Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga

• An overview of the Cabinet meeting

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Firstly, I would like to give an overview of the Cabinet Meeting. The meeting approved one general measure as well as cabinet orders and personnel decisions. With regard to statements by ministers, Minister Furuya made a statement concerning the FY2013 comprehensive disaster prevention drills of the National Disaster Prevention Day, and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology made a statement concerning the members of the Council for Cultural Affairs (Subdivision on Selection of Cultural Awardees).

Q&As

• UN Secretary Ban Ki-Moon's comments about the understanding of history
• The situation in Syria
• The plan to launch the Epsilon Launch Vehicle with "SPRINT-A" onboard
• The comic book entitled Barefoot Gen (Hadashi no Gen)
• Ukraine and Japan' s joint investigation on the environmental impact of nuclear accidents in the respective countries

REPORTER: In response to a question concerning Japan's move to revise the pacifist Constitution, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Ban Ki-Moon said that a correct understanding of history helps to maintain positive international relations, which I believe is an unusual statement for the Secretary-General of the United Nations to make. Could you share with us the Government's view on this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I am aware of such media reports. As I have said on numerous occasions, and as the Prime Minister stated yesterday during an interview while overseas, the Abe Cabinet's stance on the understanding of history is that it is imperative that the leaders of each country share their views and opinions for the sake of the peace and stability of the region. The Prime Minister has consistently called for dialogues to be held with the Republic of Korea (ROK) and China, even in times of concern. As for the statement made by the Secretary-General, I am very skeptical that Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon made the comments with a full understanding of our stance. Therefore we would like to confirm the meaning behind his comments and we will continue to communicate Japan's position at occasions such as UN General Assemblies.

REPORTER: Please allow me to ask another question on this topic. Some believe that the recent comments made by the Secretary-General violate the UN Charter. When you say that you will confirm the intent behind his comment, am I right to understand that the Japanese Government will make inquiries with the UN?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: That is correct, we have only heard this through the media and we therefore believe that it is necessary for us to confirm the actual meaning behind the comment. Since the end of the war, Japan has, through to today, continued to make efforts for world peace and prosperity, and as such we would like to confirm the meaning behind the comment.

REPORTER: Are you going to make any inquiry or has one already been made?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I am hoping to do so at the UN.

REPORTER: I would like to ask a question on a related topic. Will the inquiry be made through the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Yes I believe it will.

REPORTER: There will be UN General Assembly in September. Does the Government intend to directly communicate its stance to the Republic of Korea at venues such as that?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I said earlier, we have already shared the stance of the Japanese Government, but either way, we believe it important that we confirm the meaning of the comments. However the Japanese Government will continue to explain the position of Japan at occasions such as UN meetings.

REPORTER: Please allow me to ask another question on this topic. After confirming the meaning of the comments do you believe that Japan may lodge a protest or demonstrate that kind of attitude directly to the Republic of Korea?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I believe that we will first begin with confirming the intent of the person who made the comments rather than the ROK Government.

REPORTER: What are your thoughts on the fact that a Korean Secretary-General made comments that side with the ROK Government?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I just said, we take pride in the consistent contributions that Japan has made to world peace and prosperity since the end of the war and I believe that is how Japan is viewed by the rest of the world. Therefore, we believe that we must confirm the meaning of the comments.

REPORTER: I would like to ask a question concerning the situation in Syria. The U.S. concluded that there has been large scale and indiscriminate use of chemical weapons on civilians in Syria. The U.S. Government also stated that the attack was carried out by the al-Assad regime. Could you once again share with us the stance of the Japanese Government on this? I believe that this will become a topic of debate within the international community, so could you share with us how the Japanese Government will approach the issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Yesterday Prime Minister Abe, who is currently visiting Middle Eastern countries, said during a summit meeting in Kuwait that he is extremely concerned about the situation. This is naturally how Japan views this situation. The Japanese Government, while closely cooperating with relevant nations, is keeping close tabs on the development of the situation with a strong sense of concern. I understand that the UN investigation team deployed to Syria yesterday came under attack, but we strongly hope that their safety is ensured and that their investigation can be completed without interference in order that the facts may be revealed.

REPORTER: Both the U.S. and the UK presented their view that there was in fact use of chemical weapons. I believe that this raises the possibility of military intervention in Syria. Could you share with us the current view of the Japanese Government on this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The UN investigation team has been deployed to Syria and therefore we would like to wait for the results of their investigation.

REPORTER: The new Japanese made Epsilon Launch Vehicle with "SPRINT-A" onboard will be launched this afternoon. Since this is the first rocket to be developed in 12 years there has been much anticipation in the lead up to its launch. Could you share with us your thoughts, if any?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Epsilon Launch Vehicle  is a Japan made solid-fuel rocket, the first to be launched in seven years. Today will also see the launch of a small satellite, the usage of which is expected to further increase in the future, and we believe that the rocket will equip us with an autonomic, agile and efficient means of launching small satellites. I understand that the rocket is a mission critical rocket and the fruit of the consolidation of the wisdom of all relevant institutions. Therefore I truly hope that the launch of the Epsilon Launch Vehicle with "SPRINT-A" onboard goes smoothly. Furthermore, given that the rocket will be extremely beneficial for future rocket development, I sincerely hope for the success of the launch.

REPORTER: I would like to ask a question about the comic book entitled Barefoot Gen (Hadashi no Gen). The Board of Education of Matsue City (in Shimane Prefecture) had decided to take the comic off the shelf, however yesterday the board reversed its decision and lifted the ban. Could you share with us your thoughts on these developments?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I understand that the provision of specific instructions to schools based on the decision made by the education board is within its ordinary scope of authority. I believe that the recent decisions were made at the discretion of the Matsue City Board of Education, which has authority over the school. However I believe that important issues such as this should be decided after first consulting the Board of Education. I understand that it is important that the Board of Education and its secretariat works in cooperation to pursue appropriate and responsible educational administration.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Ukraine and Japan have agreed to conduct a joint investigation on the environmental impact of those countries' respective nuclear accidents. How much of the investigation results do you intend to reveal to the public?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I believe that Minister for Foreign Affairs Kishida revealed this plan during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart. I believe that we must learn from the data obtained through this project and therefore the release of information will be taken into consideration as we consult the relevant institutions.