DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 03/30/07

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TOKYO 001414 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 03/30/07 INDEX: (1) MSDF sailor takes home top secret information on Aegis destroyer (2) Editorial: Documents unveil government's involvement in Yasukuni Shrine's decision on enshrining Class-A war criminals (3) Mood of ABE administration: ABE antagonistic toward America's "past occupation of Japan" (4) Atmosphere surrounding the ABE administration; Aims at a beautiful country in cooperation with hawks; Liberals wary of restoring old ways (5) Sankei-sho column (6) Scramble for uranium getting fierce: Rising demand due to increase in construction of nuclear plants in China and India; Japan plans to expand procurement from Kazakhstan to 20 percent of its imports through agreement to be reached next month (Corrected copy) MSDF crewman quizzed over vessel data taken out ARTICLES: (1) MSDF sailor takes home top secret information on Aegis destroyer YOMIURI (Top Play) Evening, March 30, 2007 An officer (33) of the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF),a crewmember of the destroyer Shirane based at the port of Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture, was found to have taken home a floppy disk containing classified data. In this case, it was also found today that records about Aegis vessels, probably those pertaining to their performance and the like, were contained in the data. The performance, etc., of weapons provided by the United States, based on the Japan-US Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement, is classified as the "top defense secret" (tokubetsu bouei himitsu) among the categories classified by the Defense Ministry regarding defense intelligence. Should such intelligence be leaked outside, the case may infringe on the Intelligence Protection Law. Given this, investigative authorities are cautiously probing the case by analyzing the data taken out. According to the investigative authorities, the Kanagawa prefectural police found and seized the floppy disk containing classified data on a destroyer radar system and a hard disk when they searched the home of the petty officer second class in Yokosuka City, after his Chinese wife was arrested this January on suspicion of violating the immigration law. The hard disk was found to contain intelligence on Aegis ships deployed in Japan. Petty officers are not supposed to have access to such information. The investigative authorities are probing the MSDF intelligence-management system and from where the officer obtained the data. An Aegis destroyer has the state-of-the-art air-defense capability and is able to intercept more than 10 incoming airplanes or missiles simultaneously. The US developed the Aegis system designed to pursue and attack targets with a computer, so data on the performance of Aegis ships are regarded as extremely highly confidential. TOKYO 00001414 002 OF 009 (2) Editorial: Documents unveil government's involvement in Yasukuni Shrine's decision on enshrining Class-A war criminals MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) March 30, 2007 The National Diet Library released the contents of a collection of documents regarding Yasukuni Shrine problems. The documents revealed that the former Health and Welfare Ministry and Yasukuni Shrine had held close negotiations on the topic of enshrinement of Class-A war criminals. In connection with the prime minister's annual visit to Yasukuni Shrine, controversy has raged at home and abroad over the propriety of the souls of Class-A war criminals enshrined along with the war dead. The government's view is that since Yasukuni Shrine, as a religious institution, decided to enshrine the Class-A criminals, the government can was its hands of the issue. The documents have revealed, however, that the Health and Welfare Ministry indeed was deeply involved in Yasukuni Shrine's decision-making on the enshrinement. We also have learned from the documents that the ministry in its negotiations with Yasukuni, cited its concern about negative public reactions to the enshrinement of war criminals. The ministry perhaps felt guilty about enshrining such criminals in light of the principle of separation of religion and politics. If that is the case, is it acceptable for the government to shift the responsibility for enshrining Class-A criminals solely to Yasukuni Shrine? The logical approach for the government would be to publicize all documents showing all the facts, including the released ones, and to then present its views to the public. In 1952, just after the US Occupation ended, separate resolutions calling for the release of war criminals were presented (and failed) in the House of Representatives and House of Councilors. According to the released documents, though, the process of enshrining war criminals did not track with the moves to pass such resolutions. The ministry and the shrine