Did IT Minister Naoichi Takemoto really say, 'It's ultimately a private matter'? A transcript of the Q&A session
As
The contents of a ministerial press conference are later transcribed and made public on the Cabinet Office's official website, but the contents of this case had not been made public, so we transcribed the footage that had already been released to check whether Minister Takemoto really made those remarks and what was the context of the conversation in which they came out.
Minister Takemoto's press conference (April 14, 2020) | Government Internet TV
https://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/prg/prg20581.html
The entire press conference was devoted to questions and answers, with the Minister not making any comments to reporters. The question began at 3 minutes and 13 seconds, and was asked by Asahi Shimbun reporter Junya Sakamoto. Sakamoto is the author of the aforementioned article ' IT Minister: 'In the end, it's a private matter' - Digitalization of stamps .'
Please note that the following comments have been transcribed out of respect for the original comments, and no adjustments have been made to make them easier to read, such as removing repetition.
Asahi Shimbun reporter Sakamoto:
In relation to COVID-19, the government is promoting a '70 to 80 percent reduction in contact' in order to reduce contact and prevent the spread of infection, but there are some voices saying that Japan's unique stamp culture is an obstacle to teleworking. I would like to hear your thoughts on this as the Minister who serves as the Chairman of the 'Stamp Diet Members' League.'
Minister Takemoto:
In what situations does it cause problems? In other words, it often causes problems in private-to-private transactions. In other words, even if company A wants to omit the stamp, company B will not give its approval. So, I think there is no other way to resolve this than for the two parties to discuss it together.
So, for things like notifications to government offices, there are already three methods decided upon: using a seal, sending a seal impression, and doing it all digitally. I don't think there will be any problems, especially in relation to government offices, but there are also private sector and private sector and private sector and local government. I think there are many cases where local governments say things like, for example, that a seal is needed for this, and I have heard that there are cases where students, etc., are told that a seal is needed when applying for subsidies. So, I think that the way in which discussions proceed between private sector and private sector will be the turning point as to whether or not seals will be an obstacle. Yes.
On the other hand, we would like to take such discussions into consideration and do various things if there is anything we can do to move them forward. However , in the end, it is a private matter between private citizens . That is how it is.
That's the end of the exchange. Although he did not say 'In the end, it's a private matter,' we were able to confirm that the statement 'In the end, it's a private matter between the people' was used synonymously.
The 'Hanko Diet Members' Association' mentioned in Sakamoto's remarks refers to the 'League of Parliamentarians to Protect Japan's Seal System and Culture.' The association does not have an official website, but there is a category for it on Wikipedia, which lists Minister Takemoto, as well as former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ichiro Aizawa, former Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and Minister of the Environment Nobuaki Ishihara, former Governor of Osaka Prefecture Fusae Ota, former Chairman of the House of Representatives Security Committee and Prime Minister Abe's younger brother Nobuo Kishi, former Minister of Reconstruction Wataru Takeshita, and former Minister of Finance Fukushiro Nukaga as members.
Incidentally, at his inauguration press conference on September 12, 2019, Minister Takemoto stated that rather than viewing seals and digital technologies as being in conflict with each other, he would like to think hard about how to make both flourish.
Minister Takemoto's inauguration press conference (September 12, 2019) | Government Internet TV
https://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/prg/prg19475.html?nt=1
Summary of the press conference announcing the appointment of Minister of State for Special Missions, Takemoto, September 12, 2019 - Cabinet Office
https://www.cao.go.jp/minister/1909_n_takemoto/kaiken/20190912kaiken.html
Related Posts:
