JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 05/17/07

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SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 05/17/07


1) Top headlines
2) Editorials
3) Prime Minister's daily schedule

Defense and security affairs:
4) DFAA asks MSDF to join prior survey of site for relocation of
Futenma Air Station
5) MSDF's participation in prior survey of Futenma relocation site
seen as unusual move by defense officials
6) Election-conscious Komeito opposed to prime minister's experts
panel studying reinterpretation of now banned use of right of
collective self-defense
7) Bill establishing National Security Council under prime minister
will be withdrawn this Diet session due to lack of time for
deliberation

8) Prime Minister Abe attends Asia Corporate Conference in Tokyo

Political agenda:
9) Long-delayed debate between Prime Minister Abe, Minshuto
President Ozawa in Diet covers no new ground
10) Bills to reform education system likely to pass the Diet this
session
11) LDP presidential hopeful Machimura holds fund-raising party that
attracts 4,100 participants
12) Social Insurance Agency officials arrested for receiving
kickbacks from scandal-rotted dental association

13) Takeshima to stay on as chairman of Fair Trade Commission

Social issues:
14) Japan's cost of health care is way too high
15) Troubled, overworked employees increasingly choosing suicide as
way out

16) Government announces Asia Gateway open skies strategy

Articles:

1) TOP HEADLINES

Asahi:
Record 205 people recognized as suffering work-related mental
illness in FY2006; 40% of sufferers in their 30s

Mainichi:
Suicides from overwork up 57% to 66 people in FY2006

Yomiuri:
Japanese police performed autopsies in only 9% of cases of unnatural
death

Nihon Keizai:
Pentax agrees to be bought by Hoya

Sankei:
JR East, JR TOKAI, JR West to start mutual use of passes next
spring

Tokyo Shimbun:
DFAA asked MSDF for cooperation for marine survey before Futenma
relocation

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Akahata:
3,200 people gather in Tokyo to protect the Constitution

2) EDITORIALS

Asahi:
(1) Question Time: Prime Minister Abe and Minshuto President Ozawa
should debate the Constitution
(2) Aviation liberalization: Haneda Airport should be drastically
internationalized

Mainichi:
(1) Party-heads talks: Abe, Ozawa did not debate what we wanted to
hear
(2) Takeover of Reuters: Trust is the key to the media

Yomiuri:
(1) Question Time in the Diet: We wanted Abe and Ozawa to conduct
in-depth debate
(2) Media mergers: Growth strategy in Internet ear starts moving

Nihon Keizai:
(1) Contentions should be made clear through one-on-one debate
between Abe and Ozawa
(2) Talk to somebody before putting abandoning a baby in the "baby
post"

Sankei:
(1) Question Time: Party heads must talk about the Constitution
(2) Education revitalization panel: Parental education morality
urgent issues

Tokyo Shimbun:
(1) Party-heads debate: We want to know about difference
(2) Takeover of Reuters: Will their reports change?

Akahata:
Medical service for the elderly: Need for drastic review of an
inhumane system

3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei)

Prime Minister's schedule, May 16

NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full)
May 17, 2007

09:35
Met with MEXT Minister Ibuki at the Kantei.

10:32
Met with former TV Asahi anchorwoman Tamayo Marukawa, followed by
Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Nemoto.

11:11
Met with Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Seko and Assistant
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries Saka and Ando.

12:08
Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shimomura.


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15:00
Party head debate in the Diet.

16:33
Asia Gateway Strategic Council meeting at the Kantei.

17:09
Met with Chairman Kanazawa of the Science Council of Japan. State
Minister for Innovation was present.

17:57
Opening ceremony of the 17th Asia Business Conference at the Prince
Park Tower Tokyo.

18:41
Plenary meeting of the alumni association of the former 16th High
School, from which former Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe, his father,
graduated, at ANA Intercontinental Hotel Tokyo.

20:26
Arrived at the official residence.

4) MSDF to unusually assist in a survey of planned site for Futenma
relocation

MAINICHI (Page 1) (Full)
May 17, 2007

Teruhisa Mitsumori, Ryuko Tadokoro

The Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) will assist in a survey of
the planned site for the relocation of the US Marines' Futenma Air
Station (in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture) to a coastal area of
Camp Schwab (in Nago City in the prefecture),sources revealed
yesterday. This will be the first case of assistance by the
Self-Defense Forces (SDF),whose missions are primarily focused on
defense of Japan, international cooperation, and rescue operations
in disasters, in the area of constructing a US military facility. In
addition to this unusual assistance, many uncertain factors are
found in the ASDF's planned activities in this regard. This move is
certain to encounter oppositions from local residents, who are
troubled about the base issue.

