JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 04/26/07

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 12 TOKYO 001865 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 04/26/07 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials 3) Prime Minister's daily schedule Abe-Bush summit April 27: 4) US, Japan to sign joint statement on environment at summit meeting 5) NSC director does not anticipate comfort-women issue coming up at the summit meeting 6) NSC director gives assurance that US will not remove North Korea from terrorist list without resolution of Japan's abduction issue 7) LDP bill amending North Korea human rights law to specifically link results on abduction issue to assistance to that country World War II issues: 8) Former Japanese soldiers testify to military "coercion" of comfort women during WWII 9) Another diary from 32 years ago by aide to Emperor Showa reveals imperial views, including Yasukuni Shrine and war-criminal issue Defense and security issues: 10) Prime Minister ABE orders Cabinet Legislation Bureau to consider new constitutional interpretation of use of right of collective self-defense 11) Blue ribbon panel appointed by ABE to start meeting May 18 charged with reaching conclusions on collective self-defense scenarios by the fall 12) Objections smoldering in the ruling parties to Abe's push on collective self-defense 13) Okinawa governor tells Defense Minister Kyuma that the environmental survey of Futenma relocation sight is on track 14) City of Yokosuka agrees to construction work to prepare for deployment of US Navy nuclear-powered carrier 15) Defense Ministry to issue for first time long-term guidelines for defense technology 16) METI to expand investment restrictions of foreign capital in three areas where potential lies for military application 17) Government is balking at cooperating with Minshuto plan to make fact-finding survey to Iraq where ASDF still operates Political merry-go-round: 18) Abe's civil service reform bill will not likely be passed this Diet session 19) Weekly Shukan Asahi apologizes to Prime Minister ABE in ad for publishing an article falsely linking former aide to gangster who shot Nagasaki mayor 20) Reconciliation reached in lawsuit by ABE against Sentaku magazine over defamation of character article Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: Chamberlain's dairies over 32 years depict final days of Emperor Showa Mainichi: Government prepares guidelines about child-raising for parents TOKYO 00001865 002 OF 012 Yomiuri: Over 30% of hospitals for cancer treatment lacks experts Nihon Keizai: Sony to take financial unit public, raising 300 billion yen Sankei: Man Gyong Bong used to transport abductees, according to North Korean agents Tokyo Shimbun: Panel eyed to consider collective self-defense Akahata: Government to set up panel to allow collective self-defense 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) Uncover activities by North Korean agents suspected of abducting two children (2) Second anniversary of JR West crash: Respond to distrust among bereaved families Mainichi: (1) Collective self-defense: Open debate needed (2) JR West accident: More thorough safety measures urged Yomiuri: (1) Questioning executives of Chongryon necessary over abduction of two children (2) Seibu payoff scandal: High School Baseball Federation's responses questionable Nihon Keizai: (1) Time for Japan to consider concluding FTAs with US, EU (2) Prime minister should demonstrate own identity in Middle East Sankei: (1) ABE should make efforts to narrow gap in Japan-US alliance (2) Second anniversary of JR West crash: Final report urged to clarify causes Tokyo Shimbun: (1) High School Baseball Federation: New guidelines needed (2) JR West should establish system giving top priority to safety Akahata: (1) One month after Noto earthquakes: Offer aid to victims 3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) Prime Minister's schedule, April 25 NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) April 26, 2007 08:51 Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Suzuki at Kantei. 09:22 Met with Kansai Economic Federation Chairman Akiyama and afterwards TOKYO 00001865 003 OF 012 State Minister in Charge of Gender Equality Takaichi. 09:58 Met with Defense Minister Kyuma and Senior Vice Defense Minister Kimura in Diet. 10:01 Attended an Upper House plenary session. 11:15 Met with former US Deputy Secretary of State Armitage at Kantei, joined by MOFA's North American Affairs Bureau Director-General Nishimiya. 12:43 Attended a ceremony in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the enforcement of the Constitution of Japan at the Kensei Kinenkan Hall at Nagata-cho. 14:02 Met Deputy Foreign Minister Yabunaka, MOFA's Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau Director-General Okuda, METI's Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau Director-General Ishida. 15:30 Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Matoba. 16:22 Attended a meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy. 17:41 Met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki, and later Director of Cabinet Intelligence Mitani. 