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In a press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga mentioned the intention of taking disciplinary actions against the case of information being disclosed from the FSA to Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiko Noda in relation to an information disclosure request made to the FSA. Please comment on the intended actions.
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We need to respond to this case strictly after thoroughly confirming the facts. Although we intend to confirm the facts as soon as possible, the timing and details of the actions cannot be determined at this juncture.
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This is a severely serious case where FSA staff disclosed information to Minister Noda. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga, in a press conference, described this case as “not acceptable.” What is your view on this case?
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Who requested the information disclosure? Was it a newspaper journalist or a newspaper publisher?
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It was said to be a journalist.
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Who made the information disclosure request, a journalist, or his or her newspaper publisher?
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I heard it was a journalist at a newspaper publisher.
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I just came back from overseas, and you probably have more information than I do. In any case, disclosing the name of a person who made the information disclosure request is clearly inappropriate.
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In relation to the disclosure of the information to Minister Noda, please provide your view on the communication process, that is, how the information on the requested disclosure was elevated to the Deputy-Director General level in the FSA and communicated to the staff in charge in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
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As I said in response to a previous similar question, I am not fully informed on this matter at this time. The case is currently under detailed investigation. Upon its completion, we will provide an explanation.
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Is it correct to assume that information as to this case has not been elevated to Minister Aso?
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I have not received detailed information.
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You commented that it is inappropriate to disclose the name of a person who made an information disclosure request. In general, do you see disclosing information as a problem?
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It depends on the contents, but normally, when receiving an information disclosure request, we should not disclose the identity of a person who made an information disclosure request.
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Regarding the disclosure of information from the FSA staff to Minister Noda, when the case came to light, the former FSA Commissioner Mori was not informed. Does this situation entail a governance issue at the FSA? Please comment on this.
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You may not have heard my answer to the first question, but I just came back from overseas, thus I do not have adequate information on this case. Based on our investigation for the details of this case, we will give an explanation, including details of actions to be taken. At this time, we do not have enough information.