Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TOKYO2011
2006-04-13 08:03:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:  

JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 04/13/06

Tags:  OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO1978
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #2011/01 1030803
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 130803Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0939
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/USDOJ WASHDC PRIORITY
RULSDMK/USDOT WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5//
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMHBA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI
RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA//
RHMFIUU/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA//J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/COMPATWING ONE KAMI SEYA JA
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 8312
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 5678
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 8854
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 5672
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 6861
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1729
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 7896
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 9785
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TOKYO 002011

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: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 04/13/06


Index:

(1) Fuji-Sankei poll on Koizumi cabinet, political parties, new
DPJ leadership under Ichiro Ozawa, post-Koizumi race, SDF Iraq
deployment

(2) Ozawa set to spearhead campaigning for 2007 Upper House
election aimed at sweeping victory in single-seat constituencies

(3) Restart of Minshuto: Ozawa underscores confrontational stance
toward LDP, makes contact with LDP-support groups

(4) Japanese politicians need greater strategic education

(5) At long last, political situation is returning to normal;
Cleaning up the mess left behind by five years of sloppy Koizumi
politics a serious challenge

ARTICLES:

(1) Fuji-Sankei poll on Koizumi cabinet, political parties, new
DPJ leadership under Ichiro Ozawa, post-Koizumi race, SDF Iraq
deployment

SANKEI (Page 5) (Abridged)
April 11, 2006

Questions & Answers
(Figures shown in percentage.)

Q: Do you support the Koizumi cabinet?

Yes 48.8 (56.9)
No 35.5 (29.6)
Don't know (D/K) + Can't say which (CSW) 15.8 (13.6)

Q: Which political party do you support?

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 42.1 (43.6)
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 17.4 (18.1)
New Komeito (NK) 3.5 (4.2)
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 2.9 (3.1)
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1.9 (2.0)
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0.2 (0.6)
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0.1 (0.4)

New Party Daichi (NPD or Shinto Daichi) 0 (0.3)
Other answers (O/A) 1.1 (0.7)
None 27.7 (24.3)
D/K + Can't say (CS) 3.2 (3.0)

Q: The DPJ has now elected Ichiro Ozawa as its new leader
following his predecessor's resignation over the fake email
fiasco. Is the party's settlement of the problem convincing?

Yes 25.5
No 58.3
D/K+CSW 16.3

Q: Do you think the DPJ under Ozawa is competent enough to take
office?

Yes 43.8

TOKYO 00002011 002 OF 010


No 38.4
D/K+CSW 17.9

Q: What would you like Ozawa to do first?

Pursue suspicions over the government, ruling parties 18.4
Cross words with the government, ruling parties 24.0
Strengthen the DPJ's unity 29.0
O/A 14.3
D/K + nothing 14.4

Q: Who do you think is most appropriate for post-Koizumi
leadership?

Taro Aso 5.6 (7.2)
Shinzo Abe 47.0 (50.6)
Sadakazu Tanigaki 3.3 (3.2)
Yasuo Fukuda 18.3 (12.1)
Heizo Takenaka 2.4 (5.6)
Taku Yamasaki 1.2 (---)
O/A 8.5 (---)
D/K + inappropriate 13.9 (18.9)

Q: Who do you think is most appropriate for prime minister among
Abe, Fukuda, and Ozawa?

Abe 48.7
Fukuda 19.4
Ozawa 14.1
D/K + inappropriate 18.0

Q: Do you think the DPJ under Ozawa will affect the post-Koizumi
race?

Yes 54.3
No 36.0
D/K+CSW 9.8

Q: What's your concern in the post-Koizumi race?

Foreign, security policies 20.5
Economic, financial policies 18.5
Administrative, fiscal reforms 13.3
Pensions, other social security issues 26.7
Constitutional issues 3.1
Education, low birthrate 7.7
O/A 2.9
D/K+CS 7.5

Q: Do you think the next prime minister should visit Yasukuni
Shrine?

Yes 38.0
No 43.6
D/K+CSW 18.5

Q: Do you think the Diet should pass national referendum
legislation at the current session for amendments to the
Constitution of Japan?

Yes 38.1
No 36.5

TOKYO 00002011 003 OF 010


D/K+CSW 25.5

Q: Do you think Japan should withdraw its ground troops from Iraq
in the first half of this year?

Yes 75.8
No 14.3
D/K+CSW 10.0

(Note) Parentheses denote the results of the last survey
conducted in November last year.

Polling methodology: The survey was conducted by the Sankei
Shimbun and Fuji News Network (FNN) on April 8-9 over the
telephone on a computer-aided random digit dialing (RDD) basis.
For the survey, a total of 2,000 persons were sampled from among
males and females, aged 20 and over, across the nation.

