Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As
 
REPORTER: I have a question regarding the ceremony that was held in Shimane Prefecture today to commemorate “Takeshima Day.” The Government sent Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office Yamashita to attend the ceremony, and the Government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) has protested in response. Could you tell us once again the purpose of sending a Parliamentary Vice-Minister to take part in the ceremony?
 
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Takeshima is indisputably an inherent part of the territory of Japan, in light of historical facts and based on international law. The Government sent Parliamentary Vice-Minister Yamashita to attend the ceremony, also from the perspective of actively promoting the Government’s position on this matter.
 
REPORTER: I have a question related to the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympic Games. It appears that North Korea will send a delegation of senior officials to attend the ceremony, led by Vice-Chairman Kim Yong-chol of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Could you tell us the Government’s view regarding this decision and its response, including whether the Government is to send a representative to attend the closing ceremony?
 
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Firstly, the Government appreciates that the ROK and North Korea have cooperated together towards the success of the Olympic Games and realized the participation of North Korea. Meanwhile, North Korea continues to steadily develop nuclear weapons and missiles, and we should not be blinded by North Korea’s diplomatic charm offensive. We have engaged in close Japan-ROK and Japan-U.S.-ROK cooperation in our response to North Korea, and with regard to the visit that you mentioned we will continue to coordinate our policies among Japan-U.S.-ROK, while obtaining information from the ROK. At this stage, the Government is not considering sending a representative to the closing ceremony.
 
(Abridged)
 
REPORTER: The Winter Olympic Games have been exposed to the threats posed by cyber-attacks even before the Games started. Recently, it has been reported that, in addition to these threats, a system failure occurred due to malware and visitors could not print out their tickets purchased online. Looking ahead to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, could you tell us whether the Government has engaged in or will be engaging in any activities to look into the details of the damages caused by these incidents that occurred during the Olympic Games and their causes?
 
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Firstly, the Government is aware of these incidents that occurred during the PyeongChang Olympic Games such as those you have mentioned. With the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games approaching, the Government considers it an urgent and pressing challenge to take all possible cybersecurity measures in the lead-up to the Games and to accelerate initiatives with an eye after the Olympic Games. Once the PyeongChang Games are over, we will confirm with the ROK the nature of the incidents that took place during the Games, such as those you have mentioned, and will draw on their lessons for our initiatives for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
 
(Abridged)