Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Opening Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga

I would like to provide a summary of the Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet approved 13 general measures as well as bills, Cabinet decisions, and personnel decisions. With regard to statements by ministers, the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications made a statement concerning his views on the fiscal 2017 budget, business plan, and funding plan for Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK). I made statements on the schedule for the visit to Viet Nam of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan and on ad interim posts for officials absent during overseas trips.

I will also comment on a personnel decision for a Supreme Court Justice approved at today's Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet approved the appointment of Mr. Saburo Tokura, head of Tokyo High Court, as a Supreme Court Justice to succeed Mr. Takehiko Otani upon his scheduled retirement.

Q&As

REPORTER: I have a question about the Japan-U.S. summit meeting beginning early tomorrow. A top U.S. government official shared an expectation that at the summit meeting, President Trump will reaffirm that Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands of Okinawa Prefecture. Are the two governments currently working on such coordination?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Firstly, Japan and the United States are presently coordinating the details of the Japan-U.S. summit, and nothing has been finalized.

REPORTER: U.S. Secretary of Defense Mattis recently stated during his visit to Japan that Article V of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty does apply to the Senkaku Islands. Would the Japanese government like President Trump to reiterate this message?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: I have received reports that this is among the matters currently under coordination.

 (Abridged)

REPORTER: With regard to President Trump's executive order on the prohibition of entry to the United States, a court has indicated that it will dismiss the Trump administration's appeal. This story is a domestic matter of the United States, but can I ask for a comment from the Government concerning its passage?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: This is indeed a domestic matter of the United States. A country's policies for managing immigration and its judicial decisions are internal administrative matters of that country, so the Government would like to refrain from commenting. However, the Government generally recognizes refugees and countermeasures against terrorism as being global issues, and will continue closely following the status of implementation of the executive order relating to immigration policy.

REPORTER: This is a related question. You could say the U.S. executive and judicial branches are at odds over the executive order. What is the Government's view on the current situation?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: It is natural for such things to happen in any democratic system.