DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07/02/07

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 11 TOKYO 003006 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: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07/02/07 Index: (1) Editorial -- Defense Minister Kyuma's thoughtless remarks that lacked discernment (2) Editorial: Kyuma's thoughtless remarks appalling (3) Nine groups harsh in comprehensive assessment of ABE administration (4) Futenma alternative: Pentagon official sees offshore location as difficult (5) Editorial -- Four-party talks: Don't break the "six-party" framework (6) Second in a series of polls on House of Councillors election (7) Poll on ABE cabinet, political parties ARTICLES: (1) Editorial -- Defense Minister Kyuma's thoughtless remarks that lacked discernment MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) July 2, 2007 Incredible remarks came out from Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma. He said in a speech on June 30: "The United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan to stop the Soviet Union from occupying Japan. Countless people suffered terribly, but that put an end to the war. I now believe that it could not be helped." His comments are based on the perception that the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to quickly end the war, block the Soviet Union from occupying Japan and limit its casualties. Depending on the circumstances, the language "could not be helped" connotes that he condones the use of atomic bombs. Japan has addressed the elimination of nuclear weapons nationwide, aiming to make Hiroshima and Nagasaki the last places to suffer atomic bombings. Kyuma's remarks, however, violated our nation's basic policy. His remarks were simply thoughtless and lacked discernment, and threw cold water on Japan's continued efforts for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Given his job as the minister in charge of our nation's security, his responsibility is very grave indeed. Nuclear weapons are intended for indiscriminate attacks against civilians, and the after-effects of radiation are serious. Such weapons are an absolute evil. In 1996, the International Court of Justice remonstrated, "Threatening to use nuclear weapons or using them violates humanitarian principles." Nuclear weapons are too serious to be dismissed by such language as it "cannot be helped." Under the three non-nuclear principles, Japan has emphasized the importance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and has submitted a nuclear disarmament resolution to the United Nations every year since 1994 and such resolution has been adopted. Needless to say, this move reflects Japan's experience of having been atomic bombed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. TOKYO 00003006 002 OF 011 Last year, senior members of the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) mentioned the need for debate on Japan possessing nuclear weapons, thereby giving rise to international doubts that Japan may want to become a nuclear power. Kyuma's recent controversial remarks, as well, could cause a loss of international confidence in Japan in its call for the elimination of nuclear weapons. Japan has stood up to North Korea over its missile launches and nuclear weapons' possession. Taking advantage of Kyuma's comments, North Korea may now reason that since it was unavoidable for the US to have used nuclear weapons, it can use that as an excuse for itself to possess nuclear weapons. How did the victims of atomic bombs who suffered indescribable experiences feel when listening to his remark, "It could not be helped"? If politicians are unable to imagine their hardship, they disqualify themselves to serve as such. In the past, as well, Kyuma was conspicuous in his careless comments. Referring to the Japanese government's announcement of endorsing the decision to open the war against Iraq, Kyuma said, "It was an informal endorsement," but afterwards he retracted that remark. On the relocation of the US Futenma Air Station in Okinawa, he mentioned the possibility of adding revisions to the plan already agreed on between Japan and the US and incurred objections from the US. Recently, he expounded his pet theory that the three weapons export principles should be relaxed, and this comment perplexed the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei). On the heels of that, again he has come out with controversial remarks. It cannot be helped that his competence as a cabinet member is being questioned. At a press conference yesterday, Kyuma apologized, "I am really sorry for troubling you," and he in effect retracted his controversial comments. This move perhaps reflected the desire of the ruling bloc, which is concerned about a possible impact on the Upper House election, but his apologizing is not enough to settle the problem. Prime Minister SHINZO Abe's response to Kyuma's controversial comments was also insufficient. Following Kyuma's apology, ABE noted, "He should refrain from making any comments that may give