JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 06/26/07

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E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 06/26/07 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials 3) Prime Minister's daily schedule Opinion polls: 4) Foreign Ministry's annual poll of US attitudes finds good feelings toward and trust in Japan at record highs 5) Asahi pre-election poll finds public still hopping mad about pension issue, two major parties, LDP and Minshuto, evenly matched going into the final stretch 6) Yomiuri survey of Upper House candidates finds pension mess is the hot-button campaign issue for Minshuto and LDP Upper House race: 7) LDP debating whether Prime Minister ABE should take responsibility and step down in case of Upper House defeat, particularly if only 44 seats won 8) Minshuto's Hatoyama says he will step down as party's secretary general if the ruling coalition keeps its majority in Upper House election 9) Former Prime Minister Mori: ABE need not step down even if the LDP loses election 10) ABE being forced to change his election strategy, with education reform, regional revitalization campaign pitches falling flat with the public 11) Abe's political imprint seen in the 35 proportionate representation races 12) Shocked by the suicide of Agriculture Minister Matsuoka, the LDP has yet to choose a replacement candidate to run for his seat 13) Vice Foreign Minister Yachi defends Abe's US statement in April on comfort-women issue, says it is up to US Congress now to decide on resolution 14) Former defense chief Ishiba calls right of collective self-defense the same as the right to defend one's homeland 15) Japan's national debt at its worst at end of fiscal 2006: 834 trillion yen Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: Tokyo Shimbun: MAFF investigation into Meat Hope Co. finds 13 irregularities; Illegal sales, including foreign products in domestic products, changing expiry dates, started 24 years ago Mainichi: Chongryon deal: Former Public Security Intelligence Agency head makes secret arrangement for buying Chongryon headquarters, by pretending to trust investor, who later turned down request Yomiuri: All SIA staff to return part of their bonus; 1 billion yen in all Nihon Keizai: Mitsubishi-UFJ Financial Group decides to take more than 15 % stake in Matsui Securities House; Internet securities industry to be reorganized TOKYO 00002878 002 OF 010 Sankei: Distorted structure of SIA: Workers' paradise; Working while smoking; Taking lunch break ignoring visitors Akahata: Government miscalculates national health insurance allocations: 1,000 local governments might have been affected; Naha City suffers shortage of 550 million yen over 10 years 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) Global warming countermeasures: Resourcefulness to involve developing countries needed (2) New TSE system: It should become a market that can earn high marks worldwide Mainichi: (1) Third-party pension panel should reach convincing judgment that is fair and transparent (2) Minced meat scam: Why were such outrageous practices allowed to continue? Yomiuri: (1) Beef-labeling scandal: Consumer trust in food has been betrayed again (2) Palestinian situation: It is dangerous to leave divisions unattended Nihon Keizai: (1) Careful standards should be adopted to restore missing pension premium payment records (2) Beef-labeling scandal betrays consumer trust Sankei: (1) Pension committee should establish fair and flexible screening standards (2) Beijing Olympics: Environmental measures hold key to success Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Ferrosilt pollution: It is a crime committed by entire company (2) New British prime minister: It is essential for him to work with Germany and France Akahata: (1) Bill dismantling SIA: Will the government "dismantle" state responsibility as well? (07062603yk) Back to Top 3) Prime Minister's schedule, June 25 NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) June 26, 2007 09:28 Arrived at Kantei 10:03 Met at LDP headquarters with Secretary General Nakagawa, later joined by former Education Revitalization Council member Yoshiie. TOKYO 00002878 003 OF 010 11:19 Met at Kantei with Special Advisor Koike. 13:32 Attended at Nissho Hall in Toranomon symposium to support local areas. 13:53 Recorded radio commercial for Upper House election at LDP headquarters, joined by Acting Secretary General Ishihara. 15:39 Met at Kantei with Health, Labor, and Welfare Minister Yanagisawa, joined by Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki. 16:09 Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Matoba, followed by Lower House member Takeshi Noda. 17:01 Attended LDP board meeting in Diet building. 17:24 Met at Kantei those who were awarded for their efforts to facilitate equal participation in society of men and women. 18:02 et with State Minister Takaichi. 19:06 Met at his official residence with Education Reform Council Chairman Noyori and council members, attended by Education Minister Ibuki and Shiozaki. 