(2) Ozawa set to spearhead campaigning for 2007 Upper House
election aimed at sweeping victory in single-seat constituencies

ASAHI (Page 4) (Abridged slightly)
April 12, 2006

Campaigning for the House of Representatives by-election in Chiba
Constituency No. 7 kicked off yesterday as if to test Minshuto's
(Democratic Party of Japan) recovery from the recent e-mail
fiasco. Newly elected Minshuto President Ichiro Ozawa's mind is
already set on the Upper House election next summer. His party
suffered a humiliating setback in single-seat constituencies in
the election five years ago. Determined to win all the single-
seat constituencies up for election next summer to force the
ruling coalition into a minority, Ozawa is spearheading the
election campaign that started yesterday. In contrast, Liberal
Democratic Party Upper House executives look somewhat worried, as
the number of dependable local assemblymen will decrease due to
municipal mergers. They also fear possible negative repercussions
from postal reform.

On the evening of April 10, Ozawa visited the chiefs and deputy
chiefs of the two houses of the Diet and leaders of other parties
to give his greetings as the new Minshuto president. He seems to
have done so for the sake of the Upper House election.

Ozawa inquired with People's New Party Secretary General Hisaoki
Kamei about the aging population of his hometown of Masuda City,
a single-seat constituency in Shimane Prefecture. To leaders of
the Social Democratic Party, Ozawa said, "We must cooperate
because we have the same adversary." Asked by Upper House Vice
President Giichi Tsunoda about next year's election, Ozawa
crisply said, "It (achieving a victory in the Upper House
election) is my biggest goal."

Shortly after assuming office, Ozawa declared that he would take
charge of election campaigning. In the first post-election
meeting with Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama and Deputy
President Naoto Kan on the afternoon of April 8, Ozawa said, "I
am ready to commit myself to the Upper House election." Since
then, he has repeatedly underscored the importance of single-seat
constituencies.

Next summer, the political parties will vie for the seats that

TOKYO 00002011 004 OF 010


were up for election in 2001, when the ruling coalition achieved
an overwhelming victory owing to the "Koizumi boom." In that
election, the LDP won 66 seats, the New Komeito 13, and Minshuto

31. As far as single-seat constituencies were concerned, Minshuto
won only two out of 27. Moreover, LDP candidates dominated in
Tochigi and Gunma, where only one seat each will be up for grabs
in the next election as a result of correcting the imbalance in
the weight of votes in single-seat constituencies.

A mid-level Minshuto member fears that if Ozawa tries to field
candidates close to him, the party might break up. Some others
think they have no other option but to rely on Ozawa at a time
like this when the party has yet to determine who will run in 21
constituencies out of the 25 that are devoid of Minshuto
incumbents due partly to the e-mail flop.

In many single-seat constituencies, Minshuto's organizational
strength is weak. Ozawa intends to travel across the nation to
meet local leaders in order to find promising candidates and
directly teach them how to prepare themselves for elections.

Ozawa's policies are also focused on the many single-seat
constituencies centered on small local cities and farming
villages. One of Ozawa's campaign pledges for the Minshuto
presidency was making Japan into a nation that values the
circumstances and character of local areas. He also indicated on
a TV-Asahi program that the government should transfer the
authority and financial resources to build roads to local
governments. He also called for a system to directly provide
farmers with subsidies.

LDP on alert against Ozawa-led Minshuto in wake of postal
privatization

At a Tokyo restaurant on the night of April 10, Toranosuke
Katayama, secretary general of the LDP caucus in the Upper House,
gave a pep talk to the first-term LDP Upper House members who
will face the election next summer.

The LDP also thinks single-seat constituencies hold the key. The
party achieved an overwhelming victory in the election five years
ago. But in the 2004 election, the party led by Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe
won only 14 seats out of 27 in the single-seat constituencies. In
total, Minshuto won more seats than the LDP.

Speeches by Mikio Aoki, chairman of the LDP's Upper House caucus,
have been tinged with a sense of urgency: "Many municipalities
will have been merged by next April. Consequently the number of
assemblymen, who have been our strong supporters, will decrease
by 17,000."

In contrast to Minshuto, the LDP has a large number of local
assemblymen who have served as "front-line troops" in national
elections. Mergers have been rampant among thinly populated
single-seat constituencies. In addition, the nation will have an
Upper House election and unified local elections next year, a
combination that occurs once every 12 years. This may result in
"election fatigue"

LDP executives also fear a rebound from last year's Lower House
election, in which the ruling coalition achieved a landslide

TOKYO 00002011 005 OF 010


victory. Aoki has urged LDP members to work harder for the
upcoming election.

