Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TOKYO1363
2006-03-15 07:45:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:  

DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 03/15/06

Tags:  OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA 
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P 150745Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9766
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
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RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/COMPATWING ONE KAMI SEYA JA
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 7769
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 5142
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 8266
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 5158
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 9312
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TOKYO 001363

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR E, P, EB, EAP/J, EAP/P, EAP/PD, PA
WHITE HOUSE/NSC/NEC; JUSTICE FOR STU CHEMTOB IN ANTI-TRUST
DIVISION; TREASURY/OASIA/IMI/JAPAN; DEPT PASS USTR/PUBLIC AFFAIRS
OFFICE; SECDEF FOR JCS-J-5/JAPAN,
DASD/ISA/EAPR/JAPAN; DEPT PASS ELECTRONICALLY TO USDA
FAS/ITP FOR SCHROETER; PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
ADVISOR; CINCPAC FLT/PA/ COMNAVFORJAPAN/PA.

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA
SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 03/15/06


INDEX:

(1) Poll on Koizumi cabinet, political parties, social divide

(2) Koizumi aiming to end up with high popularity

(3) Prime Minister Koizumi denies expansion of current Diet
session, coordinates plan to visit US in June with eye on last
hurrah

(4) Series of problems exposed on US beef: Stricter safety
inspections called for

(5) Unannounced inspection eyed

(6) US eager to put end to heated beef talks prior to off-year
elections this fall

(7) Unannounced inspection eyed

(8) Editorial: Pluthermal power-generation project; Haste creates
danger

ARTICLES:

(1) Poll on Koizumi cabinet, political parties, social divide

YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full)
March 14, 2006

Questions & Answers
(Figures shown in percentage. Parentheses denote the results of a
survey conducted in February.)

Q: Do you support the Koizumi cabinet?

Yes 54.9 (53.5)
No 35.9 (36.2)
Other answers (O/A) 3.0 (2.9)
No answer (N/A) 6.2 (7.5)

Q: Give up to two reasons for your approval of the Koizumi
cabinet.

I can appreciate its political stance 32.2
I can appreciate its policy measures 14.5
It's stable 16.2
The prime minister is trustworthy 18.7
It's achieved actual results 35.9
It's a coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New
Komeito 6.8
It's better than its predecessors 37.3
O/A 1.5
N/A 0.9


Q: Give up to two reasons for your disapproval of the Koizumi
cabinet.

I can't appreciate its political stance 36.9
I can't appreciate its policy measures 43.9
It's unstable 14.1
The prime minister is untrustworthy 29.5
It's failed to achieve noticeable results 19.5

TOKYO 00001363 002 OF 009


It's a coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New
Komeito 13.7
It's worse than its predecessors 4.3
O/A 2.8
N/A 0.5

Q: What issues do you want the Koizumi cabinet to pursue on a
priority basis? Pick as many as you like from among those listed
below.

Economic stimulus measures 52.5
Employment measures 27.7
Fiscal reconstruction 20.4
Tax reform 29.9
Social security reform, including pensions 54.9
Measures to counter low birthrate, including
childcare support 28.3
Educational reform 21.1
Political reform, political ethics 9.2
Public service personnel system reform 18.0
Public security, crime prevention 27.4
Foreign policy 18.7
Defense, security 12.0
North Korea issues 26.6
Environmental protection 14.8
Crisis management, including disaster prevention 10.5
Constitutional revision 6.7
Food safety 18.4
O/A + nothing in particular + N/A 2.7

Q: Which political party do you support?

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 42.3 (39.3)
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 11.1 (13.3)
New Komeito (NK) 3.0 (3.1)
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 1.3 (1.4)
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1.9 (1.5)
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0.2 (0.1)
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0.1 (0.1)
Other political parties 0.1 (---)
None 39.2 (40.2)
N/A 0.8 (0.9)

Q: Do you think income and other economic disparities are
expanding in Japan today?

