JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 07/12/06

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 TOKYO 003879 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 07/12/06 Part-2 Index: 11) US media focusing on Japan possibly seeking preemptive strike capability 12) Minshuto President Ozawa: Japan cannot opt for preemptive strike capability 13) SDF extended on Golan Heights to next March for PKO 14) Government next year to introduce nationwide warning system using satellites to respond to missile attacks, earthquakes 15) Chitose, Komatsu cities accept US military training in Hokkaido 16) Third lawsuit over aircraft noise at Atsugi seeks government compensation of 13.1 billion yen 17) Japanese cabinet members will visit 20 countries altogether as part of diplomatic strategy effort 18) Taiwanese opposition party leader Ma meets former Prime Minister Mori 19) Government observers to monitor Congo election 20) New post-Koizumi administration to launch on Sept. 29, with extra Diet session running through December 21) Election-hungry Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) has lined up 240,000 party supporters thanks to Ozawa factor Contents: 11) US media introduces preemptive-strike argument NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Excerpts) July 12, 2006 By Hiroshi Maruya in Washington, DC There is growing interest in the United States regarding the remark by Chief Cabinet Secretary SHINZO Abe, as the Japanese government's spokesperson, on the argument for Japan possessing a capability to strike enemy bases. The US media has taken the remark as calling for a "preemptive strike" capability and so introduced the argument. Senior government officials have been besieged with questions from reporters. White House spokesperson Snow pointed out: "Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe, I believe, made a statement that (in the case of a preemptive strike,) constitutional amendment would have to be sought, and that Japan was not thinking of going outside the framework of the Constitution." The State Department spokesperson also stressed regarding Abe's statement: "We are taking it as an expression of his thinking that no option is being ruled out." In the US, since the Taepodong-2 missile launched by North Korea has the capability of striking the US mainland, the media has constantly reported the moves of the United Nations and Japan. In the news programs, some experts even referred to the possibility of Japan arming itself with nuclear weapons. TOKYO 00003879 002 OF 006 SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 07/12/06 Part-2 Index: 11) US media focusing on Japan possibly seeking preemptive strike capability 12) "It is not possible to launch preemptive attacks," says Minshuto chief Ozawa; JCP, SDP also critical of the idea MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) July 12, 2006 Commenting on the possibility of Japan launching preemptive strikes on enemy bases, an idea that cropped up among government officials following the recent launches of ballistic missiles by North Korea, Ichiro Ozawa, chief of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ = Minshuto) during yesterday's news conference indicated a negative, noting: "Japan can exercise the right of self-defense if it comes under military attack, but it is not possible to strike the enemy first when it has not yet launched attacks on Japan." He also blasted Chief Cabinet Secretary SHINZO ABE and Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga, who floated the preemptive attack argument, saying: "It is not good to voice an incoherent view. How can the enemy be determined? According to such an argument, once the enemy is identified, the fight must begin. Those who are in key positions must fully take the entire nation into consideration before making statements." Mizuho Fukushima, chief of the Social Democratic Party (SDP),also told reporters in the Diet Building, "The launch of preemptive attacks could lead to war." Japanese Communist Party (JCP) General Secretary Tadayoshi Ichita told a news conference on the 10th, "Such SIPDIS an idea will spark an endless arms race." 13) SDF mission in Golan Heights to be extended through next March YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) July 12, 2006 The government decided yesterday in a cabinet meeting to extend by six months through next March the term of the mission of Self-Defense Forces participating in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights. The SDF mission has been deployed to the Golan Heights based on Japan's UN Peacekeeping (PKO) Cooperation Law. The term of the SDF mission expires on Sept. 30. 