Press Conference by the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The issue related to the Supreme Court of Japan's ruling on the disparity in the weight of one vote
• Japan-ROK relations concerning Ahn Jung-geun
• The lunch meeting of Prime Minister Abe and the U.S. Ambassador Kennedy
• The issue related to the special intelligence protection bill.

REPORTER: The Supreme Court of Japan has just issued a ruling on the disparity in the weight of one vote (at the time of last December's general election). In the ruling, it was noted that the disparity represented a "state of unconstitutionality." Although the Supreme Court did not rule that the election was thus invalid, it is urging the Government to continue to make efforts towards correcting the disparity that exists. What is the Government's reaction to the ruling today?

DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SEKO: Today at 3:00pm, the Supreme Court of Japan handed down a ruling concerning the case that had been brought with regard to the weight of one vote and the constitutionality of the definition of the boundaries of single-seat constituencies at the general election for the House of Representatives, which took place on December 16, 2012. As you have just pointed out, the ruling noted that the election was constitutional, but that a state of unconstitutionality exists. The Government therefore will take the ruling handed down today with the utmost seriousness. As the contents of the ruling have not been fully considered, the Government will seek to make an appropriate response after having first studied it in detail.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: I have a question with regard to the statement made yesterday by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga concerning Ahn Jung-geun, the person who assassinated Hirobumi Ito, who had served as Japan's first prime minister. Today there was another statement from the Republic of Korea (ROK), this time by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se, who reacted strongly to Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga's comments, noting that such an anti-historical statement by a senior official representing the Government of Japan could not be accepted. He also stated that Japan should reflect thoroughly on its history of aggression, and should demonstrate a stance of heartfelt apology to countries that suffered damage by Japanese. Can I ask once again the view of the Government about what kind of person Ahn Jung-geun was, and also for a response to the reaction from the ROK?

DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SEKO: The Government's recognition is that Ahn Jung-geun was the person sentenced to death for the assassination of Hirobumi Ito. That is the recognition we have and on which our stance is based.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Today the Prime Minister held a working lunch meeting with the U.S. Ambassador Kennedy. What is the Government's view of the outcomes of this meeting?

DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SEKO: I understand that from 12:25pm today, for a period of approximately one hour, Prime Minister Abe received a courtesy call from Ambassador of the United States of America to Japan, Ms. Caroline Kennedy, during which they took lunch together. I also heard that Minister Inada and Minister Mori were in attendance at the meeting. Prime Minister Abe first offered Ambassador Kennedy a sincere welcome upon her appointment. He also stated that he sought to cooperate with Ambassador Kennedy to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance. Ambassador Kennedy stated that she knew about Prime Minister Abe's recent address at the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in which he had explained Japan's efforts towards realizing "a society in which women shine." , Including Minister Inada and Minister Mori, female ministers, they exchanged opinions actively on this subject. In addition, the Prime Minister and the Ambassador confirmed that Japan and the United States would continue to cooperate on issues that are shared by the two nations and also that the two countries would closely coordinate their response to the damage caused by the recent typhoon in the Philippines. Today was the first time for the Prime Minister to meet Ambassador Kennedy. I believe that it was an excellent first meeting, especially with Ambassador Kennedy highly praising the Prime Minister's efforts to create a society in which women can play active roles.

REPORTER: You have just stated that in the meeting it was confirmed that Japan and the United States would continue to cooperate on issues that are shared by the two nations, but what specific issues or themes were discussed in the exchange of opinions today?

DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SEKO: I have not received a report on what was discussed. I believe that they were general issues that Japan and the United States are currently engaged in.

REPORTER: I have a question concerning the special intelligence protection bill. The ruling coalition parties are currently engaged in consultations with the Japan Restoration Party and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) concerning revisions to the bill. There are voices even in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and New Komeito that the consultation should not focus unduly on achieving the passage of the bill by the end of this week, but should seek instead to gain agreement on the bill from as many political parties as possible. If that is the case, do you believe that it may be difficult to achieve the passage of the bill by December 6, the end of the current Diet session?

DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SEKO: The stance of the Government, having submitted the draft bill, is to request its passage strictly within the timeframe of the current Diet session. The schedule for the passage has been left to the Diet and the ruling coalition parties, led by the Diet Affairs Committee, which engage with opposition parties in negotiations.

REPORTER: I have a related question. If agreement on the final draft bill is delayed due to the difficulty of concluding consultations on revisions, is it possible that the Diet session will be extended in order that the bill can be passed?

DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SEKO: The Government seeks to achieve the passage of all the bills that have been submitted, including this one, by December 6, the end of the Diet session. The manner in which the bills will be passed is something to be left to the Diet to determine.

(Abridged)