Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TOKYO345
2007-01-25 02:47:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:  

The Japan Economic Scope - January 12, 2007

Tags:  ETRD ECON JA ZO EAGR 
pdf how-to read a cable
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DE RUEHKO #0345/01 0250247
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R 250247Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO CIA WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 000345 

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD ECON JA ZO EAGR
SUBJECT: The Japan Economic Scope - January 12, 2007

Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 000345

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD ECON JA ZO EAGR
SUBJECT: The Japan Economic Scope - January 12, 2007

Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly.


1. (SBU) Table of Contents


3. CPRR Insider Disappointed with Reform Report

4. Japanese Stock Markets Merging?

5. Electricity Deregulation: METI Backing Away; Commercial
Customers Face Continued Price Discrimination

6. MHLW: Number of Drug Reviewers to Be Increased

7. Agriculture Protectionists in LDP Circling the Wagons

8. Swiss Econ Counselor on Narita and Swiss-Japan FTA Ag issues

9. Civair: Chiba Prefecture on Asia Gateway, Haneda and Narita
Expansion

10. FedEx Looks at Central Japan Routes

11. Protesters at Narita Airport Few but Still Active

12. JAL Restructuring Plan Expected in February

13. Ports: Reform Problems Continue

14. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Tops Survey


2. (U) This cable contains the Japan Economic Scope from January
12, 2007.



3. (SBU) CPRR Insider Disappointed with Reform Report
--------------

In a meeting with EMIN on January 7, a Council for the Promotion
of Regulatory Reform (CPRR) board member expressed her
disappointment with the Council's final report of recommendations
of matters on which the GOJ should focus its reform efforts (see
Tokyo 7180).

Fierce bureaucratic resistance on issues such as selling off some
770,000 apartments managed by the GOJ to pay down national debt
resulted in many impasses and few concrete results.

So bleak is her outlook for reform that she recently decided to
pull her dual-citizen daughter out of the Japanese educational
system and enroll her in an English-based international school.
"Japan is going nowhere." See Tokyo 00154 for more detail.


4. (U) Japanese Stock Markets Merging?
--------------

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on January 5 that the Tokyo Stock
Exchange and five other Japanese stock markets may be merged by

2009.

Three market management companies -- one led by the TSE on spot
markets, another led by the Osaka Securities Exchange on futures
markets and a third one merged from markets for start-up
companies such as the TSE's Mothers and Jasdaq -- would operate
under a to-be-established holding company, according to the

Yomiuri.

The Embassy contacted a press officer at the Japan Securities
Dealers Association, who said, however, the Association was "not
planning anything."

The Osaka Securities Exchange also issued a press release stating
that "There is nothing that should be publicly announced at the
moment."



5. (U) Electricity Deregulation: METI Backing Away; Commercial
Customers Face Continued Price Discrimination
--------------

METI will delay plans to allow new power providers into the
residential electricity market, according to the Nikkei Shimbun.
Because of the dramatic rise in fuel costs, the ministry has
decided against lifting restrictions in 2009 that would have
allowed new companies to enter the market and would have enabled
consumers to choose electric companies based on pricing and other
criteria.

Japan began liberalizing the electric power market in 1995 at the
wholesale level. Partial easing of the retail sector began in
2000 resulting in a market that now is about 60 percent
deregulated. Opening the remaining market, which would have
included households and small businesses, was expected to spur
competition and push down prices.

In a separate but related area, ECOUNS was told during a recent
visit to the Embassy by Spectol Power Design Co. that Japan's
two-tiered electricity pricing system begun after WWII continues
to exist, affecting such commercial customers as Aeon/Jusco,
Costco and Wal-Mart, which are likely unaware that they pay 10-20
percent more for electricity than industrial companies.
This system offers cheaper electricity to heavy industry than to
commercial users and was begun after the war to promote export-
oriented manufacturers.

TOKYO 00000345 002 OF 003



According to Spectol, Japanese utility companies also
discriminate in price based on the size of the client, charging
small mom-and-pop shops more than larger-scale customers.
Because utilities continue to control this market, the small-
scale user has no other option.


6. (U) MHLW: Number of Drug Reviewers to Be Increased
--------------

Yomiuri Shimbun has reported that the Ministry of Health, Labor
and Welfare plans to double over the next three years the number
of personnel who examine applications for new drugs in order to
shorten the approval time. Currently there are 197 Japanese
reviewers compared to 2,200 in the United States, 693 in the
United Kingdom and 942 in France.

In addition, the media is also reporting that the Council for
Science and Technology approved a report on December 25 which,
along with the recommendation to increase the number of drug
reviewers, also calls for increasing the fees paid by
manufacturers to fund the cost of additional reviewers and
deregulating employment rules to allow staff to be hired from
industry.


7. (U) Agriculture Protectionists in LDP Circling the Wagons
--------------

The Liberal Democratic Party is set to establish in January an
Economic Partnership Agreement Forum, consisting of agriculture
caucuses and producer associations which share largely
protectionist agendas -- particularly with respect to sensitive
items such as rice, wheat, beef, dairy and sugar.

The Forum plans to offer recommendations on free trade agreements,
focusing initially on FTA talks with Australia.