were both carefully watching the tide of public opinion. The released documents note that the former Health and Welfare Ministry proposed to Yasukuni Shrine in 1958 that consideration should be given to the possibility of enshrining B and C class criminals. It was also the ministry that called for a two-stage strategy to be taken to enshrine B and C class criminals without drawing attention to it, and then proceed to Class-A criminals afterward. Yasukuni Shrine included B and C class war criminals in the list of the war dead honored there in April and October of the following year. As it stands, the ministry treated the enshrinements of Class-A criminals and B and C class criminals as a set and took a two-stage strategic approach. In a general meeting of the shrine in December 1958, some participants suggested the possibility of enshrining Class-A war criminals in the future. Hearing this, Representative SHINZO Koizumi, former Keio University president, reportedly said with a sigh of relief, "You mean that a decision should be made here, don't you?" This episode shows that all shrine officials at that time were not necessarily in favor of enshrining war criminals. TOKYO 00001414 003 OF 009 In the process of deciding to enshrine war criminals, the former Health and Welfare Ministry sent a list of names of those to be enshrined. In response, the shrine examines the list and makes the final decision. The ministry formed separate lists of Class-A criminals and B and C class criminals simultaneously, but it waited to present the list of Class-A criminals until 1966, eight years later. But Yasukuni Shrine did not immediately decide to enshrine the Class-A criminals. Three years later, the shrine at first decided with the ministry to consider it possible to enshrine Class-A criminals but not to disclose their enshrinement. In the following year, however, the shrine changed its mind and reserved a decision on the matter. This indicates that the shrine was opposed to enshrining Class-A war criminals. Fujimaro Tsukuba, grandson of the Meiji Emperor, was chief priest at that time. Giving consideration to Emperor Showa's (Hirohito) intention, Tsukuba reportedly was negative about enshrining Class-A war criminals. The newly released documents prove this fact. In October 1978, just after Chief Priest Tsukuba was replaced with Nagayoshi Matsudaira, Yasukuni Shrine secretly enshrined the souls of the 14 Class-A war criminals to join the war dead honored there. A memorandum recorded by then Imperial Household Agency Grand Steward Tomohiko Tomita, found last year, showed that Emperor Showa had expressed his strong displeasure when he heard of this development. What procedures did Matsudaira take to enshrine the war criminals? What negotiations were carried out between Yasukuni Shrine and the former Health and Welfare Ministry? The released documents do not refer to the process that led to deciding the enshrinement of the Class-A war criminals. We urge the government to bring the final details to light. (3) Mood of ABE administration: ABE antagonistic toward America's "past occupation of Japan" ASAHI (Page 1) (Excerpts) Eve., March 30, 2007 Toru Hayano Yoshiaki Yoshimi (60),professor at Chuo University, has been frequently visited by Western journalists since the "comfort women resolution" was submitted to the US House of Representatives this January. They all ask Yoshimi: "Shinzo ABE is enthusiastic about resolving the abduction issue, but there is a contradiction in his attitude between the wartime comfort women and the abduction issue, isn't there?" As a researcher on "wartime comfort women", Yoshimi also finds commonality between the two issues. Wartime comfort women were unknown in the world until Etsuro Totsuka (65),currently a professor at Ryukoku University, denounced the Japanese government for having exploited women as "sex slaves" in February 1992 at a session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. He called on the Japanese government to pay compensation and asked the US to serve as a mediator. "Mr. ABE is persistently pursuing the abduction issue, but he gives TOKYO 00001414 004 OF 009 the former comfort women the brush-off. This attitude is viewed as a double standard. Mr. ABE may love the state, but he does not pay much attention to human beings," Totsuka said. The difference in treatment toward the "comfort women" issue between Japan and the US House of Representatives, as well as American journalism, may come from a gap in the awareness of human rights between Japan and the United States. Abe and the state: Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Yoshihide Suga (58) became acquainted with ABE in the Parliamentary League of Junior Lawmakers to Consider Japan's Future and Historical Education, a panel to deal with history textbooks. "Our friendship actually started with the time North Korea's cargo ship, Man Gyong Bong, was barred from calling at Japanese ports. Six lawmakers including Ichita