JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 01/05/07

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E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 01/05/07 Index: 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials 3) Prime Minister's daily schedule Abe in charge: 4) Prime Minister Abe's New Year's press conference tinged with his own political ideas 5) Text of prime minister's New Year's news conference 6) Former vice minister of land, transport ministry running for Upper House seat solicited political funds from scandal-ridden bridge-construction circles 7) ABE beefing up his prime ministerial assistants by adding authority 8) New Komeito head Ota to travel to China, meet President Hu Jintao on Jan. 8 in effort to pave way for Hu's visit to Japan Defense and security affairs: 9) JDA chief Kyuma orders agency study of proposed Futenma relocation to seaweed beds off Camp Schwab, premised on one runway being built 10) US, Japan cooperating to evacuate American, Japanese civilians from Korean Peninsula in event of a contingency 11) Government predicts that a Korean Peninsula contingency would bring over 100,000 North Korean refugees into Japan, far more than can be handled 12) LDP studying possible easing of three no-weapons-export principles to allow weapons development for countries other than the US Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: Former land and transport vice minister scheduled to run in Upper House election asked bridge industry to purchase party tickets to raise funds Mainichi: LDP considering relaxing three principles banning weapons exports to allow country to develop weapons with countries other than US Yomiuri: Japan, US to cooperate in evacuating 110,000 Japanese, American nationals in South Korea in time of Korean Peninsula contingency by using US aircraft, vessels Nihon Keizai: Environment Ministry to require major retailers in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya to reduce exhaust Sankei: Factory Location Law: METI to relax greenery regulations to revitalize local economies Tokyo Shimbun: Kantei team to be established later this month to make Haneda TOKYO 00000016 002 OF 009 Airport operational around the clock Akahata: Third Central Committee meeting held on Jan. 4; Victories in two major elections vowed 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) Minshuto needs solid election strategy (2) Future of science: Young scientists urged to follow in Nobel laureate Yukawa's footsteps Mainichi: (1) Japanese economy needs sense of urgency Yomiuri: (1) Caution keyword for global economy in 2007 Nihon Keizai: (1) No growth without liberalization (Part 4): Attractive regions are investment magnet Sankei: (1) Abe's New Year's press conference: Paint national image with constitutional revision (2) Keidanren vision lacks boldness for country of hope Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Thoughts at beginning of year: Japan needs vigor Akahata: (1) Public must play central role 3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) Prime Minister's schedule, January 4 NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) January 5, 2007 10:00 First news conference this year at Kantei. 10:53 Left JR Tokyo Station aboard Nozomi 181. Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Suzuki and Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Suga on train. 12:36 Arrived at JR Nagoya Station. Met with Aichi Gov. Kanda, Tokyo Motor Chairman Fujio Cho, JR Tokai Chairman Toshiyuki Kasai and others at the VIP room in the station. 13:02 Met with Suga, Agriculture Minister Matsuoka, METI Minister Amari, and Environment Minister Wakabayashi at the VIP room. 13:10 Left the station by a Kintetsu express. Met with Special Advisor Yamatani on train. TOKYO 00000016 003 OF 009 14:33 Arrived at the Kintetsu Uji Yamada Station. 14:40 Arrived at Ise Shrine in Ise City, Mie Prefecture. Visited the Outer Shrine. 15:11 Visited the Inner Shrine. Afterwards, Received flowers from the 7th Ise Team of the Boy Scout Association of Japan and the 1st Mie Prefecture Team of the Girl Scout Association of Japan at the Board for Ise Grand Shrine. 16:15 Left the Kintetsu Uji Yamada Station by a Kintetsu express. Met with Wakabayashi on train. 17:36 Arrived at the Kintetsu Nagoya station. 17:41 Met with Suga and others at the VIP room at the JR Nagoya station. 17:53 Left the station aboard Nozomi 34. Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shimomura, later Amari. SIPDIS 19:31 Arrived at the JR Tokyo Station. 19:46 Returned to the residence in Kantei. 