matter into a diplomatic or political issue, but the installation of memorial statues conflicts with the views of the Japanese Government. We have been urging relevant parties from the cities to respond appropriately.

REPORTER: Does the Government have any plans to strengthen international public relations efforts to have Japan's position better understood?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Yes, naturally we do have such plans. We believe that the views of the Japanese Government on "comfort women" and the initiatives the Government has made so far have yet to be fully understood by the U.S. public, so we will make efforts to ensure that our views are fully understood.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: It appears that both the House of Representatives and the Senate of Virginia support legislation to use both the names "East Sea" and "Sea of Japan" in public school textbooks, with both houses expected to pass legislation. The same legislation was actually submitted January last year but was rejected with a difference of only one vote. This time, it is quite possible that the legislation will be passed. How does the Japanese Government plan to respond?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The position of the Japanese Government is already very clear and the Government will do its best to respond to the matter appropriately.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Today the Ministry of Defense released an interim report on the revision of the National Defense Program Guidelines. Have you had a chance to have a look at it? If you have, could you share with us your thoughts or opinions?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I have yet to read the entire report, however I had been given some information prior to the report's release. It is expected that we will reach a conclusion before the end of the year; therefore we will work through the details while communicating with both the ruling and opposition parties.

REPORTER: Please allow me to ask another question on this topic. Although the interim report does not contain specific discussions, there were statements that seem to imply that the Government will explore the possibility of acquiring the capacity to make strikes on enemy bases. How will the government proceed with this discussion?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As you know, the Self-Defense Force (SDF) does not have the capacity or equipment designed to strike an enemy base. In terms of strike capabilities, the SDF is dependent on the U.S. military. Throughout the course of the revision, I understand that we will be engaged in discussions from the perspective of determining what we must do in order to protect the lives and property of our citizens while considering the changes in international affairs. However, I believe that these topics will be discussed within the confines of the Constitution.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: It has been revealed that contaminated water from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has been leaking into the ocean and that the disclosure of this issue was delayed. In response, the heads of the fishing unions of Fukushima Prefecture today made a strong protest with the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), saying that this time they cannot simply remain calm. Furthermore, there have been strong opposing views to the comments by the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority Tanaka who referred to the possibility of releasing low-level contaminated water into the ocean. Could you tell us how the Government views this situation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government's position is that contaminated water should not be thoughtlessly released into the ocean under any circumstance. The Government's basic view is that we will continue to make every effort to manage the contaminated water. We believe that it is imperative that the Government and TEPCO work as one on the issue of contaminated water and we will thoroughly address this issue in keeping with the report submitted by the committee of relevant ministries and agencies.