Ad Hoc Press Conference by KATO Katsunobu, Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Financial Services

(Excerpt)

(Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 10:08 pm to 10:17 pm)

Q.

An employee of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) is now subject to a criminal investigation for suspected insider trading. Could you explain what measures you are considering for this case and provide some personal comments?

A.

There was an insider trading case involving a TSE employee, and there was also a case involving a Financial Services Agency (FSA) employee. Employees of the FSA and the TSE, who hold a supervisory position of markets, are facing investigations by the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission (SESC). Those in a position to secure trust in the Japanese financial market ended up facing criminal investigations. These facts are truly regrettable.
The FSA will fully cooperate with the SESC's investigation of the employee and will take strict measures based on the investigation results. We know that the TSE will also cooperate with the SESC's investigation of the relevant employee and will take strict measures based on the investigation results.
Then, we need to take recurrence prevention measures thoroughly in consideration of the results of the SESC's investigations and other factors, and will make further efforts to secure trust in the Japanese financial market through such measures.
Any future measures will be based on the results of the current investigations.