4) Abe's New Year's press conference tinged with his own policy ideas as effort to increase support ratings YOMIURI (Page 4) (Excerpts) January 5, 2007 Prime Minister SHINZO ABE held a New Year's press conference yesterday in which he played up his resolve to display strong leadership, stating: "I am determined to move in a straight line without flinching toward (making Japan into) a beautiful country." Abe also referred to constitutional revision -- a foundation for his goal of breaking away from the postwar regime -- as a top priority in the upcoming Upper House election. ABE apparently intends to reenlist public support by highlighting his posture of bravely challenging one of the largest postwar political issues. But constitutional revision requires not only the concurrence of the ruling parties but also the main opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan). Following Abe's press conference, Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa urged Minshuto to begin talks on constitutional revision. In response, Minshuto President Ichiro Ozawa indicated that his party would prioritize everyday life issues over constitutional revision. Ozawa seems to have the pension issue and the like in mind specifically. In addition, it is still uncertain as to whether a national referendum bill governing procedures for constitutional revision can clear the Diet before the Upper House election. TOKYO 00000016 004 OF 009 5) Gist of Prime Minister Abe's New Year's press conference YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) January 5, 2007 Constitutional revision This year marks the 60th anniversary since the Constitution took effect. We must clarify our wishes to create a constitution suitable for the new age. The LDP has drafted a new constitution. I would like to see the LDP conduct talks with other parties. I also want to see deepened discussions on a national referendum bill between the ruling and opposition blocs. I will appeal to voters during Upper House election campaigning about my goal of revising the Constitution during my administration. Upper House election As the LDP president and the prime minister, I will face elections with the mettle to achieve victories at all times. Given such a responsibility, I have been making efforts ceaselessly as the top political leader of the nation. I am not thinking at all about holding simultaneous elections (for both chambers) at present. Domestic affairs Reforming education and rebuilding the public educational system are top priorities. We will revise laws as necessary in the next regular Diet session without fail. The government will proceed with necessary legislation in order to transform the Social Insurance Agency into a trustworthy entity. I will come up with a full-fledged strategy to counter the declining birthrate. The year 2007 must become the first year of nation- building to make Japan into a beautiful country. Diplomacy, security I will conduct "assertive diplomacy" from a strategic perspective. The Japan-US alliance must be further strengthened. My administration will rebuild the legal foundation for national security that befits the times. We will continue studying specific cases, including the question of exercising the right to collective self-defense, as part of adjusting the relationship (of security) with the Constitution. 6) Former Land, Infrastructure and Transport vice minister found to have asked bridge construction companies for funds donation; 12 companies indicted for bid-rigging purchase fund-raising party tickets ASAHI (Top Play) (Excerpts) January 5, 2007 It has been learned that the supporters' association of Nobuaki Sato (59),former land, infrastructure and transport (MLIT) vice minister, who is expected to run for proportional representation in the Upper House election to take place this summer on the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) ticket, had asked bridge constructors, including 26 companies that were prosecuted for bid-rigging over bridge construction projects, to purchase fund-raising party tickets. Twelve companies out of the 26 have admitted to buying such tickets. Some companies noted that they did so at the request of former MLIT officials. MLIT is harshly dealing with bid-rigging TOKYO 00000016 005 OF 009 practices, as can be seen in that it has banned bidding among designated companies and charges penalties against companies that violate the rule. The former vice minister solicited election funds amid such a move. The incident has brought into bold relief the pattern of bureaucracy depending on the private sector. The party in question was held at a Tokyo hotel last December, attended by approximately 2,000 guests, including former MLIT officials, incumbent senior officials and sources persons with the construction industry. According his supporters' association, they started asking for purchases of party tickets -- 20,000 yen per ticket -- around last October. Directors of the supporters' association played a leading role in the activities. Most of the 100 or so executive directors throughout the nation are former MLIT officials. They are responsible for industries where they landed jobs after retiring from the MLIT and districts where their companies are located. They encouraged them to purchase party tickets and join Sato's supporters' organization. In the bridge-construction industry, former MLIT officials who landed jobs at bridge constructors allegedly asked most of companies that belong to the Japan Bridge Construction Association, an industrial association with a membership of about 60 companies, to buy party tickets. Sato took office as vice minister in August 2005, three months after public prosecutors started investigations into those 26 companies. Before assuming this post, he was a vice minister for engineering affairs, the top post for engineering officials. He compiled measures to prevent bid-rigging practices as an acting chairman of a committee within the ministry, set up to prevent a recurrence of bid-rigging practices. 