18:30 Met with Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs Watanabe, and afterwards, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Suga. 19:13 Arrived at Kantei residence. 4) Japan-US to compile joint environment paper stipulating technical cooperation: Plan to be formally released during upcoming bilateral summit YOMIURI (Page 1) (Slightly abridged) April 26, 2007 The governments of Japan and the US yesterday agreed to compile a joint statement advocating cooperation for settling the global-scale environment issue, including climate change caused by global warming. The plan is expected to be formally released during the bilateral summit between Prime Minister ABE and US president Bush on Apr. 27. Tokyo and Washington will confirm during the talks their determination to press ahead with close talks on the environment issue. The Japanese government wants to pave the way for the US to take part in the framework replacing the Kyoto Protocol, which has set a global warming gas emissions target to be achieved by 2012 on each party. The joint paper "measures on energy, security, clean development and TOKYO 00001865 004 OF 012 climate change" (tentative name) will mention technical cooperation between the two countries, including the development of underground carbon dioxide, substance causing global warming, storage technology, noting that the two countries will jointly tackle development of innovative technology. It is absolutely necessary for the US, the world's largest CO2 emitter, to join the post-Kyoto Protocol framework. Though the US is positive toward providing technical cooperation on the environment issue, it is refusing to sign the post-Kyoto Protocol. The president will unlikely refer to US participation in the post-Kyoto Protocol during the summit. 5) "Comfort women" issue unlikely to be put on agenda for Japan-US summit, according to a US official TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) April 26, 2007 Yasuyuki Oguri, Washington Meeting reporters yesterday ahead of Prime Minister SHINZO Abe's planned visit to the United States, Dennis Wilder, senior director for East Asian Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC), referred to the wartime "comfort women" issue and predicted that the issue would not be taken up in the upcoming Japan-US summit set for tomorrow, noting: "This issue has been discussed between the top leaders of the two countries. It is unlikely to be treated as a major topic for the upcoming summit meeting." Wilder also noted: "Prime Minister ABE has been ironing out the misunderstanding about the issue over the past few weeks." Meanwhile, on the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Koreans, Wilder said, "The US has no intention to separate the abduction issue from the question of whether to remove North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism," reiterating an intention not to respond to the call for removing that country from the list unless the abduction issue makes progress. 6) US will not divorce the question of delisting DPRK as state sponsor of terrorism from abduction issue YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) April 26, 2007 Fumi Igarashi, Washington Dennis Wilder, senior director for East Asian Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC),yesterday morning told reporters about the question of whether to delist North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism: "We won't divorce it from the issue of abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korea." He thus emphasized that the US would not remove North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorists unless there is progress on the abduction issue. In addition, Wilder indicated that in the upcoming Japan-US summit slated for April 27, the North Korean issue would be high on agenda for discussions. Meanwhile, when asked about whether the summit meeting would deal with the so-called wartime "comfort women" issue, Wilder said: "Prime Minister ABE has done a lot of things over the past few weeks TOKYO 00001865 005 OF 012 to dispel misunderstanding. I don't think this issue will be among the major subjects for the summit." 7) LDP draft bill amending North Korean Human Rights Law to provide that without progress on abduction issue, no assistance forthcoming YOMIURI (Page 4) (Excerpt) April 26, 2007 The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on April 25 completed its bill amending the North Korea Human Rights Law so that if there is no progress on the abduction issue, no assistance can be provided to North Korea. The aim is back up Japan's hard-line stance so that it will not crumble, as long as North Korea does not show a sincere stance. The party will coordinate now with the New Komeito and Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan),aiming at passage of the bill in May. 8) Former Japanese soldiers, speaking at gathering held ahead of Prime Minister Abe's visit to US, testify to "coercion" of comfort women (during WWII) AKAHATA (Page 14) (Full) April 26, 2007 The "Action Network on the Issue of Japanese Military Comfort Women" yesterday held a press conference and an emergency rally