Summary of Minister Fujii’s Post-Cabinet Press Conference
Overview
At the October 6, 2026, press conference, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Fujii said the government had decided to advance ordinary local allocation tax payments to municipalities affected by typhoons, and pledged to strengthen fire service safety management following a fire in Kawasaki City. In response to questions, he outlined plans to solicit opinions on proposed requirements for designating a secondary capital and establish a basic policy; advance research, development, and social implementation of low Earth orbit satellite communications and satellite optical communications; and improve search capabilities and AI integration for the government statistics portal e-Stat.
Key points
- A total of 2.062 billion yen in ordinary local allocation tax will be advanced to three municipalities covered by the Disaster Relief Act.
- The government plans to consider feedback on the proposed secondary capital designation requirements and set out a basic policy and schedule to guide designation procedures.
- The government aims to strengthen satellite optical communications from research and development through social implementation, advancing next-generation space communications networks and international competitiveness.
- e-Stat receives more than 300 million visits annually and holds 748 surveys and approximately 1.71 million statistical data items.
Overview
The press conference opened with responses to typhoon damage and a building fire in Kawasaki City, followed by questions on the secondary capital system, satellite communications, and the use of statistical data.
Impact
The minister said the government would take the extent of the damage into account to prevent the advance payments from disrupting the affected municipalities’ fiscal management.
Details
In response to requests from Miura City and Yokosuka City in Kanagawa Prefecture and Tokunoshima Town in Kagoshima Prefecture, which are covered by the Disaster Relief Act, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications decided on October 6 to advance part of the ordinary local allocation tax scheduled for the regular November payment. In the October 2 building fire in Kawasaki City, residents and one firefighter died, and others were injured. The Kawasaki City Fire Department is scheduled to investigate and review the incident, and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency will strengthen safety management based on the findings.
The Secondary Capital Act provides for designation requirements to be specified in a cabinet order. Public comments on the proposal opened on October 3 and will be accepted through October 16. The proposed requirements cover the possibility of simultaneous disaster impacts with the Tokyo region, the location of national administrative bodies, population and economic concentration, and local government structures. They set out objective criteria from the perspectives of backing up central capital functions and forming a multipolar, decentralized economic area. The minister said the government would consider the feedback with a view to making a decision within the month, and would establish a basic policy by November, after the law takes effect. The policy will include the functions of a secondary capital and a schedule for designation procedures to guide local governments.
The minister described the advancement of satellite communications as important for higher speeds and capacity, more resilient communications infrastructure during disasters, and stronger international competitiveness for the space communications industry. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is advancing the development of satellites and ground facilities to build J-LEO, a low Earth orbit satellite constellation to be operated and managed domestically. Satellite optical communications are considered a technology that enables high-speed, high-capacity, secure communications without being constrained by frequency resources. In its fiscal 2027 budget request, the ministry will strengthen efforts that include developing and demonstrating terminals and building a network of optical ground stations.
e-Stat is a portal that provides centralized access to government statistics. It receives more than 300 million visits annually and holds 748 surveys and approximately 1.71 million statistical data items. Users have said that searching can be difficult for casual users, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications aims to improve filtering functions. In anticipation of increased access from generative AI, the ministry is developing a system that will allow AI to connect using standard communication protocols, aiming to make the service convenient for both people and AI.