4) Poll: "Japan-US relations in good shape"-highest ever in US YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) June 26, 2007 The Foreign Ministry yesterday released findings from its public opinion survey conducted in the United States on Japan. In the survey, respondents were asked if they thought Japan-US relations were in good shape. In response to this question, "yes" accounted for 67 % among the average public and 86 % among opinion leaders. Both figures marked an all-time high. The survey was outsourced to a private research firm and conducted from February through March this year. For the survey, a total of 1,506 persons were chosen from among citizens aged 18 and over, and 256 persons from among opinion leaders. "Good shape" was up 4 percentage points among average citizens, and up 1 point among opinion leaders. Asked if Japan is trustworthy, "yes" accounted for 74 % among the general public and reached 91 % among opinion leaders. 5) Poll: 92 % "still angry" at pension problem; LDP, DPJ close in popularity ASAHI (Page 1) (Abridged) June 26, 2007 The proportion of those who think the general public is still angry at the government's pension record-keeping flaws reached 92 % , the Asahi Shimbun found from its seventh telephone-based serial public TOKYO 00002878 004 OF 010 opinion survey conducted June 23-24. The proportion of those thinking that public anger has now calmed down was only 4 % . Asked about the ruling coalition's way of steering the Diet, 70 % disapproved of force to get legislation through, with 17 % saying there found no problem with this under majority rule. As seen from these figures, the greater part of those surveyed were critical. Meanwhile, ahead of next month's election for the House of Councillors, the leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto) was down to 23 % as a party of choice for proportional representation, with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party was up a bit to 24 % . The DPJ and the LDP are now about evenly matched. The figures, however, show that the DPJ remains unable to take advantage of the public criticism of the ruling parties. In the survey, respondents were also asked if their anxiety over their pensions has been dissolved. To this question, "no" accounted for 54 % , with "yes" at only 10 % . The proportion of those who had no anxiety was 31 % . In addition, a total of 66 % answered that they want the nation's pension system to become a point of contention between the ruling and opposition camps in the upcoming House of Councillors election. The ABE cabinet's support rate was 31 % (32 % in the last survey),with its nonsupport rate at 48 % (51 % in the last survey). The ABE cabinet's support rate still stays low, but it rebounded to around 60 % among those who support New Komeito, the LDP's coalition partner. 6) Pension the focus of 53 % of LDP candidates, 84 % of DPJ candidates in Upper House election YOMIURI (Page 1) (Abridged) June 26, 2007 Ahead of the July 29 election for the House of Councillors, the Yomiuri Shimbun conducted a questionnaire survey of prospective candidates. As a point of contention in the election, more than 80 % of those expected to run from the leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto) cited the nation's pension system. Among those expected to run from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, "pensions" accounted for about 50 % , with "education reform" also at about 50 % . The figures show the two parties' respective stances in the run-up to this summer's election. The survey was conducted from early June with a total of 288 persons who are expected to run in the nation's 47 electoral districts or in its proportional representation blocs as candidates on the ticket of a political party or as independents or minor party candidates. Answers were obtained from 263 persons (91.3 % ). In the survey, respondents were asked to pick one or more policy challenges they will take up in campaigning for the upcoming House of Councillors election. In response, the pension issue was named by 53 % of LDP candidates and 46 % of New Komeito candidates. On the side of the opposition parties, 84 % of those running from the DPJ selected pension issues, with 82 % among those running from the People's New Party (Kokumin Shinto),77 % of Japanese Communist Party candidates, and 70 % of Social Democratic Party (Shaminto) candidates. Asked about the advisability of amending the Constitution, affirmative answers accounted for more than 80 % among LDP and New TOKYO 00002878 005 OF 010 Komeito candidates. Among DPJ candidates, affirmative answers accounted for 35 % , with negative answers at 36 % . As seen from these figures, opinion was split in the DPJ. Prime Minister ABE has declared his intention to take up constitutional revision in the upcoming Diet election. Nevertheless, just 13 % of LDP candidates and 8 % of New Komeito candidates said they would take that approach. 7) LDP desperate to contain arguments for ABE to assume responsibility (if election lost); 44 seats as dividing line for Abe's resignation MAINICHI (Page 5) (Excerpts) June 26, 2007 There is growing momentum in the ruling coalition, particularly in the Machimura faction, to which Prime Minister SHINZO ABE used to belong, to contain emerging calls for ABE to assume responsibility for the results of the July 29 House of Councillors election. They are taking precautions against possible calls in the Liberal Democratic Party for ABE to step down after the election should the ruling coalition be forced into the minority in the Upper House. Given the ABE administration's plummeting support ratings, the LDP might erupt with strong calls for ABE to take responsibility in case the party ended up winning only slightly over 40 seats in the election, which would be an uncontrollable situation. "The upcoming election will not be an election to risk the reins of government. We must not panic and must remain steadfast. There is no need to dissolve the House of Representatives." Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori delivering a speech yesterday in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, indicated that even if the ruling coalition were forced into the minority by the upcoming election, there would be no need for the prime minister to step down or dissolve the Lower House. Ahead of Mori, LDP Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa attempted to contain calls for ABE to take responsibility. Appearing on a talk show program on June 24, Nakagawa said: "The Upper House election will be a midterm test for the administration. The ruling coalition's failure to maintain its majority will not entail the resignation of the prime minister." What is common between Mori and Nakagawa is their determination not to make Abe, the third premier from the Machimura faction since Mori, resign as prime minister within one year after taking office. Abe's resignation might endanger Seiwakai's (Machimura faction) control over the LDP, which was wrestled from Keiseikai (Tsushima faction). But there is already talk in the LDP about a replay of the 1998 Upper House election in which the LDP won merely 44 seats and then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto resigned to take responsibility. In order for the ruling coalition to keep a majority (122 seats),it needs to win 64 seats in the upcoming election. In the event the New Komeito keeps its 13 seats, the LDP will need 51 seats. A former cabinet minister who keeps his distance from ABE took this view: "If the LDP ended up with a couple of seats short of 51, that would not escalate into the prime minister's resignation. But if the party were six to seven seats short of 51, the prime minister would have TOKYO 00002878 006 OF 010 to resign." The 44-seat line that put an end to the Hashimoto administration is surfacing as the dividing line for Abe. 8) Minshuto Secretary General Hatoyama: If LDP, New Komeito win majority, I will step down from my post YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) June 26, 2007 In a speech yesterday at Waseda University, Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama indicated that he would step down from his post if his party failed to force the ruling coalition to a minority in the House of Councillors election next month. He stated: "I have no intention to remain in my current post if my party is defeated. Our victory is to force the ruling parties to become a minority." He also said: "If Minshuto wins Upper House seats more than the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),it will demand the post of Upper House president. But if the party fails to win, centrifugal force could have a substantial effect." Regarding the consumption tax rate, he stated: "There is a strong possibility that the rate will be hiked in the future. However, we have made a political decision that it will be difficult to immediately impose a burden on those who are already suffering from an increased burden." 9) Former Prime Minister Mori: No need for ABE to resign even if ruling coalition loses majority YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) June 26, 2007 Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, a member of the Machimura faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),delivered a speech in the city of Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture. Referring in it to Prime Minister SHINZO Abe's responsibility if the ruling coalition falls short of a majority in the House of Councillors in the July 29 election, Mori indicated his view that there would be no need for Abe to step down from the prime minister's post. He stated: "The Upper House election will not give voters the chance to choose the party they feel should hold the reigns of government. If the ruling parties lose a majority, it will be difficult for them to deliberate bills in the Upper House. The ruling coalition should deal steadily with issues related to people's livelihoods, not bring up issues that would be at odds with the opposition camp." 10) Prime Minister Abe's public appeal about his efforts to revitalize education and local economies falls flat NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) June 26, 2007 Prime Minister SHINZO ABE is now being forced to review his strategy of prioritizing education reform and revitalization of regional economies due to the pension record fiasco. In a rally to back the candidacy of Kosuke Yoshiie, former member of the Council on Education Revitalization, who is expected to run in the House of Councillors election next month, ABE said yesterday: "We need the power to push ahead with education reform." Yoshiie is TOKYO 00002878 007 OF 010 a main candidate of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and able to make public appeals about Abe's efforts on education reform. Abe, characterizing the current Diet session as a session for placing emphasis on education