Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga
A video considered to have been released by the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL) has been uploaded on the internet on January 20. In the video, threats are made to kill two persons who are understood to be Japanese nationals. The Government is currently confirming the authenticity of the video. If it is the case that the contents are found to be authentic, the act of making threats in exchange for people’s lives is unforgivable and the Government expresses its strong outrage. The Government of Japan will work in cooperation with the countries concerned and make its strongest efforts towards the swift release of the Japanese nationals concerned. A short while ago, at 4 p.m., I contacted the Prime Minister and received the following two instructions: First, to make every effort to confirm the facts, and second, to cooperate with the countries concerned and prioritize efforts to protect the lives of those concerned. Furthermore, the Government has decided to dispatch State Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhide Nakayama, who is currently accompanying the Prime Minister, to Amman in Jordan, where he will coordinate the Government’s response on the ground. In Tokyo also, at 3:00 p.m. today, following the release of the video, a response office was established within the Prime Minister’s Office and a emergency response headquarters has also been established at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Q&As

REPORTER: You have just stated that the Government is working to confirm the authenticity of the video concerning the identity of the two people understood to be Japanese nationals. Are we to understand that the credibility of the video has still not been confirmed?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Efforts to confirm the authenticity of the video are currently underway.

REPORTER: The video shows two people who are thought to be Mr. Haruna Yukawa, who was abducted last year, and Mr. Kenji Goto, a freelance journalist. Has the Government confirmed that these are the two people in the video?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: That is also currently being confirmed.

REPORTER: Particularly with regard to Mr. Kenji Goto, has the Government acquired any information about details of his movements, such as the particulars of his departure from Japan?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As the identity of the Japanese nationals concerned is still being confirmed, I would like to refrain from commenting about individual matters.

REPORTER: The official stance of the Government of Japan is that it will not yield to acts of terrorism. Given that ISIL has issued a ransom demand, how does the Government intend to respond?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: There is no change to the Government’s stance of standing firm against terrorism and contributing to the international community’s fight against terrorism.

REPORTER: You have just stated that a response office has been established within the Cabinet Crisis Management Center. Under what framework will the Prime Minister’s Office be engaging in efforts to secure the swift release of the hostages?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Information is currently being collected and once this process has advanced, I would like to receive a report, including from the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management.

REPORTER: You have just stated that the authenticity of the video is being confirmed. However, in the video released by ISIL there is a message that the threat has been made in response to the announcement by the Prime Minister in Cairo during his visit to Middle East countries of measures to combat ISIL. Is the Government also seeking to confirm this message?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As you are all aware, the main purpose of the Prime Minister’s current visit is to send out a message about Japan’s active contribution to the stability of the Middle East region. The Prime Minister announced assistance in non-military areas including humanitarian assistance and infrastructure development, so I do not believe that what you just mentioned applies in this case.

REPORTER: With regard to the ransom demand, could you provide a little more concrete detail about the Government’s stance of not yielding to terrorism?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The details of this matter are currently being confirmed and we are liaising with and receiving the cooperation of countries concerned.

REPORTER: Around what time did the Government confirm the release of the video?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: When it was released at 2:50 p.m., shortly before 3:00 p.m.

REPORTER: The Prime Minister himself is still in the Middle East, so will this incident cause any changes to his planned schedule? Is it possible that he will return to Japan earlier than planned or even stay longer in the region?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Prime Minister will engage in the formal events that have been scheduled, including the meeting with Dr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority. The Prime Minister has cancelled some other items on his itinerary, such as visits to various sites. He will be raising this matter in the meeting with President Abbas and engaging in consultations.

REPORTER: Minister of Defense Nakatani is also in the midst of his overseas visits. Do you intend to have the ministers affiliated with the National Security Council return to Japan as quickly as possible? 

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: That is not being considered. After all, we are still confirming the situation. The Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management, as well as the Acting Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Aso, are in Japan. The Government will steadily deal with the situation in coordination with Deputy Prime Minister Aso, the Acting Prime Minister.

REPORTER: My question is related to an earlier question. It is correct to assume that local visits or other events will be taken out of the Prime Minister’s itinerary so that he can return to Japan earlier than scheduled? 

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Prime Minister intends to continue on with official events as scheduled. When the Prime Minister holds talks with President Abbas and other Government officials from various countries, he will seek their cooperation on this matter.

REPORTER: I have a related question. Will any changes be made to the Prime Minister’s schedule? Conversely, in light of the situation, will anything new be added? Will the Prime Minister be meeting with someone that was not in his original schedule?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: That is not being considered as of now. We will first dispatch State Minister for Foreign Affairs Nakayama, who is accompanying the Prime Minister, to Amman, Jordan. The State Minister will be spearheading the response to the situation locally. Therefore, the Government will be dealing with the situation in coordination with the relevant countries.

REPORTER: I understand that the group is requesting money in exchange for the hostages. Have you secured channels for maintaining contact with this group?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We are presently working with the relevant countries including these matters.

REPORTER: To confirm, you have no comment on whether or not you have secured such channels?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: No comment. At any rate, the Prime Minister instructed that every effort be made to confirm the facts and that we cooperate with the countries concerned and prioritize efforts to protect the lives of those concerned. At 3:00 p.m., we set up a response headquarters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a response office at the Prime Minister’s Office. These entities are working in earnest in response to the situation while fully coordinating with the relevant parties.

REPORTER: You stated that you are still confirming about the ransom. Can you tell us whether or not the Government is prepared to pay the ransom? 

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: These are among the facts we are now confirming. There is no change to the Government’s stance of standing firm against terrorism and contributing to the international community’s fight against terrorism.

REPORTER: There were reports about Mr. Yukawa’s abduction from some time ago. In the meantime, had you received updated information on ISIL’s actions?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I would like to refrain from commenting on these matters.

REPORTER: Provided the allegations are true, EU countries and the United States were also victims of similar situations. Had the Government anticipated these scenarios to some extent? Had the Government considered to some level what responses it would take in such cases? Does the Government stand fully ready to deal with these situations? 

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: It is our responsibility to fully ensure the safety of Japanese nationals at all times. Thus far, we have taken thorough measures to ban Japanese nationals from travelling to dangerous places and to encourage them to refrain from travelling to such places.