DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 11/28/07

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TOKYO 005359 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 11/28/07 Index: (1) Japan must return supply ship to the Indian Ocean (Part A): Yukio Okamoto (Sankei) (2) LDP, DPJ at loggerheads over whether Nukaga was present at dinner with Moriya (Tokyo Shimbun) (3) DPJ Ozawa: If Nukaga's remarks proved contrary to the facts, Fukuda cabinet will find itself in hopeless situation (Tokyo Shimbun) (4) Seiron (Opinion) column by Yasunori Sone: Ways to break stalemate in Diet (Sankei) (5) Can Defense Ministry start all over again? (Tokyo Shimbun) (6) Municipal, prefectural authorities strongly object to FA-18 arrival from Iwakuni for training (Ryukyu Shimpo) (7) Prime Minister's schedule, November 27 (Nikkei) ARTICLES: (1) Japan must return supply ship to the Indian Ocean (Part A): Yukio Okamoto SANKEI (Pop play and Page 3) (Full) November 28, 2007 The government's new antiterrorism special measures bill cleared the House of Representatives on Nov. 13. The House of Councillors is now scheduled to begin deliberating the legislation at its plenary session today with an explanation on the bill by Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura. But with the Upper House Foreign SIPDIS Affairs and Defense Committee's timetable for deliberations still up in the air, it now seems extremely difficult to enact the legislation before the current Diet session closes on Dec. 15. Meanwhile, the Upper House Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee adopted yesterday afternoon a Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto)-presented bill to rescind the Iraq Special Measures Law with a majority vote backed by the DPJ and other opposition parties. The legislation is expected to clear today's Upper House plenary session and sent to the Lower House, where it is likely to be either voted down or scrapped. Against such backdrop, Sankei Shimbun received yesterday a special contribution from Yukio Okamoto, a former adviser to the prime minister under the Hashimoto cabinet and an international affairs consultant, emphasizing the need for the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling operation in the Indian Ocean. Civilization's war of self-defense Afghanistan's poverty makes one's heart ache. In this country, one out of five children dies before reaching the age of five. Afghanistan also produces 93 PERCENT of the opium consumed in the world. The country used to be under the Taliban's oppressive rule, with the country divided among many armed factions. Having decided to make the war-ravaged country as their base, TOKYO 00005359 002 OF 008 terrorists have spread from Afghanistan across the world. The Taliban and al-Qaeda are recovering their influence in the country. The international community has been making efforts to bring stability to Afghanistan in compliance with a request of the Karzai administration. The Democratic Party of Japan has defined such effort as a "U.S. war of self-defense." There is no other country in the world that says such a thing. The basic thinking of al-Qaeda, which destroyed part of New York on September 11, 2001, is that the world should return to the age of the 7th century established by Prophet Muhammad. The group believes that the civilization established by mankind over the last 13 centuries since Muhammad is an impurity and must be destroyed. Al-Qaeda is trying to destroy the civilization of developed countries in its entirety. This explains why there has been a spate of terrorist attacks in Europe. (Al-Qaeda leader) Osama bin Laden has mentioned Japan several times as a country the terrorist organization would attack. What is happening in Afghanistan is basically different from that in Iraq. People find it disagreeable to refer to the U.S.-led war in Iraq as part of "the war on terror." That is probably why France and Germany did not send troops to Iraq. Yet the international community equates activities in Afghanistan with the war on terror. That is why all industrialized countries, including France and Germany, are engaged in efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. Some 40 countries are involved in this effort. "Afghanistan" is civilization's war on terror in order to defend itself. Withdrawal from Indian Ocean incomprehensible Japan has withdrawn from the war on terror for a reason that no one in the world can understand. Naval vessels of over 10 countries have been blocking terrorists from freely using the Indian Ocean. The Maritime Self-Defense Force refueled such vessels for six years in waters off the Arabian Peninsula. The MSDF's operation in parching heat was highly praised by the international community. But the Antiterrorism Special Measures Law has expired, and the MSDF vessels returned to Japan on Nov. 23. A European newspaper asked: "Has Japan returned to its old self that brazenly forced tough military duties on other countries?" The opposition block forced Japan to leave the international team, arguing that the MSDF's refueling operation was fully integrated with military actions. Their logic is incomprehensible. Vessels of other countries are simply inspecting suspicious ships upon obtaining consent of the flag-state government, which is patrolling, not combating. Japan only provided fuel oil to such vessels. If one still calls such an act as being integrated with military actions, then providing meals to U.S. military personnel would also be regarded as being integrated with military actions. There is another point. The opposition camp insisted that Japan withdraw from the Indian