DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07/14/06

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SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07/14/06
Part-1
INDEX:
(1) Editorial: Time to aim at a unified UNSC resolution on North
Korea


(2) World Click column by Yoichi Kato: America's "values" diplomacy
now stumbles, putting Japan in awkward situation for its statement
that it shares values with America

(3) US deputy assistant trade representative urges Japan to
compromise in Doha Round

(4) Prime Minister Koizumi meets secretly with Yasuo Fukuda at
Japanese restaurant

(5) Takeo Hiranuma starts consultations with Chief Cabinet Secretary
Abe to rejoin LDP

(6) Vice Minister Takemasa Moriya to be retained in post: Unusual
case

(7) Successors are also blindly following US

-- There will be no Daily Summary on July 17 - a Japanese holiday.

ARTICLES:
(1) Editorial: Time to aim at a unified UNSC resolution on North
Korea

ASAHI (Page 3) (Abridged)
July 14, 2006

China and Russia, which are both against Japan's sanctions
resolution against North Korea, have indicated they will propose
their own draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council
(UNSC) critical of North Korea. Although they have drawn the line at
imposing sanctions, the two Council members seem to have lined up on
the point of expressing the will of the international community in
the form of a resolution.

A number of other countries including Britain and France have added
their names to the joint sponsors of the UNSC resolution drafted by
Japan and the United States. In response, China and Russia at first
proposed a non-binding statement by the chair of the Council, and
the Chinese ambassador was so fiercely opposed, he threatened to use
China's veto power against it.

Deep divisions seem to have opened up in the UNSC. A rumor of a
compromise then spread, involving a two-stage plan: the chair would
first issue a moderate statement, and then afterward, depending on
the situation, move toward a forceful resolution. We would like to
welcome China and Russia's willingness to compromise and to provide
a new opportunity for the Council to come together.

The reality in the UNSC is that permanent members have a powerful
weapon in their possession, a veto power that can stop anything
action from moving forward. Even if a resolution moves forward to a
vote, it can be buried by the use of a veto, laying open the split
in the international community. Indeed, that was exactly what North
Korea had wanted.

At this point, what the international community should not do is to
exaggerate its differences. Both China and Russia historically have
had close relations with North Korea. China in particular even now

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SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07/14/06
Part-1
INDEX:
(1) Editorial: Time to aim at a unified UNSC resolution on North
Korea

continues to assist the North with oil, food, and other supplies. It
would have great significance if China itself drafts a resolution
denouncing by name that country, with which it has had friendly
ties. That is why it has appeared to take the recent missile
launches very seriously.

The recognition of that fact in itself can form the basis for
bringing together the views of the Council. There is no major
difference between the two draft resolutions on the two points of
asking North Korea not to launch any more missiles and to return to
the six-party talks. Japan and other concerned countries should
strengthen their efforts to unify the two resolutions into one.

The biggest difference in view is the mention in the Japan-US
version of Chapter 7 of the UN Charter that opens the way for the
use of military and non-military sanctions. This contents gives
additional forceful pressure on North Korea. Such wording is
missing in the China-Russia draft, and the tone of the criticism of
North Korea is weak.

The focus next should be on how to coordinate between the two sides.
As long as China and Russia are not on board, no matter what content
is in the draft resolution, it will clearly never see the light of
day. Japan's hard-line stance has had an aspect of getting China
and Russia to move. China even sent a vice minister to North Korea
to try to persuade Pyongyang. Both Japan and the US' strong contents
and China and Russia's moderately worded draft likely had an impact
on talks between Beijing and Pyongyang. If North Korea will take a
flexible stance, the situation could again change.

In that sense, until a settlement is reached on the draft
resolution, there are still many fluid elements we should be aware
of. In order to issue as quickly as possible a unified message from
the international community, we ask that each country respond
flexibly and constructively.

(2) World Click column by Yoichi Kato: America's "values" diplomacy
now stumbles, putting Japan in awkward situation for its statement
that it shares values with America

ASAHI (Page 13) (Abridged)
July 13, 2006

By Yoichi Kato

Superman Returns, a US film recently released, has become a topic of
conversation due to a slight change in the film made from the
version shown to the domestic audience to the version shown to an
international audience.

Superman or the Man of Steel stands for "justice, truth, and the
American way." Of these three ideas, the American way is replaced by
"all that stuff" in the film released abroad.

This change was made in consideration of box-office profits in other
countries, because "America" is no longer popular these days due to
the Iraq war and its immigration policy. In terms of business
calculations, making such a change is understandable, and doing so
may be only natural. But the change also gives the impression that

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SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07/14/06
Part-1
INDEX:
(1) Editorial: Time to aim at a unified UNSC resolution on North
Korea

the United States has somewhat lost confidence in its sense of
values.

The US media have briskly reported recently that America's "values
diplomacy" -- focusing on such themes as freedom, democracy, and
human rights, as advocated by the Bush administration as its slogan,
has not been doing well.