Yes 55.2
Yes to a certain degree 26.2
No to a certain degree 8.9
No 6.7
N/A 3.0

Q: (Only for those who answered "yes" to the foregoing question)
Do you think the expansion of economic disparities has resulted
from Prime Minister Koizumi's drive to push for structural
reforms over the past five years since coming into office?

Yes, very much 19.5
Yes, somewhat 36.9
No, not very much 25.4
No, not at all 14.1
N/A 4.1


TOKYO 00001363 003 OF 009


Q: Do you think there is a problem about the widening of such a
social divide?

Yes 49.2
Yes to a certain degree 29.5
No to a certain degree 9.5
No 8.9
N/A 2.9

Q: Do you think Japan today is a society where anyone can
overcome such a social divide if you work hard?

Yes 16.7
Yes to a certain degree 22.1
No to a certain degree 22.6
No 35.9
N/A 2.7

Polling methodology
Date of survey: March 11-12.
Subjects of survey: 3,000 persons chosen from among all eligible
voters throughout the country (at 250 locations on a stratified
two-stage random sampling basis).
Method of implementation: Door-to-door visits for face-to-face
interviews.
Number of valid respondents: 1,812 persons (60.4%).
Breakdown of respondents: Male-50 %,female-50 %.

(2) Koizumi aiming to end up with high popularity

YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full)
March 14, 2006

In the Yomiuri Shimbun's latest public opinion survey, the
Koizumi cabinet kept up its approval rating over 50%. However,
its high popularity is undeniably owing in part to the recent
email fiasco and other errors involving the leading opposition
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto). Prime Minister
Koizumi has clarified his intent to step down along with his
ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election slated
for this September. Yet, his cabinet's approval rating-depending
on its turns over the next six months-may have subtle
repercussions on the post-Koizumi race.

"It's pretty high," Koizumi told reporters yesterday evening at
his office when asked about his cabinet's support rate. "It will
go down again in time," he added.

The Koizumi cabinet's approval rating hovered around 60% for a
while after last September's election for the House of
Representatives. However, its support rate was on the decline in
last December and afterward. This time, it was 54.9%, up 1.4
percentage points from this February's survey, and seemed to have
stopped dropping. "The DPJ sustained a blow from the email
problem, so I guess that's probably why the cabinet support rate
went up." This analysis came from an LDP executive in the House
of Councillors.

If Koizumi sustains his cabinet's high popularity in the months
ahead, it then will be possible to have post-Koizumi candidates
struggle within the scope of his structural reform initiatives.
That is because it will be difficult for them to negate Koizumi's
highly reputed restructuring approach.

TOKYO 00001363 004 OF 009



One LDP executive says Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe is the very
best candidate in the prime minister's heart of hearts. "Public
opinion will greatly help push ahead with structural reforms,"
Abe said yesterday.

However, the Koizumi cabinet, should its support rate go down,
would become a lame duck. If that is the case, the LDP race in
September this year could focus on whether to review his
restructuring policy course. High popularity is indispensable for
the premier to uphold his policy.

There are also many uncertainties for Koizumi to keep up his
cabinet's high rating.

The government has now introduced a package of legislative
measures for administrative reform to the Diet at the current
session. The government wants to play up its restructuring stance
with the legislation's early passage through the Diet. However,
Koizumi will step down in a half year. As it stands, he will have
no time to set forth new policy measures at home. On the
diplomatic front, it is hard to foresee what is up ahead of the
pending issues, such as the planned realignment of US forces in
Japan and the pullout of Ground Self-Defense Force troops from
Iraq.

DPJ seriously takes decline in support

In the survey this time, the DPJ support rate also dropped 2.0
points. The DPJ takes it as a consequence of having lost public
confidence due to the 'fake email' incident, and the party has a
strong sense of crisis. "We're now in a difficult time (due to
the email fiasco),so we must take the public criticism," DPJ
Secretary General Hatoyama said. "I'm really feeling (the

SIPDIS
criticism)," he added.

