Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The issue related to the statue of a comfort woman in the City of Glendale, the United States
• The issues related to the article of the Wall Street Journal regarding the comments of Special Advisor to the Cabinet Honda
• The issue related to Takeshima Day
• The issue related to vandalization of Anne Frank's Diary libraries in Tokyo

REPORTER: I would like to ask a question in relation to developments concerning the statue of a comfort woman in Glendale. Local Japanese-Americans filed a lawsuit against the City of Glendale over the statue. Could you share with us your thoughts on this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Firstly, I am aware of this action through media reports. This installation of a memorial statue by a municipal government in the U.S. is incompatible  with the views of the Japanese Government. We have therefore sought appropriate action from the Mayor of Glendale and the members of the Glendale City Council. However, the memorial statue was nevertheless installed in July last year and this is extremely regrettable. I assume that local Japanese-Americans share the same views as the Japanese Government on this matter and therefore made this decision to file a lawsuit. Furthermore, all municipal governments, including the City of Glendale, hope that residents of all backgrounds can live together in peace and harmony. Certain matters, such as the comfort women issue, split opinion among people, depending on their national background. Therefore, I do not consider it appropriate for such matters to be brought into the lives of the members of a community.

REPORTER: The recent developments could cause misunderstanding. It may make it seem like Japan forcibly took women against their will, despite the fact that there is no evidence that this actually occurred. How do you view the recent developments?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I just said, I believe that the local Japanese-Americans share the same views as the Japanese Government on this matter and therefore we will keep a close eye on the developments of the lawsuit.

REPORTER: I have a question in relation to the verification of the comfort women issue, which you mentioned during yesterday's Diet session. The foreign affairs authorities of the Republic of Korea (ROK) immediately raised an objection. Could you share with us your thoughts on this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Yesterday I said that the Government of Japan would seek to consider the request made by Mr. Yamada, while maintaining the confidentiality of the testimonies. In a sense, I believe it is natural.

REPORTER: Does that mean that the ROK has misunderstood your comments?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I am not sure that it was a misunderstanding. I only stated the view of the Japanese Government in response to a question asked during the Diet session.

REPORTER: In relation to the Kono Statement, Secretary General of New Komeito Inoue said during a press conference that the Kono Statement represents the official stance of the Government. He stated that current diplomatic relations are founded and built on the statement. Therefore, the Government should not consider making any changes. I understand that some believe that the verification of the testimonies of comfort women could ultimately lead to a revision of this statement. Does the Government have any intention of revising the statement?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: During the first Abe administration's Cabinet decision on this matter, we clearly stated that there was no evidence to suggest coercion. Therefore, we will explore the possibility of verifying the testimonies while maintaining confidentiality, as I pledged yesterday.

REPORTER: If the verification shows that there was little evidence to suggest coercion, is there any possibility that the Government will revise the Kono Statement?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We will consider the verification of the testimonies. That is what I stated during yesterday's Diet session. Nothing more is yet decided at this stage.

REPORTER: I would like to ask a question concerning Special Advisor to the Cabinet Etsuro Honda and the article in The Wall Street Journal. During the interview by the journalists' group this morning, he said that he does not intend to ask for corrections of the article any time soon. Mr. Honda also stated that while there was no third party present, he regrets that his remarks resulted in a situation where what he said was misconstrued and the truth cannot be clearly demonstrated. If Mr. Honda is not going to ask for a correction, then how will the Government deal with this issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The interview was not conducted via an official route, which would be through the Office of Global Communications of the Prime Minister's Office. Therefore, in a sense, the question of whether or not the Government should protest this or not is beside the point. I understand Special Advisor Honda said yesterday during a doorstep interview that he personally protested.

REPORTER: Mr. Honda said his comments were misconstrued. But even if that is the case, these are the kinds of comments that could take on a life of their own and result in diplomatic issues. What are your thoughts?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The interview was not conducted via an official route, which would be through the Office of Global Communications of the Prime Minister's Office. I think this is simply a matter between Special Advisor Honda and the journalist. As Mr. Honda said that the article is completely different from what he said during the interview, I believe he has already dealt with the matter.

REPORTER: Tomorrow is Takeshima Day, Could you once again share with us the Government's stance and its views on the significance of this ceremony?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Parliamentary Secretary Yoshitami Kameoka in charge of ocean policy and territorial issues will attend the Takeshima Day ceremony on behalf of the Government. In the light of historical facts and based upon international law, it is apparent that Takeshima is an inherent part of the territory of Japan. The Government has continually explored effective means of clarifying its stance over the territorial issues concerning Takeshima. As such, the Government decided to once again send a Parliamentary Secretary to the ceremony.

REPORTER: The Liberal Democratic Party says that it should be the Government that holds the Takeshima Day ceremony, while Shimane Prefecture indicated that they would like the Prime Minister to attend the ceremony. Could you share with us your thoughts on how the ceremony should be held in the future?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Last year, for the first time, the Government dispatched a Parliamentary Secretary to the Takeshima Day ceremony. In light of this, we decided to once again send a Parliamentary Secretary this year.

REPORTER: It has been discovered in a number of libraries throughout Tokyo that The Diary of Anne Frank and other related publications were ripped up. Jewish human rights organizations in the U.S. expressed concern over this. Could you inform us of the facts and share with us what the Government believes to be behind this series of incidents?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We do not at all know why the books were torn up. However, I understand that affected libraries reported the cases to the police and the police are now conducting an investigation. If these incidents are indeed occurring, it is something that we cannot tolerate. It is extremely regrettable and disgraceful. I trust that the police will conduct a thorough investigation.

(Abridged)