Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The meeting with the mayors of municipalities situated near nuclear power plants in Fukui Prefecture.
• The signing the Joint Statement on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons
• The issue of visit to Yasukuni Shrine

REPORTER: Earlier, you met with the mayors of municipalities situated near nuclear power plants in Fukui Prefecture. What exchanges or discussions took place?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As mentioned earlier, I received a petition from the members of the Fukui council of municipalities where the nuclear power plants are located. There were four main points to their petition. These included requests to put in place countermeasures against nuclear disasters in order to ensure the safety and security of residents, and to establish frameworks that could enable the Self-Defense Forces and the police to work together to carry out counter-terrorism measures.

REPORTER: In relation to that, among their request list, I believe they had included the request for a prompt decision on the resumption of operation of nuclear facilities. Could you tell us about the discussion that was held with regard to restarting the nuclear facilities?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: There were no discussions about this topic. In any case, the Government has clarified its stance on this topic in its policy. This stance is based on the results of assessments on safety and security made by the Nuclear Regulation Authority.

REPORTER: Earlier in the afternoon, Foreign Minister Kishida announced that Japan would be signing the Joint Statement on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, which is currently being reviewed at the United Nations. Could you explain the significance of this once again?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: First, the elimination of nuclear weapons is a wish that is shared by all the people in the world. Against this background, Japan has been in consultation with the relevant countries regarding last Statement, considering security environment. Appropriate revisions were made as a result of these consultations, and consistency with Japan's security policy was upheld. Hence, we have expressed our full support for the Statement. In that sense, I believe there is a need for the whole world, for the whole of mankind, to take solid steps towards the common goal of the abolition of nuclear weapons.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: My question is in relation to Yasukuni Shrine. This morning, a large banner was put up at the intersection outside the Prime Minister's Office stating, "Prime Minister, visit Yasukuni Shrine!" A large number of people were also present, holding placards that demanded, "Please do not betray the expectations of the people." What is the Government's response to this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I have explained at the press conference this morning, the Prime Minister's stance is based on his own personal decision, so I will refrain from commenting on this in my capacity as Chief Cabinet Secretary. Of course, we are aware that a variety of opinions exist among the public on this issue, and I believe the Prime Minister makes his own decisions based on an assessment taken from a broad perspective.

(Abridged)