The survey is to be carried out ahead of an environmental impact
assessment. The Defense Facilities Administration Agency (DFAA)
intends to launch the work of installing equipment for the survey in
the coastal area of Camp Schwab.

The assistance will be offered by the minesweeper support ship Bungo
(with a displacement of 5,700 tons) based in the MSDF's Kure Base
(in Hiroshima Prefecture). The Bungo left the Yokosuka Base in
Kanagawa Prefecture on the morning of May 11 for Okinawa.

According to the Ministry of Defense (MOD),the ship is on the way
to Okinawa on the mission of "internal operation assistance" in
response to the DFAA's request. Reportedly, divers aboard the Bungo
are to assist a private firm that has contracted with the DFAA in
installing equipment to survey coral eggs.

5) Prelim survey for Futenma relocation: DFAA asked MSDF for
cooperation; Minesweeper frogmen soon to dive


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TOKYO (Top play) (Full)
May 17, 2007

The Defense Facilities Administration Agency has asked the Maritime
Self-Defense Force through the Defense Ministry to cooperate on a
preliminary survey planned to be carried out for the purpose of
looking into the current state of sea areas along with the work of
relocating the US Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa
Prefecture, sources revealed yesterday. The Bungo, an MSDF
minesweeper tender, left the Yokosuka base on May 11 and is now in
the sea near Okinawa. Frogmen onboard the MSDF tender are expected
to begin an underwater survey in a day or two. There has been a
strong reaction in Okinawa to the Self-Defense Forces' involvement,
and some observers fear that the relationship of trust between
Okinawa's local communities and the SDF could crumble.

The Bungo will set about the work at Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma's
orders. In addition to its captain, a minesweeper flotilla's
commanding officer in the rank of rear admiral and several staff
officers are onboard. Their presence points to the gravity of the
task.

The preliminary survey will be carried out before an environmental
impact assessment required by law that is needed for the planned
relocation of the functions of Futenma airfield to a coastal area of
Camp Schwab, a US military base in the city of Nago. The survey is
to be conducted in Nago Bay and other sea areas, where the MSDF will
set up implantation boards and video cameras to monitor coral during
their spawning season.

The DFAA outsourced the work to a civilian research firm. However,
local residents opposing Futenma relocation to Nago and other
opponents are expected to stand in the way of the work. The DFAA has
therefore asked the MSDF to do the same job. The Bungo is equipped
with rafts and air tanks, and MSDF frogmen and civilian divers are
expected to work together.

The SDF's activities are required to be nonsubstitutable, meaning
that the SDF is to be tasked with jobs that cannot be done by anyone
else so that they do not take away jobs from private firms. However,
the Defense Ministry has not unveiled the Bungo's mission itself for
operational reasons.

"We have no choice but to follow the defense minister's orders," an
MSDF official said. "But," this official went on, "we have not
undertaken an environmental survey like those conducted by private
firms." He added, "Coastal security is the Japan Coast Guard's job,
so we cannot do that."

Okinawa's local media has been reporting on the SDF's involvement.
"I don't know why they're coming," Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima
told reporters.

Commentary: Defense Ministry likely to come under fire for
neglecting civilian control; Local trust rocked

Shigeru Handa, Local News Section

The Defense Ministry will neither confirm nor deny the SDF's
involvement in a preliminary survey that is to be carried out in
waters off Camp Schwab in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, for the purpose
of looking into the current state of sea areas. Instead, the

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ministry remains mum. If the undersea probe is carried out, the
Defense Ministry will inevitably be criticized for making light of
civilian control.

The Defense Ministry's Operations Planning Bureau Director General
Shinshiro Yamazaki, summoned to the House of Representatives Foreign
Affairs Committee yesterday, was asked what task has been assigned
to the Bungo, an MSDF minesweeper tender currently on stage in the
sea near Okinawa. Yamazaki stated before the committee that the MSDF
tender's mission "cannot be made public." He also stated that the
MSDF vessel's ongoing task is legally grounded on the National
Government Organization Law for "interdepartmental cooperation."