Reports show as possible members of the forum the Central Union
of Agricultural Cooperatives, Dairy Farmers Political Federation
of Japan, Flour Millers Association, Dairy Industry Association
of Japan, and the Japan Sugar Refiners' Association.

A leading candidate for the panel chair is former Agriculture
Minister Tadamori Oshima, a conservative. At present he chairs
the LDP Research Commission on Trade in Agricultural and Marine
Products, which urged the government to halt negotiations last
month if Australia failed to appreciate Japan's concerns about
sensitive products.


8. (SBU) Swiss Econ Counselor on Narita and Swiss-Japan FTA Ag
issues
--------------

Swiss Econ Counselor Alberto Groff told Econoff on January 9 that
after several years of talks, Japan finally granted Switzerland
two more slots at Narita, allowing SWISS airlines to have daily
flights into Japan. The new flights are expected to begin in
February. For SWISS press release, click here.

Switzerland is also in the final stages of reaching an agreement
on a FTA with Japan. Even though Switzerland is hardly an ag
export powerhouse, agricultural products were an issue in the
negotiations. The Japanese deemed as sensitive some the items on
the Swiss list of potential agricultural exports.


8. (SBU) Civair: Chiba Prefecture on Asia Gateway, Haneda and
Narita Expansion
--------------

Chiba Prefecture officials responsible for airport matters felt
PM Abe's Asia Gateway proposal for 24 hour operations at airports
must relate to Haneda airport as they could not foresee night
time flight operations being allowed at Narita. Neither the
Prime Minister's office nor the MLIT officials have approached
them about Narita night time operations.

Econoff and EconFSN met with these officials on January 10 as
they have responsibilities for mediating between the residents of
Chiba prefecture and the central government. Narita airport is
located in Chiba prefecture and many of the flight paths for
Haneda pass over Chiba. A memo summarizing the meeting is
attached.


9. (SBU) FedEx Looks at Central Japan Routes
--------------

Federal Express is exploring the possibility of adding additional
routes to Nagoya's Centrair airport, Haruya Kato, FedEx Managing
Director for Japan, Guam, and Saipan told Nagoya PO at a January
11 meeting.

Kato, who met earlier in the day with Centrair CEO Yukihisa

TOKYO 00000345 003 OF 003


Hirano, noted that while FedEx has no immediate plans to add new
lines, the company is evaluating how best to handle growing
shipments from Central Japan.

FedEx currently routes shipments from Central Japan to Europe and
Asia through Centrair and shipments to North America through
Kansai International Airport.

Although FedEx has maintained its leading share in the expanding
market for overnight shipments out of Japan, Kato described
competition as fierce with Japanese carriers posing an increasing
challenge.


10. (SBU) Protesters at Narita Airport Few but Still Active
--------------

On January 7, the only active faction of radical protesters of
Narita Airport called the Farmer's League Against the Narita
Airport (known as Sanrizuka Domei; click here for their website)
held a New Year meeting with a pledge to fight against Narita's
expansion. Approximately 150 people attended.

The faction calls the northern expansion of the runway at Narita
airport a national crime and claims Prime Minister Abe is seeking
to break their movement.

The League's New Year pledge calls for a gathering of protesters
in March.


11. (U) JAL Restructuring Plan Expected in February
--------------

The Asahi Shimbun reported that JAL should announce a wide
ranging reform plan on February 6. This news comes amidst
several press stories this week on JAL's attempts to reduce costs
and attract new customers.

These efforts include plans to cancel money-losing domestic
routes, introduce first class seats on domestic flights, and cut
some 3,000 jobs over three years through early retirement,
attrition and outsourcing.


12. (SBU) Ports: Reform Problems Continue
--------------

A foreign ship operator told Econoff and EconFSN this week that
informal barriers to entry continue to exist for Japanese port
operations hindering competition among port operators, preventing
new port operators from entering the market, and keeping costs of
doing business high.

This is a problem for Japanese companies as well as foreign ones.
One dramatic example he provided was Toyota's recent attempt to
take over port operations at a new wharf opening in Nagoya in
2005 to streamline its shipping operations. Even Toyota could
not get a license for port operations and the end result was
three existing Japanese firms and local operators in Nagoya doing
the port operations.

He referred us to last year's EU?s "Proposals for Regulatory
Reform in Japan," (see pp. 42-43) for a description of the
situation, the prior notification system, and the role of the
industry's group -- the Japan Harbor Transportation Association
(JHTA) -- in forestalling competition.

The JHTA is apparently vindictive, as our contact said it has
held up approvals of applications for foreign shippers in the
past when negative commentary about it appeared in foreign
publications.

When queried about the President of the Council for the Promotion
of Regulatory Reform, Takao Kusakari, who is chairman of the NYK
shipping line, our contact said he apparently has been interested
in regulatory reform but as it relates to regulations over
shipping, not necessarily port operations.


13. (U) Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Tops Survey
--------------

The Nikkei Financial Daily's annual survey of accounting and
finance officers at publicly traded companies ranked Mitsubishi
UFJ Financial Group as the top financial institution in Japan.
According to Nikkei, MUFG outshone its rivals in seven of 10
categories, including reliability for international operations
and emphasis on compliance.

MUFG beat out rivals Mizuho (which was ranked highest for M&A
expertise) and Sumitomo Mitsui for the top spot.

SCHIEFFER