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2013/09/06
Kaieda holds regular press conference, comments on Syria, Fukushima
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On September 2, DPJ President Banri Kaieda held his regular press conference at party headquarters. He commented on various issues, including Syria and leaks of contaminated water at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
At the start of the press conference, Kaieda referred to damage caused by the tornado that had affected parts of Saitama and Chiba prefectures that same day. He expressed his sympathy for all those who had suffered in the disaster, which had caused injuries and serious damage to property.
With regard to the situation in Syria, Kaieda said that the use of chemical weapons was “totally unforgivable” and added, “Those responsible for their use have still not been officially identified, but the US and others possess such information, and I would like this information to be made public as soon as possible and for a large scale debate to take place within the framework of the United Nations, so that as many countries as possible can take part in implementing sanctions against those responsible for the use of such weapons. With regard to pinpointing who was responsible, I would like to wait for the report of the UN inspection team.”
Kaieda was asked what stance Japan should take toward the military action being considered by the United States. He replied, “Considering the background leading up to the Iraq war, I believe that we should proceed with caution.”
On the issue of contaminated water at Fukushima No. 1, Kaieda once more stressed comments he had made in a previous press conference, that the matter “should be thoroughly debated in the Diet and that information should also be communicated to the Japanese people and the world.” He said that he would call on the ruling parties to carry out discussions on the issue in the relevant committees in both Houses of the Diet as soon as possible. With regard to the government’s stance on the issue, he said, “When the DPJ was in power, the government and TEPCO considered countermeasures to deal with the Fukushima accident together in a joint headquarters. Since it has been decided that the government will take the lead in the issue of contaminated water, I would like them to get more actively involved, create a joint headquarters and get a proper response underway as soon as possible.”
Regarding the new line-up for the party leadership, to be submitted for approval in a general meeting of DPJ Diet members on September 4, Kaieda said, “One point is that we should engage in team play where all 116 of us take responsibility. Another is that the DPJ needs to make our stance clear on the issues facing the party and facing Japan, and I would like to decide on persons to be responsible for such policy issues, discuss them and come to a conclusion. I am also considering appointing women to posts.”
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