NAGASAKI MAYOR'S MURDER: SHARP REACTIONS; MEDIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 001714 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV JA SUBJECT: NAGASAKI MAYOR'S MURDER: SHARP REACTIONS; MEDIA SPECULATES ON POLITICAL MOTIVES ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Japan's leaders and media characterized the April 17 assassination of three-term Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito in the midst of his reelection campaign as a threat to Japan's political system. Most reports highlighted PM Abe's description of the killing as a "challenge to democracy." Several newspapers drew parallels to previous attacks on politicians, many involving political motives. Kyodo News Service was careful to point out that the jury is still out on the reasons for this particular attack. The killer, Tetsuya Shiroo, is a ranking member of a small criminal gang with ties to Japan's largest organized crime syndicate. He is reported to have filed numerous complaints with the city after his vehicle was damaged at a municipal construction site in 2003. Press reports also speculate that Shiroo's gang may have been involved in trying to gain bids on city construction projects. According to Japan's election laws, any potential replacement candidate for Mayor Ito must file by 5:00 p.m. on April 19 in order to stand for election on April 22. Otherwise, the mayoral race will become a contest between two unknown independents and a former Communist Party city assembly member. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) The Japanese media gave wide coverage on April 18 to the shooting of Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito a day earlier, focusing on the organized crime affiliation of his killer and the threat to the Japanese political system that the shooting represents. Mayor Ito, 61, was shot twice in the back at close range on the evening of April 17, in what is being called an "ambush" shooting at the entrance of his reelection campaign office, beside Nagasaki's central train station. He died in the early hours of April 18. The National Police Agency announced shortly thereafter that they would tighten security for all candidates in the April 22 unified local elections. ¶3. (SBU) An Asahi report, noting that the killing took place less than one week before the April 22 elections, called the shooting a "threat to Japanese politics," and compared it to the stabbing of Japan Socialist Party Chairman Asanuma in the middle of a campaign speech in 1960. The Yomiuri Shimbun compared the shooting to attacks by right-wing extremists on ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politicians Shin Kanemaru and Koichi Kato. The media are also drawing parallels with the 1990 shooting of Nagasaki Mayor Motoshima, noting that the attack on Motoshima was clearly the result of political motives, namely, as a reaction to Motoshima's statements assigning war guilt to Emperor Hirohito. ¶4. (SBU) The newspapers were full of comments from politicians of all political parties decrying the attack as an attack on the political system. Prime Minister Abe called the attack a "challenge to democracy." LDP Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa promised to "resolutely defend freedom of political thought." Former LDP Secretary General Koichi Kato, whose home was burned down by a member of a right-wing nationalist organization in August 2006, was quoted at length in several different newspapers warning against allowing these sorts of attacks to keep politicians from voicing their opinions. Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma elevated the rhetoric a step further, calling the attack a "terrorist incident." Kyuma, who represents Nagasaki in the Lower House, is reported to have been close to Mayor Ito. ¶5. (SBU) Kyodo News Service took a more neutral tone, saying it is too early to know whether or not there were political motives behind the shooting. The killer, Tetsuya Shiroo, 59, is described as a leading member of the Suishin-kai organized crime family, a small group affiliated with Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest organized crime syndicate. In statements to the police, Shiroo is said to have confessed to shooting Mayor Ito over a dispute with the city concerning bids on public works projects. Kyodo cites statements from acquaintances of Shiroo claiming that he had also filed complaints with the city in 2003 over damage sustained to his vehicle at a municipal construction site. The Kyodo report said Shiroo had visited the city office more than 30 times since 2003 demanding compensation. TOKYO 00001714 002 OF 002 ¶6. (SBU) There is much speculation in the press on the LDP's next steps for the Nagasaki mayoral race on April 22. According to Japan's elections law, a candidate who dies during the campaign period can be replaced up to three days prior to the election, providing there are more than two candidates. In the Nagasaki mayoral race, a Japan Communist Party (JCP) candidate and two independents are already registered, so any replacement candidate for Ito must file by 5:00 p.m. on April 19. Ito, who was known as a strong antinuclear advocate and opponent of U.S. Navy ship visits, was seeking his fourth term. He was running without party affiliation. Defense Minister Kyuma, quoted in an Asahi article, predicted that the JCP candidate, Seiichi Yamamoto, 71, a former city assemblyman, is certain to beat the two independent candidates, a university lecturer and stay-at-home mother. ¶7. (SBU) According to reporting from Consulate Fukuoka, the shooting has created political chaos in Nagasaki. A local LDP chapter official told the Consulate that Defense Minister Kyuma would travel to Nagasaki on April 18 to meet with senior local leaders to discuss possible candidates. The LDP will need to work with the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and local labor unions to find a consensus candidate, according to the LDP official. Wire services reported late in the day on April 18 that Ito's son-in-law, Makoto Yokoo, a reporter for the Nishi Nihon Shimbun, would shortly announce his candidacy. SCHIEFFER