14) Nationwide warning system to be introduced next year against missiles MAINICHI (Page 1) (Abridged) July 12, 2006 The government decided yesterday to introduce a nationwide warning system (J-ALERT) next year. J-ALERT will use a communication satellite and will automatically announce emergency information to all local communities in Japan over the disaster radio about earthquakes, missile launches, and other eventualities. When North Korea fired missiles on July 5, the government took time for communication, so some local governments were dissatisfied. The Fire Defense Agency (FDA) plans to earmark approximately 200 million yen in its budgetary estimate for next fiscal year. TOKYO 00003879 003 OF 006 SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 07/12/06 Part-2 Index: 11) US media focusing on Japan possibly seeking preemptive strike capability Each municipality currently receives government information faxed or by other means, and its employees air an alarm using the community wireless system. On July 5, North Korea fired the first missile at 3:30 a.m. The Cabinet Secretariat faxed this information to prefectural governments at 6:30 a.m. and confirmed the faxed information with them at around 7:30 a.m. The new system, which will use satellites, will make it possible to automate communication immediately. FDA tested the new system with 31 local governments from January through March this year. The test took 6-25 seconds from FDA's information dispatch through local radio announcements. In March this year, an expert panel released a report recommending a new community wireless system. The new system will be used for disaster prevention and national security limited to 13 emergency cases, such as major tsunamis, emergency volcanic information, emergency earthquake information, ballistic missiles, and major terrorist attacks. In the case of a ballistic missile attack, each local community's loud speakers will warn of possible missile landing and will then tell its residents to evacuate or turn on the television and radio. 15) 2 cities accept US military aircraft training TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) July 12, 2006 Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga yesterday met with Mayor Tohru Nishimura from the city of Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, and Mayor Kotaro Yamaguchi from the city of Chitose, Hokkaido, at the agency. In their meetings with the defense chief, the two mayors clarified that they would accept fighter jet training from the US Air Force's Kadena base in Okinawa Prefecture to the Air Self-Defense Force's Komatsu and Chitose bases. In response, Nukaga expressed his gratitude to the mayors while noting the importance of local understanding and vowing to make all-out efforts for safety, noise, and local development. 16) Court ruling tomorrow on US base noise; Future damage recognition in focus ASAHI (Page 37) (Abridged) July 12, 2006 The Tokyo High Court will hand down its ruling tomorrow on a third lawsuit over noise damage caused by the US Navy's Atsugi base, which is located in the cities of Yamato and Ayase, Kanagawa Prefecture, and which is used also by the Maritime Self-Defense Force. The lawsuit has been instituted by 4,865 local residents in a class action against the government that seeks compensation totaling approximately 13.1 billion yen. Yamato City's Nishitsuruma Elementary School is situated about two kilometers north of the Atsugi base, and the school is right under the flight path of US military and MSDF aircraft to and from the base. Children playing soccer or dodgeball on the schoolyard freeze TOKYO 00003879 004 OF 006 SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 07/12/06 Part-2 Index: 11) US media focusing on Japan possibly seeking preemptive strike capability every time a US military fighter jet roars across right over the school grounds, thundering through the air. The school's classroom windows, double-paned for soundproofing with government subsidies, are left open in summer. Classes stop when jets roar overhead. "I sometimes cannot finish everything I plan to teach in a class," a 46-year-old teacher said. This teacher was worried about children's concentration. Teachers transferred to the school from other cities are surprised at Yamato's children speaking so loudly. They are in the habit of speaking aloud above the roars of fighter jets. In May, Japan and the United States finalized a report on the realignment of US forces in Japan, incorporating an agreement to redeploy 59 carrier-borne fighter jets from Atsugi to Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi Prefecture. However, the teacher said, "People over there will also feel the same, so I don't know what to say." The USS Midway, a US Navy aircraft carrier, was based at Yokosuka for over 30 years. Since then, more than one million local residents living in the vicinity of the Atsugi base have suffered from noise. Capt. Justin Cooper, 45, who commands the US Atsugi Naval Air Station, is a veteran pilot with a flying time of over 3,000 hours, responded to an interview yesterday prior to the court ruling. "It's true that the base is located in a very densely populated area," the commanding officer said. "We probably have the most difficult flight hours and altitude restrictions not only in Japan but also in the States," the commander added. He noted the importance of a balance between the US military's core missions for the Japan-US alliance and friendship with local communities. "We must address the noise problem in a sincere manner," he said. On the third class action's plaintiff are 4,865 persons in various generations and occupations, aged from 8 to 101. 