reform, was able to enact three bills related to the issue. However, his effort has now been buried by the pension fiasco. The pension issue was main topic of discussion in his meeting last night with council members. He said in the meeting: "I will deal steadily and speedily with the pension issue." Every weekend, ABE has been on the campaign trail desperately playing up his policy of attaching importance to local economies in speeches for the Upper House election. However, he has not made any headway due to the pension controversy. In the city of Yamagata on June 24 he had to spend much time explaining the government's measures to handle the pension issue, only spending five minutes on his plan for revitalizing regional economies. He was supposed to play up his achievements, but the reality is that he was too busy explaining the government's measures for the pension record fiasco. 11) 2007 Upper House election: LDP picks candidates, including education specialist Yoshiie, Special Advisor Nakayama, demonstrating ABE policy imprint YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) June 26, 2007 The Liberal Democratic Party decided yesterday to field Hiroyuki Yoshiie, 36, a member of the government's Education Rebuilding Council, as a candidate for the House of Councillors election in July. The main ruling party has now completed the recruiting of 35 candidates to run in the proportional representation segment of the election. Besides Yoshiie, who has addressed educational reform, the LDP has also picked Special Advisor Kyoko Nakayama, who has been long engaged in the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea. The lineup of candidates shows the LDP's desire to demonstrate Prime Minister Abe's policy imprint. In the LDP, however, some wonder if they are attractive enough to get support, with one grumbling: "There is no candidate who will be able to score significant votes enough to overcome the pension problem." Prime Minister ABE met Yoshiie at party headquarters yesterday and encouraged him, saying: "In order to promote education reform, the power to cut through the fog is necessary. I want you to display your power and energy in politics by all means." LDP Secretary General Nakagawa said in a press conference yesterday: "(With the endorsement of Yoshiie,) the party has finished the process of selecting candidates. We were able to recruit strong candidates who will be able to lead the LDP to victory." On the abduction issue, to which the ABE administration is also giving priority, the prime minister personally persuaded Nakayama to run in the election. In addition, ABE moved to put up former House of Representatives members Seiichi Eto and Kenzo Yoneda, with whom the prime minister has acted together on the abductions, history textbooks, and other issues. Prime Minister ABE thus selected many whose political beliefs are close to his. The LDP has not put up any other former Lower House members besides Eto and Yoneda, probably out of consideration for its junior ruling TOKYO 00002878 008 OF 010 partner New Komeito, with which the LDP has established an election cooperation setup. LDP support groups tend to support former bureaucrats. This time, however, many organizations have fielded their members as candidates for the first time, such as the Central Union of Agriculture Cooperatives and the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations. Upper House Chairman Aoki and others, worried about a decline in LDP support groups' vote-getting power, moved to take this strategy. Meanwhile, the LDP approached many distinguished people in various areas, such as soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura, but they declined the offers. Secretary General Nakagawa stressed yesterday: "We picked persons who have achieved results in special fields. It is not correct to think that the party chose them because of their popularity." But a senior LDP member was overheard saying: "The fickle unaffiliated voter will determine the outcome of the election. In this sense, the lineup of candidates is somewhat unspectacular." 12) LDP, which has yet to recover from shock of Matsuoka's suicide, decides not to field its authorized candidate in a Lower-House by-election in Kumamoto 3rd district TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged) June 26, 2007 Tetsuya Furuta A Lower-House by-election to fill the position of former Agriculture Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka, who committed suicide, is set for the same day, July 29, as the Upper House election. In order to avoid any adverse impact of the so-called Matsuoka shock on the Upper House election, the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) decided not to put up its official candidate for the Lower House by-election. In the Kumamoto constituency for an Upper House seat, the LDP's incumbent, Issui Miura, former Lower House member Nobuo Matsuno fielded as a new recruit by the major opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto),and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP)-backed newcomer Yoshiaki Hashida are expected to vie for a seat. What effect will the Matsuoka shock have on the upcoming Upper House election? Yoshiyuki Araki, a Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly member of the LDP, eyed as a successor to Matsuoka, applied