Yamamoto, Taro Kono, and I moved to create a bill. Mr. Abe, then deputy chief cabinet secretary, backed our move," Suga said. Suga graduated from a senior high school in Akita Prefecture and came to Tokyo as part of a group employment. He worked at a cardboard factory, but one day, he made up his mind to go on to the next stage of education. While working, he went to Hosei University, worked as a secretary to a politician, served as a Yokohama City Assembly member, and then finally won a Diet seat. "I feel nostalgic for Ueno Station," Suga said. In the last Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election, Suga worked together with his fellow lawmaker, Yuji Yamamoto (54),currently state minister in charge of financial services, organized the "parliamentary group for a second chance" and helped Abe. Yamamoto said: "The ABE cabinet emerged as one of the inevitabilities of history. The Constitution and the Basic Education Law are likened to the body framework of a human being. The public sees the limits of the current Constitution and the current Basic Education Law. What (Mr. Abe) is trying to do is to restructure Japan into a normal country." I told Yamamoto regarding comfort women that it seemed unnecessary for ABE to stress, "There was no evidence to prove coercion." Yamamoto told me: "He gets so upset about such a thing." Tokyo University Prof. Takashi Mikuriya (55) is an expert on political history. Last year, he visited Yamaguchi Prefecture's Tabuse Town, the birthplace of Abe's grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, and conducted research on Kishi's diaries and letters at the town's museum. "I have yet to sort out the many documents I had collected at the time. When Kishi went abroad, he sent a picture postcard every day to his wife." Kishi formed his "anti-US" attitude while he was in the Sugamo Prison (as a Class-A war criminal),but he was a pragmatist who was able to comply with America's wishes even while confronting it. The point Mikuriya feels somewhat "dangerous" about ABE is that he sticks to the idea of amending the Constitution on the grounds that the Constitution was created when Japan was under America's occupation. Mikuriya noted: "The LDP's liberal lawmakers think that the Occupation turned out all for the best. But Mr. ABE has insisted that that was bad for Japan. For the US, which has now lost confidence in its foreign policy, the occupation of Japan is one of a few success stories. America seems to be wondering why the grandson of Kishi, which was backed by the US, is saying such things." TOKYO 00001414 005 OF 009 In addition to the current gap in perceptions about "wartime comfort women," if still another gap emerges regarding Japan's historical perception of the American occupation of Japan, the ABE administration may find itself forced to follow the path to isolation. (4) Atmosphere surrounding the ABE administration; Aims at a beautiful country in cooperation with hawks; Liberals wary of restoring old ways ASAHI (Page 1) (Full) Evening, March 29, 2007 By Aihiko Morikawa Whenever he meets foreigners, New Komeito Representative Akihiro Ota, 61, hurls these questions at them: "Is Japan a beautiful country?" and "What is beautiful?" Behind these questions lies Ota's desire to fully understand Prime Minister SHINZO Abe's vision of creating a beautiful country. Ota's answer to his own question includes the lifelong employment system, the national health insurance program, and the spirit to save the poor. Ota won a Diet seat for the first time in 1993 along with ABE after serving as a Komei Shimbun reporter and a Soka Gakkai Youth Division chief. As a peace-loving political party, the New Komeito has been giving special attention to low-income earners." Ota said: "Japanese people are losing such spiritual values as helping each other and caring for others. I would like to see the prime minister spell out specific ways to restore those values." Abe explained a beautiful country this way at the Diet: "Many foreigners praised Japan from the Meiji through Taisho eras. Albert Einstein underlined the need to maintain humbleness and pure and calm minds. I would like to create a country filled with people who behave in a simple and beautiful manner." The feudalistic way of thinking was very much alive in the Meiji (1868 - 1912) and Taisho (1912 - 1926) eras. Abe, who idealizes those periods, seems to equate a beautiful country with restoring the old ways. The New Komeito, which has endorsed revising the Fundamental Law of Education and upgrading the Defense Ministry to ministry status has arguably some liberal overtones. Ota's unique interpretation of a beautiful country also seems to reflect the party's desire to remain in the ruling camp. LDP General Council Chairman Yuya Niwa, 62, comes from a liberal faction named Kochikai that produced such prime ministers as Hayato Ikeda and Masayoshi Ohira. Niwa led his faction to back ABE in last year's LDP presidential race, knowing that