Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga

(Abridged)

Q&As

(Abridged)

REPORTER: I have a related question. Osprey aircraft of United States forces are to transport relief supplies to Minimiaso Village. Have you received any report about the specific way in which this transport operation will be implemented and the schedule?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: My understanding is that the operation is being coordinated with the Ministry of Defense and local authorities.

REPORTER: On a related note, will the assistance by United States forces be limited to the transportation of supplies? Are there any plans for other forms of assistance in addition to be provided, in addition to transportation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Basically the operation will involve transportation of supplies and personnel.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: I have a question concerning the naming of the earthquake. The director of the Earthquake and Tsunami Observations Division of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has indicated in a press conference today that there are no plans to change the name of the earthquake from the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. At one point it was said that consideration was also being given to changing the name. Are we to understand that if the current situation continues there will basically be no change to the name of the earthquake?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government has established the Emergency Response Headquarters for dealing with the response to the earthquake and we are currently making concerted efforts to implement emergency measures, including the rescue and relief of those affected and the provision of support for the daily lives of the disaster victims. Matters such as the naming of the earthquake will be given consideration in due course. At this stage, what we are concentrating all our efforts on is the rescue and relief of disaster victims, rather than such matters as the naming of the earthquake.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: I have a question on a different matter. This afternoon you received a visit from Mr. Antony J. Blinken, Deputy Secretary of State of the United States. What matters did you discuss?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I received a courtesy call from the Deputy Secretary of State. He expressed his condolences for the disaster victims and I also spoke about the assistance being provided by United States forces. We spent approximately 20 minutes discussing Japan-U.S. relations and the regional situation.

REPORTER: On a related note, did you discuss the Henoko relocation issue or the possible visit of President Obama to Hiroshima?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: A visit by President Obama to Hiroshima was not mentioned. We discussed the situation relating to Henoko.

(Abridged)

REPORTER: Could you tell us about the current status regarding the safety of Japanese nationals following the major earthquake in Ecuador?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Japanese Embassy in Ecuador is currently confirming the safety of Japanese nationals in the country. My understanding is that the embassy is in close contact with local authorities concerning persons the safety of whom we have as yet been unable to confirm.

(Abridged)