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 34 general and other measures, including the draft Policy Speech by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the 190th Session of the Diet and three other draft speeches, as well as the general account budget, special account budget, and budget relating to government organizations for FY2016, along with the promulgation of legislation, a draft bill, cabinet orders, and personnel decisions.

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During today’s Cabinet meeting, it was decided that the Government would host the Memorial Ceremony Marking the Fifth Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake this coming March 11 at the National Theatre, in the presence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan. The ceremony will be attended by representatives of all sectors of society. During the Cabinet meeting, I made a statement concerning this matter. Furthermore, the Prime Minister instructed that the logistics for holding the ceremony be handled under the leadership of Minister Kono. It has been decided that effective today, the Preparation Office for the Memorial Ceremony Marking the Fifth Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake would be set up within the Minister’s Secretariat of the Cabinet Office. For more information regarding the ceremony, please inquire with the Preparation Office.

January 17 of this year marked the “Implementation Day” set forth in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the final agreement concerning the nuclear issue of Iran. Accordingly, during today’s Cabinet meeting, a Cabinet understanding was adopted to take domestic measures for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. More specifically, the measures include the lifting of measures that have been taken in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions. In addition to the measures on which a Cabinet understanding was adopted, primarily the following measures will be lifted: suspension of new provision of mid- and long-term export credits to Iran; and suspension of new investment in the oil and gas sectors through measures relating to export credits to Iran. Japan supports the final agreement concerning Iran’s nuclear issue for strengthening the international non-proliferation regime and contributing to the stability of the Middle East. Japan will continue to support the steady implementation of the final agreement in close coordination with the international community, including the International Atomic Energy Agency. Japan will further strengthen the cooperative relationship with Iran, and furthermore, leverage its historically friendly relationship with Iran to play a robust role in order to contribute to the peace and stability of the Middle East.

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Q&As

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REPORTER: I would like to change the subject to the election of the mayor of Ginowan City in Okinawa Prefecture for which voting will take place on Sunday. In this election campaign, the newcomer candidate competing with the incumbent mayor has indicated that he is clearly against relocating Futenma Air Station of the U.S. Forces to Henoko. The candidate regards this issue as a main point at issue. Does the Government perceive that the election result would have any effect on the relocation project?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: As I have stated from before, it is first and foremost important that the Government not allow Futenma Air Station, which is located in a city center and surrounded by houses and schools, to remain at its location indefinitely, and eliminate the dangers it poses as quickly as possible. I believe this is the shared view of the Government and Okinawa Prefecture. In this sense, I do not expect the election result to affect Futenma Air Station’s relocation to Henoko.

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REPORTER: A Russian website that streams images of security cameras from around the world without permission has been gaining a lot of attention. Images from roughly 6,000 cameras in Japan are being posted without permission. Swift measures are being demanded from the standpoint of security. Does the Government intend to take any responses?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: First of all, in general, security cameras are extremely beneficial for security purposes. I understand that normally, appropriate measures are taken with this system, including setting passwords, so that only the installer can view the images. In this regard, I gather that default passwords had not been changed for the security cameras that the media are reporting about. In any case, Cybersecurity Awareness Month will start from February 1. Under the leadership of the National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC), we will conduct extensive public outreach regarding a variety of relevant matters in order to ensure everyone’s security.

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