rise to a misunderstanding." Abe's initial stance, however, was that he did not regard Kyuma's comments as a problem. Usually, this sort of problem concerns whether the minister should resign or not. The prime minister should inquire of Kyuma about the real intention of his comments and rebuke him hard. (2) Editorial: Kyuma's thoughtless remarks appalling ASAHI (Page 3) (Full) July 2, 2007 The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed more than 200,000 people. Some people are still suffering from aftereffects. Shockingly enough, one cabinet minister indicated that the use of atomic bombs was inevitable. The statement was made by Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma. The defense minister, referring to the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States in the closing days of World War II, said: "I understand that the bombings brought the war to its end. I TOKYO 00003006 003 OF 011 think it was something that couldn't be helped." He also said: "Considering international circumstances and occupied Japan's situation after the war, one should bear in mind that such a thing (bombing) could be an option." The events are still fresh in the minds of those who experienced living hell and lost their family members. Akihiro Takahashi, a former curator of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, criticized Kyuma, saying: "His remarks made me more depressed than angry. Would he have made the same remarks if he had been a victim of the atomic bomb himself?" Referring to the use of atomic bombs in the past as "something that could not be helped" amounts to endorsing the use of nuclear bombs as necessary. It is tantamount to pouring cold water on Japan's postwar efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons from the world. Kyuma is not jut another citizen. He is a native of Nagasaki and Japan's defense minister. Regrettably, there are gaps between Japan and other countries in perceptions on the dropping of atomic bombs. Sadako Kurihara, a poet from Hiroshima, has written a poem titled "When We Say, 'Hiroshima'," which goes: When we say "Hiroshima,"/do people answer, gently,/ "Ah, 'Hiroshima?'"/Say "Hiroshima," and hear "Pearl Harbor."/ Say "Hiroshima," and hear "Rape of Nanjing."/ ..... /Say "Hiroshima,"/ and hear echoes of blood and fire. Japan's stance of highlighting its position as the only country ever to have suffered nuclear devastation has been criticized by the United States and Asian countries, saying that Japan started the war and that the bombings helped bring an end to the war. There is no simple answer. Japan's position is to assert that indiscriminate massacre of defenseless citizens must not be allowed, while acknowledging Japan's responsibility for starting the war. We would like to see Japanese lawmakers aim at a direction that would allow both victor and defeated countries to share the pain by overcoming their barriers. The attitude to describe the dropping of atomic bombs as "something that could not be helped" is tantamount to pushing a historical event into oblivion and siding with America's attempt to justify the atomic bombing. As a country under America's nuclear umbrella, the government apparently finds it difficult to flatly deny the use of nuclear weapons. Still, the government's view is that although the use of nuclear weapons might not violate international law, doing so conflicts with international law's spirit of humanitarianism. Kyuma's comment was clearly a deviation from the government's view. Kyuma said yesterday: "I'm sorry that my remarks gave an impression that A-bomb victims were being made light of." What really matters here is not the impression or his explanation but his perception itself. (3) Nine groups harsh in comprehensive assessment of ABE administration TOKYO 00003006 004 OF 011 MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) July 2, 2007 The National Council for Building a New Japan, composed of academics and business leaders, held a convention on assessments of party policy pledges (manifestos) at a Tokyo hotel yesterday. There, nine organizations announced their assessments of the ABE administration's policy achievements and the policy manifestos prepared by the Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto),and the New Komeito for the upcoming House of Councillors election. In the overall assessment of the ABE cabinet, they gave marks of 27 to 65 out of 100 points -- all rather tough scores. Among the comprehensive assessments of the ABE administration made by eight out of the nine groups, excluding the National Governors' Association, there is the maximum disparity of 38 points, reflecting their different focus and priority. Some groups also rated the administration's approaches to specific themes, such as social insurance, the Constitution, education, and foreign policy. The National Governors' Association only assessed its efforts in addressing the task of decentralization. Focusing on the prime minister's leadership demonstrated in establishing the decentralization promotion headquarters, the