7) Authority of special advisors to the prime minister to be strengthened to enable them to give orders to bureaucrats: Related laws to be revised to establish Kantei leadership NIHON KEIZAI (Page 1) (Slightly abridged) January 5, 2007 The outline of legislation intended to strengthen the functions of the Prime Minister's Official Residence, which the government wants to submit to the regular Diet session, has been revealed. The bill is designed to strengthen the authority of special advisors to the prime minister -- now their role is just to give advice to the prime minister -- and give them the authority to give orders to officials of the Cabinet Secretariat. Other features of the legislation include the adoption of a political appointment system in principle for the selection of senior officials of the Cabinet Secretariat and the establishment of a Japanese equivalent of the National Security Council of the US. Strengthening the Kantei's functions is one area for which Prime Minister ABE has shown a desire. The government is now looking into the possibility of revising the National Civil Service Law. ABE is aiming for a policy-setting mechanism led by the Kantei by appointing the maximum possible number of five special advisors, and having them take charge of national security, economic and fiscal policies, the abduction issue, educational revitalization and public affairs. TOKYO 00000016 006 OF 009 However, under the existing law, special advisors to the prime minister are no more than advisors who can just give advice or state opinions to the prime minister. There is no system that allows them to use bureaucrats. A point has also been made that related government agencies do not provide special advisors key information. The government will obligate the staff of the Cabinet Secretariat to report to special advisors and grant authority equivalent to that given to deputy chief cabinet secretaries. An experts' council, chaired by the prime minister, is now considering the specific mechanism of the Japanese equivalent of the NSC. The envisaged organization will likely be granted with the authority to propose diplomatic and security policies. Provided that the consideration process delays, the submission of a set of bills, including other areas, might be delayed until the second half of this year or later. 8) New Komeito head Ota to visit China, meeting with President Hu on the 8th to pave way for his Japan visit MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) January 5, 2007 New Komeito head Akihiro Ota will make a three-day visit to China starting on January 7. He is expected to meet with President Hu Jintao on the afternoon of the 8th. He also will meet with other key Chinese government officials, including State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, former foreign minister. The objective of his China visit is in part to pave the way for visits to Japan by Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao in the run-up for the 35th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China relations. Ota during a New Year executive meeting of the New Komeito on Jan. 4 underscored the meaning of his visit to China, noting: "Japan-China relations have markedly improved since Prime Minister ABE visited China last fall. My China visit will have the important role of developing that trend in a specific way." Ota wants to boil down specific items for cooperation in order to facilitate strategic and reciprocal relations between the two countries, a policy which Prime Minister and Hu agreed on during their meeting last October. Another aim is to elicit from Hu a clear indication of his intention to visit Japan at the end of the year, as a senior party official put it. Ota on Dec. 26 last year met wit Abe. They agreed that the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito cooperate to improve Japan-China relations. Ota has determined that the shift from the dogmatic Koizumi administration to the harmony-oriented ABE administration is a good opportunity for the New Komeito to gain a greater voice, as a senior party official put it. In particular, the party sees that diplomacy is an area in which it can display influence. 