DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 04/17/06

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 13 TOKYO 002063 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 04/17/06 INDEX: (1) Former US ambassadors to Japan Mondale, Foley, and former Japanese ambassador to US Saito attend Tokyo seminar on China (2) Futenma relocation agreement (Part B): Locals perplexed by V- shaped runway plan (3) FSX: F-22 locks on F-4 (4) Kasumigaseki confidential: Leadership struggle among security affairs officials (5) LDP presidency in 2006: Interview with General Council Chairman Kyuma (6) Interview with former LDP Secretary General Koichi Kato on 2006 LDP presidential election: Yasukuni will turn into a major campaign issue (7) Rapid move to lift second ban on US beef imports; Government holding town meetings with consumers throughout country (8) Future course of Food Safety Commission - Interview with Nobuko Hisawa, external director of Snow Brand Milk Products Co.: Need to help consumers understand experts (9) A visit to Yasukuni Shrine's war memorial museum Yushukan: A documentary film depicts the war as a "war of survival and self- defense" ARTICLES: (1) Former US ambassadors to Japan Mondale, Foley, and former Japanese ambassador to US Saito attend Tokyo seminar on China ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) April 15, 2006 Former US ambassadors to Japan Walter Mondale and Thomas Foley and former Japanese Ambassador to the United States Kunihiko Saito participated on April 14 a seminar sponsored by the Japan Business Federation and other organizations. China's recent rapid economic growth was the main topic of discussion. Mondale, who was appointed ambassador to Japan by President Bill Clinton, criticized President George W. Bush's handling of the nuclear issue as being inconsistent. Citing nuclear programs by North Korea and Iran, Mondale stated, "The global mechanism of (nonproliferation of nuclear weapons) has now been distorted." He was also critical about an accord concluded in March between the United States and India, saying, "Iran might say why is India allowed nuclear weapons but we are not." Saito focused his comments on China: "China's totalitarian regime has suppressed freedom of speech in the country. Relations between, Japan, the United States and China are not an equal triangle. Since equidistant diplomacy is unrealistic, it should not be sought." (2) Futenma relocation agreement (Part B): Locals perplexed by V- TOKYO 00002063 002 OF 013 shaped runway plan TOKYO SHIMBUN (Pp.24-25) (Abridged) April 14, 2006 A plan agreed April 7 by Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga and Nago Mayor Yoshikazu Shimabukuro is designed to build two runways in a V shape -- one for takeoffs and the other for landings -- at Camp Schwab to remove residential areas from the flight paths. But local residents wonder if the US military would operate the runways in the way that the government explained. Tsutomu Aragaki, a Naga-based lawyer who heads an NGO to revise SIPDIS the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement, predicted: "The problem with the US forces in Japan is that they don't keep their promises. Once the runways are opened, its operation would be left entirely to the US military. Noise will not diminish just because the runways are built in a V shape." According to Aragaki, descriptive pamphlets distributed to local residents by the Defense Agency simply indicate the noise level on the ocean side, briefly explaining that the level of noise on the residential side would be 75% of that of the ocean side. "Although helicopter noise is projected, the noise level of fixed- wing aircraft is not taken into account," Aragaki said. The additional runway that will require greater landfill is also likely to cause problems for the marine environment. Reclamation would wipe out dugongs Nanzan University Prof. Shigekazu Mezaki, who has conducted submersible surveys around the Henoko district, noted apprehensively: "The marine habitat will be destroyed as a result of reclaiming land for the second runway. And consequently, dugongs in this area would all die out. There are vocal international calls for protecting dugongs, a rare species." Aragaki also said angrily: "The two countries are still discussing the runways, but in the future, they are certain to look into the option of building a military port there. They would try to have base functions that are greater than those mentioned in the government's original offshore plan. Such a plan would result in more noise pollution and the destruction of nature." What does the V-shaped plan mean to the US military? "It would be an ideal base for the US military," military affairs commentator Motoaki Kamiura categorically said. In Kamiura's view, two runways in a V form cannot be used exclusively for landings and takeoffs. He thinks fixed-wing aircraft would use the landward runway and helicopters the one on the ocean side. Kamiura also noted: TOKYO 00002063 003 OF 013 "Helicopters are sometimes forced to make emergency landings. The land sitting on an extension of the runway on the ocean side can be used in an emergency landing." Chances are also high that MV22 Ospreys would use the landward runway once they are deployed in Okinawa in around 2012. The MV22 can land and take off vertically. But it also needs a short field depending on its air-load. Kamiura speculated: "Nukaga said that the runways would be 1,500 meters long, whereas Shimabukuro indicated they would be 1,300 meters. The Defense Agency thinks that 1,300 meters is too short for the operation of Ospreys." Sociology Prof. Masaie Ishihara of Okinawa International