JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 06/18/07

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E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 06/18/07 TOKYO 00002725 001.2 OF 012 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials 3) Prime Minister's weekend schedule 4) Ambassador Schieffer in a Yomiuri-sponsored speech urges signing of FTA between US and Japan Opinion polls: 5) ABE Cabinet support rate plummets 10.6 points to all time low of 28%, with non-support rate jumping 14.8 points to 48.4% : Jiji poll 6) Asahi poll shows tremendous erosion of public trust in politics, with 83% convinced that political parties are not carrying out their roles Political agenda: 7) Prime Minister Abe, LDP agree that extension of Diet session is necessary 8) Ruling camp decision on length of Diet extension early this week, but opposition camp is prepared to file a no-confidence motion 9) LDP Upper House secretary general: Opposition filing a no-confidence motion against the ABE Cabinet will make a Diet extension inevitable 10) Minshuto Upper House secretary general: No confidence motion should be filed 11) Minshuto's Hatoyama hints at possibility of double elections due to political clash in the Diet 12) LDP Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa resigned to possibility that coalition may lose its Upper House majority in the election 13) LDP Upper House caucus head Aoki: If election is lost, ABE must assume responsibility 14) Japanese Communist Party issues its political manifesto (campaign pledges) for the upcoming Upper House election 15) Sales of Chongryon (Chosen Soren) headquarters withdrawn 16) Involvement of PSIA staff and not just the former chief revealed in the strange case of the aborted purchase of the pro-North Korea Chongryon headquarters Defense and security issues: 17) Declassified documents uncovered in US archives allege secret deal between US, Japan to bring nuclear weapons into Okinawa during a contingency 18) US sounds out Japan about multiple war heads for jointly developed SM3 but Japan balks at the cost 19) Japan to concur to international scheme to restrict cluster bombs 20) Japan to enter international negotiations aimed at banning cluster bombs 21) USFJ requests over 100 facilities in plan to expand Iwakuni base Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: Asahi Shimbun poll: 83% say political parties are not fulfilling their roles Mainichi: Sale of Chongryon HQ cancelled; Former PSIA director general gives up on 3.5 billion procurement; Land and building registration TOKYO 00002725 002.2 OF 012 restored to Chongryon Yomiuri: Schools flounder under unreasonable requests from parents Nikkei: Accumulated losses held by 22 independent administrative agencies amount to 1.6 trillion yen as of end of March last year: Possibility of injecting tax money Sankei: Japan used yen loans to China as leverage to help dissident physicist Fang Lizhi leave China Tokyo Shimbun: Legal system concerning EMF waves from digital consumer electronics needed: Relation with pediatric leukemia cannot be ruled out Akahata: JCP gets support in nationwide campaign, dialogues 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) A society free of global warming: Redesign needed both for industry and lifestyle (2) Foreign trainee system: Huge difference between principles and reality Mainichi: (1) Reform of policy-related financing: Continued monitoring needed (2) State is responsible for filling ten-year vacuum after atomic bombings Yomiuri: (1) Scramble for power of attorney: Voting rights given to individual stockholders increase weight (2) Regional Revitalization Organization: How will it support regional small- and medium-sized firms? Nikkei: (1) New concepts needed to promote tourism (2) Cambodia emerging as destination for investment Sankei: (1) Shareholders meetings should be made venue to nurture healthy tension (2) Police scandals: Pronounced lack of morals Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Shareholders meetings: Sufficient information should be provided (2) Cambodian reconstruction: New chapter for success story needed Akahata: (1) Beginning of the rainy season: Alert to abnormally heavy rain 3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) Prime Minister's schedule, June 16 NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) TOKYO 00002725 003.2 OF 012 June 17, 2007 08:34 Left Haneda Airport by ANA 661. 10:02 Arrived at Nagasaki Airport. Met Nagasaki Vice Governor Fujii and others in the airport. 11:00 Attended a "meeting to talk about a beautiful Japan" sponsored by the LDP Nagasaki Prefectural Chapter at the Hotel New Nagasaki. Later, had lunch with Nagasaki Mayor Tagami and others. 12:25 Met Lower House member Seigo Kitamura and others. Followed by a press conference. 13:21 Watched a girls' soccer game in Nagasaki Prefecture. 14:35 Visited the residence of the late Itcho Ito, former Nagasaki mayor. 16:29 Planted rice in Ogi City, Saga Prefecture. Held informal talks with persons related to agriculture. 17:31 Met Saga Governor Furukawa and others at the Saga City Cultural Hall. Held a press conference. 18:46 Attended a speech meeting sponsored by the LDP Saga Prefectural Chapter. 