The "interdepartmental" cooperation can be taken as denoting the
fact that the DFAA asked the Defense Ministry to employ the MSDF.
However, the DFAA is an external organ of the Defense Ministry. In
other words, they are in the same family. "I've never heard of a
DFAA request for SDF mobilization." With this, a senior official of
the Defense Ministry was also surprised.

The Defense Ministry's Administrative Coordination Division
explains: "The National Government Organization Law requires
cooperation between government offices. It's only natural to
cooperate in the same family." If this logic passes muster, the DFAA
can also ask the SDF to undertake its outsourced work of
constructing US military facilities to the SDF.

The SDF is to be tasked with what cannot be done by anyone else.
This is what is required of the SDF in its activities. However, the
Defense Ministry does not make public the SDF's missions. The Diet
therefore cannot even check to see if what the SDF is doing cannot
be done by anyone else.

Okinawa's frustration with the SDF is growing. In 1972, the SDF was
garrisoned in Okinawa right after its reversion to Japan. Okinawa's
local residents looked upon the SDF in the same light as the
now-defunct Imperial Japanese Army. In those days, SDF members
posted to Okinawa were given the cold shoulder. SDF personnel could
not register with local offices or even participate in a
coming-of-age ceremony. As seen from such facts, the situation was
abnormal. Thereafter, the SDF made steady efforts, such as
airlifting emergency patients and disposing of unexploded ordnance.
In the end, the SDF successfully won high praise from local
communities in Okinawa.

The SDF currently stations 6,680 personnel in Okinawa. The local
backlash this time implies that the relationship of mutual trust,
which took a long time to build, could collapse in an instant.

6) New Komeito's Kitagawa warns blue-ribbon panel not to head for
making changes to constitutional interpretation with Upper House
election in mind

MAINICHI (Page 5) (Abridged slightly)
May 17, 2007

New Komeito Secretary General Kazuo Kitagawa indicated in a press
conference yesterday that his party is against the idea of allowing
the country to exercise the right to collective self-defense.
Kitagawa apparently intended to give a strong warning before the
government establishes a blue-ribbon panel on its interpretation of
the Constitution. Aware of the panel's likelihood to recommend make

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changes to the government's interpretation of Article 9, Kitagawa
underlined his party's opposition to altering the interpretation
with the upcoming Upper House election in mind, exposing discord
within the government and the ruling coalition.

In the press conference, Kitagawa categorically said: "At this
point, there is no need to change the government's interpretation.
The government's interpretation of Article 9 has long taken root in
Japan. The government must make decisions individually from the
viewpoint of independent self-defense or collective defense rather
than to change its interpretation." He thus objected to the panel
headed for change.

Kitagawa's view comes from the concern that embracing the idea of
collective defense would draw strong criticism from supporters,
mostly the party's support base of Soka Gakkai, and that would
adversely affect the party's cooperation with the LDP in the
upcoming election. The New Komeito, a traditional pro-Constitution
party, changed its stance in October 2002 from defending the
Constitution to adding clauses to the Constitution while keeping
Article 9 intact for the sake of going along with the LDP. A senior
New Komeito member indicated that for the sake of its supporters,
the party couldn't allow making changes to the interpretation of
collective defense based on Article 9.

7) Government, ruling coalition give up enacting JNSC legislation in
current Diet session

ASAHI (Page 4) (Full)
May 17, 2007

The government and the ruling coalition decided yesterday to give up
on the idea of enacting a national security council establishment
law in the ongoing Diet session to create a Japan National Security
Council (JNSC). The decision came from the tight Diet schedule that
includes deliberations on other priority bills, including one to
amend the Iraq Special Measures Law.

A senior Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker said last night:
"Enacting JNSC legislation in the ongoing Diet session is not
possible."

8) Prime Minister Abe attends Asia Corporate Conference

YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full)
May 17, 2007

The New York-based Asia Society opened the 17th Asia Corporate
Conference, sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun and other companies,
yesterday, and Prime Minister Abe attended its dinner party held at
a Tokyo hotel.

Delivering a speech, Abe stressed the need for strengthened
cooperation among Asian countries in the economic area, saying: "All
countries in the region should make efforts to build an open,
innovation-oriented Asia in which the countries, in an open minded
manner, can move forward while benefiting each other. It is our big
challenge to make efforts to that end."