organization gave a score of 75 points, saying that the stance of expediting the challenge under political leadership merits appreciation. In assessing each political party's Upper House manifesto, some groups gave somewhat positive evaluations to specific policies, but many pointed out a lack of explanations about such details as fiscal resources and deadlines. The following critical views were also presented: "The manifestos are inferior to those in 2005 in terms of content and form;" "They are poor;" and "They should be rewritten." The convention is part of efforts to have manifesto-oriented politics settled down. This was the third one, following the one for the 2004 Upper House election and the other for the 2005 House of Representatives election. (4) Futenma alternative: Pentagon official sees offshore location as difficult OKINAWA TIMES (Page 3) (Full) June 30, 2007 TOKYO-Taku Yamasaki, former vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, met yesterday in the Diet with US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense James Shin, who is a deputy under secretary of defense-designate, to exchange views on the realignment SIPDIS of US forces in Japan and other issues. According to Yamasaki, Shinn said the United States would like to implement with sincerity what has been agreed on between Japan and the United States. With this, Shin implied that it would be difficult to install a V-shaped pair of airstrips at a site in waters off the city of Nago in Okinawa Prefecture as demanded by the city's municipal government over the planned relocation of the US Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in the prefecture (to a coastal area of Camp Schwab in the city). Osamu Ashitomi, one of the Yamasaki faction's members seated in the House of Representatives, was also in the meeting. TOKYO 00003006 005 OF 011 Shin explained the planned realignment of US forces in Japan: "The US military realignment is a package that resembles building blocks. If we fiddle with one, the blocks will tumble down. We will have to pour in concrete (complete),and that's my job." Ashitomi said: "To make concrete (the blocks),we need water, sand, and cement. They won't harden without the feelings (consent) of Okinawa." With this, Ashitomi sought a flexible response with consideration given to the opinions of Nago City and Okinawa Prefecture. Yamasaki also explained: "The core of the realignment of US forces in Japan is the relocation of Futenma airfield. Okinawa Prefecture accepts an environmental impact assessment (of the relocation site), and Futenma relocation is facilitated. This is the most important kickoff for the issue of realigning the US military presence in Japan." So saying, Yamasaki stressed that the Okinawa prefectural government's future response over whether to accept an environmental assessment of the relocation site for an alternative facility will be an important phase. In addition, Yamasaki also said the Defense Ministry is thinking of applying to the Okinawa prefectural government for an environmental assessment after this July's election for the House of Councillors. In the meantime, Japan and the United States have concluded an intergovernmental special agreement on the Japanese government's host nation support ("omoiyari yosan" or literally "sympathy budget"). This special agreement, however, is to lose its effect in fiscal 2007. Accordingly, the Japanese and US governments will need to enter into consultations in order for the agreement to be renewed. Concerning this agreement, Shin asked Japan to maintain its host nation support at the current level, saying, "We'd like to ask for understanding and support." Yamasaki said, "There are growing demands on Japan to spend more money from its defense budget for various purposes." He added, "There are also budget constraints due to fiscal reconstruction." With this, Yamasaki indicated that it would be difficult to maintain the current level of host nation support, given budgetary spending on the US military's realignment in Japan and Japan's ballistic missile defense (BMD). (5) Editorial -- Four-party talks: Don't break the "six-party" framework SANKEI (Page 2) (Full) July 2, 2007 Concerns are spreading in the Japanese government over a proposal floated by the US chief negotiator in the six-party talks, Christopher Hill, assistant secretary of state, to hold four-way talks among the United States, North Korea, China, and South Korea. Hill came up with an idea at an official press briefing of the State Department. His idea is that "if the nuclear facility in Yongbyon is disabled, the US, North Korea, China, and South Korea will be able to start peace talks," and in parallel with the peace talks, a dialogue body for Northeast Asia security, which will be taken part in by all the members of the six-party talks, would be established. Those countries that fought in the Korean War signed a cease-fire TOKYO 00003006 006 OF 011 agreement in 1953. Undeniably, they are principally responsible for concluding a peace agreement to replace the truce. But we must pay