calling on the Diet to make a sincere apology and provide compensation. Seventy persons gathered for the rally. In the meeting, footages of former South Korean, Chinese and Philippine comfort women's testifying their experiences were shown, and former Japanese soldiers, Ichiro Koyama and Kiyoshi Sakakura, told the audience about their own experiences. Koyama said: "I learned of the existence of a 'comfort station' soon after being trained as a raw recruit in China. Some 50 Chinese women in their late teens to 30s were lined up there. Each solder picked one from among them and went with her to a room. When our unit moved to another place, there was also another comfort station, where I saw six Korean women working there." Sakakura, who revealed his story for the first time at the gathering, described his experience that he had gone to a comfort facility and picked out a young girl, but the girl would not stop crying, so he had left the facility without touching her. He added: "Prime Minister Abe's employing sophistry is no use." A South Korean TV reporter asked the former soldiers: "Prime Minister ABE has stated there was no evidence to prove those women had been forced into prostitution." In response, Koyama said: "A comrade in arms who worked as a medic and carried out a medical examination of those women once a month told me that 'I feel sorry for them because they were all tricked by someone to work there.'" Angelina De Araujo (TN: phonetic),27, who came from East Timor, reported on testimonies by former "comfort women" living in East Timor and their present situation. She said: "Of the 17 former comfort women we interviewed, two have already died. I hope the Japanese government will take every possible action to help them recover their dignity." TOKYO 00001865 006 OF 012 9) Chamberlain's dairies over 32 years depict final days of Emperor Showa ASAHI (Top Play) April 26, 2007 The late Ryogo Urabe, who served Emperor Show (Hirohito) in his late years and the empress, kept a diary every day for 32 years. Urabe left the diaries with the Asahi Shimbun during his lifetime. He recorded in detail what was happening in the Imperial Palace during the last days of the Showa era after the emperor fell ill. Regarding the reason why the emperor had ceased visiting Yasukuni Shrine, Urabe noted, "He was strong displeased at the enshrinement of Class-A war criminals." There are descriptions showing the emperor's warm personality everywhere in the diaries, such as his regrets for World War II and his consideration to the public. The diaries could be a valuable record of the history of the Showa period. The diaries depict in detail the life of Emperor Showa after he fell ill. The emperor had indicated a strong eagerness about the planned first visit to Okinawa in the postwar period, but the tour was cancelled due to health reasons, according to the diaries. There are descriptions about the cancellation of a visit to Yasukuni Shrine. On April 28 in 1988, several days after the last press conference by the emperor, it was noted: "I visited the Fukiage Palace at the emperor's summon. (The emperor) referred to the enshrinement of war criminals at Yasukuni Shine, criticism of China, and the Okuno statement." The sentence following "Yasukuni" is redlined. The same date is marked on the memorandum of former Imperial Household Agency Grand Steward Tomohiko Tomita that reveals that the emperor had expressed his displeasure at the enshrinement of Class-A war criminals. The diaries show that the emperor had also talked about the problem of enshrinement of war criminals to Urabe, almost at the same time as he did to Tomita. Urabe noted on July 31, 2001, just before he died: "Since the emperor was unhappy about the enshrinement of the Class-A war criminals, he stopped visiting Yasukuni Shrine." 10) Collective self-defense: Premier orders case studies for constitutional reinterpretation NIHON KEIZAI (Page 1) (Abridged) April 26, 2007 Prime Minister SHINZO ABE has ordered Cabinet Legislation Bureau Director General Reiichi Miyazaki to study reinterpreting the Constitution to allow Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense in some specific cases, government sources revealed yesterday. The government, in its constitutional interpretation, has prohibited Japan from participating in collective self-defense. The government announced yesterday that it would set up a panel of experts in mid-May over the right of collective self-defense. The panel is expected to come up with its conclusion around this fall about specific areas where the Self-Defense Forces can exercise the right to collective defense. Factoring in the SDF's increased activities overseas, ABE deemed it indispensable for the SDF to exercise the right of collective self-defense to a certain extent within the current constitutional TOKYO 00001865 007 OF 012 framework. The premier has ordered four case studies: 1) shooting down US-bound ballistic missiles over Japan; 2) fighting back if and when a US naval vessel running alongside a Japanese vessel is attacked on the high seas; 3) fighting back if and when a foreign country's military members come under attack while Japan's SDF members are acting in concert with them; and 4) engaging in rear-echelon support for foreign forces, such as transporting weaponry. The government currently prohibits Japan from taking part in any of these four cases. 