Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• The issue regarding the return of the passport

REPORTER: Over the weekend the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered a freelance cameraman from Niigata City to return his passport. The man in question had been planning to travel to the region occupied by the extremist group, the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL), to take footage. Could I ask once again about the reason why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued this order?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an order for the return of the passport of Mr. Yuichi Sugimoto, who had been planning to travel to Syria on February 7. The passport was duly returned by Mr. Sugimoto. In view of the current security situation in Syria the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued evacuation advice for all residents, including a recommendation to defer all travel. As Mr. Sugimoto had announced in public forums, including via the media, that he intended to travel to Syria via a neighboring country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Police Agency made repeated efforts to strongly urge Mr. Sugimoto to refrain from travelling to Syria. These efforts, however, did not persuade Mr. Sugimoto to change his plans. Given the exceptional circumstances surrounding the current situation in Syria and in particular the region where ISIL is active, the Government engaged in careful consideration in accordance with the related stipulations of the Passport Act. The current situation is one in which two Japanese hostages have been recently murdered by ISIL, including the freelance journalist Mr. Kenji Goto. Furthermore, ISIL has announced its intention to continue to target and kill Japanese nationals. As a result of Government considerations it was determined that if a Japanese national were to enter Syria in such a situation, regardless of whether it was that person’s own wish to do so, there is a high possibility that the life of such a person would be placed in immediate danger, including the possibility of being taken hostage by ISIL or another Islamic extremist group. Also, once a person has departed from Japan it becomes impossible for the Government to ensure with full certainty that he or she would not enter Syria. It was as a result of such considerations that the Government determined it was necessary to order the urgent return of Mr. Sugimoto’s passport, based on the provisions of Article 19-1-4 of the Passport Act, which provides for “cases in which it is recognized as necessary to cause travel to be stopped in order to protect the life, person and assets of the passport holder.”

REPORTER: On a related note, Mr. Sugimoto has criticized the measures taken as severely constraining the freedom of the press and freedom of travel. These freedoms are stipulated in the Constitution of Japan, so I wonder if you could tell us how the Government views the overlap between these laws?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government obviously believes that the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of the press and freedom of movement should be respected to the maximum degree possible. However, it is also an extremely important responsibility of the Government to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals who travel or reside overseas. Therefore, for the reasons I have just stated the Government decided to order the return of the person in question’s passport and I therefore believe that that person’s criticisms do not apply in this case.

(Abridged)