Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The issue related to incidents of mislabeling of food products
• The multiple explosion in Shanxi and the car crash and fire in Beijing
• The issue related to the online sale of pharmaceutical products

REPORTER: I would like to ask a question concerning a number of incidents involving the mislabeling of food products. We have been seeing a number of these incidents at several well-known hotels and restaurants across the country, where, for instance, lower quality prawns have been marketed as high quality prawns. Could you share with us your thoughts on this series of incidents?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Whether intentional or accidental mislabeling, if there was inappropriate labeling, I think that these recent incidents concerning menus significantly undermine consumer trust and is therefore extremely regrettable. The Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations prohibits labeling that provides general consumers with misleading information stating that the substance of the goods or services provided by the business operator is exceptionally good. If the recent incidents constitute unjustified labeling that hinders independent and rational decision-making by consumers, I would like the Consumer Affairs Agency to respond firmly to the incidents as per the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Please allow me to ask another question on this topic. You just mentioned the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations but these are not the first cases of food mislabeling, in fact, there have been various other cases in the past. This time, several mislabeling incidents have been coming to light one after another. In view of this, do you have any intention to strengthen or revise the current laws?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We do presently have the aforementioned Act in place, therefore I believe that it is important that the Consumer Affairs Agency first responds firmly to the revealed incidents as per the law.

REPORTER: Despite the existence of the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, so many instances of food mislabeling have been occurring and I think that this would seem to indicate that there are some loopholes in the laws, while faith in these laws has been damaged. What are your thoughts on this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Firstly, it seems to me that business operators were not taking the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations seriously. Therefore, it is important that the Consumer Affairs Agency first respond to the incidents firmly as per the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations and issue a warning, in a sense.

REPORTER: It has been reported that multiple explosions occurred near a Communist Party Committee building in Shanxi, China, this morning, and a number of people have also sustained injuries. Does the Japanese Government have any information concerning this incident?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We are aware of the media reports, however we are still currently attempting to obtain further information. We do not have any information that suggests that Japanese nationals were among those affected.

REPORTER: There was also what was believed to be an accident or act of terrorism at Tiananmen Square the other day in Beijing. Given these recent occurrences, how do you view the current situation in China?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We do not yet know the background or details of the recent incident. Therefore, we are currently doing our best to obtain information.

REPORTER: In relation to the online sale of pharmaceutical products, the Cabinet members concerned have reached an agreement. I understand that some products will not be approved for online sale until their safety has been confirmed. Could you share with us the background and reasons for this decision?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Firstly, regarding the handling of products that have only recently been categorized as over-the-counter, and highly toxic pharmaceutical products, the discussion group led by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare made a decision while accounting for the opinions of medical and pharmaceutical experts who conducted in line with the Japan Revitalization Strategy. The decision takes both safety and convenience into consideration. This decision approves the online sale of 99.8% of existing over-the-counter pharmaceutical products provided they fulfill the specified criteria. The remaining 0.2%, which are highly toxic pharmaceutical products or products that have only recently been categorized as over-the-counter, will be placed into a different category, separate from over-the-counter products. Highly toxic pharmaceutical products will be sold in person to the individual who will actually use the product, while pharmaceutical products that were only recently categorized as over-the-counter will be sold online only after the safety investigation has been completed, during which time they will be sold in person to the individual who will be using the product. I think that it is only natural that we make these safety considerations. The opinions of medical and pharmaceutical experts are important, as is convenience, of course, and the recent decision attempts to take all these aspects into consideration. The decision, which allows 99.8% of drugs to be sold online, certainly takes both safety and convenience fully into account.

(Abridged)