University, where a Futenma-based helicopter crashed in 2004, commented: "After that accident, the US military was careful for a while in determining flight paths. Those days are over. US aircraft today fly over anything, anywhere -- universities, hospitals, daycare centers. So people in Okinawa all know that it is a lie that US planes will not fly over residential areas, as was agreed upon by Nukaga and Shimabukuro. Although the US base issue has been confined to Okinawa, US force realignment will spread the issue to cities in mainland Japan, such as Kanoya in Kagoshima, Komatsu in Ishikawa, and Iwakuni in Yamaguchi. People say, 'Let's share pain with Okinawa.' I would say, 'Let's eliminate the fundamental cause of pain.'" (3) FSX: F-22 locks on F-4 TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 27) (Full) April 14, 2006 The Defense Agency will shortly kick-start its process of selecting a fighter support experimental, or FSX for short. The FSX is a follow-on fighter jet model for the Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) to replace the F-4EJ-Kai, an advanced model of the F- 4EJ fighter jet. The agency will set up an in-house board under the ASDF Air Staff Office in order to screen FSX candidate models. At the outset, it will inquire of US and European aircraft manufacturers in writing about their candidate lineups. The ASDF, however, has another mainstay fighter model, the F-15, in addition to the F-4 series. Curiously enough, FSX selection to replace the F-4 is also up to the F-15's fate. The Defense Agency plans to replace a total of 91 F-4EJ-Kai fighters, which have become superannuated, with new ones. The agency has already decided to introduce the first seven new ones under its current midterm defense buildup program for five fiscal years from 2005 to 2009. Japan once developed an FSX model on its own, which made its debut as the F-2. However, the F-2 was later found defective. Learning a lesson from such a fiasco, the Defense Agency has given up on the choice of going ahead with FSX development at home. For now, there are six candidates on the list, broken down into four US-developed fighter jet models and two European models. The four US models are the F-15X fighter, the FA-18E/F TOKYO 00002063 004 OF 013 fighter attacker, the F-22 multipurpose fighter, and the F-35 joint strike fighter. Meanwhile, one of the two European models is the Eurofighter, co-developed by European Union (EU) countries. The other European model is the Dassault Rafael, developed by France. The most likely candidate is the F-22. The US Air Force has already introduced this model, and the US government is also enthusiastically driving sales promotion for it toward foreign governments. The problem, however, is its price. The F-22 is expensive even for US military specs as it is priced at 15 billion yen per unit. In the past, the Defense Agency have had domestic aircraft manufacturers reproduce US-developed fighter jets under license. If Japan chooses licensed production for the F-22 as well, its unit cost is deemed certain to skyrocket to nearly 30 billion yen. The F-4's unit cost is 1.7 billion yen. Even the F-2-reportedly the world's most expensive fighter-is priced at 13 billion yen. However, the unit cost is said to go down with mass production. As it stands, all eyes were riveted on the F-15-another mainstay fighter model currently in the ASDF's employ-over whether or when it will be mothballed. The ASDF's F-15 fighters can be broken down into two types. One is the MSIP (for multi-stage improvement programme),and the other is pre-MSIP. The F-15 of the MSIP type is an advanced model, which is loaded with digitalized firearms control systems. About 90 of the ASDF's F-15 fighters are of this MSIP type. The ASDF, meanwhile, has another version of the F-15, which is of the pre-MSIP type. The F-15 of this version is an older model that is equipped with analog systems. About 110 of the ASDF's F-15s are of this pre-MSIP type. The ASDF is now in the process of renovating and modernizing each F-15 fighter of the MSIP type by replacing its radar and arithmetic unit. This renovation costs an investment of 5 billion yen for each F-15 jet of the MSIP type. In the case of upgrading the F-15 fighter jets of the pre-MSIP type, the first necessary step is to digitalize their systems for MSIP compatibility. This will require a huge amount of money, so the pre-MSIP fighters have been left unattended without being renovated. Consequently, the pre-MSIP F-15s are falling behind the MSIP F-15s in performance. "The F-15's pre-MSIP system is old and will end its shelf-life in time," one ASDF official noted. This official also said, "The F-4 fighters and the pre-MSIP fighters total about 200." He presumed the F-22's price would go down with mass production if both the F- 4 fighters and the pre-MSIP fighters were replaced with the F-22. The ASDF "is even more likely to introduce the F-22." In the case of choosing to replace the F-4s only, the FA-18 will have an advantage because its price is lower and estimated at approximately 8 billion yen. The F-22 is a state-of-the-art hypersonic fighter jet that cruises faster than the speed of sound. Meanwhile, the FA-18E/F is deployed to the US Navy's Atsugi base for a carrier-based wing. Its design concept is old, but its reliability is high. One ASDF staff officer said, "In the process of screening FSX candidate models, we'll have to consider various factors, including the future of the pre-MSIP fighters." (4) Kasumigaseki confidential: Leadership struggle among security TOKYO 00002063 005 OF 013 affairs officials BUNGEI SHUNJU (Page 235) (Full) May 2006 The Japanese government's