11) Expert panel on use of collective defense to hold first meeting on May 18 and reach conclusion on four cases by the fall YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) April 26, 2007 The government announced yesterday that it would set up a panel of experts to study specific cases of the contingencies for the use of the right to collective self-defense. The panel called the Meeting about Re-establishing the Legal Basis of National Security will hold the first meeting on May 18. It will not likely reach a conclusion until the fall as to whether the present Constitution would allow four applications of collective self-defense, including the use of a missile defense (MD) system to intercept ballistic missiles aimed at the United States. Since Prime Minister SHINZO ABE has called for a review of the interpretation of the Constitution, which bans the exercise of the right of collective defense, the focus is now on whether the panel will delve deep into a review of the interpretation. The panel, headed by former Ambassador to the US Shunji Yanai, has 13 members, including scholars and former Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry officials. The issues to be discussed include: (1) whether Japan can use the MD system to intercept ballistic missiles aimed at an ally, (2) whether the Self-Defense Forces SDF) can counterattack when a warship from another country sailing with a SDF vessel is attacked on the high seas, (3) whether the SDF can counterattack when other countries' forces are attacked while carrying out its mission, such as in Iraq where multinational forces are deployed, and (4) whether the SDF can provide logistical support to foreign militaries. The government initially planned to study the use of arms separately in order to avoid the interference with United Nations peacekeeping operations, but it has now decided to debate such cases as the Iraqi reconstruction assistance, including a study of the possibility of the SDF providing logistic support to foreign forces. 12) Objections strong in LDP on changing constitutional interpretation of collective defense; New Komeito says individual defense right sufficient for various situations NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Excerpts) April 26, 2007 Prime Minister SHINZO Abe's decision to establish an expert council possibly in mid-May with the aim of opening the way for exercising the right to collective self-defense is likely to press the ruling and opposition camps to review their basic positions regarding the Constitution and security policy. Although establishing the country's independent constitution is a goal of the Liberal TOKYO 00001865 008 OF 012 Democratic Party, there is a broad range of views in the party over constitutional revision and strengthening the Japan-US alliance. The New Komeito, the LDP's coalition partner, is largely cautious about reinterpreting and revising the Constitution. Consolidating views may take time. LDP Security Research Commission Chairman Taku Yamasaki, who keeps his distance from Prime Minister Abe, took this view in an interview to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun: "If the country is to exercise the collective defense right, the Constitution must be revised. Revising Article 9 is the correct way." Some in the LDP are supportive of enhancing the Japan-US alliance, while some others are also opposed to making changes to the government's interpretation of the Constitution. The New Komeito is also showing a mixed reaction. Secretary General Kazuo Kitagawa in a press conference yesterday gave a warning to the matter, saying: "The government's traditional interpretation must not be reviewed. The matter must be discussed openly in the process of constitution revision debate." Touching on the option of intercepting a ballistic missile targeting the continental United States, Kitagawa also indicated that such a case must be studied within the framework of the individual defense right. He said: "The country can deal with many cases within the range of its interpretation of the individual defense right." Meanwhile Ichiro Ozawa, president of the major opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) bluntly told a press conference yesterday: "If the prime minister is to put constitutional reinterpretation forward, he must have his own logic. Without it, there is no use to hear other people's views." Lower House Speaker Yohei Kono attended yesterday a commemorative event for the 60th anniversary of the Constitution, in which he said: "I would like to the Constitution discussed from a broad perspective with a mind to study history humbly with a sense of responsibility for the future of the country and its people." Belonging to the former Kochikai led by former prime ministers Hayato Ikeda and Shigeru Yoshida, Kono is a leading dove. Cautious views are also rife in the former Keiseikai (currently the Tsushima faction) led by former Prime Minister Eisaki Sato. SIPDIS Skepticism is deeply seated in the LDP toward the ABE administration, which prioritizes constitutional revision and security. 