The prime minister also pointed out the importance of the presence
of the United States, China, and India, remarking: "We must consider
the meaning of the influence of a rising China, India, as well as

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the US, which has supported the Asian economy in every way," adding:
"The three countries will support the sustainable economic growth of
Asia as a whole.

9) Lackluster Abe-Ozawa debate, with Abe playing up his reform
achievements and Ozawa focusing on Abe's dangerous nature

YOMIURI (Page 2) (Abridged slightly)
May 17, 2007

The first party-head debate in the current Diet session took place
between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and major opposition Minshuto
(Democratic Party of Japan) President Ichiro Ozawa yesterday, about
four months into the Diet session, which was the latest ever for
such an event. Yesterday's party-heads debate was the first since
November 8, 2006. In the session, Ozawa mostly touched on education
and social and income disparities, while Abe played up his
achievements in reform. There was no meeting of the minds.

Ozawa: "Once we take power, we will realize (decentralization). We
are not just criticizing the government with words."

Abe: "The government and the ruling coalition are determined to
fulfill our responsibilities by translating our words into action."

Ozawa's questions and Abe's answers suggested that their minds are
already on the Upper House election this summer. The
question-and-answer session did not help the Liberal Democratic
Party and the major opposition party clarify their campaign issues
for the upcoming election.

Ozawa-Abe debates took place twice last year in which the former
asked questions mostly on the Constitution. In yesterday's session,
Ozawa, referring to Abe's speech at the National Defense Academy
graduation ceremony, said: "You urged the future senior SDF officers
to take action based on their convictions. I could not understand
it:" Ozawa apparently intended to highlight Abe's "dangerous
ideas."

Abe rebutted: "It does not run counter to civilian control. I simply
discussed their mental attitude. Was that so strange?" Ozawa then
shifted his focus to social disparities and the government's
wasteful spending of taxes based on his nationwide tour.

"Through my nationwide tour, I have become keenly aware of growing
disparities among regions," Ozawa said. He went on to discuss a case
in Fukui Prefecture in which a local government had been forced to
build ski slopes in order to receive subsidies for snow-melting
equipment but the ski areas have not been used for the last 12
years. "It is the government's job to examine wasteful spending and
change the system," Ozawa argued.

In response, Abe played up the government's steps, saying: "We have
promised to eliminate wasteful spending to build a lean
government."

After the debate, LDP Secretary General Nakagawa criticized Ozawa,
saying: "He focused on finding faults with the LDP instead of
discussing his party's policies and ideas." New Komeito leader Ota
also commented disapprovingly, "Questions and answers did not mesh
with each other. They could have done better."


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Minshuto Secretary General Hatoyama took this view: "The prime
minister gave me the impression that he was avoiding points of
contention." Another Minshuto member took a different view: "Mr.
Ozawa's questions were too long and lacked punch. The themes were
too abstract to appeal to the public."

10) Three education bills likely to be enacted in current Diet
session after clearing Lower House today

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Excerpts)
May 17, 2007

The House of Representatives' Education Revitalization Council
decided in its directors meeting last night that it will hold today
a general interpellation on three education bills that the
government deems important with the participation of Prime Minister
Abe and take a vote on them the same day. The bills are likely to be
adopted by a majority from the ruling parties.

The bills are expected to clear the Lower House in its plenary
session tomorrow and be sent to the House of Councillors the same
day. The likelihood has now grown stronger that the three bills will
be enacted in the current Diet session.

11) Shifts in factional power: 4,100 persons participate in
Machimura faction's party

SANKEI (Page 5) (Excerpts)
May 17, 2007

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) faction headed by former
Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura held a party yesterday at a
Tokyo hotel. Although factional politics has been weakening, about
4,100 people attended the party. The number of participants at the
party demonstrated the affluence of the LDP's largest faction
(membership of 89),which has produced three prime ministers Yoshiro
Mori, Junichiro Koizumi, and Shinzo Abe in succession. The leaders
of other factions, who came to the party to congratulate the
Machimura faction, had mixed feelings about the occasion.

The party was held at the largest reception hall Goshiki in the
Akasaka Grand Prince Hotel, in which the Machimura faction's office
is located. However another hall was prepared for those who were
unable to get into Goshiki Hall, since there were so many guests.

