Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga
From 9:30 a.m. today for approximately 40 minutes, Prime Minister Abe held telephone talks with President Obama of the United States. With regard to the issue concerning the collection of communication records by United States intelligence authorities, which has generated significant discussion in Japan, President Obama expressed regret for the inconvenience this issue had caused Prime Minister Abe and the Government of Japan. The President also explained that based on a presidential decree in 2014, appropriate measures have been taken and that the Government of the United States is not engaged in any actions that would impact the relationship of trust between the United States and Japan. Prime Minister Abe noted that this matter is one about which grave concerns must inevitably be expressed, because if it were the case that persons in Japan had been the target of such activities, it could negatively impact the relationship of trust between allies Japan and the United States. The Prime Minister requested that the results of investigations into this matter be explained to the Government of Japan. Prime Minister Abe also noted that the relationship of trust between allies Japan and the United States is of the utmost importance, and therefore it is necessary to respond appropriately to this matter. It was confirmed by the two leaders that discussions on this matter would continue between the two countries. Having confirmed that mutual efforts would continue to be made to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance, the two leaders also engaged in an exchange of opinions on various issues, including Japan-U.S. relations and the regional situation. In the course of discussions on the regional situation in East Asia, the two leaders discussed matters in anticipation of the September visit to the United States of President Xi Jinping of China. Also, with regard to the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula, they welcomed the North-South agreement between the Republic of Korea and North Korea and confirmed that Japan and the United States will continue to cooperate on issues relating to North Korea. In addition, President Obama welcomed the statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II issued by Prime Minister Abe on August 14. President Obama stated his hope that Japan and the United States would continue to work together on global issues, and the two leaders confirmed that joint efforts would be made on climate change, looking forward to the 21st Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP21) later in the year, and that cooperative efforts would be made to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement as soon as possible.

(Abridged)