(3) Prime Minister Koizumi denies expansion of current Diet
session, coordinates plan to visit US in June with eye on last
hurrah

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Slightly abridged)
March 15, 2006

In a meeting on March 13 of the government and the ruling
parties, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi threw out a proposal by
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Diet Affairs Committee Chairman
Hiroyuki Hosoda that the ongoing regular Diet session be
extended, saying, "I want you to pass all necessary bills through
the Diet without considering extending the current session."

A government source commented that the prime minister had talked
about a basic view in order to bring a sense of urgency to the
management of Diet affairs. Speculation has been rife that
Koizumi may not extend the session but instead try to give
priority to his diplomatic schedule after the session closes.

In the background, Koizumi has only one chance in late June to
make a state visit to the US, having been invited by President
George W. Bush.

It will be the first state visit to the US by a Japanese prime
minister since then Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi made one in May

1999. Koizumi declined the invitation last year. Visiting the US

TOKYO 00001363 005 OF 009


while he is still in office is the top diplomatic issue for
Koizumi in order to summarize the results of the five-year
honeymoon period of Japan-US relations.

However, it would be impossible for Bush to invite Koizumi after
July because: July 4 is the US Independence Day; the Group of
Eight summit will start on July 15 in St. Petersburg; and Bush
will leave Washington for vacation in August.

In September, Koizumi will have a tightly packed diplomatic
schedule: Attendance at the summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting in
Finland and at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Therefore, it is impossible for him to visit Washington in
September.

After the current Diet session ends, Chief Cabinet Secretary
Shinzo Abe, Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki, and Foreign
Minister Taro Aso will be freed from their Diet business to reply
questions. The three, who are post-Koizumi contenders, will move
their campaigns for the LDP presidential election into full gear
soon after the end of the Diet session. The expectation is that
Koizumi's grip on the party, as well as his political identity
would decline at once since many LDP members will grow their
interest in the party leadership race.

However, the prime minister and his aides have taken the
offensive, assuming that the Koizumi reform drive will be
maintained if a budget request framework for fiscal 2007 is
drafted based on "big-boned reform policy guidelines," which the
government will decide in June.

A person closed to the prime minister said:

"Under the cabinet of Prime Minister Hosokawa, even Mr. Ichiro
Ozawa, a strong-armed politician, failed to drastically change
the budgetary request guidelines drafted by the government-led by
the LDP. No one can alter the reform policy line. The post-
Koizumi contenders have no choice but to follow the Koizumi
reform program as they approved it."

Bureaucrats, who scheme to secure vested interests, have started
making a resistance against the government, aiming to water down
the reform measures to be included in the "big-bone policy
guidelines." It is certain that public support for Koizumi will
decrease if his reform drive will hit a roadblock.

Whether Koizumi will be able to maintain his influence until he
steps down from the prime minister's post depends on whether he
can overcome bureaucratic resistance.

(4) Series of problems exposed on US beef: Stricter safety
inspections called for

NIHON KEIZAI (Page 5) (Full)
March 15, 2006

A series of problems concerning US beef, including violations in
shipments and sloppy anti-BSE procedures, have been exposed
recently. It was announced yesterday that three of the meat-
processing plants authorized to export beef to Japan had been
singled out in a report of the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) for improper processing. On March 13, a third case of BSE
was confirmed in the US. The Japanese government is likely to be

TOKYO 00001363 006 OF 009


pressed now to carry out tighter safety inspections in order to
remove consumers' distrust in US beef. Recent developments have
made it more difficult for Japan to reach a decision to lift its
ban on US beef imports.

Improper processing at three plants in US pointed out in USDA
report

Japan reinstated its ban on US beef imports in January after
vertebral columns prohibited under a bilateral accord due to the
risk of BSE were found in a veal shipment to Japan. Prohibited
parts were also found in a shipment to Hong Kong on March 13.