he is a hawk. He had to acknowledge Abe's popularity. In late February, Niwa visited China where he had a heated debate with Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo that went as follows: Dai: "Japan must not fall behind the United States in normalizing relations with North Korea." TOKYO 00001414 006 OF 009 Niwa: "About 90 percent of the Japanese people want a settlement of the abduction issue. A democracy adopts a policy that reflects national opinion." Making a concession on the abduction issue would be suicidal for the Abe administration, Niwa thought. He also muttered: "If Prime Minister ABE had visited Yasukuni Shrine soon after assuming office, I wouldn't have been this eager to support him." He added: "People criticize the ABE administration as a rightist government. But in view of improved relations with China and South Korea and the administration's response to the social disparity issue, such criticism is irrelevant." He seems to be trying to generate the impression that the liberal forces have been instrumental in preventing the ABE administration from tilting toward the right. Rightist journalism is visibly unhappy with Abe, who has won liberals over to his side. A move is widespread in the LDP calling for a review of the Kono Statement on the so-called wartime comfort women. A non-mainstream member, Koichi Kato, 67, is particularly alarmed by the moves of Nippon Kaigi (Japan Conference). The Japan Conference was established in 1997 on the slogan of constitutional revision, adoration of the Imperial Family, a negative view on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and the like. Former Chief Justice Toru Miyoshi, 79, chairs the conference. The organization comprising rightist business leaders, including Ryuzo Sejima, 95, and shrine-connected individuals has growing influence over Diet members and local lawmakers. The group enthusiastically pushed for a revision of the Fundamental Law of Education. There is a group of Diet members sympathizing with the Japan Conference. Takeo Hiranuma, 67, who is close to Abe, chairs the group. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hakubun Shimomura once served as the group's secretary general. Kato said, "I should make moves once the ABE administration crosses the limit line." The new YKK trio composed of Taku Yamasaki, 70, Makoto Koga, 66, and Koichi Kato has repeatedly met recently. What is Kato's limit line? "Local communities are the starting point for the conservative LDP group. If the ABE administration tries to ignore local communities by, for instance, bringing competition to public schools, we will have to rise up against it." Japan Research Institute Chairman Jitsuro Terashima, 59, published last month a book titled Why Do the Business Leaders Have to Be Sensitive to Peace? (Toyo Keizai Shimpo-sha). Terashima, who spent many years in the United States as a Mitsui & Co. executive, is a global-minded liberal opinion leader. "If the ABE administration is trying to break away from the postwar regime to return to the prewar authoritarian system, it is a grave misconception. It has to give thought to the parts to look back on with pride as well as to the elements leading to the coming age." Is the ABE administration going to follow the policy course encompassing liberal forces, or leaned toward the authoritarian system? ABE is wavering between the two. The Japanese public holds the key. TOKYO 00001414 007 OF 009 (5) Sankei-sho column SANKEI (Page 1) (Abridged) March 26, 2007 Japan-US relations have somehow become strange. The United States, which must be fully aware of the importance of the abduction issue to Japan, has made a series of concessions to North Korea, reversing its hard-line stance. Reportedly, the contents of a "comfort women" resolution presented to the US Congress are identical to the claims asserted by anti-Japanese Chinese organizations. Prime Minister SHINZO ABE and President George W. Bush must wipe away the ill-will between the two countries during Abe's visit to the US in late April. When then Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone visited the United States in January 1983, the situation was similar. Washington was extremely unhappy with Tokyo over certain trade and defense issues. Motoo Shiina, who had the mission of doing the spadework, tried to convey Nakasone's true intention to a presidential assistant he knew. A summit was realized in the form of the US president unilaterally listening to Nakasone's soliloquy, according to Shiina's memoir. Shiina in later years often found himself busy repairing Japan-US relations whenever they grew strained. To some extent, the current situation is ascribable to the departures from the Bush administration of such Japan experts as former National Security Council Asian Affairs Director Michael Green, who once served as Shiina's private secretary, and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. Shiina passed away on March 16, 2007, after serving