20:08 Arrived at Fukuoka Airport. 20:59 Left Fukuoka Airport by ANA 272. 22:14 Arrived at Haneda Airport. 22:49 Returned to his official residence. Spent the morning at his official residence 13:10 Attended a funeral for a relative of his secretary at Gotokuji Temple, Setagaya Ward. 15:00 Arrived at his private residence in Tomigaya. 4) US ambassador expresses eagerness for Japan-US FTA YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) June 16, 2007 TOKYO 00002725 004.2 OF 012 Delivering a speech in a meeting of the Yomiuri International Economic Society (YIES) in Tokyo on June 15, United States Ambassador to Japan J. Thomas Schieffer indicated a positive stance about concluding a Japan-US free trade agreement (FTA),which the Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) has been calling for. He said: "If Japan and the US further open their markets (to each other),(business) opportunities will be unlimited for both." The ambassador stopped short of mentioning the propriety of starting negotiations, saying, "The Upper House election is scheduled for July." But he reiterated that the pact, if concluded, inevitably would benefit the two countries, remarking: "Free trade will produce prosperity and create jobs." The ambassador further urged the government to promote deregulation and structural reform in such areas as commercial aviation, telecommunications, and medical services, saying: "The low productivity in the service area, which accounts for two-thirds of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP),is attributed to the regulations intended to protect domestic firms from competition inside and outside the nation." In reference to the six-party talks on North Korea, Schieffer stated: "We appreciate the proactive role Japan has played." On the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North, he said: "I believe that the issue should be dealt with in the framework of the six-party talks." 5) Jiji poll: Cabinet approval rating nosedives to 28% TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Excerpts) June 16, 2007 The approval rating for the ABE cabinet dropped sharply to 28.8%, down 10.6 points from the previous month to an all-time low since the cabinet came into being in last September, according to the results of a poll conducted on June 8-11 by Jiji Press. This is the first time since the Mori cabinet for the cabinet to see its approval rating sink to under 30%, viewed as the "danger zone." The Koizumi cabinet never saw its support rate fall below 30%. In contrast, the disapproval rating rose to 48.4% (up 14.8 points from the previous month),the highest since the cabinet was established. The public's discontent with and distrust of the ABE administration's responses to the problem of the missing records of pension premium payments is hurting the administration. This is likely to affect the Upper House election set to be announced next month. The survey was conducted toward 2,000 adult men and women across the country on a one-on-one interview basis. The retrieval rate was 67.5%. 6) Poll: 83% see political parties failing to play their roles ASAHI (Top play) (Abridged) June 18, 2007 A total of 83% do not think political parties have been playing their expected roles, with only 10% thinking they have been doing so, the Asahi Shimbun found from its recent nationwide public opinion survey. The general public takes an earnest view of politics, with 53% seeing political parties as "important" and 62% TOKYO 00002725 005.2 OF 012 seeing politics as "inseparable from livelihood and jobs." Meanwhile, the public is strongly dissatisfied with the political parties as they are. There are few people who support a political party but do not go so far as to become a member of that party or contribute money to that party. The proportion of those who will vote for that party's candidate was also no more than 50%. The survey shows the public's weak attitude of supporting political parties. The survey was conducted with cooperation from former Tokyo University President Takeshi Sasaki, currently a professor at Gakushuin University, and Kazutoshi Maeda, political reform promotion chief at the Japan Productivity Center for Socio-Economic Development. The survey was intended to probe the public's political attitudes, such as how they evaluate political parties and politicians, what they will consider in supporting or voting for a political party or its candidate, and what they think about public opinion surveys. A questionnaire was mailed to a total of 3,000 persons in April and May before the pension fiasco came up, and answers were obtained from 2,166 persons (72% ). In the survey, respondents were also asked if they were interested in politics. In response to this question, 82% answered "yes," with 18% seeing politics as a "drama" and 27% saying politics is interesting. The general public seems to be interested in politics but also seems to be thinking they must not make light of it. The public actually takes a severe view of politics. Asked if they trust politics, 58% answered "no," with 41% saying "yes." A total of 92% also answered that they wanted politics to change, broken down into 44% saying they want politics to change "very much" and 48% saying they want politics to change "somewhat." Respondents were further asked if they thought they were "floating voters" with no particular party affiliation, regardless of whether they have a political party to support now. To this question, "yes" accounted for 47%, with "no" reaching 46%. 