Describing with deep emotion the rise and fall of the faction since
the late Takeo Fukuda, a former prime minister, had formed it,
Machimura proudly said:

"We have taken action to build a dignified beautiful country. Prime
Minister Abe is the person who has inherited that DNA and supporting
the prime minister is the Machimura faction's mission."

The heads of other factions had mixed feelings, however. Education
Minister Bunmei Ibuki, who chairs his own faction, said:

"I was impressed at the party. Since the faction is the largest in
our party, I wonder the faction has huge income. I am still asked,
"Does the Ibuki faction headed by Mr. Shizuka Kamei? So I envy Mr.
Machimura."

Foreign Minister Taro Aso, who also heads a LDP faction, made

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sarcastic remarks, saying, "I truly appreciate for giving the
chairman of the smallest faction an opportunity to speak." LDP Diet
Affairs Committee Chairman Toshihiro Nikai, who chairs his own
faction, praised the Machimura faction, saying, "The prosperity of
the Machimura faction will lead to the stability of Japan."

12) Bribery involving Tokyo Dental College: SIA dental supervisor
arrested; Alumni association covered drop in income

SANKEI (Page 1) (Excerpts)
May 17, 2007

In a case of a dental supervisor of the Social Insurance Agency
(SIA) allegedly having received more than 2 million yen from a
senior member of Tokyo Dental College's alumni association in return
for providing dentists who graduated from the college, his alma
mater, with internal information on the auditing of medical fee
receipts, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested Harumi Sato
(57),an administrative inspector of the Social Insurance Agency's
(SIA) Tochigi Regional Social Insurance Bureau, on charges of
accepting bribes and two others, including Fumihiro Uchiyama (66),
vice chairman of the alumni association and former executive
director of the Japan Dental Association, on charges of offering
bribes.

Sato has become a medical supervisor at the request of the alumni
association. The alumni association has provided money to Sato to
cover a drop in his income as a result of quitting to practice as a
dentist. He is estimated to have received more than 10 million yen
in 10 years. The second investigation division will rush to unveil
the collusion involving the alumni association.

The other arrestee is Yoshimi Otomo (73),former vice chairman of
the alumni association. Both admitted to the charges. Sato has
allegedly saved the money received.

13) Takeshima to stay on as chairman of Fair Trade Commission;
Skills highly praised in the Abe administration

Asahi On Line (Full)
May 17, 2007

The government has decided to retain Kazuhiko Takeshima in his post
as chairman of the Fair Trade Commission of Japan (JFTC). He will be
reappointed once agreement of the Diet is obtained. He has been in
that position for five years. Since the Koizumi administration that
appointed Takeshima has been replaced, it was expected that he would
step down once his tenure ends in September. However, the Abe
administration has lauded his skills, and it has decided to continue
with the "Takeshima line" of running the JFTC.

During the Koizumi administration, Takeshima, initially an assistant
deputy chief cabinet secretary, played a role as a reform adviser.
After he was appointed to head the JFTC, as well, he began to reform
the organization that had the reputation of being "a watchdog that
never barked," by actively tackling such issues as cracking down on
large-scale bid-rigging practices. In addition, the government,
aiming at deterring bid-rigging practices, plans to present to the
regular Diet session in 2008 a bill revising the Anti-Monopoly Act
to allow the imposition of large fines based on the case.
Apparently, the government is counting on Takeshima's coordinating
skills since he has channels to both the ruling camp and big

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business community.

Takeshima is 64. After graduating from Tokyo University, he entered
the Ministry of Finance in 1965. After having served in such posts
as director-general of the National Tax Agency, director of the
Cabinet Councillors' Office on Internal Affairs, and assistant
deputy chief cabinet secretary, he was appointed head of the JFTC in
July 2002.

14) Overly high medical fees in Japan, according to Finance Ministry
report

YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full)
May 17, 2007

The Finance Ministry put together cases of high costs for medical
treatment into a report and released it in a meeting of the Fiscal
System Deliberations, an advisory panel to the finance minister,
yesterday. High medical fees have strained the government's
finances. The report described the real situation in which the
utilization rate of generic drugs, cheaper than new drugs, remains
low and medical equipment is also high-priced in Japan.