The Japanese government was greatly shocked by the incident in
Hong Kong, because the meat-processing facility in question had
cleared a Japanese government inspection. In addition, the plant
had demonstrated the safety of its anti-BSE processing before the
press through the US government. In its inspection last December,
the Japanese government judged the procedures at the plant as
"having no problem." There is the possibility that the Japanese
government also failed to find safety problems.

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shoichi Nakagawa
expressed strong apprehension about the disclosure of US plants
that have not taken proper safety procedures, saying: "With the
discovery of another US beef shipment containing banned parts,
the coefficient of friction has become bigger."

Yesterday, it was also revealed that USDA had pointed out in its
report that they had not kept proper records on the removal of
specified risk materials (SRM) from 2004 through 2005, despite an
USDA order that SRMs be thoroughly removed. The Japanese
government was not even informed of this fact.

(5) Unannounced inspection eyed

NIHON KEZAI (Page 5) (Full)
March 15, 2006

Following the disclosure of a series of incidents involving US
meat-processing facilities, the Japanese government has stepped
up efforts to obtain accurate information on the incidents. The
government will be pressed to carry out stricter safety measures
before determining whether to reopen its market to US beef.

One of such measures is the strengthening of inspections. Late
last year, the Japanese government inspected meat-processing
plants in the US to see whether the removal of specified risk
materials (SRM) has been properly removed. In addition to this
measure, the Japanese government may study the possibility of
checking to if whether US inspectors are properly examining
facilities and making unannounced inspections of US plants.

Consumers Union of Japan Vice President Yasuaki Yamaura
commented: "The key to resuming imports lies in how to ensure the
safety of beef." Tokyo has also made the recovery of public trust
in US beef as a precondition for resuming imports. Given this,
the government intends to listen to explanations from the US,
taking time, about the details of the Hong Kong case and its
additional inquiries. It may take several months to complete this
process. Many observers anticipate that an early resumption of
imports will be difficult.


TOKYO 00001363 007 OF 009


(6) US eager to put end to heated beef talks prior to off-year
elections this fall

NIHON KEIZAI (Page 5) (Full)
March 15, 2006

The US government plans to submit this week its second report
responding to inquiries from Japan regarding an incident in which
vertebral columns, a prohibited part, were found in a US veal
shipment to Japan. The US presented Japan with a report on the
incident in February. In response, Japan submitted a list of
uncertain points in the report to the US.

Observers expect the US to reply: "We did everything that we
should do," based on its usual assertion that "the incident of
vertebral columns included in a shipment is a unique case and not
a structural problem."

In a press conference on March 13, Agriculture Department chief
veterinarian John Clifford said: "In Japan, more than 20 cases of
BSE have been reports, but we believe Japanese beef is safe." He
then reiterated, "US beef is safe." This was a strategy to
underscore an "open America" by citing the case of Japan, which
has closed its market. But it is impossible to simply draw a
comparison between Japan and the US because given their different
inspection methods and inspection objects.

The Japanese and U governments, based on their respective
positions, have engaged in negotiations on the propriety of
Japan's resumption of US beef imports. The beef issue is expected
to take center stage on such occasions as Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the US planned for late June and the
annual industrialized countries' summit meeting in July.

With off-year elections scheduled for this fall, Washington is
concerned about an eruption of calls for sanctions against Japan
in the US Congress. The Bush administration cannot ignore the
wishes of cattle farmers, who hold sway in the US political
world. In order to mitigate the growing reactions in the US, the
US government is willing to put an end to the heated debates
between Japan and the US over the safety of US beef.

(7) Unannounced inspection eyed

NIHON KEZAI (Page 5) (Full)
March 15, 2006

Following the disclosure of a series of incidents involving US
meat-processing facilities, the Japanese government has stepped
up efforts to obtain accurate information on the incidents. The
government will be pressed to carry out stricter safety measures
before determining whether to reopen its market to US beef.