7) Prime Minister Abe, LDP agree to extend current Diet session NIHON KEIZAI (NIKKEI) (Page 1) (Excerpts) June 16, 2007 Prime Minister SHINZO ABE met on the night of June 15 with Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Hidenao Nakagawa and Secretary General LDP Upper House Caucus Secretary General Toranosuke Katayama at the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei). The three agreed on a plan of not hesitating to extend the current session of the Diet in order to pass in the current session a bill amending the National Civil Service Law, which would ban the practice of amakudari or placing retired senior bureaucrats into high-paying posts at private firms in the industries they once oversaw. The ruling parties are now coordinating views on a plan to extend the session for 12 days. Abe has accepted this idea. 8) Decision on how long the Diet session will be extended likely to be made early this week MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) June 18, 2007 Kazuto Takeshima, Muri Yamada TOKYO 00002725 006.2 OF 012 The battle between the ruling and opposition parties will come to a crucial stage ahead of June 23, when the current session of the Diet is to end. The governing coalition, which has now decided to extend the Diet session in order to enact such key bills as legislation reforming the civil service system, is expected to decide early this week how long the session will be extended. The plan is to extend it for 12 days at the longest. Meanwhile, the opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto),are objecting strongly to the ruling bloc's move, describing it as an attempt to delay the Upper House election. The Diet is likely to be put in a tense situation with the opposition bloc gearing up to prevent the enactment of key bills by submitting a no-confidence motion against the ABE cabinet. Appearing on an NHK TV talk show yesterday, Shoichi Nakagawa, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) Policy Research Council, indicated that it would be inevitable to extend the Diet session, noting: "(The opposition parties) are preparing to obstruct Diet deliberations, for example, by submitting a no-confidence motion against the cabinet. We must seriously consider this situation, otherwise we can't fulfill our responsibility to the public." Toshiko Hamayotsu, acting chief representative of the junior coalition partner New Komeito, also told reporters in Fukuoka City on the same day: "We have been opposed to extending the Diet session, but we are ready to change our mind if there is an urgent need." The governing coalition's initial plan was to pass the three education reform-related bills and the bill revising the Iraq Special Measures Law on June 20 and enact the bills aimed at reforming the Social Insurance Agency (SIA),the bill lifting the statute of limitations on pension claims and the bills related to the Civil Service Law on June 22. However, Minshuto and other opposition parties are confronting the government over such issues as missing pension records. They are gearing up to submit a censure motion against Prime Minister SHINZO Abe in the Upper House and a no-confidence motion in the Lower House in order to block the enactment of those bills. Given this move, the ruling bloc has judged it is inevitable to extend the Diet session. After measuring the degree of the opposition bloc's objection against the government on such occasions as taking a vote on the three education reform-related bills slated for tomorrow, the ruling parties will decide on how long the Diet session will be extended. Assuming an extension of the session for another 12 days will be appropriate, the ruling parties aim to enact the bill revising the Political Funds Control Law as well as the three labor bills. If the Diet is extended for another 12 days, the election will be delayed from the initially-scheduled July 22 to July 29. 9) "Extending Diet session would be unavoidable, if a no-confidence motion is filed," says Katayama, secretary general of LDP members in Upper House YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) June 18, 2007 Commenting on the handling of a set of bills related to reform of the public servant system towards the end of the Diet session, Toranosuke Katayama, secretary general of the LDP members in the TOKYO 00002725 007.2 OF 012 Upper House, during a Fuji TV talk show on June 17 noted, "If opposition parties introduce a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet, the Diet will be stalled. Should that happen, it would be impossible for those bills to clear through the Diet by June 23, when the current session closes." He thus indicated his view that it would be unavoidable to extend the session in the event of opposition parties filing a no-confidence motion against the cabinet. He then hinted that a 12-day extension would be desirable. Secretary General Nakagawa of the same party during an NHK TV talks SIPDIS show also said, "If opposition parties say that they will filibuster deliberations by filing a no-confidence motion for the sake of gaining time, we must seriously think of some sort of countermeasures. Otherwise, we cannot be responsible to the people." Giving a speech in Tateyama Town, Toyama Prefecture, former LDP secretary general Makoto Koga yesterday indicated his position that SIPDIS a cautious decision is needed in deciding whether to extend the Diet session. He noted, "I wonder the public is seeking passage of those key bills even at the cost of delaying the day for the Upper House election." 