response to the issue of realigning the US forces in Japan has highlighted a nasty leadership struggle among Defense Agency officials, who do not seem to care about national interests. It is said that Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya (joined the Defense Agency (JDA) in 1971),who has been serving in his post for about two years and six months, will be retained in this summer's personnel reshuffle, having earned enormous trust from Iwao Iijima, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's private secretary. Moriya at his own has replaced officials one after the other, including Defense Facilities Administrative Agency (DFAA) Director General Shoei Yamanaka and Defense Policy Bureau chief Senri Yamauchi. There is no one at JDA who can stop Moriya. When negotiations on the relocation of the US Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station to Nago City deadlocked between the central government and the local government, senior Foreign Ministry officials, having lost this initiative to the Defense Agency, spoke behind Moriya's back: "Moriya bears full responsibility for the negotiations. He must go to the United States to break an impasse on the talks. He will probably not be able to do so because he can't speak English." A series of bid-rigging scandals involving DFAA officials prompted a personnel change battle in the agency. An anti-Moriya group had links to the Foreign Ministry. Since the Defense Policy Bureau is not allowed to take a neutral position, Director General Kazuo Ofuru, who wants to become next vice minister, supports Moriya. Administrative Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi, who was criticized by Iijima during his tenure as assistant deputy chief cabinet secretary, and North American Affairs Bureau Director General Chikao Kawai have remained spectators. Iijima, who has long been critical about the Foreign Ministry, backed Moriya. The battle between Moriya and anti-Moriya defense officials and the confrontation between Moriya and the Foreign Ministry thus involved the Prime Minister's Official Residence, as well. As a result, the Bush administration found out the power struggle. Ambassador to the US Ryozo Kato, who should be serving as a bridge between Tokyo and Washington, was unable to take appropriate measures to cap it, even though he has a channel of communication to Iijima. The Koizumi cabinet in its final months has revealed that an uncontrollable situation exists regarding Japan's security policy, the basis of Japanese diplomacy. (5) LDP presidency in 2006: Interview with General Council Chairman Kyuma MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) April 13, 2006 TOKYO 00002063 006 OF 013 Questioner: What do you think will become the main issues in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election? Kyuma: Usually there are no major issues in an LDP presidential race. Yet, the focus is now unnecessarily on the Yasukuni Shrine issue. I think it's not good to choose the prime minister based on such an issue in considering future elections. Questioner: Don't you think the next LDP leader should do something to repair strained Japan-China relations? Kyuma: Japan should do something before it has to be told what to do by China. My personal view is that it is wrong that Yasukuni Shrine has enshrined former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and other leaders who carried out the war together with drafted soldiers who died in the war. The government should tell the shrine to separately enshrine Tojo and others from the war dead. I think unless Yasukuni accepts separate enshrinement, the government should not allow cabinet members to formally visit that Shinto shrine. If the government so acts, the prime minister would be able to say to China, "You shouldn't meddle in our internal affairs." Questioner: Do you think the next prime minister should deal with the Yasukuni issue on his own in order to find ways to resolve it? Kyuma: Yes, I think so. The next prime minister should work out (measures to resolve the issue). Questioner: In that sense, who do you think is the most suitable person to be a successor to Prime Minister Koizumi? Kyuma: I don't know because candidates in order to win elections tend to take different views. Among the members of the Tsushima faction, to which I belong, there are members who have close ties with Chief Cabinet Secretary SHINZO Abe. A faction is a tool for political battles. Factions are made up of lawmakers who may not subscribe to the same policies. Candidates do not compete with each other on policy in the presidential race. The race is just a power struggle. Questioner: Do you think the faction system will operate in the upcoming leadership race? Kyuma: I don't think so. (Even if a faction decides its own candidate) and if that candidate is likely be defeated, faction members will not necessarily vote for that candidate. I think we have learned that we must back the right candidate under the single-seat constituency election system. Questioner: Some observers think that since factions always bet on the winning horse, they will back Mr. ABE in the end. Kyuma: It is not necessarily so. It is not that simple. Everybody thinks Mr. ABE is the most likely candidate, but is that really true? Mr. ABE should not just surround himself with only persons supporting him but with other people as well. Otherwise, he won't be able to win the race. Questioner: What's your assessment of the other competent candidate, Mr. Yasuo Fukuda? *********************** * Missing Section 007 * *********************** *********************** * Missing Section 008 * *********************** *********************** * Missing