DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 03/15/07

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TOKYO 001133 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 03/15/07 INDEX: (1) Editorial: America's "betrayal" in six-party talks regrettable (2) Poll on US Iraq policy (3) Poll on ABE cabinet, political parties (4) Poll on ABE cabinet, political parties, national referendum bill, upper house election (5) Kenjiro Monji named ambassador to Iraq ARTICLES: (1) Editorial: America's "betrayal" in six-party talks regrettable SANKEI (Page 2) (Full) March 15, 2007 The six-party talks are now at a critical turning point. It would be suicidal for the six-party talks to accelerate economic aid before the North makes a decision on nuclear disarmament. Along with the demand for nuclear disarmament, the government's principle of "no aid to the North without progress on the abduction issue" has become public opinion in Japan. Disregard for that principle by Washington, which has shared the same perception with Tokyo, would leave a deep scar on Japan-US relations. The US-DPRK talks held recently in New York clearly exposed Pyongyang's intention to obtain 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil without sealing its nuclear facilities. There is a move in the United States to lay Pyongyang's illegal acts on the shelf partially despite its clear involvement in the counterfeiting of US bills. We find the move regrettable. A lenient response by the United States might prompt China and South Korea to allow the North to postpone the implementation of the agreement. In fact, the topic of shipping 400,000 tons of food and 300,000 tons of fertilizer to the North cropped up in the recent North-South cabinet-level talks. The administration of President Roh Moo Hyun is trying to eliminate the drive for sanctions that followed North Korea's nuclear test, expressing a willingness to extend electricity aid with the six-party agreement as the leverage. The six-party agreement deserves some credit in comparison to the Agreed Framework adopted in 1994 under the Clinton administration. The provision of light-water reactors is not included in the six-party agreement, which obligates the North to take initial steps within 60 days. Pitfall in multilateral cooperation North Korea relies heavily on China for its food and oil. Serious pressure on the North by China, the chair of the six-party talks, would be highly effective. The question is how the multilateral talks would proceed and the system would be run in the future. The United States held talks with the DPRK in Berlin despite its indication that it would not adopt a bilateral approach. This has resulted in the six-party talks eventually making concessions to the TOKYO 00001133 002 OF 007 North. Some observers think that as a result, Japan has been isolated in the multilateral framework. Shutting down and sealing nuclear facilities in the North might satisfy the United States, but that would be insufficient for Japan, which eyes nuclear disarmament. The emergence of a gap in perceptions of the threat would endanger the Japan-US alliance. US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill tends to lean toward multilateral cooperation. Hill appeared before a House public hearing on Feb. 28 in which he checked the idea of Japan going nuclear, saying regarding the six-party talks: "The absence of this process might have resulted in a more dangerous reaction." At the same time, some Americans are wary of making compromises with the North easily. Needless to say, the Japan-US alliance is indispensable for containing China's rise and Russia's highhandedness. China is a major power that has boosted its military spending and conducted an anti-satellite missile test. It will do anything in order to get energy. Despite that, the senior US official's words and deeds would foster a sense of distrust of the United States in Japan. An alliance rests on strong relations of trust. Discord between Japan and the United States would only please the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Nuclear development is the only diplomatic card Kim Jong Il has. He is looking for a chance to throw the six-party agreement into the wastebasket. The United States, China, and South Korea must not allow the North to delay the implementation of the six-party agreement, for such would increase chances of Pyongyang conducting another nuclear test. North Korea must be kept on list of state sponsors of terrorism The United States must not relax its financial sanctions on the North. We believe the US sanctions have proven far more powerful than Washington had imagined. Once cut off from the US dollar, a key currency, no country can survive. Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt referred to a Macau bank's freeze on North Korean accounts as the "enforcement of the law" to crack down on crimes rather than a sanction. By the same token, the law must be enforced to punish North Korea for abducting foreign nationals. A lack of proper punishment would add to the list of rogue states that already includes Iran. Tokyo and Washington must stand firm. The United States must not remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The Bush administration has always referred to abductions as an act of terrorism. Delisting North Korea is tantamount to giving in to terrorism. America's change of course has deeply disappointed Japanese people. It would roll back the strong Japan-US alliance, as well. Japanese people trembled with fear at North Korea's reckless actions, including the abductions, and have learned of the importance of fighting from the families of abductees. During his visit to the United States in April, Prime Minister SHINZO ABE must clearly convey Japan's resolve to President George W. Bush. TOKYO 00001133 003 OF 007 (2) Poll on US Iraq policy ASAHI (Page 9) (Full) March 15, 2007 Questions & Answers (Figures shown in percentage, rounded off) Q: In March four years ago, America started the Iraq war. At this point, do you think America's war with Iraq was right, or do you otherwise think it was wrong? (Figures in parentheses denote the results of a previous survey taken Oct. 2-3, 2004.) Right 12 (16) Wrong 75 (71) Q: US President Bush announced a new strategy in January to send more troops to Iraq in order to stabilize public security in Iraq. Do you think sending reinforcements to Iraq will lead to the stabilization of public security in Iraq? Yes 15 No 70 Q: The Bush administration, upholding its war on terror, started military operations in Afghanistan and later expanded the scope of such military operations to Iraq. Do you think this has led to antiterror deterrence? Yes 24 No 57 Q: The Iraq Special Measures Law's four-year validity is to expire in July. Do you support extending this law to continue the Air Self-Defense Force's mission in Iraq? Yes 19 No 69 Q: Do you think the Japanese government should continue to cooperate with the Bush administration on its Iraq policy? Yes 18 No 69 Polling methodology: The survey was conducted March 10-11 over the telephone on a computer-aided random digit dialing (RDD) basis. Respondents were chosen from among the nation's voting population on a three-stage random-sampling basis. Valid answers were obtained from 1,788 persons (52% ). (3) Poll on ABE cabinet, political parties TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) March 13, 2007 Questions & Answers (Figures shown in percentage. Parentheses denote the results of the last survey conducted Feb. 3-4.) Q: Do you support the ABE cabinet? TOKYO 00001133 004 OF 007 Yes 39.9 (40.3) No 42.2 (44.1) Don't know (D/K) + no answer (N/A) 17.9 (15.6) Q: (Only for those who answered "yes" to the previous question) What's the primary reason for your approval of the ABE cabinet? Pick only one from among those listed below. The prime minister is trustworthy 27.4 (25.1) Because it's a coalition cabinet of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito 6.7 (5.6) The prime minister has leadership ability 1.9 (2.1) Something can be expected of its economic policies 4.5 (2.4) Something can be expected of its foreign policies 8.4 (15.5) Something can be expected of its political reforms 6.4 (5.1) Something can be expected of its tax reforms 0.7 (2.0) Something can be expected of its administrative reforms 3.0 (4.3) There's no other appropriate person (for prime minister) 37.8 (33.3) Other answers (O/A) 2.2 (4.0) D/K+N/A 1.0 (0.6) Q: (Only for those who answered "no" to the first question) What's the primary reason for your disapproval of the ABE cabinet? Pick only one from among those listed below. The prime minister is untrustworthy 10.3 (9.8) Because it's a coalition cabinet of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito 6.6 (5.5) The prime minister lacks leadership ability 34.8 (30.4) Nothing can be expected of its economic policies 13.7 (14.5) Nothing can be expected of its foreign policies 2.4 (1.7) Nothing can be expected of its political reforms 10.3 (10.7) Nothing can be expected of its tax reforms 8.9 (4.5) Nothing can be expected of its administrative reforms 5.9 (10.3) Don't like the prime minister's personal character 3.5 (8.0) O/A 3.0 (4.2) D/K+N/A 0.6 (0.4) Q: The Liberal Democratic Party has decided to reinstate Seiichi Eto, a former House of Representatives member who voted against TOKYO 00001133 005 OF 007 postal privatization and left the LDP. The LDP will recognize him as a proportional representation candidate in this summer's election for the House of Councillors. Do you support his comeback to the LDP? Yes 17.4 No 63.3 D/K+N/A 19.3 Q: Within the LDP, there is an opinion that the cabinet should be shuffled before this summer's House of Councillors election. Do you agree? Yes 55.9 No 25.2 D/K+N/A 18.9 Q: The ABE cabinet has been in office for nearly six months. What do you think about Prime Minister Abe's leadership ability? Up to expectations 18.9 (16.2) Beyond expectations 2.2 (2.0) Short of expectations 45.1 (42.8) No expectations from the start 30.7 (34.5) D/K+N/A 3.1 (4.5) Q: Which political party do you support? Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 39.9 (35.1) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 16.9 (15.4) New Komeito (NK) 3.1 (2.9) Japan Communist Party (JCP) 3.1 (2.6) Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1.6 (2.0) People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0.1 0.5 New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0.2 (0.1) Other political parties, groups --- (---) None 32.4 (39.8) D/K+N/A 0.7 (1.6) Polling methodology: The survey was conducted March 10-11 by Kyodo News Service on a computer-aided random digit dialing (RDD) basis. Among randomly generated telephone numbers, those actually for household use with one or more eligible voters totaled 1,482. Answers were obtained from 1,040 persons. (4) Poll on ABE cabinet, political parties, national referendum bill, upper house election ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) March 13, 2007 Questions & Answers (Figures shown in percentage, rounded off. Bracketed figures denote proportions to all respondents. Parentheses denote the results of a previous survey conducted Feb. 17-18.) Q: Do you support the ABE cabinet? Yes 38 (37) No 41 (40) Q: Why? (One reason only. Left column for those marking "yes" on previous question, and right for those saying "no.") TOKYO 00001133 006 OF 007 The prime minister is Mr. ABE 17 (6) 6(2) It's an LDP-led cabinet 26(10) 19(8) From the aspect of policies 23 (9) 60(25) No particular reason 31(12) 13 (5) Q: Which political party do you support now? Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 32 (29) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 12 (13) New Komeito (NK) 3 (2) Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 2 (2) Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1 (2) People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0 (0) New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0 (0) Other political parties 0 (1) None 45 (45) No answer (N/A) + don't know (D/K) 5 (6) Q: Do you appreciate the ABE cabinet's efforts for economic policy measures? Yes 22 No 54 Q: Do you appreciate the ABE cabinet's efforts for the nation's social divide? Yes 16 No 62 Q: Do you appreciate the ABE cabinet's efforts for educational reform? Yes 37 No 43 Q: Do you appreciate the ABE cabinet's efforts for Asia diplomacy? Yes 39 No 40 Q: Do you think Mr. ABE has appropriately accounted for his political beliefs and ideas? (Parentheses denote the results of a survey taken Nov. 11-12, 2006.) Yes 24 (31) No 66 (55) Q: Do you think a national referendum law should be created? Yes 68 No 19 A: Do you support Prime Minister Abe's idea of legislating a national referendum bill into law during the current Diet session? Yes 48 No 32 Q: Do you think the LDP can win in this summer's election for the TOKYO 00001133 007 OF 007 House of Councillors under Prime Minister Abe? (Parentheses denote the results of a survey taken Jan. 20-21.) Yes 42 (44) No 34 (28) Polling methodology: The survey was conducted March 10-11 over the telephone on a computer-aided random digit dialing (RDD) basis. Respondents were chosen from among the nation's voting population on a three-stage random-sampling basis. Valid answers were obtained from 1,788 persons (52% ). (5) Kenjiro Monji named ambassador to Iraq SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) March 7, 2007 The government decided on March 6 at a cabinet meeting on the appointment of Kenjiro Monji, a former Defense Ministry director general, as ambassador to Iraq, and other appointments. It will officially announce them on March 8. Kenjiro Monji, ambassador to Iraq: Graduated from the University of Tokyo; entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in 1975; has been attached to the Secretariat of the Defense Minister since March 2007, after serving as National Security Policy Division director and a Defense Ministry director general; age 54; born in Fukuoka Prefecture. Shigeru Endo, ambassador to Tunisia: Completed graduate school at Waseda University; joined MOFA in 1974; has been ambassador to international organizations in Geneva and consul general in Geneva since August 2003, after serving as Energy Resources Division director and deputy director general of MOFA Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau; age 58; Fukushima Prefecture. Osamu Shiozaki, ambassador to Honduras: Graduated from Keio University; entered MOFA in 1973; has been consul general in Ho Chi Minh since July 2003, after serving as director of the External Research Department of the National Space Development Agency (currently the Japan Aerospace Explanation Agency or JAXA) and consul general in New York; age 59; Tokyo. Yukihiro Maekawa, ambassador to Ecuador: Left Sophia University in mid-course; joined MOFA in 1968; has been councilor of the Embassy in Spain since February 2005, after serving as analyst of the First Analysis Division and councilor of the Embassy in Paraguay; age 62; Nagasaki. SCHIEFFER