10) "Opposition parties should file a no-confidence motion," says DPJ Secretary General Ogawa YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) June 18, 2007 Discussing during a Fuji TV talk show yesterday his party's possible approach to the Diet session, which is about to close, Toshio Ogawa, secretary general of Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) SIPDIS members of the Upper House, indicated his position that opposition parties should file a no-confidence motion against the cabinet. He said, "Given the government's measures to deal with the pension fiasco, opposition parties cannot avoid introducing a no-confidence motion." Regarding a possible extension of the Diet session, he stressed his stance of opposing an extension by 12 days (as the LDP secretary general had proposed),saying, "A 12-day extension will SIPDIS not be enough for sufficient deliberations." 11) Hatoyama hints at possibility of double elections YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) June 18, 2007 Referring to the Upper House election in the summer, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) Secretary General Hatoyama in a speech given yesterday in Higashi-Kagawa City, Kagawa Prefecture indicated a possibility of same-day elections for the Upper House and the Lower House. He noted, "You cannot rule out a possibility of same-day elections for the Upper House and the Lower House. Since the opposition camp is cornering the ABE administration, heaven only knows what it will be up to, giving in to despair." 12) LDP Secretary General Nakagawa preparing for possibility of ruling coalition falling short of majority in Upper House? TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) June 17, 2007 Ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Hidenao TOKYO 00002725 008.2 OF 012 Nakagawa took a test ride in a dual mode vehicle (DMV),which can run both on a track and road, in JR Hokkaido's Inaho factory in Sapporo. Asked by reporters about his impression, he said: "In order to protect local railways this is a very important traffic vehicle." He then quipped, "A dual mode party, which would transfer people from the opposition camp to the ruling bloc, could be created after the House of Councillors election ends." He appeared to have expressed his hope for cooperation with the People's New Party and other opposition parties if the ruling coalition fails to win a majority of the Upper House seats in the July election. Facing a headwind due to the pension premium record record-keeping fiasco, he seemed to be discouraged. 13) LDP Upper House Chairman Aoki indicates if LDP fails to win a majority in the Upper House, Prime Minister ABE will be held responsible for that loss TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) June 17, 2007 Mikio Aoki, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) caucus in the House of Councillors, delivered a speech on the night of June 16 in the city of Yonago, Tottori Prefecture. Referring in it to the upcoming Upper House election, Aoki stated: "Both the LDP and Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) have recognized that a low threshold for victory in the Upper House election is to win a majority of the Upper House seats by the LDP and New Komeito. The locus of responsibility is clear. Both the LDP and Minshuto will risk their fates on the Upper House election." Aoki indicated in his remarks that if the ruling camp failed to win a majority of the Upper House seats, Prime Minister SHINZO Abe's responsibility for the failure will be unavoidable. His remarks were aimed at strengthening internal cooperation, while the LDP is expected to face an uphill battle. He also expressed his view that the LDP was in a tougher position over the problem of unidentified pension accounts. He pointed out: "The Upper House members up for election won their seats six years ago. The ruling camp won big in the previous House of Representatives election because of the popularity of Prime Minister Koizumi. So the public may be wondering whether they want the ruling camp to win the Upper House race as well. In this critical situation, the pension fiasco then arose." 