13) Okinawa governor agrees to accept prior surveys for Futenma relocation SANKEI (Page 4) (Full) April 26, 2007 Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma met with Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima and Nago Mayor Yoshikazu Shimabukuro at the Defense Ministry yesterday. Nakaima revealed that Okinawa would accept environmental surveys prior to the environmental impact assessment in preparation for the planned relocation of the US Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station (Ginowan) to a coastal area of Camp Schwab (Nago). Regarding the plan to construct a V-shaped pair of runways, agreed on between the governments of Japan and the United States, Nakaima, while saying, "I have no particular objection," stressed, "I want you to listen to local voices." He thus called on the government to give TOKYO 00001865 009 OF 012 consideration to the Nago municipal government, which insists that the construction site be moved further offshore. 14) Yokosuka agrees to prep work for CVN deployment TOKYO (Page 3) (Abridged) April 26, 2007 The city of Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture has now agreed on a plan to dredge its port in the US Navy's Yokosuka base for the USS George Washington, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be deployed to the base. Yokosuka Mayor Ryoichi Kabaya clarified his consent yesterday to the Defense Facilities Administration Agency's Yokohama bureau. The work of dredging the port is indispensable for the safety of an inbound and outbound carrier. The George Washington is scheduled to arrive at Yokosuka in August next year for deployment. The DFAA has now gone through legal procedures to start the dredging work, and Yokosuka will go ahead with its readiness to host the carrier. According to the DFAA's work plan presented to the municipal government of Yokosuka City, the planned work is to dig down about two meters on average to the depth of 15 meters in an area of about 30 hectares near the naval base's aircraft carrier berth. Dredged soil, amounting to about 600,000 cubic meters, will be dumped into the sea. The work will be completed by May next year. 15) 1st mid-, long-term guidelines out for defense technologies in 20 areas, including search robot, drone YOMIURI (Page 2) (Abridged) April 26, 2007 The Defense Ministry's Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) yesterday worked out a report on its efforts for future-oriented technology research as a documentation of guidelines for defense technologies that need to be developed over the mid-to-long term. In order to deal with newly emerging threats like ballistic missiles and terrorist attacks, the report lists 20 technology areas, including a ground-probing robot and a reconnaissance drone. The Defense Ministry will push ahead with Japan's defense buildup in reference to the report. The report sets a period of time-ranging from 5 years to 15 years-for a breakthrough in each of the 20 areas in order for TRDI to develop technologies in these areas. For example, the report specifies networking robots in 5-10 years. The report also suggests the need for TRDI to develop in 5-15 years an unmanned aircraft system that can be tasked with multiple missions, such as gathering intelligence and engaging in combat action. In addition, TRDI expects to develop within 10 years an advanced intelligent firepower system that will make it possible to quicken counteractions in individual fighting. 16) Rules regulating investment by foreign companies to be expanded: Three more areas with technologies that can be diverted for military use to be included YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) April 26, 2007 The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) yesterday TOKYO 00001865 010 OF 012 revealed a plan to expand business areas subject to a prior notification system applied to foreign companies that invest in Japan. Three more areas - advanced materials, such as special steel and carbon fiber, etc., which can easily be diverted for military use; material processing, such as machine tools, measuring instruments, etc.; and key areas, such as robotics and biotechnology - will be added to the list of regulated areas. The aim is to ensure security by preventing the outflow of technology in the high-tech sector. The measure will apparently be taken also with an eye on the lifting of a ban in May on triangular mergers, which will make it easier for foreign corporations to buy out Japanese companies. METI's study group has compiled a report including this policy. METI and the Finance Ministry will amend in June the ministry ordinance and notification based on the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law. A revision of the investment rules regulating foreign companies is the first since 1991. The existing system of obliging notification only covers companies subject to the regulation. However, the new regulation will also target holding companies that have regulated businesses under their umbrellas. The government will also