9) Futenma relocation: JDA chief orders study of moving facility to seaweed beds (off Camp Schwab),premised on construction of single runway ASAHI (Page 3) (Excerpts) January 5, 2007 It was learned yesterday that in connection with the issue of TOKYO 00000016 007.2 OF 009 relocating Futenma Air Station (Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture) as part of the realignment of US forces in Japan, Defense Agency (JDA) Director General Fumio Kyuma has instructed JDA to study fostering another place than the one planned. This would be the seaweed beds in shallow waters off Henoko district. Kyuma has indicated that he is thinking of shifting the runway site into the shallow waters and building a single runway instead of the V-shaped one. So the premise for moving the site to shallow waters is on the construction of a single runway. However, it is not completely clear whether this can be carried out, since this would be a complete revision of the final agreement on the relocation reached by the Japanese and US governments last May. Kyuma's ordering of a study of moving the site to the seaweed beds where dugongs feed is an attempt to avoid the facility relocation from being derailed by protest movements from environmental protection groups and the like. Shifting the runway site moves the project closer to the shallow waters plan that the US had advocated prior to the interim agreement reached in Oct. 2005. However, there is spreading perplexity about the new proposal in the government as well as in Okinawa Prefecture, as one government source put it, "Making it into one runway is Kyuma's personal opinion." Even if the government and Okinawa agree, it is not certain that the US will go along with it or not. A Foreign Ministry source pointed out: "The US finds the dual runways more convenient for take offs and landings and may not be amenable to giving up the V-shaped runway plan." The view in the ministry is that it will be difficult to re-coordinate the plan with the US side. On the other hand, there is a mixture of belief and disbelief in the prefecture, as well. The governor on Jan. 4 was appreciative that there was flexibility in the stance, calling it, "A very good thing to hear." However, the governor's aides and senior prefectural officials have raised doubts about the possibility of realizing Kyuma's plan, one saying, "Broad changes will require a renegotiation between Japan and the US, and the construction plan and environmental assessment would have to be redone." There also reportedly was a message sent from a senior JDA official to the prefecture Jan. 4 that "working-level officials are not involved (in the director general's initiative)." Nago City Mayor Yoshikazu Shimabukuro also remarked, "I don't know what the true intent is. Although I would like to welcome it if the runway can be built in the sea, I wonder if aircraft flying above the village can be avoided. Can the US also be convinced?" 10) Japan, US to cooperate in evacuating civilians from South Korea -- an estimated 110,000 -- in event of Korean Peninsula contingency, using US military aircraft, ships; Revised plan ready by the Fall YOMIURI (Top play) (Excerpt) January 5, 2007 The Japanese and US governments have begun to work on drafting a plan to evacuate Japanese and American civilians living in South Korea in the event of a Korean Peninsula contingency, and to create an arrangement for mutual cooperation (to implement the plan). Coordination is going on so that Americans evacuated would be received by Japan briefly, and that US military aircraft and ships would transport Japanese citizens to their home country. An agreement is expected in the Fall. In addition, in order to raise TOKYO 00000016 008 OF 009 the level of implementation of a Self Defense Forces and US forces joint plan, drafted in 2002, for responding to a Korean Peninsula contingency, the plan will be basically revised by the Fall to reflect the evacuation plan for civilians. The plan will designate specific civilian airports and ports in Japan to be used by US forces during a contingency. The aim also is to strengthen preparations for an emergency by setting the means for joint response under missile defense. 11) Japan's simulation of crisis on Korean Peninsula: 100,000 North Korean refugees could arrive in Japan, beyond its housing capacity ASAHI (Page 1) (Full) January 5, 2007 It was learned yesterday that the Japanese government has made a prediction that in the event that a crisis occurs on the Korean Peninsula, 100,000-150,000 North Korean refugees will arrive in Japan. This figure was estimated by a relevant office in the Security Council under the Cabinet Office. Also, in the process of a joint operation plan the Japanese and US governments have pursued since last December, measures for refugees are one key item for consideration. Based on that figure and other data, specific steps for refugees will be discussed. The estimate was made by an experts' committee to deal with the situation, a panel assisting the Security Council, after a one-year study from 2003. The panel consists of bureau-director-level officials from relevant