JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 04/05/07-1

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TOKYO 001482 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 04/05/07-1 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials 3) Prime Minister's daily schedule US diplomacy: 4) Weighed down by the comfort-women issue, North Korea policy, Prime Minister ABE will visit the US April 26-27 for an alliance-strengthening summit 5) ABE is trying to calm the waters over the comfort-women issue before his summit meeting with President Bush 6) Group of rightwing LDP lawmakers will visit Washington to explain Japan's position on the comfort-women issue 7) Russia to accept nuclear inspectors as precondition for Japan entrusting it to enrich its uranium for power plant use 8) US, Japan to sign GSOMIA next month to protect defense secrets and widen scope of materials subject to classification Beef about US beef: 9) Survey shows Japanese consumers still leery about eating US beef as unsafe 10) US-Japan debate over expanding beef shipments going nowhere, with US insisting on international standard and Japan sticking to 20-month age limit Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi, Yomiuri, Sankei & Tokyo Shimbun: Seibu Lions paid 62 million yen to five amateur players for 27 years Mainichi: Health Ministry's survey: 128 Tamiflu users showed abnormal behavior Nihon Keizai: Companies see opportunities in hospital, nursing care funds for improving medical quality Akahata: JCP talking to voters through election campaigning 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) Reform of special post offices is first test for new Japan Post President Nishikawa (2) Landscape ordinance would be trump card for revitalizing Kyoto Mainichi: (1) Kansai Telecasting has yet to completely take responsibility for fabrication scandal (2) Japan ranks third in ODA disbursement: Need to expand international contribution Yomiuri: (1) Article 722 of the Civil Law: DNA analysis can be used to determine biological parent and child (2) Japan-Thailand EPA should be Japan's economic strategy in Asia TOKYO 00001482 002 OF 007 Nihon Keizai: (1) Japan should overcome restriction on ODA budget from strategic viewpoint (2) Why was Japan-Thailand EPA delayed? Sankei: (1) MSDF intelligence leakage: Securing secrets is indispensable for alliance (2) Kansai telecasting's fabrication scandal: Restore pride as broadcasting member Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Japan ranks third in ODA contribution: Japan should debate whether it is good for it to continue decreasing ODA budget (2) Yellow sand from China: End the problem using combined wisdom of Japan, China and South Korea Akahata: Illegal use of political affairs fund: JCP making efforts to increase transparency of use of political affairs fund so that tax money will not be wasted 3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) Prime Minister's schedule, April 4 NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) April 5, 2007 10:30 Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shimomura at the Prime Minister's Office (Kantei),followed by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Matoba. SIPDIS 11:07 Opening ceremony for joint training session for new-comer national government employees at the National Youth Center Commemorating the Tokyo Olympic Games at Kamizono-cho, Yoyogi. 11:43 Arrived at the Kantei. 14:01 Met with female NHK and commercial TV casters who are serving as ambassadors to promote terrestrial digital media broadcasting 14:43 Absentee voting for Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly member election at Chiyoda Municipal Office in Kudan-Minami. 15:30 Met with Yasuo Hayashi and Osamu Watanabe, the incoming and outgoing directors of JETRO at the Kantei. 17:02 Food, Agriculture and Agricultural Village Promotion Headquarters. Then met with Finance Minister Omi. 18:43 Met with LDP Policy Affairs Research Council Chairman Nakagawa and Acting Chairman Kawamura and Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki. TOKYO 00001482 003 OF 007 4) ABE to make 1st US visit; Comfort women, North Korea on agenda TOKYO (Page 2) (Full) April 5, 2007 Prime Minister ABE is set to make his first visit to the United States as premier on April 26-27. ABE has been in the "run-up" for a half year to wait until the time is ripe to make the visit, according to one of his aides. The US side will welcome Abe's visit, with President Bush and his wife planning to host a dinner for the prime minister and his wife Akie. "The Japan-US alliance is the basis for our country's national security," ABE told reporters yesterday. "I'd like to talk with the president about strengthening the alliance," ABE added. With this, the prime minister stressed the importance of the bilateral alliance. In October last year, when North Korea announced its nuclear test, Abe was visiting South Korea and talked immediately with Bush over the telephone. In November, ABE met with Bush for the first time in Vietnam on the occasion of an international conference. ABE and Bush then held talks over lunch for about one and a half hours. Abe has said since before becoming premier that Japan's relationship with the United States is "the axis of Japan's foreign policy." ABE was therefore believed to choose the United States for his first foreign trip, excluding international events. However, he visited China and South Korea first. He next made a round of trips to European countries. He will now visit the United States as a third stop. This shows his confidence in the Japan-US relationship. In the United States, however, ABE has been criticized for his remarks over wartime comfort women. On April 3, ABE called Bush to explain what he really meant to say. On the issue of North Korea's nuclear programs, the United States has shifted to a flexible policy as seen from its lifting of financial sanctions on North Korea. The gap with Abe's hard-line stance toward North Korea is widening. How far can Japan and the United States keep up their bilateral cooperation? Challenges are in store for the premier. 5) In telephone conversation with President Bush, Prime Minister ABE prior to visit to US trying to calm waters of criticism of him on "comfort women" issue MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) April 5, 2007 Jin Omae With Prime Minister SHINZO Abe's first visit to the United States as prime minister approaching, the government is frantically trying to calm down criticism in the US of him over the so-called wartime "comfort women" issue. In a telephone conversation on April 3 with President Bush, ABE conveyed his attitude of standing by a statement issued in 1993 by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono acknowledging the former Imperial Japanese Army's involvement in the comfort-women issue, with the president expressing his understanding of Abe's stance, but it is still unclear whether the source of TOKYO 00001482 004 OF 007 trouble has been removed. "Out of concern that my remarks might not have been reported correctly by the media, I explained my true feelings to the president just in case," ABE told reporters yesterday to explain why he had mentioned the "comfort women" issue (during the telephone talks). ABE reiterated the expression "just in case" twice in order to emphasize he has obtained America's understanding or for other reasons,. Faced with strong reaction to the "comfort women" issue, many officials were initially optimistic, believing that an end would be put to the issue on March 11, when ABE gave the same explanation on an NHK TV program. But the issue was later reignited by remarks by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hakubun Shimomura denying the Japanese army's direct involvement in the issue. One US diplomatic source expressed disappointment: "We've strengthened the opinion that the 'Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei)' is a group of nationalists." Alarmed by the possibility that the "comfort women" issue may be taken up in the upcoming Japan-US summit meeting, the government began preparations for a telephone conference late last week. At a press conference yesterday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki indicated the issue would not be on agenda for the upcoming bilateral summit talks, noting: "I believe the president has now fully understood the prime minister's intentions." In fact, Bush did indicate his understanding during the telephone call, saying, "Present-day Japan is different from what it was during World War II." But a resolution calling on the prime minister to apologize for the former "comfort women" issue now being debated in the US House of Representatives is likely to be adopted after the prime minister's visit to the US. The issue is viewed as a "sensitive human rights issue," according to a source connected with Japan-US relations, and it also raises the question of how to face up to the "past" or WWII. 6) Junior LDP lawmakers to visit US on comfort-women issue NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) April 5, 2007 Final coordination is now underway for a visit to the United States in late April by junior members of the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) "Council of Diet members concerned with the future of Japan and historical education," it was learned yesterday. The purpose of their US trip is to explain the ABE government's stance on the issue of wartime comfort women, which has come under fire in the US, in the hopes of preventing the House of Representatives from adopting a resolution calling on the Japanese government to issue a formal apology to the former comfort women. The group's position on the comfort women issue is that there was no proof that the government or Imperial forces coerced women into brothels. The lawmakers planning to make a trip to the US include Yasuhide Nakayama, chairman of the sub-committee on the comfort women issue. They plan to arrive in Washington immediately after Prime Minister Shinzo ABE visits the US on April 26-27. 7) Russia to accept nuclear inspections; A step forward for Japan's uranium enrichment in Russia TOKYO 00001482 005 OF 007 NIHON KEIZAI (Page 1) (Abridged) April 5, 2007 MOSCOW-Russia will accept International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors for its uranium enrichment facilities, Russian Atomic Energy Agency Director Kirienko told the Nihon Keizai Shimbun yesterday. Meanwhile, Japan has entered into negotiations with Russia, asking Russia to enrich uranium for use as fuel at atomic power plants. This, however, is premised on Russia's establishment of a nonproliferation regime. Russia's acceptance of IAEA inspectors will likely push ahead the uranium enrichment deal with Japan. Kirienko will visit Japan shortly from April 10. Russia does not have to accept IAEA inspections under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). However, Kirienko clarified that Russia would accept IAEA inspectors for its uranium enrichment facilities at Angarsk in eastern Siberia. He also stressed that there was no obstacle to accepting IAEA inspections. Russia calls the Angarsk facilities an international nuclear fuel center. Russia plans to do business, collecting spent uranium from foreign countries and reenriching residual uranium to extract fuel for atomic power plants. Russia will advertise late this year for countries that want to enrich uranium, Kirienko said. Tokyo and Moscow agreed in late February to enter into negotiations for an atomic energy treaty premised on asking Russia to enrich uranium. The Japanese and Russian governments will talk about this matter during Kirienko's visit to Japan. "We may complete the work of concluding the treaty within the year," he said. 8) Japan, US to enter into defense info security agreement TOKYO (Page 1) (Full) April 5, 2007 Japan and the United States will enter into a general security of military information agreement (GSOMIA) in a two-plus-two foreign and defense ministerial meeting of their intergovernmental security consultative committee to be held in Washington on May 1, officials said yesterday. GSOMIA is intended to prevent defense secrets from leaking. The Japanese and US governments finalized a report last year, incorporating an agreement to realign US forces in Japan. The report stressed the need for the Self-Defense Forces and US forces to improve their interoperability in missile defense shielding, security planning, and other areas. Japan and the United States are expected to share higher-level military intelligence from now on. The two governments therefore deemed it indispensable to consolidate information security. Japan and the United States will now gearing up for military integration. Meanwhile, their defense policies are also likely to become unclear with the widening scope of confidentiality. Concerning the protection of defense secrets, between Japan and the United States have concluded a bilateral mutual defense assistance agreement. Based on this arrangement, Japan created a confidentiality protection law. Under this law, the Japanese SIPDIS government has taken steps to protect technologies and information TOKYO 00001482 006 OF 007 regarding equipment like vessels, aircrafts, and weapons. The government has punished those who violated the law. Police authorities are now investigating a Maritime Self-Defense Force member over his taking out of unauthorized data on Aegis ships. In this case as well, the MSDF member is alleged to have violated the law. The newly planned agreement is to widen the scope of confidentiality, classifying information not only about hardware but SIPDIS also about software, such as: 1) documentation and imagery received from the United States about operations and training exercises; and 2) technical data regarding joint research and development between Japan and the United States. 9) Survey on imported food products targeting housewives: "Problem about safety" is image of North American food MAINICHI (Page 11) (Full) April 5, 2007 A poll conducted by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Finance Corp. found that about 85% of housewives take into account whether products are domestically-produced or imported, when they buy food. The survey also revealed that due to the BSE issue, they still have a strong image that food products from North America have problems in terms of safety. The poll was conducted online in February targeting 2,078 housewives in the 20-60 age bracket. To a question about the image of food by country of origin (multiple replies were allowed),East Asia and North America topped the list of areas on which pollees have the image of having problems in terms of safety. As the image of Southeast Asian and Oceanian food, the largest number of respondents cited that they are cheap. The number of those who replied that food products from Oceania are safe came to 36.8% because of no occurrence of BSE there. The survey also found that respondents prefer domestically-produced food when they buy beef (21.4% ),chicken (19.5% ) and Chinese mushrooms (19.0% ), even if their prices are more than 30% higher than imported ones. 10) Arguments on US beef imports at impasse: Japan remains unable to start inspections: US urges Japan to totally open its beef market on strength of OIE standards: Japan calls for observation of 20-months-or-younger age criterion MAINICHI (Page 11) (Full) April 5, 2007 Washington is strengthening its request to Japan to completely liberalize US beef imports. At present, only beef from cattle aged 20 months or younger is eligible for exports to Japan. However, calls for the scrapping of this age criterion are intensifying. The Japanese government has asked the US government to allow it to inspect meat-processing facilities, taking the position that whether US meatpackers are abiding by the current import conditions must be confirmed first. However, the US has declined this request. Discussions on a possible revision of the import conditions in such a way as the US wants to see remain deadlocked. The six-month examination period, established in order to monitor TOKYO 00001482 007 OF 007 whether US meatpackers are observing the import conditions set by Japan following the decision last July to once again resume US beef imports, passed on Jan. 27. If matters had gone smoothly, there would have been the possibility of the two countries entering talks to discuss whether to ease the import condition and adopt the 30-months-or-younger age criterion, after the Japanese side confirming that its inspection of US facilities found no problems. However, the scenario Tokyo and Washington had envisaged began to derail with a shipment of products without age certificates in early February. The US did not submit an investigation report until Mar. 21, more than a month since the incident. During this period, Japan was unable to start inspection of meat processing facilities, the premise for proceeding to the next step, as a senior Agriculture Ministry official said. Concerning BSE risk in the US, Washington on Mar. 9 announced an outlook that the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) will recognize that US beef is on the level that requires no age criterion for exports. This has triggered the US offensive against Japan. President Bush in a speech given on Mar. 28 called on Japan to scrap the age criterion, saying, "If overseas markets are more open, livestock farmers' lives will become better off. He also indicated his intention to place the issue on the agenda of the bilateral summit meeting slated for later in the month. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on Mar. 29 made a negative remark on the acceptance of inspection by Japan, saying, "Japan should first pledge to follow the OIE standards." On Apr. 3, United States Trade Representative Susan Schwab during a phone conversation with Agriculture Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka formally called for the total opening of Japan's beef market. The US livestock industry has strong political influence. The Bush administration, which is suffering from sluggish support ratings, has no other choice but to give consideration to the industry in view of the presidential election next year. Amid the Democratic Party, which makes up a majority in the US Congress, criticizing the expansion of trade deficit with Japan, the administration appears to be motivated by the desire to regain its power base. Japan is maintaining the position that the examination period will not end unless inspection is completed. Whatever requests the US makes, Japan's stance will remain unchanged, as the same senior Agriculture Ministry official put it. Since the US going straight to making such a request as to ease the age criterion could break the agreement reached last summer, some are perplexed at its move saying, "I do not understand why the US is adamantly rejecting Japan's request for inspection." SCHIEFFER