17) Strategic diplomacy to seek permanent seat on UNSC; Cabinet ministers to branch out to visit 20 nations for canvassing MAINICHI (Page 5) (Excerpts) July 12, 2006 The government yesterday started strategic diplomacy, under which it will selectively dispatch ministers to countries that are unfamiliar to Japan during the summer when the Diet is in recess. For a start, Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Kenji Kosaka will leave for Uganda. State Minister for Administrative Reform Koki Chuma will visit Estonia and Latvia. The strategic diplomacy is an idea proposed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Japan aimed to secure a permanent seat on the United Nation's Security Council (UNSC) during last year's USN Assembly. However, its effort did not come to fruition, because it had trouble with coordinating the views of African nations, with which Japan has few ties. Soul-searching that experience, Koizumi visited Ethiopia and Ghana this April and May for the first time as prime minister. After returning home, he ordered cabinet ministers TOKYO 00003879 005 OF 006 SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 07/12/06 Part-2 Index: 11) US media focusing on Japan possibly seeking preemptive strike capability to divide up and each visit assigned countries. In the past, each government agency decided on countries its minister visits in the summer. As a result, ministerial visits had been concentrated on popular European countries, the US and major Asian nations, indicating a strong nature of their foreign visits being just "trips." 18) Taiwan's Nationalist Party Chairman Ma meets with former Prime Minister Mori YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) July 12, 2006 Taiwan's main opposition Nationalist Party Chairman Ma Ying-jeou, who is also the mayor of Taipei, met yesterday in Tokyo with former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, and they exchanged views on the North Korean missile issue, China-Taiwan relations, and exchanges of young lawmakers from Mori's Liberal Democratic Party and Ma's Nationalist Party. 19) Government to send election monitoring team to Congo YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) July 12, 2006 The government decided in a cabinet meeting yesterday to send an election monitoring team to the Democratic Republic of the Congo based on its UN Peacekeeping Cooperation Law in order to support Congo's presidential and parliamentary elections, which will be conducted on July 30. The eight-member team comprising Foreign Ministry personnel and private-sector persons will go to polling stations. 20) Government, LDP under coordination to launch next government on Sept. 29; Extra Diet session to run until December MAINICHI (Page 2) (Excerpts) July 12, 006 The government and ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) began yesterday to consider convening on Sept. 29 an extraordinary Diet session, in which the new prime minister, a successor to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, is elected, and there launch a new government. They will coordinate a plan to run the extra session for 73 days until Dec. 10. The LDP will hold its presidential election on Sept. 20. The presidential election of the main opposition party Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) will take place on Sept. 25. The New Komeito will open its convention on Sept. 30. Given that the three parties will form new leadership lineups. The government and LDP have been determined that the new prime minister will be able to select the three top LDP executives and cabinet members after ascertaining Minshuto's new leadership lineup, and that New Komeito will be able to pick its new executives after its member is selected as a cabinet minister. TOKYO 00003879 006 OF 006 SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 07/12/06 Part-2 Index: 11) US media focusing on Japan possibly seeking preemptive strike capability The government and the LDP plan: The Diet's vote for the prime minister would be take place at the plenary sessions of both Diet houses after the Koizumi Cabinet resigns en masse on the morning of Sept. 29; and the new prime minister would conclude the selection of the three LDP officers and cabinet members on that day. They, however, are considering moving up the selection of the three LDP executives. The idea also is surfacing in the government and the LDP that the new prime minister would deliver a policy speech on Oct. 2 and carry out question-and-answer session at the two chambers of the Diet on Oct. 4-6. The government and ruling LDP aim to pass a set of bills to revise the Basic Education Law and a bill to amend the organized crime law that would make "conspiracy" a crime through the Diet during the next extraordinary session. Those bills will be carried over to the next session. 21) More than 240,000 voters registered as Minshuto's rank-and-file members and supporters YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) July 12, 2006 The main opposition party Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) announced yesterday that the number of registered rank-and-file members and supporters reached a record 244,482, surpassing by about 90,000 the number of last year. The party closed registration at the end of May. A total of 19,812 voters - 10 times last year's figure and the largest number across the nation's prefectures - registered in Iwate Prefecture, where party head Ichiro Ozawa comes from. An "Ozawa effect" was seen in Minshuto's collecting rank-and-file members and supporters. The registered rank-and-file members and supporters have the right to vote in the Sept. 25 presidential election. The number of rank-and-file members, who are allowed to participate in party management for an annual fee of 6,000 yen, increased to 39,705, up 2.6 PERCENT from last year. The number of supporters, who are required to pay 2,000 yen annually, substantially increased by 74.5 PERCENT to 202,683. SCHIEFFER