Ozawa, who is believed to know the LDP's election tactics inside
and out, is a threat to the ruling coalition. An LDP Upper House
executive noted: "Minshuto may describe next year's Upper House
election in simple language, such as the last chance to install a
two-party system. Asking people whether or not to change the
government would be as effective as asking for a yes-no decision
on postal privatization."

Constituencies that split last over postal privatization are a
source of concern for the LDP. A number of LDP members are taking
the view that Ozawa will zero in on the LDP's weaknesses by
disregarding unpromising districts.

(3) Restart of Minshuto: Ozawa underscores confrontational stance
toward LDP, makes contact with LDP-support groups

NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Slightly abridged)
April 12, 2006

The new leadership of the Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto)
was officially launched yesterday. New leader Ichiro Ozawa is
willing to demonstrate his own policy identity in order to
rebuild his party. For the upcoming April 23 by-election in
Chiba's 7th District for the House of Representatives, the
opposition party plans to send all its members to the district to
support the Minshuto-endorsed candidate. Some support groups for
the Liberal Democratic Party have been upset with the aftermath
of a series of Koizumi reforms. In a move to drive them out of
the LDP, Ozawa has visited the offices of such groups.

Ozawa had Acting President Naoto Kan deliver the first campaign
speech on April 11 and instructed all other members to canvass
the electoral district in Chiba. Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama
will also visit the constituency over the weekend to give a vote-
getting speech. A party official responsible for election
campaigning commented: "We want Mr. Ozawa also to go to the
electoral district at the most effective timing." The official
wants to see Ozawa appear on the main stage and spotlighted as "a
transformed Ozawa."

In a party executive meeting yesterday, an agreement was reached
to call on the ruling coalition to hold party head talks at an
early date, with the aim of stage-managing, prior to the by-
election, a scene in which Prime Minister Koizumi and Ozawa face
off in a debate.

"Covert action" is Ozawa's favorite approach. He secretly visited
the office of the Japan War Bereaved Association in Kudan, Tokyo,
yesterday. Earlier, he also visited the offices of the Japan
Dental Association and the Japan Pharmaceutical Association. They
are all influential LDP-support groups, with which Ozawa also had
much to do when he was still an influential LDP member.

In an executive board meeting last evening, the participants
decided to disband the Comprehensive Policy Planning Conference
set up by former head Seiji Maehara as a Minshuto-version of the
Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy. This is part of efforts to
bid farewell to the "Maehara imprint." Junior members have not
reacted to such moves, one member saying: "Local residents'

TOKYO 00002011 006 OF 010


responses to Mr. Ozawa were favorable."

Kan, who was defeated in the presidential race, has already said:
"I hope an Ozawa administration will be formed." Many persons
predict that in the regular Minshuto presidential election in
September, Ozawa will be reelected without a vote.

Prime minister: "Mr. Ozawa may approach LDP to form coalition"

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi held an informal meeting with
Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, House of Councillors Steering
Committee Chairman Kensei Mizote, and others in Tokyo yesterday.
In reference to new Minshuto head Ichiro Ozawa, the prime
minister indicated his view that Ozawa will make a pitch to the
LDP to form a conservative-conservative alliance. He said:

"(Ozawa) left the LDP because he could not become prime minister.
He supposedly cannot be satisfied with the top post of Minshuto.
Once he is reelected in the September election, he may cut his
ties with those affiliated with the former Socialist Party and
come closer to the LDP with the aim of forming a coalition."

In 1999, Jiyuto (Liberal Party) under the lead of Ozawa formed a
conservative-conservative alliance with the LDP.

(4) Japanese politicians need greater strategic education

SANKEI (Page 7) (Full)
April 9, 2006

Tadae Takubo, guest professor, Kyorin University

It is no use relying on government offices, which are busy with
daily tasks. It is meaningless to lecture the majority of
politicians, who focus on how to win the next election rather
than the country's future. I want politicians who have the
backbone to bear responsibility for national interests to engage
in realism as far as foreign and defense policies.

In opposition to realism, liberal politics, which places
importance on transnational relations, has spread throughout the
world since the 1970s. It is, however, uncertain when the world
will attach emphasis to transnational relations. Power politics
has become the norm, especially among Japan's neighbors.

According to the Sankei Shimbun's morning edition on April 2,
when Chinese President Hu Jintao began to criticize Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine before
seven Japanese delegates to China headed by former Prime Minister
Ryutaro Hashimoto, on March 31 at the Great Hall of the People, a
dead silence fell over the hall. Mr. Hashimoto and other
delegation members looked somewhat gaunt on TV. They reminded me
of barbarians getting down on their knees before China's emperor.