look into the possibility of establishing a regulation forcing foreign corporations that illegally purchased Japanese companies to sell off the stocks they hold. 17) Government balks at Minshuto's request for cooperation on fact-finding trip to Iraq; "Iraq must be very dangerous," says Haraguchi TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) April 26, 2007 The major opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) asked for the government's cooperation in conducting a fact-finding survey in Iraq with the aim of using its results in discussing a bill amending the Iraq Special Measures Law, but the government rejected its request, Minshuto Lower House member Kazuhiro Haraguchi said. According to Haraguchi, Minshuto planned a trip to Iraq and its neighboring countries for six days from May 1 to take a firsthand look at the safety of Air Self-Defense Force troops and the security situation in those countries, and asked for the government's cooperation in flying into Iraq on a C-130 transport plane. But the Foreign and Defense Ministries responded to its request reluctantly, saying, "The C-130 is not designed to carry lawmakers." They also called for caution on the option of flying into the country on a civilian plane. Touching on past trips to Iraq by the foreign minister and ruling party executives, Haraguchi said sarcastically: "They gave me the impression that Iraq is really dangerous." 18) Bill amending public servant law: Enactment during current Diet session difficult; Will likely become campaign issue for upcoming Upper House election NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) April 26, 2007 It has become difficult to obtain Diet approval during the current TOKYO 00001865 011 OF 012 session for a bill amending the National Civil Service Law, which features a ban on government agencies providing placement services for their retired officials to take up cushy jobs in companies they previously used to regulate (amakudari practice). The government submitted the bill to the Diet on Apr. 25. However, the Lower House will unlikely start deliberations before mid-May. The ruling parties will carry it over to the next session, characterizing it as a campaign issue for the July Upper House election, hoping it will be passed into law during the extraordinary Diet session in the fall. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Diet Policy Committee Chairman Toshihiro Nikai yesterday conferred on the matter with State Minister in charge of Administrative Reform Yoshimi Watanabe and conveyed to him that the current Diet session's schedule is too tight to fit in the National Civil Service Law amendment bill. The ruling camp will instead prioritize deliberations on the national referendum bill and three bills related to educational reform. Upper House Diet Policy Committee Chairman Tetsuro Yano of the LDP on Apr. 23 made a proposal to Nikai, "I would like to have key bills intended to get through the current Diet session sent to the Upper House by three weeks before the end of the session." As a counter-proposal, the Democratic Party of Japan plans to submit in May an amakudari practice eradication bill (tentative name). The bill calls for introducing stricter rules on the amakudari practice than the government-sponsored bill. 19) Shukan Asahi apologizes to Prime Minister ABE for advertisement YOMIURI (Page 38) (Full) April 26, 2007 The Shukan Asahi carried in its May 4-11 issue an article that there had been trouble between a former secretary to Prime Minister SHINZO Abe and the suspect in the murder of the Nagasaki mayor. ABE then criticized the weekly magazine for fabricating the article. In this regard, the Asahi Shimbun carried in its morning edition on April 25 a statement by the magazine's chief editor Kazuomi Yamaguchi: "We apologize for the headline of our advertisement carrying an inappropriate expression suggesting that Prime Minister ABE has connections with the suspect." The magazine responded to a question by the Yomiuri Shimbun about the content of the article: "We believe that there is no problem with the content of the article since we carried it based on the results of an interview with a senior police officer." Asked about the apology article by reporters yesterday at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, ABE expressed displeasure, responding, "I haven't received any apology." He indicated that he would take legal action. Abe criticized the weekly magazine again, saying: "There was a small article expressing something of an apology in this morning's edition. Since the magazine carried the fabricated article as extensive advertising, they must publish a clear apology easy for the public to understand." He added: "I think since I am prime minister, I should be prudent. However, for the sake of the secretary and his family, I will naturally take legal actions." TOKYO 00001865 012 OF 012 20) Prime Minister Abe, Sentaku settle dispute YOMIURI (Page 38) (Full) April 26, 2007 A lawsuit seeking 50 million yen filed by Prime Minister SHINZO ABE against the monthly magazine Sentaku for an article damaging his honor was settled yesterday at the Tokyo High Court. DONOVAN