A generic drug can be legally produced for a drug whose patent has
already expired, and it must contain the same active ingredients as
the original formation. Such products are priced far lower than new
drugs, but in many cases, small manufacturers produce generics, and
generics have not been widely used in Japan. According to the
Finance Ministry, the share of generics to total medicines marketed
in Japan is 5.2% in value terms (in FY2004),less than half that in
the United States and less than one-fourth of that in Germany. The
Finance Ministry estimates that if all new medicines are replaced
with generics, Japan could save 1.3 trillion yen out of the current
about 7 trillion yen in annual pharmaceutical spending, or 10,000
yen per head.

Listed cases of high-priced medical equipment include (1) the prices
of such medical equipment as cardiac pacemakers set 2 to 8 times
higher than those in other countries; and (2) there are so many
expensive equipment, such as CT and MRI, for the population.

15) Payments of work-related compensation for workers' stress hit
record in FY2006

ASAHI (Top play) (Excerpts)
May 17, 2007

Some 205 individuals qualified for worker's accident compensation
insurance in fiscal 2006 after being diagnosed with depression and
other psychological disorders brought about by work-related stress,
1.6 times that of the previous fiscal year, the Ministry of Health,
Labor and Welfare (MHLW) said. Of the 205 persons, 66 committed
suicide due to overwork (including one attempted suicide). This
figure, too, hit a record. Some 66 persons qualified for worker's
compensation for brain or heart, 1.6 times that of the previous
fiscal year. While the economy is recovering, workers' health is
deteriorating.

Of the 205 persons, 106 were depression-related cases, and 99 were
stress-related cases. By occupation, workers with specialized
technical skills, such as system engineers and those working in
health professions, made up the largest number of such cases, with

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60. By age, psychological problems were especially prominent among
those in their 30s, regarded as mainstay workers, with a sharp jump
to 83 cases from the 39 of the previous year. The figure accounted
for 40% of the total.

The number of applications for worker's compensation in this area
has been on the rise, registering 819 cases in 2006, up 24.8% from
the year before.

A total of 355 individuals qualified for worker's compensation due
to strokes and heart disorders, an increase of 7.6% and the
second-consecutive increase. There were 146 cases of karoshi, down

10. There were also a record number of 938 applications for worker's
compensation in this area, up 7.9% from the previous year.

16) Internationalization of Haneda Airport using landing and
departure slots during early morning and nighttime hours; Government
to propose open skies policy

NIHON KEIZAI (Page 1) (Full)
May 17, 2007

The government's Asia Gateway Strategic Council, chaired by Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe, yesterday compiled an Asia Gateway Initiative
aimed at promoting interchange with Asia. The panel has proposed
expanding chartered flights at Haneda Airport using landing and
departure slots during early morning and nighttime hours and
adopting around-the-clock operations of international airports in
major cities, based on an open skies policy, under which the state
takes the initiative in deciding on destinations of flights and
carriers to take part. The proposals will be incorporated in the
basic policy guidelines on economic and fiscal management and
structural reforms for fiscal 2007 to be realized in order of
precedence.

Emerging from the meeting, the prime minister underscored to
reporters, "I will open Japan toward Asia and share Asia with the
world using Japan as a conduit."

According to the initiative, the internationalization of Haneda
Airport will be promoted before the completion of a new runway in
2010, and landing and departure spots during early morning and
nighttime hours will be used actively. In particular, the initiative
incorporated the launching of talks with related local governments,
such as Chiba Prefecture, where Narita Airport is located, with the
aim of realizing the operations of chartered international flights
arriving at Haneda in the 6:00-8:30 AM timeframe and leaving in the
8:30-11:00 PM timeframe. It also noted the realization of chartered
flights between Haneda and Beijing during the Beijing Olympic Games
in 2008.

The limit to the number of flights at the Kansai and Chubu
International Airport will be removed only in the event of Asian
partner nations accepting an open skies system. The opening of new
flight routes by local airports will be in principle liberalized.
Other proposals included increasing the acceptance of foreign
students to 350,000 by 2020, three times the present number, through
reform of the customs clearance system.

Main specifics of Asia Gateway Initiative

Change in aviation policy leading to liberalization

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7 Aim at around-the-clock operations of Haneda Airport through
expansion of chartered international flights during early morning
and nighttime hours

7 Promote liberalization of Kansai and Chubu International Airports
through talks on a bilateral basis

Reform of customs clearance system

7 Currently each port has its own procedures. These procedures
should be unified and simplified.

SCHIEFFER