I have no intention to criticize those Japanese delegates. Among
them, there are politicians who have called for the separate
enshrinement of Class-A war criminals at Yasukuni Shrine and
construction of a new war memorial facility, lamenting the
present situation where the Chinese leader has refused to hold a
summit with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Those politicians
have been trying to have Mr. Koizumi give up visiting the Shinto
shrine.

TOKYO 00002011 007 OF 010



There are many arguments supporting those who don't want to think
that they are falling on their knees to China. One argument is
that the Chinese government of President Hu Jintao has no choice
but to take a tough stance against Japan since it has been
suffering from pressure from hard-liners in China. That may be
true, but that is a trick for which Mr. Nakasone once fell.

Ironically, China's foreign policy is laudable. China is well
aware of the weakness of democratic countries. There may be the
only one commander in China. The Chinese commander knows well who
in political, business, and bureaucratic circles and the press
have close ties to Beijing and who does not. The commander also
fully understands those people's influential power in Japan.
China has steadily taken every possible means to sow discord
among Japanese leaders and to isolate Prime Minister Koizumi,
Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, and Foreign Minister Taro Aso
in the country. The Chinese commander makes plans regarding whom,
when, and where to invite to meet with what level Chinese
leaders. Therefore, Japan's diplomacy based on goodwill does not
work toward China.

Japan's failure last year in its bid for a permanent United
Nations Security Council seat was a major foreign policy failure.
Although Japanese officials concerned explained in detail about
the government's strategy in its push for a UNSC seat, I could
see no politicians capable of becoming a real player in the UN
even if Japan were to obtain a UNSC seat.

In contrast, China has steadily boosted its military strength. It
took advantage of anti-Japanese demonstrations last year in China
as a means of preventing Japan from becoming a permanent UNSC
member. If Japanese politicians understood China's strategy, they
would have read the communist country's hidden motive. I think
the politicians who cannot say that China is a threat are
daunted.

About two years ago, Harvard University Prof. Joseph Nye
explained in Foreign Affairs the need for soft power to attract
other countries with culture and political vision rather than
hard power. Leaders in every sector of society often talk about
Prof. Nye's advocacy of soft power.

Prof. Nye in his argument, however, reproved the United States,
which spends more money on its military than all other countries
combined. It is odd for Japan, an ordinary democratic country
that even does not have its own military, to assert such a
theory.

US President George W. Bush was fond of reading Theodore
Roosevelt's biography when he first assumed office. Referring
recently to Jung Chan's book MAO: The Untold Story at a press
conference, the president talked about how China's history
deceived the rest of the world and its cruelty.

US President Richard Nixon was absorbed in reading English
statesman Benjamin Disraeli's critical biography. It is widely
known that Chinese President Deng Xiaoping's favorite book was
The Art of War. I don't know what Japanese politicians are doing
to enhance their strategic education.

(5) At long last, political situation is returning to normal;

TOKYO 00002011 008 OF 010


Cleaning up the mess left behind by five years of sloppy Koizumi
politics a serious challenge

NIKKAN GENDAI (Pp.1-2) (Full)
April 13, 2006

Minshuto's (Democratic Party of Japan) installment of Ozawa as
its president, Kan as his deputy, and Hatoyama as secretary
general upset the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Koizumi,
Takebe, and Abe, who have been slackening off lately.

Ichiro Ozawa's decision to take center stage as Minshuto
president with an eye on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who is
scheduled to step down in six months, carries great significance.
Both the LDP and Minshuto seem to share the view that Japan,
having been destroyed by the sham Koizumi reform drive, needs
drastic change and reform for its revival.

Ichiro Ozawa's assumption of office as Minshuto president has
turned around the atmosphere surrounding the political world.

Minshuto, which had been dispirited due to the e-mail fiasco, has
now come back to life, and the haughty LDP has been rattled. The
outcome of the April 23 House of Representatives by-election in
Chiba Constituency No. 7 is unpredictable. The LDP may not be
able to achieve an overwhelming victory, as planned.

Political affairs commentator Harumi Arima noted:

"The LDP is upset by the current situation of the Chiba by-
election. Contrary to the LDP's optimistic projection that its
candidate will win the election by a double-digit margin, the
race is now a dead heat. According to one survey, the difference
between the two camps is only several points. To Prime Minister
Koizumi, the Chiba by-election will be his last national election
in office. The LDP leadership is highly alarmed at the race,
because a defeat at this point could be taken as a rejection of
the five years of Koizumi-style politics. Secretary General
Takebe has been visiting Chiba almost daily to brace the LDP
camp."