14) JCP unveils its manifesto TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) June 16, 2007 The Japanese Communist Party (JCP) unveiled its manifesto for the upcoming Upper House election on June 15. In response to the missing records of pension premium payments, the manifesto features five emergency measures, such as immediately sending every pension plan holder and pensioner his or her records of premium payments. The manifesto is titled "Protecting Livelihoods and Peace as a Reliable Opposition Party." It comes up with priority policy measures in 12 areas, such as poverty, social disparities, social TOKYO 00002725 009.2 OF 012 welfare, the Constitution, and education. On emergency measures to deal with the pension problem, the manifesto proposes (1) paying benefits by respecting claims by pension-plan holders or pensioners even if there is no evidence of payments; (2) crosschecking all handwritten records with the computer records at the Social Insurance Agency (SIA); and (3) opposing breaking up and privatizing the SIA. The manifesto also works out a "One-Trillion-Yen Plan for Emergency Social Welfare," which includes lowering national health insurance premiums and making medical expenses for preschool-age children free. 15) PSIA official introduced mediator to Ogata for Chongryon HQ deal MAINICHI (Top play) (Excerpts) June 17, 2007 It was an incumbent Public Security Intelligence Agency official that introduced a former real estate company president, 73, to former PSIA Director-General Shigetake Ogata, 73, for the sale of the land and building of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) headquarters, informed sources said. Prosecutors are believed to be aware of the relationship. The involvement of an incumbent PSIA official in helping the former company president to build a relationship with Ogata has now surfaced behind the fictitious land deal. The official in question belongs to Investigation Division 2, which is chiefly tasked with monitoring foreign security authorities. The division is also responsible for collecting and analyzing information on North Korea, including Chongryon. Ogata served as division chief between 1984 and ¶1986. The former president is believed to have served as an intermediary between Ogata and Chongryon regarding the land deal. The special investigative squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office raided his Tokyo home on suspicion of registering false original electronic documents. 16) Deal to sell Chongryon headquarters to former PSIA chief's company cancelled MAINICHI (Top Play) (Excerpts) June 18, 2007 An investment advisory company in which former Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA) Director General Shigetaka Ogata, 73, serves as representative director had signed a deal to purchase the land and building of the headquarters of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon). But it has been learned that Ogata informed the pro-Pyongyang organization that the company would give up procuring the 3.5 billion yen needed to buy the property. The company will go through the necessary procedure to restore the registration of ownership of the land and buildings possibly this morning, just before a judgment is handed down (this afternoon) in a lawsuit in which the Resolution and Collection Corporation demands Chongryon repay about 62.7 billion yen. Many observers anticipate Chongryon will lose the lawsuit. The possibility is now strong that if a declaration of provisional TOKYO 00002725 010.2 OF 012 execution is issued, its properties, including the headquarters, will be seized. Meanwhile, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's Special Investigation Department is conducting an investigation on suspect that the sales deal might have been falsified from the beginning, with no real substance about the funds-procurement plan. The withdrawal of the registration of transfer is likely to have some impact on future investigations. 17) Prof. Shinobu discovers documents on secret Japan-US pact allowing US to bring nuclear weapons into Okinawa in contingency, supporting Wakaizumi claim TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top play) (Full) June 17, 2007 Washington, Jiji Documents have been discovered at the US National Archives on June 16 supporting claims in a book (Tasaku nakarishi o shinzemu to hossu, published by Bungeishunju) by the late Kyoto Sangyo University Prof. Kei Wakaizumi that he, as Prime Minister Eisaku Sato's secret emissary during bilateral talks in 1969 on Okinawa's reversion to Japan, had engineered a secret Japan-US pact for bringing nuclear weapons into Japan. A total of 89 documents were discovered, including telephone records between Wakaizumi and then National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger. They are consistent with what is written in Wakaizumi's book. The discovered US documents support the accuracy of Wakaizumi's book that unveiled the existence of the secret nuclear pact. With this, the Japanese government, which has denied the existence of any secret tact, is likely to find itself in a tight spot. SIPDIS Nihon University Prof. Takashi Shinobu discovered the telephone records. Okinawa's reversion to Japan was sealed in a meeting in November 19, 1969, between Prime Minister Sato and President Richard Nixon. Toward this meeting, Wakaizumi, who became Sato's secret emissary, made contacts with Kissinger under the false name of Yoshida to pave the way for the secret pact. According to Wakaizumi's book, aware of the danger of his telephone conversations with Kissinger being wiretapped, they used codes, such as "item 1" for the nuclear issue and "a