Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TOKYO6823
2006-12-04 04:03:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION - IRAQ AND POISONING OF FORMER

Tags:  OIIP KMDR KPAO JA 
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DE RUEHKO #6823 3380403
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P 040403Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8830
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RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
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RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 2491
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5081
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1402
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 1177
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2666
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS TOKYO 006823 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR I/RF, PA/PR/FPC/W, IIP/G/EA, EAP/PD, R/MR,
EAP/J, EAP/P, PM;
USTR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE;
TREASURY FOR OASIA/IMI;
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA;
CP BUTLER OKINAWA FOR AREA FIELD OFFICE;
PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO JA
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - IRAQ AND POISONING OF FORMER
RUSSIAN SPY - TOKYO


LEAD STORIES: All Monday morning papers front-paged a
press conference by Miyazaki Governor Ando, during which
he revealed his intention to quit to take responsibility
for his assistants' alleged involvement in bid-rigging
for prefectural public work programs.

UNCLAS TOKYO 006823

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR I/RF, PA/PR/FPC/W, IIP/G/EA, EAP/PD, R/MR,
EAP/J, EAP/P, PM;
USTR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE;
TREASURY FOR OASIA/IMI;
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA;
CP BUTLER OKINAWA FOR AREA FIELD OFFICE;
PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO JA
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - IRAQ AND POISONING OF FORMER
RUSSIAN SPY - TOKYO


LEAD STORIES: All Monday morning papers front-paged a
press conference by Miyazaki Governor Ando, during which
he revealed his intention to quit to take responsibility
for his assistants' alleged involvement in bid-rigging
for prefectural public work programs.


1. "No Exit from Iraq in Sight" The business-oriented
Nikkei editorialized (12/4): "In their summit on November
30 in Amman, President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister
Maliki agreed on the accelerated transfer of security
responsibility to the Iraqi side. However, there appears
to be no clear scenario for a US pullout. The Bush
administration is essentially giving up on its goal of
realizing a democratic Iraq. Instead, Washington has set
territorial integrity and a self-sustaining government as
minimum goals. Even these will be hard to achieve.
Although Maliki insists that transferring security
authority to Iraq by next June is possible, restoring
order without US military assistance will be difficult.
More US troops are needed in the short term to hold off a
full-fledged civil war."


3. "Mysterious Death of Former Russian Spy: A Police
State Run Amok" An editorial in the conservative Sankei
states (12/4): "A democratic state guarantees free
elections and the right to criticize the government. Even
though it supposedly shares the democratic values of the
G-8 to which it belongs, Putin's Russia cannot be called
a democracy. The Kremlin is under the control of former
KGB agents, and elections for local governors have been
done away with. Now there has been a series of
assassinations and mysterious deaths of prominent
antigovernment critics.... The Putin administration has
denied its role in these killings. But whoever is
responsible, the essential nature of the problem is that
this police state ignores the human rights of dissidents
and has hence condoned terrorist attacks on them... This
month marks the 15th anniversary of the demise of the
Soviet Union. The political situation now is much worse
than it was during the twilight years of perestroika."

SCHIEFFER