Section 009 * *********************** TOKYO 00002063 010 OF 013 remains wary. The US had insisted that the inclusion of vertebral columns were a unique case involving only the meat packers that shipped the products in question. However, the MHLW strongly insisted on the need to inspect the remaining 30 plus meat processing plants and has succeeded in having the US accept the request. The reinspections of authorized meat packers will likely take at least two weeks. US Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Lambert takes the position, "The two countries have reached a final settlement on additional measures." The MHLW has, however, checked this stance with a senior official noting: "We cannot proceed unless the results of inspections are satisfactory. It is premature to discuss a timeline to resume beef imports now." This official's stance is based on this notion: "In terms of probability theory, it is impossible to completely prevent the incident like the one that occurred last time. The international rule is that exporting countries are responsible for safety measures. It is not acceptable if Japan is regarded as being equally guilty to the US." However, there is no wary atmosphere at the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) like late last year, when the resumption of US beef imports was decided after a hiatus of two years. Prime Minister Koizumi gave this reply at a meeting of the Lower House Special Committee on Administrative Reform on April 13: "If you were in the American people's shoes, you would think US beef is safe, because Americans eat beef every day, more than Japanese do. You would complain why don't Japanese eat US beef, which is so safe." Though he later added, "My position is that I want the US to observe Japanese standards, if it wants to export its beef to Japan," his statement indicated his stance of searching for a timetable for reinstating the beef trade. The prime minister is expected to visit the US, when bilateral relations are fraught with various pending issues, such as USFJ realignment and the Iraq issue. Some officials at the Kantei take the view that it should undertake coordination of the views of MAFF and the MHLW over the beef issue as well. However, a hasty resumption of beef imports could incur objections from consumers. Toshiko Kaneko, chief of the secretariat of the National Liaison Committee of Consumers' SIPDIS Organizations, expressed concern: "Behind the background of the current problem is sloppiness in responses from both Tokyo and Washington. It is necessary for them to explain matters in a manner acceptable to the people, instead of simply saying, 'We want consumers to trust us.' If they make the same mistake again, trust in food safety will be lost." (8) Future course of Food Safety Commission - Interview with Nobuko Hisawa, external director of Snow Brand Milk Products Co.: Need to help consumers understand experts ASAHI (Page 15) (Full) April 14, 2006 Six members of the Food Safety Commission (FSC) resigned TOKYO 00002063 011 OF 013 recently. They must have had their respective reasons, but I think the number is fairly large. All of them were calling for caution in resuming US beef imports. Given this, consumer confidence in the FSC may have been undermined. Through news reports, though, I felt the members were dissatisfied with the panel's evaluation results regarding the BSE risk of US beef prior to Japan's resumption of imports last December. I was skeptical of the fact that the government had asked the FSC to deliberate on the safety of US beef, even though scientific data on US safeguard measures had not been fully collected yet. I thought that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare should judge whether to resume imports or not. Even so, if the ministries had independently made a decision on the BSE issue, in which the public is highly interested, they would have come under heavy fire. I felt sorry for the panel members because they had to work based on insufficient information. In my view, the uproar over their resignation was attributed mainly to a lack of understanding among the public of the roles shared by the food panel, which is tasked with assessing the risk of food on a scientific basis, and the ministries, which make policy judgments based on the assessment. This January, Japan imposed a second ban on US beef imports in reaction to the discovery of a specified risk material in a US veal shipment to Japan. On that occasion, government officials and politicians made remarks taken as calling for pressing the responsibility on the FSC or sounding as if the food panel had decided to resume imports. The resignation of six members is somewhat incomprehensible. The report released by the FSC last December reflected these members' views, too. They said: "It is impossible to make a scientific assessment due to a lack of data," and, "It is necessary to clarify the responsibility of the FSC and the government offices responsible for implementing policies." Given this, I believe the government did not use their views, so it is hard for me to understand why they had to resign. Most consumers neither read the report nor are informed of the details of their resignation, so they thought the six members had quarreled with the rest and left the group. Such a situation is truly regrettable now that the FSC - set up in 2003 - has achieved satisfactory results. Labeling the new members replacing the six as siding with the government is also irrational. In the mid-1970s, I began to have an interest in food safety out of concern about food addictives. Since then, I have joined activities by consumer