Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I would like to give an overview of the Cabinet meeting. The meeting approved 23 general and other measures, the promulgation of legislation, a cabinet order, and personnel decisions. With regard to statements by ministers, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism made a statement concerning the Priority Plan for Social Infrastructure Development; Minister Arimura made a statement concerning the holding of the Autumn 2015 National Traffic Safety Campaign and the “Zero Traffic Accident Fatality Day”; the Chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission made a statement concerning the holding of the Autumn 2015 National Traffic Safety Campaign; and the Minister for Foreign Affairs made a statement concerning the emergency grant aid for transporting humanitarian supplies in Nepal and the emergency grant aid for the process to restore democracy in the Central African Republic.

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Q&As

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REPORTER: I have a related question. It is in connection with the security legislation. The Abe administration has underscored Japan’s intention to contribute to the peace and stability of the international community with the Japan-U.S. Alliance as the cornerstone. Do you consider that the passage of the legislation will add a new bargaining chip to Japan’s diplomatic strategy and strengthen its diplomacy?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: First of all, the Government has endeavored to provide careful and easy to understand explanations regarding the significance and the necessity of the legislation during more than 100 hours of discussions that have taken place at the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, respectively. The Government will continue to provide thorough explanations to gain the understanding of the people. As you can all see from the recent news reports, North Korea has repeatedly conducted ballistic missile tests and has made various intimations, including proceeding with its nuclear development and conducting nuclear tests. In the East China Sea, China has repeatedly intruded into Japan’s territorial waters, and the number of Air Self-Defense Force scrambles against Chinese aircraft has reached a record high. Under such circumstances, it remains entirely unchanged that Japan, as a peace-loving nation, will pursue peaceful solutions to global issues through diplomacy. Simultaneously, we believe that it is the responsibility of politics and the Government to secure the lives and peaceful daily lives of the Japanese people and ensure Japan’s survival in the event of a contingency. For this reason, the Government submitted legislation that enables seamless responses. The passage of this legislation will not in any way change the Prime Minister’s foreign policy of contributing to the peace and stability of the international community under the banner of “Proactive Contribution to Peace.”

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REPORTER: Yesterday, at a meeting of the Liberal Democratic Party, an announcement was made about the existence of a German map from 1804 showing that the Senkaku Islands are included in Okinawa. Do you intend to use this map as evidence of Japan’s sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands? Can you please share your comments?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: First of all, as I have stated repeatedly, the Senkaku Islands are an inherent part of the territory of Japan in light of historical facts and based upon international law, and the Senkaku Islands are under the valid control of Japan. To date, the Government has strived to effectively circulate information, including publishing materials on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that contradict the unilateral assertions of China. The Government will continue to be strategic in effectively communicating information, and in this regard, it will carry out reviews, including of what you mentioned.