[Title] Press Conference by Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru Regarding the Signing of the U.S. Executive Order on Reciprocal Tariff Measures and Other Matters

(On the reaction of the Japanese Government in light of President Trump signing an executive order invoking new reciprocal tariff rates on imports to the U.S., resulting in a new tariff rate for Japan totaling 15 percent; on what is being done to urge a reduction in the tariff on automobiles; and, given that Prime Minister Ishiba has cited the realization of a Japan-U.S. tariff agreement as a reason for staying in office, on whether or not the signing of this executive order can be regarded as part of that process)

President Trump signed an executive order on reciprocal tariffs on July 31st U.S. time, which was this morning, the morning of August 1st, Japan time. We understand that the tariff rate for Japan was set at 15 percent. I believe that details must be looked into carefully, as the announcement has only just been made. The relevant government departments are currently conducting a thorough review of the contents, and I am receiving updates on the matter as needed.

We will continue to urge the U.S. side to swiftly take steps to implement our recent agreement, including the tariff reduction on automobiles and auto parts. I also said this yesterday to representatives of automotive industry-related groups, but we intend to respond even more reliably to the situation now that this executive order was signed today. Japan and the U.S. will both continue to work to implement this agreement steadily going forward.

This is something I've been saying since the start, but as we go about steadily implementing the contents of this agreement, there are 4,318 kinds of items we export to the United States, so, in light of today's developments, we intend to make all-out efforts as we take steps to minimize the impacts on each of those item categories and be able to mitigate any impacts that do arise.

(On how Prime Minister Ishiba intends to approach the extraordinary session of the Diet that started today, given that the ruling coalition is in the minority in both the House of Representatives and House of Councillors)

We have become a minority ruling party in the House of Councillors as well. Through many people's efforts and cooperation, the Diet held thoughtful deliberations and saw the steady passage of both bills and the budget even with the ruling party as a minority party in the House of Representatives.

Accordingly, while I expect the House of Councillors to make decisions as it sees fit, our responsibility in the government lies in holding responsible deliberations in view of the citizens and in steadily delivering results, both of which have taken place in the House of Representatives. Against that backdrop, I intend for us to fulfill our responsibilities to the Japanese people through steadily holding deliberations in good faith with the other members of the legislature.

(On how the government will address the matter of protracted evacuations in the future, given Prime Minister Ishiba's promotion of disaster preparedness and involvement in improving evacuation centers, in consideration of the fact that during the evacuation that just took place in response to the earthquake near the Kamchatka Peninsula, some people suffering from heatstroke had to be taken to the hospital in the intense heat)

There was one person who lost her life in an accident while evacuating from the tsunami that followed the recent earthquake. There have also been 16 injured in total, including one person suffering serious injuries, 11 with minor injuries, and four whose degree of injury is still being confirmed.

There have also been, to the best of my knowledge, 12 people who were transported urgently to medical facilities because of heatstroke, including those who developed heatstroke as they were making their way to evacuation centers and those who came down with it while at the evacuation centers. So, there have been 12 cases that we are aware of. I wish to offer my sincere condolences for the person who lost her life in an accident while evacuating. I also wish to extend my heartfelt sympathies once again to all those affected by this disaster.

When the earthquake struck, tsunami warnings were issued for 13 prefectures on the Pacific coast, from Hokkaido to Wakayama, and more than two million people were subject to evacuation orders. The duration of the evacuation from the warnings being issued to their total lifting was 11 hours, a very long period. Additionally, we had asked people to evacuate during the blazing heat.

While tsunami warnings are in effect, the topmost priority is saving lives. We consider it essential to have people evacuate to safe locations, even if those locations are outdoors. We had people at least stay as hydrated as possible and replenish with salt when necessary. We also had people relocate to indoor evacuation centers in response to calls from local authorities. However, I feel we must investigate as soon as possible what the conditions were at each of the evacuation centers.

During this evacuation, we worked in cooperation with local government officials to ensure people's safety, but the evacuation took place in the scorching heat at a large scale over an extended period.