One of such measures is the strengthening of inspections. Late
last year, the Japanese government inspected meat-processing
plants in the US to see whether the removal of specified risk
materials (SRM) has been properly removed. In addition to this
measure, the Japanese government may study the possibility of
checking to if whether US inspectors are properly examining
facilities and making unannounced inspections of US plants.

Consumers Union of Japan Vice President Yasuaki Yamaura
commented: "The key to resuming imports lies in how to ensure the

TOKYO 00001363 008 OF 009


safety of beef." Tokyo has also made the recovery of public trust
in US beef as a precondition for resuming imports. Given this,
the government intends to listen to explanations from the US,
taking time, about the details of the Hong Kong case and its
additional inquiries. It may take several months to complete this
process. Many observers anticipate that an early resumption of
imports will be difficult.

(8) Editorial: Pluthermal power-generation project; Haste creates
danger

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 5) (Full)
March 13, 2006

Chubu Electric Power Co. has applied for approval of the
government for a pluthermal power-generation project plan at the
Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station. Following a series of accidents at
nuclear power stations, the views of power companies and experts
on one hand and local residents and consumers on the other remain
wide apart. The company should not rush to carry out such a
project, taking advantage of the fact that developing pluthermal
power generation is a national project.

Plu refers to plutonium. Thermal refers to heat. Pluthermal means
recycling nuclear fuel.

Mixed oxide fuel (MOX) can be produced, by mixing plutonium
extracted from spent nuclear fuel with new uranium. Electric
power can be generated, by burning MOX fuel in an atomic power
reactor. This will save 10-20% of the consumption of precious
uranium.

Chubu Electric Power Co. plans to start using MOX fuel at the no.
4 Hamaoka nuclear reactor in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture,
starting in 2010, and switch fuel sources to MOX to a ratio of up
to about one third.

In Japan, the Takahama nuclear power station of Chubu Electric
Power Co. and the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station and the
Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power station of Tokyo Electric Power
Co. obtained authorization to carry out a pluthermal power
generation program. However, following a series of scandals, such
as operational data falsification and the hiding of troubles,
those plans were either put on the back burner or host
municipalities withdrew their consents.

Kyushu Electric Power Co. obtained approval for the use of MOX
fuel for the No. 3 nuclear reactor at the Genkai nuclear power
station, and the local government accepted the project.

In developing nuclear fuel cycle, Japans' fast-breeder reactor
development plan suffered a setback due to the accident at the
Monju. Pluthermal power generation is now drawing much attention,
reflecting the trend in the US and Britain of returning to
nuclear power plants.

Plutonium is hazardous in itself. It is also known as a major
material for A-bombs. The safe processing of nuclear waste is
absolutely necessary from the perspective of anti-terrorism
measures, too. Japan characterizes nuclear fuel cycle as a
national policy.

Electric power companies are pressed to cut power generation

TOKYO 00001363 009 OF 009


costs because of the trend of liberalizing the electricity market
and high crude oil prices. Kansai Electric Power Co.'s, which
eyes at the huge Chukyo market, dependence on nuclear power is
estimated at 44 %,while that of Chubu Electric Power Co. is 18%.

A view is being heard among local sources familiar with the
situation that there is no choice, because the development of
pluthermal power generation is a national policy. However, there
is something precarious about the way all electric power
companies are falling in step with each other under the banner of
the national policy. We have seen too many cases of cost
reduction competition through heightened efficiency jeopardizing
safety. Electric power companies should make sure that they
continue to provide explanations to affected local residents.
However, the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl 20 years ago told us
that destruction in the event of emergency would spread beyond
the local level.

Japan continues to accumulate approximately 1,000 tons of
hazardous nuclear waste a year, and yet it has yet to develop an
effective way of processing such. Even under such a situation,
large cities keep consuming electricity for 24 hours a day. This
is a problem we should consider from a broad perspective, taking
into account the supply-demand structure of energy, the
consumption structure and the lifestyle of ourselves.

SCHIEFFER