Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga

(Abridged)

Q&As

• The lawsuit concerning asbestos-related damage in Sennan district of Osaka Prefecture
• The indictment without detention of the former Seoul bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun newspaper
• The issue of understanding of history

REPORTER: I have a question about the lawsuit concerning asbestos-related damage in the Sennan district of Osaka Prefecture. In this so-called Sennan Asbestos Case the Supreme Court recently issued its first-ever ruling that the state bears liability for damages. Can I ask for your views on this ruling?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Firstly, in a ruling today concerning a court case in which former asbestos workers from the Sennan district of Osaka Prefecture and bereaved relatives sought compensation for asbestos-related health damage based on the claim that the state failed to implement its regulatory powers appropriately, the Supreme Court has judged that the state has partially lost its case. The Government takes the ruling most seriously in that it has been judged that the state bears responsibility to the Plaintiffs. I am aware that the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, which is the ministry with jurisdiction over this matter, will respond appropriately in accordance with the ruling that has been handed down. With regard to other lawsuits that have yet to be settled, the relevant ministries and agencies will carefully assess this recent ruling and seek to respond appropriately.

REPORTER: I have a question about a topic that came up in this morning’s press conference, concerning the indictment without detention of the Seoul bureau chief of the Sankei Shimbun newspaper. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned a minister of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to the ministry. Could you tell us of the concerns that how the ministry expressed to the ROK?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Japanese Government conveyed a strong protest to the Government of the ROK. Despite the Government of Japan having expressed repeated concerns about this matter, the fact that the former bureau chief was indicted is regrettable in the extreme from the perspective of freedom of the press and Japan-ROK relations, and the Government of Japan is gravely concerned about the situation.

REPORTER: By what channels was the protest lodged?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I have received a report that Mr. Junichi Ihara, Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau conveyed the protest to Mr. Kim Won-jin, Minister at the Embassy of the ROK in Tokyo.

REPORTER: On a related note, the press spokesperson of the United States Department of State has also expressed concerns about freedom of speech in the ROK. In Japan too, concerns and criticisms are being expressed by all political parties. Can I ask for your thoughts about this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I would say that these criticisms are a natural reaction by the international community. That is all.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Returning to the issue of the indictment without detention of the former Seoul bureau chief of the Sankei Shimbun newspaper, you mentioned that the Government had expressed concerns to the ROK side. At the same time you also noted that the Government wants an explanation about the situation.

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Rather than seeking an explanation, what I stated was that the Government of Japan has repeatedly expressed its concerns about this matter. Despite these repeated expressions of concern, from the perspective of freedom of the press and freedom of speech, which are both extremely important matters for a democratic country, and also from the perspective of Japan-ROK relations, it is of the utmost regret that the indictment has been made. This was the content of the strong protest we lodged today, expressing the Government’s grave concerns about the matter.

REPORTER: In addition to issuing a protest, has the Government demanded that the indictment be dropped?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: No, that would constitute intervention in domestic affairs, which we should naturally refrain from doing. However, the Government believes that the indictment is unbecoming of a democratic nation. It is also for that reason that I believe the United States has made a similar statement.

REPORTER: I have a related question. I believe the case is now going through the judicial process. In theory the judiciary is an independent organ of the state but is it to the Government of the ROK that the Government of Japan has expressed its concerns? In what capacity has the Government expressed these concerns to the judiciary?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: That is a domestic matter for the ROK. The Government of Japan has repeatedly expressed its concerns about the way in which the former bureau chief of the Sankei Shimbun newspaper was indicted and demanded an earnest response from the Government of the ROK.

REPORTER: I have a point I would like to confirm. So the Government has not made any specific requests about how it wants the Government of the ROK to respond to this matter?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government has conveyed its concerns to the Government of the ROK.

REPORTER: Did the ROK not mention anything about the independence of the judiciary?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I am not aware of anything about that. However, in a democratic nation freedom of speech and freedom of the press are rights that are protected and therefore the Government of Japan has expressed its concerns and demanded an earnest response.

REPORTER: I have a question on a different subject. The Communist Party’s newspaper in Chengdu, China has run an article in which it criticized the understanding of history of the Abe administration, in addition to which it warned people against harboring any affection for the animated character Doraemon, claiming that the character has hidden political meaning. The article has been roundly criticized. Can I ask for your thoughts on this?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I would say that this is so absurd as to not merit any comment.

(Abridged)