Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga

In the early hours of the morning, Mr. Ichiro Komatsu, who retired from his position as Director-General of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau last month in order to focus on medical treatment, passed away at his home in Tokyo. He was 63. Mr. Komatsu served in important positions such as the Director-General of the International Legal Affairs Bureau, and in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as ambassador to Switzerland and France, before taking up his position as Director-General of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau in August last year. He put his extensive knowledge to use in the management of legal affairs, providing support to the Abe cabinet on legal aspects requiring examination with regard to issues relating to the legal basis for security, a focus for the Abe administration. He will be remembered for his steadfast and sincere approach to his work. On behalf of the Government, I would like to offer my prayers for the repose of Mr. Komatsu, and express my sincere condolences to his family.

Q&As

• The passing of the former Director-general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau
• The protest regard to the Kono Statement
• The sexist heckling in Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly

REPORTER: May I ask about the cause of death, and also whether the Prime Minister, who made the decision to appoint Mr. Komatsu, or yourself contacted to the family?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Firstly, with regard to the cause of death, what happened was that a tumor had previously been detected in Mr. Komatsu’s stomach, on which treatment had been focused. However, after a struggle with the illness, Mr. Komatsu passed away in the early hours of the morning. I would like to refrain from speaking about any further details in the interests of privacy for Mr. Komatsu and his family. The Prime Minister received word about Mr. Komatsu’s passing from his secretary.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: The Government of the Republic of Korea has issued a protest with regard to the Kono Statement. Can I ask you to clarify the facts concerning this matter?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Today, June 23, the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs summoned Ambassador Bessho to lodge a protest and present the stance of the Government of the ROK, concerning the results of the efforts to ascertain the background of the compilation of the Kono Statement. In response, Ambassador Bessho provided an explanation of the stance of the Government of Japan with regard to this matter.

REPORTER: In specific terms, what kind of protest was lodged, and what kind of explanation was provided?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I would like to refrain from commenting about the details, as they are related to diplomatic affairs.

REPORTER: The ROK is opposed to any efforts by the Government of Japan to ascertain the background of the compilation of the Kono Statement. How will the Government approach this matter?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government will concentrate on explaining its existing stance with regard to this matter. This is the bottom line.

REPORTER: The Governments of Japan and the ROK have agreed to hold director-general level talks between their foreign ministries approximately once a month. Does the Government intend to request such a meeting this month as scheduled? If so, it is likely that the efforts to ascertain the background of the compilation of the Kono Statement will be an item for discussion. Will the Japanese side be providing an explanation about this matter in the forum for consultations?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Governments of Japan and the ROK have agreed to continue director-general level talks, and in these talks, will continue to discuss various issues. At present, the schedule for the next round of talks has not yet to be decided.

REPORTER: I have a question about the sexist heckling in yesterday’s Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly session. Today, assembly member Mr. Akihiro Suzuki, of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), held a press conference in which he admitted that he was one of those responsible for heckling in the assembly. Last week in this press conference, you stated that the assembly would need to seriously resolve this issue by itself. Today, although Mr. Suzuki has not gone as far as mentioning resignation, do you believe that he has done enough as for cleaning up his conduct?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Firstly, as I noted the other day, heckling in a manner constituting sexual harassment is totally unacceptable in any situation. The Abe cabinet views this incident with the deepest regret, given that we are working to promote full participation in society by women. The course of action each politician takes is for themselves to decide, and as this is an issue relating to a regional assembly, I would like to refrain from making any further comment from a government perspective. However, I would like to repeat that this was clearly an inappropriate remark, and the person who made it should take full responsibility.

(Abridged)