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On the afternoon of April 18, concentrated debate took place in the House of Councillors Committee on Budget on the theme of foreign policy and security issues, among other matters, in light of North Korea going ahead with the launch of the missile, which it called a “satellite.” Renho, member of the DPJ-Shinryokufukai group in the House of Councillors, stood before the Committee to ask questions.
Renho asked Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and relevant ministers about issues including: (1) whether the government took every possible measure after North Korean authorities announced on March 16 the plans to conduct a satellite launch; (2) the government’s method of disclosing missile information; (3) whether the government’s policy decision was influenced by the Aso government’s experience of releasing erroneous information in April 2009 due to a hurry to disclose information; (4) the system of double-checking the information using the U.S. Satellite Early Warning (SEW) system and Japanese radar system; (5) how the J-ALERT (national early warning system) is used; (6) the need for an information security agreement between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK); and (7) the Japanese government’s foreign policy stance vis-à-vis its policy on North Korea.
Asked whether the government can claim to have taken every possible measure to protect the lives and property of the people following North Korean authorities’ “satellite” launch announcement on March 16, Prime Minister Noda stated, “It is the government’s responsibility to act quickly and appropriately in emergency situations that will have a profound impact on the safety of the people.” “Our priority was to ensure the peoples’ safety without causing needless confusion by disseminating erroneous information. It was with these thoughts in mind that the government strove to take every possible measure to communicate information to the people, both quickly and accurately. As a result, the safety of Japan was not impacted, and in principle, the government was able to respond with accuracy, including with regard to information collection and dissemination.” At the same time, the Prime Minister stated that in order to carry out constant verifications the “Government’s crisis management response and verification team concerning North Korea’s missile launch” was established at the Prime Minister’s Office, and that further measures will be taken to bolster Japan’s crisis management system.
Renho pointed out, “Rather than just accusing one another about timing – of being quick or slow – it is the government’s role to learn from past lessons and continue to consistently take the best measures from the standpoint of communicating accurate information swiftly to the people.”
Regarding the Japanese government’s foreign policy posture on North Korea, Prime Minister Noda stated, “Both Japan and relevant countries will pursue a tough stance toward provocative actions by North Korea, urging North Korea to take concrete actions toward denuclearization and on its other commitments, and to take steps to resolve outstanding issues through dialogue. In coordination with relevant countries (including the U.S., ROK, China, and Russia), Japan will urge North Korea to carry out concrete actions for a comprehensive resolution of outstanding issues, including the abduction, nuclear, and missile issues.”
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