Press Conference

1. Announcements

None

2. Questions and Answers

Question:
There have been certain press reports saying that multiple complaints had been raised by the residents living in the area regarding the issue of the USS George Washington conducting landing practice of its carrier-based aircrafts at Naval Air Facility Atsugi. Please tell us your thoughts on this and how the MOD intends to react to this.

Minister:
I would like to start by giving out the facts. On the night of May 21, we received notice from the U.S. Forces in Japan (USFJ) that due to circumstances related to the deployment of the aircraft carrier, its departure from port was to be delayed for several days, and that a Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) was going to be conducted at Naval Air Facility Atsugi in order to maintain the training level of their pilots. As a result, the aforementioned training was conducted from May 22 to 24. The MOD has requested to the USFJ to make maximum efforts to reduce the noise levels when conducting the training, and we fully acknowledge the discomfort caused to the residents in the nearby areas by the aircraft noise during this training. Therefore, we will request cooperation with the U.S. side to conduct FCLP at Iwo Jima as much as possible in the future. As you have mentioned, I have also received reports that multiple complaints have been made by the residents of the nearby areas. When I have the chance, I would like to mention this situation to Ambassador Roos, and to firmly request that such incidents not occur again from time to time in the future.

Question:
Yesterday, your duration in office came to match that of your predecessor, Mr. Ichikawa. Do you have anything to say on this?

Minister:
Regarding my duration in office, I was not particularly aware of it. As Defense Minister, I am prepared to give everything I have to work on my duties, and to fulfill my responsibilities for each day.

Question:
Currently, no committee deliberations are being conducted at the House of Councillors, including that of Foreign Affairs and Defense that you are related to. With the Diet in gridlock, there are concerns that this would affect policy implementation and hold up operations within the MOD. How do you see this situation?

Minister:
There are absolutely no cases of operations within the MOD being held up. I have been making efforts to fulfill my obligation to make explanations in the Diet, and I am sure that you are all aware of the situation in the Diet at the moment. As division meetings are currently being held within the various parties, I have given instructions to provide careful and detailed explanation to the related Diet members of each party. By gaining understanding through these explanations, I myself and the MOD are hoping to gain understanding of the extensive efforts that we are going through with.

Question:
Concerning the F-35, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Jinpu is currently going on an official trip to the U.S. We would like to know what kinds of discussions are being conducted with the U.S. Department of Defense, and what kinds of conclusions have been made regarding its cost.

Minister:
We have been working to make sure that the proposal strictly adheres within the range of the FY 2012 budget, and we are coming close to finalizing the details. We have given our requested terms to the U.S. side and hope to come to a final conclusion. We are making efforts to flesh out a satisfactory result with regard to cost, delivery date and performance, and to conclude a final contract by late June, and I have received reports that we are coming close to reaching the final stages. He is scheduled to return to Japan on May 26.

Question:
Is it correct that the budget is set at ¥9.9 billion per aircraft?

Minister:
Please think of it as being within the range of its related budget. Obviously, we are making efforts to ensure that the cost per aircraft will not exceed our estimations, and I have received reports that we are coming close to a conclusion based on the originally proposed cost.

Question:
This may depend on the scale of the increase, but what do you think is the reason for the increase in its cost?

Minister:
We are currently in the middle of negotiations, and since Parliamentary Vice-Minister Jinpu is currently doing the negotiations, I’m afraid I would like to refrain from commenting any further on this.

Question:
Can we assume that a conclusion has not been reached yet?

Minister:
The final contract will be concluded in late June.

Question:
And for the cost aspect as well?

Minister:
We are conducting serious negotiations now, and this will most certainly include issues on its cost as well.

Question:
With regard to the four aircraft that are going to be introduced in 2016, can you tell us of the timing in which these aircraft are going to actually be deployed in Japan, including the aforementioned four aircraft, and not just when they are being delivered on a document basis?

Minister:
We are making efforts to conclude the contract based on the content that was given in the proposal.

Question:
Does that mean that it will be deployed in Japan by the end of FY 2016?

Minister:
That is currently being negotiated. As I have mentioned beforehand, we are negotiating to make sure that the details given in the proposal are being strictly adhered to with regard to cost, delivery date and performance.

Question:
It is said that Parliamentary Vice-Minister Jinpu is also conducting discussions on the report of the Osprey’s accident in Morocco and on the timing and method of the Osprey’s deployment. What kind of reports did you receive on this?

Minister:
There have been certain press reports on this issue. Regarding the cause of the Osprey’s accident in Morocco, we have been requesting this through the highest levels and I have heard that we have made a request for its early disclosure.

