JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 05/17/07

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 12 TOKYO 002219 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 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use of right of collective self-defense 7) Bill establishing National Security Council under prime minister will be withdrawn this Diet session due to lack of time for deliberation 8) Prime Minister ABE attends Asia Corporate Conference in Tokyo Political agenda: 9) Long-delayed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 TOKYO 00002219 002 OF 012 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. TOKYO 00002219 003 OF 012 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 TOKYO 00002219 004 OF 012 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 TOKYO 00002219 005 OF 012 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 TOKYO 00002219 006 OF 012 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 TOKYO 00002219 007 OF 012 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." TOKYO 00002219 008 OF 012 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 TOKYO 00002219 009 OF 012 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 TOKYO 00002219 010 OF 012 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 TOKYO 00002219 011 OF 012 ¶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 TOKYO 00002219 012 OF 012 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