both in the Lower and Upper Houses for a total of 22 years, during which time he never assumed a major post, such as cabinet minister or parliamentary vice minister. Newspapers carried small obituaries on Shiina a week after his death as if to reflect his unassuming personality. (6) Scramble for uranium getting fierce: Rising demand due to increase in construction of nuclear plants in China and India; Japan plans to expand procurement from Kazakhstan to 20 percent of its imports through agreement to be reached next month NIHON KEIZAI (Page 3) March 30, 2007 A scramble for uranium, fuel used for nuclear power generation, is spreading throughout the world. Amid newly emerging countries, such as China and India pressing ahead construction of nuclear plants, many countries are moving to secure uranium early, alarmed about the prospect that it will become difficult to procure the material in the future. Japan intends to increase imports from Kazakhstan, a major uranium-producing country. Other major countries have also begun making efforts to secure uranium interests in the former USSR and African nations. It has become clear that Japan and Kazakhstan have entered final coordination of views in order to make a new uranium supply-procurement plan. In order to counter an intensifying contest to obtain uranium, the plan aims at raising the ratio of Japan's uranium import from that nation from the current 1 percent or so to around 20 percent. The governments of the two countries are expected TOKYO 00001414 008 OF 009 to reach agreement shortly. Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akira Amari will visit Kazakhstan with executives of 20 nuclear plant-related companies in late April. The two countries will issue a joint statement noting a reciprocal relationship under which Japan transferring uranium process technology to Kazakhstan in return for Kazakhstan signing a contract with Japanese companies to supply uranium to them. Japan also aims at obtaining the right to develop uranium mines there as well as to directly purchase the product. A stable supply-procurement plan is advantageous to both sides. Japan will likely become able to purchase about 20 percent of uranium it uses over the medium term. Kazakhstan's uranium reserve ranks second in the world. One-fifth of the uranium reserves in the world is said to be located in Kazakhstan. Japan's uranium consumption accounts for about 10 percent of the global consumption. If the plan realizes, Kazakhstan will become the third largest uranium supplier to Japan, following Australia and Canada. Uranium prices are skyrocketing due to the increased demand on the global market. Japan has the pressing need for diversifying suppliers because of concern over short supply of the product in the future. Visits to Kazakhstan by the METI minister and businesspersons will be the first government-private sector diplomacy intended to obtain uranium. Members of the delegation will include utility companies, such as TEPCO, Mitsubishi Nuclear Fuel Co., a leading nuclear fuel company, Toshiba Corp., which undertakes nuclear plant facilities, and the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation. Most companies are expected to send CEOs. Among Japanese companies, Sumitomo Corporation and Kansai Electric Power Co. have already decided to begin test production in Kazakhstan starting at year's end. Itochu Corp. has also signed a uranium procurement contract with National Atomic Company Kazatomprom. The agreement between the governments of the two countries this time will in a way give approval to the ever-expanding uranium transactions between the two countries. The Japanese government will also provide assistance through trade insurance. (Corrected copy) MSDF crewman quizzed over vessel data taken out YOMIURI (Page 39) (Full) March 30, 2007 A Maritime Self-Defense Force petty officer second class, who is a crewman of the Shirane, a destroyer under the command of MSDF Escort Flotilla 1, headquartered in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, has taken home a floppy disk that recorded information including data about a destroyer's radar systems, sources revealed yesterday. The floppy disk is believed to contain information classified by the Defense Ministry. Classified information is prohibited from being taken out. According to investigative authorities and other sources, Kanagawa prefectural police discovered the floppy disk at the petty officer's home when the police searched his home early this year to charge his Chinese wife with a violation of the Immigrant Control and Refugee Recognition Law. TOKYO 00001414 009 OF 009 The disk contained data about radar systems and radio frequencies. The petty officer is now under investigation. The Defense Ministry's classified information is categorized into three stages-"top secret (kimitsu)," "secret (gokuhi)," and "confidential (hi)" Leaking classified information conflicts with the Self-Defense Forces Law. SCHIEFFER