Press Conference

1. Announcements

None.

2. Questions and Answers

Question:
You just finished your meeting with Governor Nakaima. Regarding the deployment of the Osprey at Futenma, the Governor made remarks about his desire for refraining from introducing or operating the Osprey. Can you comment on your thoughts on finishing the meeting?

Minister:
The primary objective of this visit to Okinawa is to give an explanation on the results of the independent analysis that we have been conducting on the cause of the accident in Florida, based on the explanation that we had received from the U.S. side, and to explain the outline and direction of what we are planning to do after that, and to hear of their opinions. As you have pointed out just now, the Governor mentioned to the effect that the flight safety of the Osprey has not been fully assured, and that it is unacceptable to bring this aircraft into Futenma Air Station, which is located in the middle of an urban area. This was indeed a severe remark. Therefore, I have come to strongly feel that our thinking that the Osprey is required not only for an upgrade from the CH-46, but also for upgrading the deterrence capabilities of the U.S. forces when considering the security of the southwestern regions. Furthermore, the desire to upgrade the aircraft used by the U.S. Marine Corps units stationed in Futenma Air Station, which are using the CH-46 for now, is going to be difficult to convey and be understood by the local communities, which is going to be a difficult situation for us.

Question:
Regarding the compilation of the measures to ensure safety in the bilateral security committee, you mentioned today after the cabinet meeting that you would like to put this together “as soon as possible.” Do you have any specific target or prospects with regard to timing in realizing this?

Minister:
If the U.S. side accepts what the Japanese side has been requesting in the bilateral discussions, then it shouldn’t take that long. However, as the Director-General of North American Affairs Bureau had explained, we are currently conducting some tough negotiations on how far both sides are able to make compromises in confirming and ensuring the flight safety of the Osprey -- particularly with the U.S. side, which operates the units and would like to be able to maintain the operational ability of its units with minimal restrictions or bans. Therefore, we are not in a position to be able to tell to everyone the date on which both sides will come to an agreement for now. What do you think? Director-General of North American Affairs Bureau: I am in agreement with what you have said.

Question:
This is for confirmation, but do you perceive this airframe as being safe at this point? Or do you think you can bring it to the situation where it can be considered as being safe?

Minister:
It is not simply about whether the aircraft itself is safe or not. We are currently doing everything we can to work out some kind of an agreement with the U.S. so we can confirm its flight safety to the best possible degree when it is going to be operated in Japan.

Question:
I feel that at least in the case of the accident in Morocco, its cause can be attributed to the characteristic of the Osprey. For this time, there have been issues that had not been envisaged in the manual, and situations that had not been envisaged are coming out in droves. In view of these developments, do you still think that this is a fully developed aircraft?

Minister:
I think the accident in Morocco was a man-made cause involving the co-pilot, rather than it being attributed to the characteristic of the Osprey.

Question:
I have one more point to ask about. With regard to working towards coming to an agreement between Japan and the U.S., does this mean that efforts are being made to get this done in time for early October? Or is there a possibility that the schedule may be delayed further?

Minister:
I don’t really understand the point of this question, but what we are trying to do now is make every effort in coming up with some kind of agreement to confirm the flight safety of the Osprey in Japan. When that has all been completed, and we are then able to confirm the flight safety of the Osprey then the time will eventually come when we are able to give the go-ahead to the U.S. to conduct its flight in Iwakuni. After that, I think the U.S. will be conducting various types of flights at Iwakuni, and they will be brought to Okinawa in turn after all the procedures have been observed. We cannot show when that is going to be for now, and I don’t think anyone can do this. The U.S. side also has training plans with details it cannot envisage until it has actually implemented the plans. I don’t feel that I am in a situation to give the date in which the operation of units is going to commence at this stage, and I don’t think the U.S. side can do that either.

Question:
Regarding the emergency landing in North Carolina, from your statement that you made earlier, it was taken to mean that there was no danger. What is your feeling on this?

Minister:
The landing was conducted as a precautionary measure to prevent the occurrence of an accident, so this was a case of taking measures to prevent an accident from happening, and I feel it was simply one of such kind of measures.

Question:
So there was no danger involved?

Minister:
A precautionary landing was conducted to prevent any danger from occurring, so as a result, nobody was hurt, and components were replaced and the Osprey flew back into the air. That is how I see it.

