Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I have an announcement regarding the appointment of State Ministers and Parliamentary Vice-Ministers. During the extraordinary Cabinet meeting held a short while ago, State Ministers and Parliamentary Vice-Ministers were decided, as described on the list in front of you.

(Abridged)

Q&As

• The policy of selecting State Ministers and Parliamentary Vice- Minister
• The approval rating of the Cabinet

REPORTER: I gather that the appointments were made based on the premise of assigning the right individuals for the right positions. However, can you please explain what kind of policy was followed in selecting these individuals?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I was instructed by the Prime Minister to provide opportunities to a broad range of individuals. In this context, State Ministers were selected primarily among those who have been thrice elected to the Diet, and twice elected as Parliamentary Vice-Ministers. The Liberal Democratic Party conducted a survey of the wishes of the respective individuals. Therefore, the appointments were made by incorporating their specialties and the areas they wished to engage in as much as possible.

REPORTER: I have a related question. Did you accept nominations from the respective factions this time around?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We did not take any nominations from factions into account. The party as a whole surveyed the wishes of the respective Diet members, and the appointments were made on this basis.

REPORTER: Is my understanding correct that from the State Ministers of Cabinet Office, State Minister Nishimura remains in charge of economic and fiscal policy?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As State Minister Nishimura currently heads the Government’s local response headquarters in Hiroshima in connection with the disaster management work, we kept State Minister Nishimura for reasons of continuity.

REPORTER: I believe one of the themes of the latest Cabinet reshuffle, among other initiatives, is the appointment of women or facilitating women’s active role. Was this taken into consideration in the appointment of State Ministers and Parliamentary Vice-Ministers?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: For State Ministers and Parliamentary Vice-Ministers, especially Parliamentary Vice-Ministers, two first-term female Diet members were appointed. One has experience with agricultural policy, and the other has relevant experience as a member of a prefectural assembly.

REPORTER: Mr. Ishikawa from New Komeito is one of the Parliamentary Vice-Ministers of Defense. Was Mr. Ishikawa appointed for any particular objective?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: This was requested by New Komeito. Mr. Ishikawa was appointed as per that request.

REPORTER: You kept Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Reconstruction Koizumi. Was this also for reasons of continuity as you noted earlier?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Yes. Previously, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Reconstruction Kameoka was asked to stay. He was the first Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Reconstruction, and he was asked to serve in this position again in the following Cabinet. In the same vein, we kept Parliamentary Vice-Minister Koizumi in his reconstruction role.

REPORTER: I have another question. In some cases, individuals who were previously Parliamentary Vice-Ministers directly went on to become State Ministers in this reshuffle. Were theories, so to speak, not taken at all into consideration for the latest reshuffle?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I stated moments ago, I was instructed to provide opportunities to a broad range of individuals. One of the implications of that is to have third-term Diet members gain experience. It was in this context that the individuals were selected.

REPORTER: You stated that the individuals were selected on the basis of the party’s opinion survey, among other factors. How did you reflect the wishes of the newly appointed ministers?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: First, a draft list of ministers was created on the basis of the party’s opinion survey which asked what each individual wished to engage in. We then finalized the list in consultation with the ministers who were appointed and attested yesterday.

REPORTER: Changing the subject, according to our opinion poll, the approval rating of the Cabinet, which was previously 51%, increased by over 10 percentage points following the Cabinet reshuffle. I believe these results reflect the high expectations of the people. Can you please share your views?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I often state, I deem that a higher Cabinet approval rating is better than a lower one. However, we will not wring our hands needlessly over the approval rating. The fact that the approval rating was so high indicates that the people have high expectations. It is important that we refocus and steadily deliver outcomes in order to be able to meet such expectations. Indeed, we will achieve results commensurate with a “Cabinet for action and achievement” that keeps its word and realizes policies.

(Abridged)