ministries and agencies, including the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Agency. According to South Korean experts, however, they estimate that if North Korea is thrown into a state of anarchy, 2-4 million North Koreans will flee the country as refugees. The Japanese government's estimate about the number of North Korean refugees who may arrive in Japan came out for the first time. According to an official concerned, Japan conducted a survey of such ports as Wonsan and Chongjin on the east coast of North Korea and such things as the number of vessels possessed by the North Koreans. Based on the results of the survey, the panel estimated that there is the possibility that 100,000-150,000 North Koreans will arrive in Japan, mainly in Kyushu and Chugoku. It was also estimated that Japan's housing capacity, even including the use of such facilities that will not bring about any trouble in daily administrative activities as gymnasiums and community halls, will be "tens of thousands," the official said. The panel's conclusion is that because the number of such refugees may exceed Japan's housing capacity, Japan will need to discuss the transportation of a portion of the refugees. Japan's estimate does not include refugees from South Korea. The US has also drawn up some scenarios on the possible collapse of the North Korean regime, assuming such cases as the death of General Secretary Kim Jong Il, a large disaster, or massive rioting. SIPDIS Reportedly, the US, too, is conducting research. In the process of shaping a joint operation plan, both Japan and the US are expected to examine their respective estimates and include countermeasures in the plan. 12) LDP mulling easing 3 principles on arms exports, envisioning possible weapons development with countries other than US TOKYO 00000016 009 OF 009 MAINICHI (Top play) (Excerpts) January 5, 2007 Yoso Furumoto The governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has begun considering easing the restrictions on joint development of weapons under the "three principles on arms exports," a policy prohibiting Japan's exports of weapons, so that Japan can take part in joint development of weapons with countries other than the United States. The purpose of this easing is to curtail the development costs as pressure to cut defense spending is growing stronger now, while unit prices of equipment are on the upward trend on the other. The relaxation of the "three principles" has been already progressing. In the LDP, many are tolerant of easing (the restrictions on multilateral development of weapons) on the premise of setting some kind of criteria, but the move may encounter criticism that participation in multilateral development will lead to removing the ban on weapons exports in piecemeal fashion. In the past, the "three principles" were applied so strictly that every export of weaponry, as well as every joint development of weapons, was prohibited. In recent years, though, Japan has gradually eased the principles, though limiting cases of weapons exports and joint development to those with its ally, the US. In fact, Japan in a statement released in the name of the chief cabinet secretary in December 2004 declared that joint development and SIPDIS production with the US regarding the missile defense (MD) system should be made an exception. On the questions of (1) whether to allow joint development and production with the US in areas other than the MD system and (2) whether to allow exports of weapons to be used as measures against terrorism and piracy, the statement proclaimed that each individual case of those kinds should be discussed. But Japan's participation in joint development and production with countries other than the US has been still prohibited to date. Recently, however, the prices of weapons, such as fighters, have been on the upward trend with the advancement of high technology, and also the licensing fees, which domestic firms pay in their license production of weapons developed by the US, have been rising. Given this, the LDP's national defense policy clique in the Diet deemed it essential for Japan to take part in international joint development projects in which one or more countries participate, a framework "that has taken root in the international community as a means to restrain the development costs," a clique member said. The LDP started discussion on the easing of the three principles, the basis for Japan to voluntarily restrict joint development with other countries, envisioning European nations. On the other hand, many in the LDP still assert that Japan should retain the philosophy as a pacifist nation. In order to brush aside criticism that the ban on (joint development with other countries) is on the verge of being lifted in a piecemeal manner, the discussion is likely to be focused on how to form criteria on: (1) partners for joint development, (2) areas allowed for joint development, and (3) control over exports to third countries. DONOVAN