Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The telephone summit dialogue between Prime Minister and U.S. President
• The issue regarding comfort women
• The issue concerning the visit to Yasukuni Shrine by a Minister
• The legislation relating to the Guideline for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation

REPORTER: This morning Prime Minister Abe held telephone talks with President Obama of the United States. Could you tell us the themes of the talks and about what issues the leaders exchanged opinions?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Shortly after 10 am today, Prime Minister Abe held telephone talks with President Obama for approximately 30 minutes. The telephone call was received from President Obama. I have received a report that the two leaders discussed the response to the Ebola virus disease, although I have yet to receive a report about the details of the telephone talks as a whole. In a short while a press notice will be issued concerning the contents of the talks.

REPORTER: I have a related question. I understand that Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement Chief Negotiator Tsuruoka was also present during the telephone talks. Were opinions exchanged on the TPP?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I have not received any report about this matter. A press notice will be issued in due course.

REPORTER: I have a question about an issue that was raised last week. The page that calls for contributions to the Asian Women’s Fund, which relates to comfort women, was deleted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. Could you tell us the reason why the page was deleted and whether it was because the contents of the page differ from the Government’s stance on the issue?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: First of all I would suggest that you inquire with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the specific details of this matter. I have received a report that the pages concerning the comfort women issue that are published on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website included a mixture of Government and non-government documents and that there was a possibility that this format could create undue misunderstanding for readers of the pages. It was from this perspective that the necessary reorganization of the website pages was conducted. A link to the Asian Women’s Fund website has been posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website that provides a direct link to the documents. The documents concerned are still available to be viewed on the Asian Women’s Fund website. It is my understanding that the reorganization work on the website was purely a technical operation.

REPORTER: I have a further related question. If that is the case, why does it appear that the deletion was made in direct response to a comment made by Diet member Mr. Hiroshi Yamada in the Budget Committee meeting? Mr. Yamada referred to a passage that states, “Particularly brutal was the act of forcing women, including teenagers, to serve the Japanese armed forces as ‘comfort women,’ a practice that violated the fundamental dignity of women,” and objected to the fact that this passage implies that forced recruitment took place.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I just stated, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website included a mixture of Government and non-government documents, so there was a possibility that this format could create undue misunderstanding for readers of the pages. It was from this perspective that the necessary reorganization of the website pages was conducted. The same information is still posted on the Asian Women’s Fund website and it is still possible for readers to link to this information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

REPORTER: I have a related question. Mr. Yamada has taken the stance that the Kono Statement is no longer required and it is not necessary to apologize. Minister for Foreign Affairs Kishida listened to such opinions in the Budget Committee meeting in the Diet and yet did not actively provide any counterargument to them. By maintaining such a vague stance it could be perceived overseas that the Government is seeking to dilute its responsibility for this matter. Is such a vague stance the best one for the Government to take?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The document that was being referred to was issued in 1995 as a call for contributions to the Asian Women’s Fund and it was not a Government-issued document. Apparently the document was uploaded on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the perspective of clarifying the details relating to the comfort women issue. Following the exchanges between Foreign Minister Kishida and Mr. Hiroshi Yamada in the Budget Committee meeting on October 6 internal consideration was given about how to respond. The result of these considerations was the revision of the website, from the perspective that as the website featured a mixture of Government and non-government documents it could give rise to undue misunderstanding.

REPORTER: I have one final point of confirmation. The point I am trying to make is that those from overseas may view the deletion of these pages and the fact that no active counterargument was provided to the comments of Mr. Hiroshi Yamada as part of a strategy by the Government to maintain a vague stance and to not actively affirm the contents of the Kono Statement. I believe that one of the points of the Kono Statement is that, even setting aside issues of whether there was forceful recruitment and whether there was civilian involvement, at the very least, the Government bears a moral responsibility as the comfort stations were all established by the Japanese military. Does the Government share such a view?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government shares this view entirely. However, it is clearly stated in a Cabinet decision that there were no documents showing the direct involvement of the military in the recruitment. Also, the Prime Minister and I have repeatedly and clearly stated the Government’s position that we will succeed the Kono Statement and have no intention of revising it.

REPORTER: I believe the view you are stating is that there are no documents that show the existence of forceful recruitment but that the point of the Kono Statement is that Japan bears moral responsibility for the coercion at comfort stations and the terrible experiences of the women there. Is that the Government’s view?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: What I am saying is that the Government has long said that it will continue to succeed the Kono Statement and will not revise it. That is all.

REPORTER: I would like to return to the telephone talks between the Prime Minister and President Obama. The United States has announced that a video conference among the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy will be held concerning the response to Ebola. Were the recent telephone talks related to such moves?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I am not aware of the details, but I do know that the two leaders discussed the response to the Ebola virus disease.

REPORTER: I have a related question. There have been cases of secondary infection in the United States. Did the United States request any cooperation concerning infection prevention measures or similar measures?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I am not aware of the details of the talks. A press notice will shortly be issued that will provide details about the contents of the talks.

REPORTER: In a radio program Chief Representative Yamaguchi of New Komeito has referred to the visit of Minister for Internal Affairs and Communication Takaichi to Yasukuni Shrine, stating that actions that could create diplomatic issues should be avoided, with a view to realizing a Japan-China summit meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting. What are your thoughts on this call by Mr. Yamaguchi to refrain from visiting the shrine?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I accept Mr. Yamaguchi’s comments as representing his own opinions.

REPORTER: I have a related question. Although the leader of one of the ruling parties has made a statement requesting that visits to the shrine be avoided, am I correct in thinking that you will not be discussing anything related to this with Minister Takaichi?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I have no plans to do so.

REPORTER: I also have a question about comments made by Mr. Yamaguchi. He stated that work on legislation relating to the Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation should be thoroughly implemented, without worrying about the tentative year-end deadline. Is this recognition shared by the Government?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: An interim report was recently issued by Japan and the United States concerning this matter. I believe that based on this report the two sides will continue to cooperate and take the matter forward.

REPORTER: So what about the point about not worrying about the year-end deadline?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We will continue to advance this matter through negotiations between Japan and the United States. That is all. We will of course also consult with the ruling parties in this process.

(Abridged)