The major flaw in promoting values diplomacy is the slow progress in
democratizing Iraq. In addition, the overwhelming victory in the
Palestinian parliamentary election in January by the radical Islamic
group Hamas, which the US regards as a terrorist organization, came
as a great shock to Washington.

The US is also being criticized severely for a double standard in
its foreign policy, for it tends to be lenient with oil producing
countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan when it comes to
democratization and human rights in those countries. The fact that
the US tortured war prisoners during its war on terror is rocking
the very foundation of its values diplomacy, bringing up the
question of whether the US is really qualified to speak about human
rights.

The non-profit organization Freedom House's Executive Director
Windsor writes in a recent essay, "This values policy the US
president planned to leave the future generation as a legacy could
retreat or lose credibility," pointing out the need for measures to
deal with such possible cases.

As if to respond to this call, Michael Green, who had served as
senior director for Asia on the National Security Council until the
end of last year, has come out with a set of proposals to promote
values diplomacy in Asia.

The proposals will come out in an essay he has written for the
September issue of a journal. Green points out an emergence of a
"balance of thought" emerging in Asia as a new framework for
competition in addition to the usual balance of power. He stresses
the need to have America's agenda that centers on spreading
democracy take root in the region as its own agenda.

But, doing so will not be an easy. Southeast Asian nations view
America's values diplomacy as somewhat annoying. One Asian diplomat
complained: "We receive a lot of requests (from the US). This is a
big problem between the US and our country."

The Bush administration greatly welcomed Prime Minister Koizumi's
visit to the US in June. This is in part because the prime minister
declared that Japan shares with the US basic values and common
interests. His declaration lent a helping hand to the Bush
administration's well-battered values diplomacy.

In dealing with North Korea's recent missile launches, however, the
White House has stated, "They are no direct threat to the US," which
made Japan aware of the differing interests between Japan and the
US. Japan has stated it shares values with the US, but this position
could lead to such questions as: What can Japan do to protect
democracy in Taiwan in the event that a crisis occurs there?


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Part-1
INDEX:
(1) Editorial: Time to aim at a unified UNSC resolution on North
Korea

Is it all right to so easily declare that Japan shares values and
interests (with the US)? I wondered about that when I watched TV
news showing the prime minister imitating Presley. As time goes by,
skepticism and concerns have been growing in my mind.

(3) US deputy assistant trade representative urges Japan to
compromise in Doha Round

YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full)
Evening, July 14, 2006

By Eiji Hirose in Washington

Deputy Assistant Trade Representative Jason Hafemeister, who is
responsible for agricultural trade negotiations at the Office of the
United States Trade Representative (USTR),met on July 13 with a
segment of the Japanese press corps in Washington. Referring to the
stalemated agricultural talks under the World Trade Organization's
multilateral trade negotiations (Doha Round),he stated: "The US
cannot reach agreement as long as there is insufficient market
opening in other countries. We are asking other countries to
negotiate seriously." He expressed his view that it was
indispensable for Japan and other food importing countries to reach
a compromise with food exporting countries by making large cuts in
tariffs and the like.

(4) Prime Minister Koizumi meets secretly with Yasuo Fukuda at
Japanese restaurant

SENTAKU (Page 44) (Full)
July 2006

A rumor got around the capital district of Nagatacho that Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi met secretly with former Chief Cabinet
Secretary Yasuo Fukuda on the night of June 21. The name of a

SIPDIS
Japanese restaurant at which Koizumi and Fukuda were believed to
have met is "Fukuda-ya." It's well known that Koizumi dined that day
with the chairman of Mitsui Fudosan Co. At that time Fukuda met with
business leaders in a different room in the restaurant Fukuda-ya,
according to persons close to Koizumi and Fukuda. Nobody believes
such an explanation that the two came together by accident. Since
Koizumi is not on friendly terms with the chairman of Mitsui
Fudosan, it's hardly possible that the two had a conversation more
than two hours at the restaurant, according to a senior Mori faction
member.

It is a classical method for politicians to hold a secret meeting
under cover of a meeting with a business leader. Opinion is widely
divided on the question of what was discussed between Koizumi and
Fukuda: one is that Koizumi met with Fukuda to confirm a rumor that
Fukuda had told his close friend that he would not run in the
Liberal Democratic Party presidential election; and another is
Koizumi urged Fukuda to run in the race in order to boost the LDP
presidential election campaign. The truth remains hidden from sight,
however.

(5) Takeo Hiranuma starts consultations with Chief Cabinet Secretary
Abe to rejoin LDP


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SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07/14/06
Part-1
INDEX:
(1) Editorial: Time to aim at a unified UNSC resolution on North
Korea

SENTAKU (Page 44) (Full)
July 2006

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe held a secret meeting with Takeo
Hiranuma, former trade minister, in early June in Tokyo. The two
appear to have begun negotiations on the possibility of Hiranuma's
return to the Liberal Democratic Party.

The meeting reportedly was held at the request of Hiranuma. If
Hiranuma successfully rejoins the LDP, such would help junior and
mid-level lawmakers supporting Abe win veteran lawmakers over to
their side. That is just the boost those supporters need.