attention also to the profound change in the international environment surrounding the Korean Peninsula over the past half century. Building a permanent peace system on the Korean Peninsula should come after North Korea abandons its nuclear program and the peninsula becomes nuclear-free. The six-party talks have been held for that end. Unless dangerous nuclear weapons are all removed, it is meaningless to discuss how to bring permanent peace to the peninsula. The process of bringing peace to the peninsula is not as simple as being settled in four-way talks. Disabling the nuclear facility in Yongbyon is merely the beginning of the process. What to do about uranium enrichment plans, which North Korea has not clearly referred to, has not been settled? Also yet to be set are the means and timetable for the North to completely abandon its nuclear weapons-related materials and to allow inspection of its nuclear facilities. Hill's concept gives the impression that at a time when the process of disablement starts, four-way talks will be launched, and that the stalled Japan-North Korea issues, such as the abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korea, would then be put in the hands of another dialogue group on Northeast Asia security. If the four-way talks are set in motion unilaterally, the fear is that the final disposal of the nuclear issue and the abduction issue would be left behind and thereby Japan would be "left in the dark," just as the North aims. This is a real concern for the Japanese government. Without giving consideration to Japan's concerns, the US, Japan's ally, has floated a proposal in a hasty manner. This is highly regrettable. If some countries want to discuss permanent peace at this stage, establishing a sub-panel under the six-party framework would be one option to consider. This panel should be open to the six countries having common interests in peace of Northeast Asia. "Assistant Secretary Hill" is exposed to "criticism for his making concessions unilaterally" even from US dailies. It would be a long, bumpy road for us to follow before North Korea abandons its nuclear program. Not to make a hasty move out of eagerness for success and not to be trapped by a reverse process. (6) Second in a series of polls on House of Councillors election YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) June 29, 2007 Questions & Answers (Figures shown in percentage) Q: Do you support the ABE cabinet? Yes 34.4 No 51.8 Other answers (O/A) 3.0 No answer (N/A) 10.8 Q: Which political party's candidate are you thinking of voting for in the House of Councillors election this time in your electoral district? TOKYO 00003006 007 OF 011 Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 21.7 Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 24.0 New Komeito (NK) 5.3 Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 3.1 Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1.3 People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0.2 New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) --- Other political parties --- Independent candidate 0.5 Undecided 37.4 None in particular (NIP) N/A 6.5 Q: Which political party's candidate or which political party are you thinking of voting for in your proportional representation bloc? LDP 20.8 DPJ 22.2 NK 5.6 JCP 3.9 SDP 1.2 PNP 0.8 NPN 0.2 Other political parties 0.1 Independent candidate Undecided 37.5 NIP N/A 7.7 Q: Which political party do you not want to see increase the number of seats it has in the election this time? Pick as many as you like, if any. LDP 35.6 DPJ 9.9 NK 12.8 JCP 16.4 SDP 6.1 PNP 1.7 NPN 1.1 Other political parties 0.1 Independent candidate Undecided NIP 31.1 N/A 9.4 Q: The LDP and New Komeito, which are the ruling parties, hold a majority of the seats in the House of Councillors. Would you like the ruling coalition to retain a majority of the seats, or would you otherwise like it to lose its majority? Retain its majority 30.2 Lose its majority 50.0 Can't say which 14.1 N/A 5.7 Q: What would you like to consider in particular when you choose a candidate or a political party to vote for in the election this time? Pick as many as you like from among those listed below. TOKYO 00003006 008 OF 011 Economy 31.9 Pensions 67.0 Education 41.3 Civil service reform 29.8 Social divide 30.3 Foreign, security policies 26.2 Constitutional revision 23.6 Politics and money 40.2 O/A 0.5 NIP 1.8 N/A 1.4 Q: Which political party do you support now? LDP 31.5 DPJ 19.9 NK 4.8 JCP 3.5 SDP 1.9 PNP 0.3 NPN --- Other political parties --- None 34.8 N/A 3.3 Q: Do you appreciate the government's announced measures for the issue of its pension record-keeping flaws? Appreciate very much 6.4 Appreciate somewhat 20.3 Don't appreciate very much 32.1 Don't appreciate at all 32.8 N/A 8.4 Q: Do you think the government's announced measures will resolve the issue of its pension record-keeping flaws? Yes 25.8 No 66.5 N/A 7.7 Q: Prime Minister ABE has put off the House of Councillors election for a week and extended the current Diet session to fast-track civil service