cooperatives, but it was difficult to obtain information related to the risk of food for a long period of time. Since the FSC was established under the Basic Food Safety Law, discussions have been conducted openly, and even data disadvantageous to the industry have been disclosed. This might be a dream-like event for those who know much about Japan's conventional regulations on food safety. High expectations have been placed on the recent deregulatory moves. TOKYO 00002063 012 OF 013 In order to win consumer confidence, the committee should exchange information with consumers. The panel has put its energy in strengthening the risk-communication system to inform persons concerned of risk-assessment results. Panel members have also been carrying out activities in earnest, such as making speeches in various locations across the nation. To provide consumers with special scientific knowledge, (technical) skills are necessary. More staff might be needed to give detailed information to consumers in an understandable way. We consumers probably should not watch the recent resignation drama just out of curiosity. We should become more aware of the need to understand the domestic situation and the system related to food safety. (9) A visit to Yasukuni Shrine's war memorial museum Yushukan: A documentary film depicts the war as a "war of survival and self- defense" TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) April 17, 2006 By Yuji Shinogase The war memorial museum Yushukan is located at Yasukuni Shrine at Kudan, Tokyo. This museum has come under criticism at home and abroad as a facility that justifies Japan's war of aggression. What does Yushukan display and how? I visited there ahead of the shrine's spring festival, which starts on April 21. Yushukan is a five-minute walk from the Torii gateway on the approach to Yasukuni Shrine. When I entered Yushunan, I saw young couples and others trying to take pictures of the zero fighter displayed in the lobby with their mobile phones. I first went to the audio-visual room and watched the documentary film, We Will Never Forget: Thankfulness, Prayer, and Pride. The film recalls the efforts Japan made after the Meiji Restoration in 1868 not to be colonized by Western powers. The narration of the film explains how the Pacific War started: "There are some who say that Japan had the choice of abandoning its interests and returning to what it was prior to the Sino- Japanese War of 1894-95. But this would be the same as losing a war without having fought one, so Japan did not have this option." The narration ends by concluding: "It was a war of survival and self-defense in which a tiny nation in the Far East, Japan, rose up against the great powers." After the movie, an elderly woman wiped away tears with a handkerchief, saying: "I don't know why, but tears come to my eyes." In the exhibition room, photo panels and items related to the military are displayed to from the wars that Japan fought in chronological order from ancient times to the modern era. In the room dedicated to the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-45, the war is described thusly: "A insignificant incident at the Marco TOKYO 00002063 013 OF 013 Polo Bridge led to illegal attacks by the Chinese regular army, which eventually led to the North China Incident (Sino-Japanese War of 1937-45). Behind this lay a determination on the Chinese side to reject peace with Japan." In the Greater East Asia War (Pacific War) room, the reason for the start the war is described: "The final choice remaining for (US) President Roosevelt was to drive a resource-poor country, Japan, into a corner through an embargo on trade and force it to go to war." Meanwhile, Japan's position is described in this way: "As part of the efforts to improve relations with the US, the (Fumimaro) Konoe cabinet decided to sign the Tripartite Pact (Japan, Germany, and Italy) and adopted a policy to intimidate the US in order to avoid a war with it." In the Deities of Yasukuni room, photographs of the war dead and notes left behind by them are on display. A young woman stood in front of a farewell note written by Lt. Commander Masataka Furukawa, who flew on a suicide mission. The note goes: "We young men participate in the war because we hate the war. We hope many people understand the pure sentiments of such young men like us who are going to fight." There are some 5,000 photographs of the deceased, including one of former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who was sentenced to death as a Class-A war criminal. In it, he is described as General, Lord Hideki Tojo. Next to him is the photo of a young Army sergeant. There is a notebook where guests can leave their impressions of their visit to Yushukan. Pros and cons of the war were written in the notebook. A 13-year-old visitor wrote: "Japan has been portrayed as `evil' because it lost the Greater East Asia War. The Japan at the time was great." A 48-year-old visitor, however, wrote: "There was a great deal of discrimination against other Asians at the time, but there is no mention of that here. This is very self-serving." Yushukan: Built in 1882 to honor and venerate the souls of deceased persons and teach the modern history of Japan. After the Pacific War, was renamed the Yasukuni Shrine Treasury Museum and was again changed in 1986 to Yushukan. Two-story building is used for display and has an area of about 11,200 m2. Excluding photos of the deceased, has some 3,000 items on display, such as farewell notes, drawings, and weapons. Name of the building is derived from Chinese philosopher Xun Zi and means "to learn from people of high integrity through exchanges." SCHIEFFER