Press Conference

Extra Press Conference by the Defense Minister (08:25-08:27 A.M. February 23, 2011): Press Conference by the Defense Minister(Doorstepping)
Time & Date: 08:25-08:27 A.M. February 23, 2011
Place: 1st Floor Lobby of Building A, MOD
(This is a provisional translation of an announcement by the Defense Minister and the abstract of the Q&A session at the subsequent press conference for reference purposes only)
The original text is in Japanese.

1. Announcements

Following the earthquake on the South Island of New Zealand the country requested emergency assistance. The Minister for Foreign Affairs requested the cooperation of the Ministry of Defense and just now we discussed this in a meeting of senior MOD officials and SDF officers. We have decided to comply with the request of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, having judged that it is appropriate to use special government aircraft of the SDF to transport an International Disaster Relief Team from Japan to New Zealand. I have just now issue and order for the dispatch of an Air Self-Defense Force unit. The unit will depart from Chitose Air Base at 0900 today and arrive in Narita at around 1100. From then on they shall proceed with loading operations, with the aim of departing around 1400.

2. Questions and Answers

Question:
Regarding the special government aircraft, some are saying that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to use the aircraft to transport the families of those affected by the disaster to New Zealand and those affected back to Japan...

Minister:
I haven't heard anything about that.

(For the remainder of the press conference, please refer to the Japanese version.)