reform and other bills. Do you appreciate this? Appreciate very much 8.3 Appreciate somewhat 18.7 Don't appreciate very much 29.8 Don't appreciate at all 31.2 N/A 11.9 Polling methodology: The survey was conducted across the nation from June 26 through June 28 on a computer-aided random digit dialing (RDD) basis. A total of 1,652 households were found to have one or more eligible voters. Valid answers were obtained from 1,021 persons (62 % ). (7) Poll on ABE cabinet, political parties MAINICHI (Page 3) (Full) July 2, 2007 TOKYO 00003006 009 OF 011 Questions & Answers (T = total; P = previous; M = male; F = female) Q: Do you support the ABE cabinet? T P M F Yes 32 (32) 32 32 No 52 (44) 54 49 Not interested 15 (22) 13 17 Q: (Only for those who answered "yes" to the above question) Why? T P M F Because the prime minister is from the Liberal Democratic Party 23 (17) 25 20 Because something can be expected of the prime minister's leadership 9 (13) 7 12 Because there's a young, fresh image about the prime minister 40 (41) 36 45 Because something can be expected of the prime minister's policy measures 24 (24) 27 20 Q: (Only for those who answered "no" to the above question) Why? T P M F Because the prime minister is from the Liberal Democratic Party 8 (8) 9 6 Because nothing can be expected of the prime minister's leadership 43 (41) 39 47 Because the prime minister is inexperienced, weak 13 (13) 14 11 Because I'm opposed to the prime minister's policies 36 (37) 37 34 Q: Which political party do you support? T P M F Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 25 (25) 30 20 Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 18 (19) 21 14 New Komeito (NK) 6 (5) 2 10 Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 3 (3) 3 4 Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1 (2) 1 1 People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 1 (0) 1 1 New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0 (0) 0 0 Other political parties 2 (1) 1 2 None 43 (44) 39 47 Q: Are you interested in this summer's election for the House of Councillors? T P M F Yes 77 (68) 80 74 No 22 (31) 18 25 Q: Which political party between the LDP and the DPJ would you like to see win in this summer's House of Councillors election? T P M F LDP 33 (33) 32 34 DPJ 44 (42) 49 38 Other political parties 17 (20) 13 21 Q: If an election were to be held now for the House of Councillors, which political party or which political party's candidate will you TOKYO 00003006 010 OF 011 vote for in your proportional representation bloc? T P M F LDP 27 (28) 30 24 DPJ 35 (35) 41 30 NK 7 (6) 3 11 JCP 5 (4) 5 6 SDP 1 (3) 1 2 PNP 1 (1) 1 1 NPN 0 (0) 0 1 Other political parties 15 (14) 12 17 Q: Then, which political party's candidate will you vote for in your electoral district? T P M F LDP 28 (26) 32 24 DPJ 33 (30) 38 28 NK 6 (5) 2 10 JCP 4 (4) 3 4 SDP 1 (2) 1 1 PNP 0 (1) 1 0 NPN 0 (0) 0 0 Other political parties 6 (6) 5 7 Independent candidate 10 (15) 9 11 Q: What do you think is most important when casting your vote in the House of Councillors election? T P M F Social divide 15 (13) 17 13 Education 14 (19) 12 16 Constitution 10 (14) 9 12 Public service personnel reform 8 (6) 10 6 Politics and money 13 (12) 13 13 Local community issues 4 (5) 4 5 Pension 31 (28) 31 32 Q: Do you factor in the government's pension record-keeping flaws when you vote in the House of Councillors election? T P M F Yes 74 71 77 No 23 26 20 Q: Do you appreciate the government and ruling parties for their efforts to deal with the pension fiasco? T P M F Yes 32 32 33 No 63 63 62 Q: The government and ruling parties extended the Diet session for 12 days to revise the National Public Service Personnel Law for a reform of the public service personnel system. As a result, this summer's election for the House of Councillors has been moved down from July 22 to July 29. What do you think about the extended the Diet session? T P M F It's needed for the law 22 24 21 TOKYO 00003006 011 OF 011 It's good because the election will be delayed 2 2 2 It's strange because there was no urgent need for the law's enactment 37 36 38 It's strange because they intended to alter the situation to their advantage in the House of Councillors election 31 32 29 Q: The revised National Public Service Personnel Law for a reform of the public service personnel system features creating a unified point of contact under the government for its retirees to find jobs. Do you think the revised law will resolve the "amakurari" (descent from heaven) practice of retired bureaucrats moving into public corporations or private businesses? T P M F Yes 26 25 28 No 68 71 65 (Note) Figures shown in percentage, rounded off. "0" indicates that the figure was below 0.5 % . "No answer" omitted. Figures in parentheses denote the results of the last survey conducted May 26-27. Polling methodology: The survey was conducted June 30 and July 1 over the telephone with the aim of calling a total of 1,000 voters across the nation on a computer-aided random digit sampling (RDS) basis. Answers were obtained from 1,028 persons. SCHIEFFER