cubicle" for the secret pact on bringing nuclear weapons into Okinawa. The words "item 1" and "cubicle" often crop up in the November 15, 1969, telephone conversation discovered by Prof. Shinobu. The conversation between Wakaizumi and Kissinger on secret procedures required for Sato and Nixon to sign the pact allowing the US to bring nuclear weapons into Okinawa is also largely consistent with what is discussed in Wakaizumi's book. Prof. Shinobu also discovered some memos Wakaizumi had sent to Kissinger, as is discussed in Wakaizumi's book. 18) SM-3: US proposes developing multiheaded missile; Japan declines proposal for cost reasons YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) June 18, 2007 TOKYO 00002725 011.2 OF 012 The US government has asked the Japanese government to change their ongoing joint missile development plan, sources said yesterday. Japan and the United States are now working together to develop the Standard Missile 3 (SM-3),an enhanced intercept missile. The US government proposed changing the SM-3 from a single-warheaded type to a multiheaded type in order to cope with wide-ranging threats. The Japanese government declined the proposal, maintaining that Japan cannot accept the proposed change because the plan has already been delayed and the cost also willl likely increase. The SM-3 enhanced type is expected to expand the scope of defense and improve the accuracy of fire. "It will be possible to destroy the enemy's intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) flying at a high altitude," a senior official of the Defense Agency says. There are calls from within the US government with China and Russia in mind. for developing a multiheaded missile instead of a uniheaded missile. Such an enhanced SM-3 missile can cope with ICBMs even if they are improved in the future. However, the SM-3 enhanced type will mean an increase in the defense budget. In addition, there is no knowing how long its development will take. The US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee cited two preconditions in May for changing the SM-3 to a multiheaded type: 1) Japan's concurrence is needed; and 2) deployment must not be behind schedule. The United States is believed to have made the proposal to the Defense Ministry in order to clear these preconditions. 19) Government to concur with placing controls on cluster bombs YOMIURI (Page 1) (Excerpts) June 16, 2007 Prior to an experts' meeting of the Convention of Prohibitions or Restrictions on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW),scheduled to begin on June 19 in Geneva, the government has decided to support the drafting of a new treaty that would restrict the use of cluster bombs. On the understanding that Japan is against the immediate and complete abolition of the bombs, the government's policy is to back a ban on the use of the bombs in densely populated areas, as well as the ban on the use of types of cluster bombs that tend to remain unexploded. The policy also says that the government approves of using cluster bombs with a function that keeps unexploded sub-munitions from detonating. Cluster bombs contain several sub-munitions that are sent over a large area while the bomb is in midair. There have been many reports of civilians killed while handling the unexploded bombs. But Japan, which possesses four kinds of cluster bombs, remains reluctant to sign a treaty completely banning the weapons. 20) Japan to concur on entry into talks over anti-cluster bomb treaty MAINICHI (Page 2) (Abridged) June 17, 2007 An international meeting of experts for the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) will start tomorrow in Geneva to discuss how to proceed with negotiations for an anti-cluster bomb treaty. The Japanese government is in favor of entering into talks over cluster bombs, falling in line with the European Union that wants to TOKYO 00002725 012.2 OF 012 conclude the treaty next year. However, the Japanese government remains opposed to the immediate, all-out prohibition of cluster bombs and prefers gradual phase-out. 21) USFJ asks for over 100 facilities in plan to expand Iwakuni base that would add several hundred billion yen burden on Japan AKAHATA (Page 4) (Excerpts) June 17, 2007 The realignment of United States forces in Japan contains a plan to relocate 57 US Navy carrier-based jets and approximately 3,800 personnel and their families now stationed at the US Navy's Atsugi base (Kanagawa Prefecture) to the US Marines' Iwakuni base (Yamaguchi Prefecture). The Japanese government has now revealed the master plan drafted by the USFJ command. According to diagram of possible deployments to Iwakuni base after USFJ realignment, distributed on May 17 by the Defense Facilities Administrative Agency, the plan aims to increased or revise over 100 facilities (on Iwakuni base) to accompany the carrier-based jet squadron and the 12 KC-130 air tankers and approximately 350 personnel to be relocated from Futenma Air Station, where they are now located. The master plan indicates that the US side, taking advantage of the agreement by the Japanese government to foot the costs of USFJ realignment within Japan, will ask for the construction of a large number of new facilities. SCHIEFFER