Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga

(Abridged)

Q&As

REPORTER: I have a question regarding the information that a Japanese journalist has been captured. A question about this also came up at a previous press conference. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued a statement saying that Mr. Jumpei Yasuda, the journalist who went missing in Syria and whose whereabouts is unknown, is held hostage by an armed group in Syria. What information does the Japanese Government have at this time?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: First, I am of course aware of the news reports. Due to the nature of this matter, I would like to refrain from responding about the details. It is an important responsibility of the Government to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals. As such, the Government is doing its utmost to deal with the matter, making full use of various information networks.

REPORTER: I have a related question. According to RSF, the armed group is demanding that a ransom be paid by a deadline. You said there is little information you can share with us, but can you tell us whether this is true or not?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government recognizes that it is an important responsibility of the Government to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals. The Government is doing its utmost to deal with the matter, making full use of its information networks. There is nothing more to it than that.

REPORTER: At your press conference in late July, you stated that the Government has not confirmed the capture of Mr. Yasuda. What does the Government know about the status of Mr. Yasuda as of now?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I stated moments ago, it is an extremely important responsibility of the Government to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals. As such, the Government is doing its utmost to deal with the matter, maintaining the necessary readiness and making full use of various information networks. There is nothing more to it than that.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Chinese human rights lawyer Mr. Pu Zhiqiang was indicted for charges, including inciting ethnic hatred by posting critical comments about the Government on the Internet. On the 22nd, the Beijing municipal court gave Mr. Pu a three-year prison sentence and a three-year suspended sentence. The U.S. Government is requesting the Chinese Government to revoke the guilty verdict. What is the view of the Japanese Government?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: First of all, as we have stated consistently thus far, the Japanese Government considers that freedom, respect for basic human rights, and the rule of law are universal values of the international community, and that it is critically important that these values are guaranteed also in China. From this standpoint, the Government has concerns over this case. Not only Japan but various other countries have also expressed concerns over this case. Japan strongly hopes that the lawyer receives treatment that is in line with the international community’s sense of universal values.

REPORTER: My question regards the trial concerning the Japan-ROK claims settlement agreement. Yesterday, a court in the Republic of Korea (ROK) rejected a petition to review the constitutionality of the agreement, without determining whether or not the agreement is unconstitutional. What is the Japanese Government’s assessment of this decision?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government is aware that such a decision was made. In any case, it is the consistent position of Japan that the issue of property and claims between Japan and the ROK has been settled completely and finally by the Agreement on the Settlement of Problem concerning Property and Claims and on the Economic Cooperation between Japan and the Republic of Korea.

REPORTER: I have a related question. I imagine that had the court ruled that the agreement is unconstitutional, Japan-ROK relations could have deteriorated. What is your reaction to the fact that the court avoided making a judgment?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government would like to refrain from making comments. As a matter of course, the position of Japan is as I stated moments ago. Japan has long maintained the consistent position that this issue has been settled completely and finally. The Government would like to refrain from making comments on this matter.

REPORTER: As improvements begin to be seen in Japan-ROK relations, some media have reported that the Japanese and ROK Governments have started their final stage consultations on the “comfort women” issue, and that some kind of agreement may be reached in the coming days. In addition, yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se of the ROK said to wait a little longer and that the time would come for reporting the outcomes of the consultations. Can we expect some form of agreement to be reached between Japan and the ROK on the comfort women issue in the near future?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: First of all, with regard to the comfort women issue, at the recent Japan-ROK summit meeting, the two leaders confirmed that Japan and the ROK would accelerate the consultations in order to conclude them as promptly as possible, based on the recognition that the comfort women issue is having an impact on the development of Japan-ROK relations and bearing in mind the fact that this year is the milestone year of the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-ROK relations. On this basis, Japan-ROK Director General-level consultations have been held to hold talks on various issues between Japan and the ROK. Japan will continue to hold discussions with the ROK in a tenacious manner.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: The draft resolution submitted by Japan to designate November 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day was adopted unanimously at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. Can you please share your comments? In addition, can you tell us what policy measures Japan will be taking in this regard?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: First of all, as you just stated, this resolution was adopted unanimously at the UN General Assembly. Japan welcomes this adoption. 142 countries, including Japan, jointly proposed this resolution as a follow-up to the UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Japan will make contributions to ensure that the precious lives of as many people as possible are saved from tsunami all over the world through the implementation of this resolution.

REPORTER: My question regards a different matter. On the 23rd, the ROK Government announced that it would declare the end of MERS in the ROK at 12 AM on the 24th, in accordance with the WHO criteria. What is your assessment of the variety of measures Japan has taken thus far to prevent a MERS outbreak?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: With regard to measures against infectious diseases, first of all, it is conceivable that symptoms are not evident at the time of quarantine and that individuals are not aware of the contacts they had with infected people. Therefore, rather than border control measures, the Government took a set of measures assuming a variety of scenarios, including strengthening the healthcare system in Japan. In this latest case, we carefully monitored the health of individuals entering Japan who had some form of contact with MERS patients, especially in the ROK or the Middle East. Furthermore, extensive outreach was conducted regarding the procedures in order to ensure that MERS was diagnosed and addressed promptly at healthcare centers. In addition, there is one more item. We strengthened our system so that should there be an outbreak in Japan, the infected individual may be hospitalized and the health of the people that he/she had contact with may be monitored promptly and properly. Prior tests were conducted a number of times, and each time healthcare professionals and local health officials worked hard whether it was day or night. I would like to express my sincere respect to them. Japan will continue to remain on alert and take thorough responses to ensure that infectious diseases do not spread, including during the coming year-end and New Year holiday period.