on June 5 to the LDP Kumamoto chapter for its official support for his candidacy for the by-election. But on June 7, the Kumamoto chapter decided not to field any official candidate, out of consideration of former Lower House member Tetsushi Sakamoto. Sakamoto, a former LDP prefectural assembly member, ran as an independent in the Kumamoto 3rd electoral district for the Lower House election in 2003 and defeated Matsuoka. Matsuoka somehow won election under the proportional representation system. In the Lower House election in 2005, Matsuoka revenged a defeat. Soon after Matsuoka killed himself, a rumor flew around that Sakamoto was expressing his eagerness to run for the Lower House by-election. Sakamoto, who had planned to run for the next Lower House election, has made it clear that he would back Mimura and has deepened cooperation with him. If the prefectural chapter endorses TOKYO 00002878 009 OF 010 Araki as an official LDP candidate, Sakamoto would get cranky, thereby causing the Miura camp to fall into disarray. However, if the prefectural chapter puts Sakamoto on the LDP ticket, a fierce objection would be raised by the Araki-Matsuoka camp; as a result, the Miura camp could split up. Caught in between the "pro-Matsuoka" group and the "anit-Matsuoka" group, the prefectural chapter was forced to be on the sidelines. Araki and Sakamoto eventually announced they would run as independents. The LDP Prefectural Chapter's Secretary General Katsunari Nishioka visited major Diet members elected from Kumamoto Prefecture at their offices in the Diet Members' Building in mid-June and conveyed to them the prefectural chapter's policy that "with priority given to the Upper House election, Diet members and prefectural assembly members will not intervene at all in the upcoming Lower House-by-election." In an interview with the Tokyo Shimbun, Nishioka stressed: "If Diet members or prefectural assembly members have a hand in the by-election, the split could spread to the entire prefecture and affect the Upper House election." 13) "It's up to US Congress' decision" on whether to take a vote on House comfort-women resolution ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) June 26, 2007 At a press briefing yesterday, Administrative Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi referred to the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs' move to take a vote today on the resolution calling on Prime Minister ABE to offer an official apology to former comfort women and noted: "The prime minister during his visit to the United States in late April offered a heartfelt sympathy and an apology." "I don't think our efforts to explain about Japan's attitude have something to do with the move for vote-taking. It is the US Congress that will make a decision whether to take a vote or not. I have nothing to add about this," Yachi added. 14) Ishiba: Right to collective self-defense is right to defend country MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) June 26, 2007 Former Defense Agency Director General Shigeru Ishiba delivered a speech in the Mainichi Public Opinion Forum, held yesterday by the Mainichi Shimbun in Fukuoka City. In it, Ishiba said: "The right to collective self-defense was born in order to allow small countries to defend themselves on the assumption that the United Nations fails to function property in time of a conflict." Ishiba also rebutted the opposition camp's argument that if the right to collective defense was made constitutional, Japan would end up having a hand in America's acts of aggression, saying: "The right is not designed to let a country join a major power's highhandedness but to defend itself from such." 15) National debt reaches record high of 834 trillion yen as of end of fiscal 2006; Amount combined with debts held by local governments tops 1,000 trillion yen YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) June 26, 2007 TOKYO 00002878 010 OF 010 The outstanding balance of government debt including government bonds and borrowings as of the end of fiscal 2006, released by the Finance Ministry on June 25, reached a record high of 834.3786 trillion yen, up 0.8 % from the preceding year. The amount combining the outstanding balance of debts held by local governments reaches approximately 1,001 trillion yen, topping the 1,000 trillion yen level for the first time. The amount translates into the state shouldering debts 17 times higher than the expected tax revenues for fiscal 2006 worth approximately 49 trillion yen. The outstanding balance of debts per capita including babies comes to 6.53 million yen in terms of the amount held by the state, and 7.83 million yen in terms of debts combining those held by both the central and local governments. The outstanding balance of all local governments as of the end of fiscal 2006 is estimated to reach approximately 201 trillion yen. The balance calculated by subtracting duplicated portions between the central and local governments (approximately 34 trillion yen) in the special account for local allocation tax from the amount combining the outstanding balance of national debt, including the amount of outstanding government bonds issued to procure funds for special corporations, and the outstanding balance of debts held by local governments comes to approximately 1,001 trillion yen. SCHIEFFER