Minister Ibayashi Press Conference Summary
Overview
A reporter asked whether notes or an outline existed for the meeting between Diet member Yanagi and the then Chief Cabinet Secretary at the Diet Members’ Office Building in mid-February. The minister explained that the need to create a record is determined in light of the Cabinet Office’s “Guidelines on the Management of Administrative Documents,” and that this case did not require one, so no record was created. He also said he had been told that the names of the municipalities were remembered and taken back to avoid forgetting them, and stated that future decisions would continue to follow the relevant laws and regulations. The reporter said a disclosure request was pending and sought a lawful response on whether the document existed.
Key points
- The minister explained that no record of the meeting itself had been created.
- According to the minister, inquiries came from 2 municipalities, and he had been told that their names were remembered and taken back.
- The reporter said a disclosure request was pending and sought a lawful response on whether the document existed.
Overview
The questions concerned the record of the meeting between Diet member Yanagi and the then Chief Cabinet Secretary at the Diet Members’ Office Building in mid-February. Referring to the fact that at a press briefing on the 6th the statement that “no detailed notes were made” was repeated about 3 times, the reporter asked whether any record existed, including a rough outline or road names.
The minister explained that, for inquiries from Diet members, the need for a record is determined in light of the Cabinet Office’s “Guidelines on the Management of Administrative Documents,” and that records are created as needed. Because this case did not require a record, none was created; he had also been told that the explanation “there are no detailed notes” did not mean that some other record had been created.
Details
The minister said that going forward, decisions on creating records and related matters would continue to be made appropriately in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations.
When the reporter again asked whether there were no notes, official or unofficial, and whether the exchange had been conducted from memory, the minister reiterated that no record itself had been created. He explained that he had been told that the municipality names, rather than road names, were remembered and taken back to avoid forgetting them.