Question:
You said that the Osprey will eventually be operated within Japan. However, it is being opposed by the chief executives of municipalities that were traditionally supportive of the Japan-U.S. Alliance, such as the Mayor of Ginowan city in the Okinawa prefectural citizens’ rally and the Mayor of Naha city. The Mayor of Naha city, Mr. Onaga, has even voiced the total closure of bases. Do you have any sense of crisis that the basic foundations of the Japan-U.S. Alliance may be at risk if the Osprey is brought into Okinawa under such conditions?

Minister:
The foundations of the Japan-U.S. Alliance are based not merely on how the Japan-U.S. Alliance should function to ensure the safety of only Japan, but to ensure stability and peace in East Asia as a whole. This is the principle of the Japan-U.S. Alliance, so I don’t think that the Japan-U.S. Alliance as a whole will be put at risk simply by a particular weapon system of the U.S.

Question:
There have been press reports by Xinhua News Agency in China that two Chinese surveillance ships will be conducting acts to maintain sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands. How do you think this situation concerning the Senkaku Islands will influence the need to deploy the Osprey?

Minister:
As you may already be aware, order and safety in the Senkaku Islands is primarily being handled by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) and the National Police Agency (NPA), and they are working on the process in keeping order to maintain the territorial claims over the island. The SDF is working on conducting wide-range alert and surveillance activities and to convey necessary information to the related institutions, so if this activity concerning the maintenance of order in the Senkaku Islands, which is currently being conducted by the JCG, develops into a serious/critical situation, and, for example, if multiple armed forces were to try to make a landing and we were faced with a situation where the JCG is unable to respond effectively, then it would be theoretically possible for the SDF to conduct seaborne policing action after receiving approval from the Prime Minister. Such situations have occurred regarding suspicious ships from North Korea. However, we don’t envisage such a situation in the Senkaku Islands for now, and the Japanese government is taking the necessary measures to maintain and control peace and stability in the Senkaku Islands, so I don’t think the concerns that you have mentioned will be applicable in this case.

Question:
So, do you think that it is unrelated to the necessity of deploying the Osprey?

Minister:
If we are to define what the deployment of the Osprey is about, it is to improve the widespread deterrence capabilities of the U.S. in this region. Therefore, I would like to repeat that maintaining order in the Senkaku Islands is being handled by the JCG and the NPA, which conducts policing activities, and in cases where we are unable to respond through this arrangement, the SDF will conduct seaborne policing action or public security operation. That would be the steps that we will be taking, and that will be within the scope of policing activities. The activities for national defense are things that go beyond that, and the deterrence capabilities that the U.S. has in this region are related to activities that work towards peace and stability in this area in general, so we will not be seeing a situation where the U.S. Forces will conduct activities directly related to the safety of the Senkaku Islands. I would like to repeat that maintaining order in the Senkaku Islands is something that we are asking the JCG and the NPA to handle as a policing activity.

Question:
Regarding the case of emergency landing on September 6, although I think you may know a lot about Okinawa, when the helicopter accident at Okinawa International University occurred, there were people in the schoolyard in the nearby elementary school, and the helicopter eventually crashed into the building of the Okinawa International University. There is no such thing as an open space in the vicinity of the Futenma Air Station, so there is no place to conduct an emergency landing there. As a person who knows Okinawa well, what do you feel about this direction for deploying the Osprey there?

Minister:
I’m not too sure if the aircraft at that time was conducting a precautionary landing, but in the case of the trouble in North Carolina for this time, the emergency lamps were activated and it had conducted a precautionary landing to prevent an accident, so I don’t think it was of an emergency situation such as the one that you have just mentioned.

Question:
What I am asking here is on what you think about the fact that Futenma Air Station is an air station located in an overcrowded residential area with no open spaces in its vicinity.

Minister:
Japan and the U.S. are currently making all kinds of coordination, and both sides are currently conducting talks in earnest on how or where the Osprey can be flown over the sea area so such an accident will not occur in an overcrowded residential area. However, I would like to repeat that said coordination between Japan and the U.S. has yet to reach a conclusion.

Question:
Do you think that this is possible depending on how it is coordinated?

Minister:
This will depend on how the coordination between Japan and the U.S. goes, so I am unable to give a straight answer for now.

(End)