Question:
Regarding issues such as the timing and method of the Osprey’s deployment, Diet member Shimoji of The People’s New Party has made a request that “it should be temporarily deployed outside the (Okinawa) prefecture before being deployed within the prefecture.” How is the MOD intending to push ahead on this?

Minister:
With regard to the timing and method of deployment, we acknowledge that the details are currently being considered within the U.S. government. When the details have been confirmed, we are planning to give a detailed and sincere explanation to the municipalities.

Question:
In relation to said topic, Diet member Shimoji has also said something to the effect that “how about the (Defense) Minister and/or the Foreign Affair Minister taking a trial ride on the Osprey to demonstrate its safety.” Do you have any intention of going on a trial ride?

Minister:
Concerning the trial ride, it hasn’t been decided whether it is going to be realized at this stage. However, the U.S. government is currently considering the timing and method of deployment, so if a specific situation arises, this may certainly be considered, but we have not considered this for now. Being a Diet member selected from Okinawa, we have received various proposals from Diet member Shimoji, but nothing specific is in progress for now. We would like to carefully review these proposals, and hope that it may serve as reference.

Question:
The IISS conference is scheduled to be held in Singapore early next month. What is the current status of coordination toward its participation? Also, what kind of things do you intend to promote and discuss in the conference with other nations as Defense Minister and the Japanese government?

Minister:
The IISS Asia Security Summit (Shangri-La Dialogue) will be held in Singapore on June 2 and 3. Defense Ministers from 30 nations -- mainly from the Asia-Pacific regions, including Japan -- are scheduled to attend this. This is a venue where bilateral and multilateral consultations are going to be conducted, and I gave an explanation to the Chief Cabinet Secretary yesterday, and the cabinet has approved my attendance. However, we are in the middle of the Diet session, and we are at the stage where the MOD is giving an explanation in the Diet. Each country is scheduled to give a speech, and for this time, Japan has been requested to give a speech on the theme titled “protection of freedom in the seas.”

Question:
You mentioned earlier that coordination toward the Diet is being made. If, for example, the opposition objects and refuses to approve this in the steering committee, how do you intend to respond to this?

Minister:
At the moment, to be more specific, the Diet affairs (committee) of the ruling party are currently working on this. I feel that a final meeting is going to be necessary.

Question:
It is expected that the LDP is going to object to this. In such a case, do you intend to attend the conference even if you do not gain the approval from the steering committee?

Minister:
This conference was set up in 2002, and the Defense Ministers under the LDP government and the LDP-Komeito coalition government have also attended this. I feel that it is important to maintain continuity.

Question:
The defense budget with the Guam relocation costs eliminated has been passed by the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services. It is becoming uncertain when the relocation is going to take place, and this may have an effect on reducing the burden of Okinawa. How do you feel about this?

Minister:
Regarding the U.S. legislature and the situation of the budget deliberations related to the Guam relocation, as you may already be aware, this was passed in the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services in the lower House on May 10 and was passed in the full House of Representatives on May 18, and now it has been deliberated on in the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services in May 24. If a situation arises where a different result comes up in the full Senate, then a U.S. Senate-House Conference will be convened. It is said that this will occur after summer, so I feel that we need to observe this issue carefully. Also, this is something that concerns the U.S. legislature, and it is my understanding that the people related to this are giving their best efforts to move things forward.

Question:
Going back to the Osprey, you mentioned that requests are being made at the highest levels to provide information on the accident in Morocco. Do you intend to disclose this in some way if the information is actually provided?

Minister:
Since we have requested said information, and the information is to be furnished by the U.S. side, we are certainly thinking of disclosing this. In a case where the U.S. side has certain reservations on this, the MOD will make efforts to disclose as much as possible what can be disclosed. Defense Secretary Panetta has stated clearly that he will share whatever information he has received. Therefore, I will share the details with him, and I am hoping to disclose anything that can be disclosed while keeping in mind the bond of trust between Japan and the U.S. so that there will be no concerns in terms of safety.

Question:
Do you have any particular desired timing for its deployment? Or something that would like to be announced before the actual deployment?

Minister:
We are currently making efforts to request information. We are certainly hoping to realize this before the actual deployment.

Question:
Certain press reports have indicated that the outline on the environmental review for deploying the Osprey to Futenma has been relayed by the U.S. to the MOD. Can you tell us anything about this?

Minister:
I believe that explanations on the outline began on May 22. With regard to the details, the MOD is currently examining this for preparation. As I mentioned beforehand, we will disclose what can be disclosed, and we are currently preparing things so that better understanding can be gained from the people of Okinawa and the related personnel concerning safety. Regarding the outline, we have now started on the explanation.

(End)