Reportedly, however, Abe has avoided referring to the question of
Hiranuma's return to the LDP, and Hiranuma sought to check Abe by
bringing up a plan to form a new party.

(6) Vice Minister Takemasa Moriya to be retained in post: Unusual
case

Bungei Shunju August, 2006

Transfers of senior Defense Agency (JDA) officials have been
finalized. Public attention had been riveted to which post
Administrative Vice Minister Takemasa Moriya (entered the JDA in
1971) will be transferred to. However, it turns out that he will
remain in his present office and serve his fourth term. This is an
unusual case. He accompanied Prime Minister Koizumi on his visit to
the US for the late June bilateral summit, indicating that the prime
minister has deep trust in him. The incident made audiences both in
Japan and abroad realize that the prime minister distrusts Vice
Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi (entered in the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in 1969) and North American Affairs Bureau Director General
Chikao Kawai. Moriya will continue to spearhead efforts to upgrade
the JDA to ministry status and deal with the USFJ realignment
issue.

Who will succeed Moriya is not clear at all. Iwao Kitahara, director
general of the Defense Facilities Administration Agency (DFAA),
(entered DFAA in 1947) will most likely resign due to the recent
bid-rigging scandal involving the agency. Chief of Secretariat
Tetsuo Nishikawa (entered the National Police Agency in 1972) is
expected to be picked to succeed Kitahara. As a result, Kazuo Oko
(entered the JDA in 1973),director general of the Defense Policy
Bureau, will top the list of potential successors for administrative
vice minister. However, he has a reputation for lacking leadership
and the ability to make Diet replies, as a cabinet minister put it.
His success would be far from certain.

A plan has been floated for Kohei Masuda (entered in the DFAA in
1975),DFAA technical councilor, to succeed Moriya in two years.
From the beginning, Masuda had been regarded as a potential
candidate for that position. However, he has been deprived of this
post because he is close to Kyoji Yanagisawa, assistant deputy chief
cabinet secretary, and critical of Moriya. He worked hard to settle
the recent bid-rigging scandal. There is now a possibility of his
being picked as administrative vice minister, because he has
corrected his previous anti-Moriya stance. Rumor has it that this
summer he might be appointed secretary general of the Secretariat of

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INDEX:
(1) Editorial: Time to aim at a unified UNSC resolution on North
Korea

the Minister of State for Defense, director general of the Defense
Operations Bureau, or director general of the Bureau of Finance and
Equipment.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masahiro Futahashi (entered the
former Home Affairs Ministry in 1964),who overtly expresses his
dislike of Moriya, is said to be one of those who have complicated
the USFJ realignment issue by siding with Okinawa along with MOFA.
Following the retention of Moriya in office, those close to Koizumi
have secretly started considering when to replace Futahashi with
Cabinet Office Administrative Vice Minister Tsuyoshi Erikawa
(entered the former Ministry of Health and Welfare in 1970).

(7) Successors are also blindly following US

Bungei Shunju, August 2006

Prime Minister Koizumi had fun at the Graceland in Memphis,
Tennessee with President Bush. An inclination to emulate US values
is seen not only in Koizumi but also among the children of Japanese
politicians.

The second son of Koizumi joined the Center for Strategic
International Studies (CSIS) this spring as a researcher, after
graduating from Columbia University. Michael Green, former senior
director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council, heads
the Japan program at CSIS. The second son of Koizumi is expected to
inherit his father's constituency in Yokosuka when Koizumi retires.
Green, who is a friend of Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe, the favorite
to be the next prime minister, has apparently let the Japanese
political world be indebted to him again.

A son of Hirofumi Nakasone and a grand son of Yasuhiro Nakasone, who
has now retired from politics, having been told to give up running
in the previous Lower House election by Koizumi, will also enter
Columbia University. Yasuhiro Nakasone has three courses that carry
his name at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced
International Studies (SAIS) in Washington DC, but his grandson
entered one of the Ivy League universities. There is a reason why
both Koizumi's second son and Nakasone's grandson chose Columbia
University. Gerald Curtis, who is a well-known Japan expert, is a
professor there.

The eldest son of Yasuo Fukuda, who is also a potential candidate to
be the next prime minister along with Abe, also graduated from SAIS.
He traveled with his father when he visited the US shortly after the
Golden Week Holiday in May. He is expected to succeed to his
father's constituency. Kent Calder, a Japan expert, is now a
professor at SAIS. In the US, barriers among the academic, political
and bureaucratic worlds are low due in part to political appointee
system. Struggles of competing interests are fierce in the small
academic circle of Japan specialists. Competition by academic
institutions to capture children of influential politicians is part
of such struggles.

Grandsons and great-grandsons of influential politicians will
continue to study at prominent universities or think-tanks and
contribute to strengthening the Japan-US alliance in the future.


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SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07/14/06
Part-1
INDEX:
(1) Editorial: Time to aim at a unified UNSC resolution on North
Korea

SCHIEFFER