Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

REPORTER: I have a question concerning the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL). I believe that earlier, when the Diet was in session, you received a report from Secretary General Yachi of the National Security Secretariat. Have there been any developments in the situation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Given that it is now morning in Jordan I excused myself from proceedings in the plenary meeting of the House of Councillors to receive a report from the Secretary General of the National Security Secretariat, the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management and the Director of Cabinet Intelligence concerning the local situation in Jordan.

REPORTER: I have a related question. Has the Government received any word from the Government of Jordan at the current point concerning the status of negotiations for the release of the hostages?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: There has been no word at all.

REPORTER: The Minister for Foreign Affairs also excused himself from the plenary meeting of the House of Councillors to give instructions to officials on the ground in Jordan. What were these instructions?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: To date the Government has been engaged in efforts to request cooperation from the Government of Jordan in securing the release of Mr. Goto in the midst of what is an extremely difficult situation. I have received a report that in view of the fact that yesterday a new video and voice message was released on Twitter, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, acting on instructions from the Prime Minister, issued instructions to the local response headquarters to confirm that there will be no change to the policy that has been implemented to date.

REPORTER: So were the same instructions given as were given last night?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Rather, it was reported to me that as it is now morning in Jordan, the Minister for Foreign Affairs communicated with those on the ground in Jordan.

REPORTER: So when the Minister for Foreign Affairs excused himself from the Diet to give instructions to the local response office, what was the content of those instructions?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I imagine that they were the same as I have just mentioned. Above all, the Government is seeking cooperation in the midst of what is a very difficult situation.

REPORTER: With regard to the status of negotiations for the hostages’ release, has the Government of Jordan indicated any particular basic policies or principles that it is following in the negotiations?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: There have been no such indications. In the midst of what is an extremely difficult situation the Government of Japan has continued up to today to request cooperation from the Government of Jordan, nothing more and nothing less.

REPORTER: Are any new responses being considered in light of the 24-hour deadline stated by the perpetrators that will expire this evening?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The timeframe is one that has been set by the terrorists. For our part, what we must continue to do is to make every effort towards securing the release of Mr. Goto, using all means at our disposal, such as requesting cooperation both from the Government of Jordan and other related countries, and representatives of religious and tribal groups.

REPORTER: The deadline stipulated by the terrorists is drawing close. Will there be any developments from now, such as telephone talks between the Prime Minister and His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We are not considering such a response. As I have reported to you previously the Prime Minister has already engaged in telephone talks and we are not planning any further talks at the current point.

REPORTER: I have a question concerning the video that was uploaded to Twitter yesterday evening. With regard to this Tweet, was it uploaded to the Twitter account of the Prime Minister’s Office or that of an individual or a person related to ISIL?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government has mechanisms and systems in place that are designed to detect if something is uploaded in various locations. It was detected using such a process.

REPORTER: The 24-hour deadline set by the perpetrators is drawing close. Has the Government still not received any kind of direct contact from ISIL?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: There has not been any such contact.

REPORTER: This is a repeat of a previous question, but I imagine that the timing of when the 24-hour deadline will expire is an important factor in negotiations. Do the Governments of Japan and Jordan have a shared recognition about the time that the deadline will expire?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We do not have such a shared recognition. The timeframe is something that was set by the terrorists and we have not shared a specific time about when this timeframe began.

REPORTER: So can we assume that the deadline is around 11:00 p.m. Japan time?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: We are engaged in close cooperation with the Government of Jordan. The matter of timing is not one that we have discussed in detail; it is rather a matter of common sense.

REPORTER: There have been previous press reports that a member of the Jordanian parliament has stated that the Government of Jordan is communicating with ISIL through a third party. Are we to understand that the Government of Jordan is continuing to communicate with ISIL through such channels?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government of Japan is not aware of the means of communication between the Government of Jordan and ISIL. Japan is requesting cooperation from the Government of Jordan. That is all.

REPORTER: According to local press reports in Jordan, the convicted female criminal under sentence of death has been released and Mr. Goto and the Jordanian pilot have also been released. Could you tell us the facts behind these reports?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government is entirely unaware of such reports.

REPORTER: I have a question concerning the domestic situation in Japan. Although the situation remains tense there have not been any instances in Japan of criticism of persons from Islamic countries, including Muslims residing in Japan, who are completely unrelated to the extremist group ISIL. What are your thoughts about the current calm response in Japan itself?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I believe it is the case that the people of Japan understand clearly that the perpetrators are terrorists who are distinct from the people of Islamic countries who are all moderate, non-radical citizens.

REPORTER: I apologize for bringing up the same topic, but as ISIL has once again set a deadline, this time 24 hours, I believe that a response with a greater sense of urgency will be required. What are your views on this point?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: It is naturally the case that the Government is doing everything it can, using all means at its disposal, to respond to the situation.

REPORTER: You have stated that there is no change in the Government’s stance of continuing to request cooperation from the Government of Jordan. Can we assume, therefore, that the decision about whether to release the convicted criminal rests entirely with the Government of Jordan?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I do not know the answer to that. It was ISIL that issued a statement. In the midst of this situation, the Government of Japan will continue to do everything it can, using all means at its disposal to secure the early release of Mr. Goto. That is all.