Against all odds, Minshuto is united under Ozawa. And that, too,
was a miscalculation of the LDP.

The LDP had expected that Minshuto would get into trouble in
selecting a new lineup of party executives under Ichiro Ozawa,
the "destroyer." Surprisingly, Ozawa has decided to keep the
Maehara structure intact, gaining momentum.

In facing Minshuto's Ozawa-Kan-Hatoyama trio, the LDP's Koizumi-
Takebe-Abe leadership is visibly restless.

Ozawa set to destroy LDP

The Chiba by-election is not the only factor that is making the
LDP jittery. What the LDP really fears is Ozawa's steps to split
up the LDP to set off political realignment.

Ozawa has already begun making strategic moves to that end. For
instance, he has repeatedly attacked a growing social divide and
Asia policy representing the dark side of Koizumi-style politics.


TOKYO 00002011 009 OF 010


Ozawa harshly criticized Koizumi's advocacy of market forces,
saying: "Freedom is not about benefiting only a handful of
winners. Minshuto's goal is to realize a society where workers'
efforts are rewarded in a fair manner." In addition, with
Koizumi's failed Asia policy in mind, Ozawa explicitly said, "I
will devote my efforts to advance friendly relations between
Japan and South Korea." The target of this statement is clear.
Political affairs commentator Asao Yamaguchi took this view:

"Such statements intended to rattle the LDP are so characteristic
of Ozawa, an experienced statesman. A 'growing social divide' and
'isolation in Asia' are debatable themes for the LDP as well.
They are turning into symbols of discontent with Koizumi. Ozawa
is trying to set them on fire. He not only rapped Koizumi's
visits to Yasukuni Shrine but also declared that Class-A war
criminals must not be enshrined at Yasukuni. That was truly
significant. Koizumi hates Yasukuni being turned into a campaign
issue for the LDP presidency. Now that Ozawa has touched on it,
it inevitably will. It would enliven the pro-China group aiming
to tighten the noose around Koizumi and Abe. Ozawa might end up
splitting up the LDP."

Continued criticism of a "growing social disparity" and "Asia
policy" would eventually make happy-go-lucky Koizumi supporters
realize the deceit of Koizumi politics.

This would result in a dip in Koizumi's support rating, which
would in turn embolden the anti-Koizumi group. The LDP is clearly
tinged with polarizing overtones. The question is when Ozawa will
pull the trigger to destroy the LDP for another round of
political realignment.

Diet nomination in September of Yasuo Fukuda as prime minister
would shake political community

Ozawa will unmistakably try to set off political realignment
timed with the LDP presidential election in September.

Minshuto Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Kozo Watanabe predicted,
"Political realignment will occur once Koizumi steps down as
prime minister." Koizumi also said alarmingly, "Mr. Ozawa could
attempt to launch a grand coalition."

Harumi Arima also noted:

"Ozawa is now 63. Considering his age, Ozawa cannot wait for next
summer's Upper House election or the next general election, which
might not occur during his tenure of office, to realize the
political realignment of his dreams. It is certain that he will
aim at taking the LDP apart and rebuilding it from scratch on the
occasion of the September presidential election. I think Ozawa
envisages making former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda the
LDP's new president. If Abe was picked as Koizumi's successor,
Ozawa could go ahead with the super-extraordinary move of
nominating Fukuda in the Diet nomination of the prime minister."

In that case, Minshuto also will unavoidably split up, and the
group of Minshuto members from the Matsushita Institute of
Government and Management, including former president Seiji
Maehara, would be expected to race immediately to the Koizumi-Abe
duo.


TOKYO 00002011 010 OF 010


The political community is likely to experience a major shockwave
in September or later over whether or not to keep the Koizumi
policy line in place. Kyushu University Professor Emeritus Fumio
Saito commented:

"The public would welcome it. Originally, the current Diet
session's theme was to sum up the five years of Koizumi politics.
But that has not been discussed at all because of the e-mail
hullabaloo. It's not bad for that theme to become a point of
contention owing to the LDP presidential race and the Diet
nomination of the prime minister. A social disparity and
deadlocked policy toward East Asia resulting from Koizumi
politics are particularly serious problems for the public as
well. Should Japan go along with Koizumi politics' law of the
jungle and anti-Asia policy, or put the brakes on them? Real
political realignment would follow the disintegration of the LDP
over those factors."

Ozawa's assumption of office as Minshuto president is likely to
continue shaking the political world violently.

SCHIEFFER