Ocean, saying that there was no UN resolution. The UN adopts a resolution only when China and Russia, which have veto rights, endorse it. Due to China's opposition, the Security Council has yet to adopt a resolution condemning Sudan and TOKYO 00005359 003 OF 008 Burma for their blatant violation of basic human rights. In other words, even if Japan thinks something is right, it does not take action unless China approves it. It is pitiful to use a Security Council resolution as a yardstick. The DPJ is also calling for Japan's participation in provincial reconstruction team (PRT) activities, which are not backed by a Security Council resolution. The DPJ's logic is hard to understand. (2) LDP, DPJ at loggerheads over whether Nukaga was present at dinner with Moriya TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 3) (Slightly abridged) November 28, 2007 The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) plunged into an all-out war yesterday over whether Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga was present at a dinner party in December between former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya and a former executive of defense contractor Yamada Corp. After the DPJ pointed out in the Diet that there was evidence that Nukaga had been present at the dinner, the LDP secretly investigated the case to make a counterargument, hearing the circumstances through a lawyer from those who had been at the dinner and looking into a taxi company's chits and a recorded conversation at a study meeting. The LDP concluded through its investigation that Nukaga simply had no time to attend the party. The LDP poured its energy into the investigation in an attempt to show that DPJ members posed questions at the Diet without any definite grounds. The main ruling party was apparently keeping in mind the faked e-mail case. In that case, former House of Representatives member Hisayasu Nagata of the DPJ was driven into resignation as a Diet member over false allegations he made at the Diet based on a faked e-mail that suggested shady financial links between Livedoor Co. founder Takafumi Horie and the second son of former LDP Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe. Then President Seiji Maehara also had to step down, and the DPJ received a serious political setback. Upsurge of emotion The LDP, which has been forced to go on the defensive since it suffered a crushing defeat in the House of Councillors election in July, wants to use the Nukaga case as an opportunity to launch a counterattack, as in the case of the fake e-mail. LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Tadamori Oshima announced the results of the party's investigation by holding a press conference. There he stated: "The DPJ should fully keep in mind the lesson from the faked e-mail problem." An emotional high has swept across the LDP for the first time in a long while. One member said jokingly: "I feel sorry about sending DPJ questioners into resignation." The DPJ decided in a meeting of the Upper House to summon Nukaga and Moriya as sworn witnesses over their cozy ties with the defense contractor. On this decision, a senior LDP Upper House member said: "If the other side comes up with an unreasonable demand, we will TOKYO 00005359 004 OF 008 accept the challenge, with the determination that it might develop into a mudslinging match. In return, we may demand President Ichiro Ozawa be summoned as a witness in the Diet." On the other hand, the DPJ has also begun to take action confidently. The Upper House Committee on Financial Affairs, greeted by boos and hisses from the ruling camp, voted in favor of summoning Nukaga and Moriya last night by a majority vote from the opposition bloc. The ruling camp used to be criticized for forcible voting as "the arrogance of power," but it has been upstaged by the opposition camp. It was Moriya who told the DPJ directly that Nukaga had been at the dinner party, so it took a vote in a hasty way. According to the special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, it will soon bring in Moriya for investigation, so the DPJ feared that it might lose a chance to summon Moriya to the Diet. A senior DPJ Diet Affairs Committee member said: "Since the decision was made, we believe that prosecutors will not launch a compulsory investigation." (TN: Moriya has since been arrested.) Emergency interview Two hours after the press conference by the LDP, DPJ Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka also held a press conference, in which he said that the information source was Moriya. According to senior Diet Affairs Committee members of the DPJ, the party began to secretly meet Moriya just after he mentioned the names of Nukaga and former Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma in his testimony at the Upper House Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Through six rounds of meetings with Moriya, the opposition party seems to have full confidence that Nukaga had been at the party with Moriya. Delivering a speech in a party of DPJ lawmakers held last night, Deputy President Naoto Kan also said in an elated mood: "The Fukuda cabinet might topple." Even so, DPJ members also seem concerned about the evidence presented by the LDP. Yamaoka took precautions to prepare against a case in which Moriya's testimony was not true, saying: "The DPJ is not carrying out its own investigation. It is a problem between Mr. Moriya and Mr. Nukaga." (3) DPJ Ozawa: If Nukaga's remarks proved contrary to the facts, Fukuda cabinet will find itself in hopeless situation TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 3) (Full) November 28, 2007 In a press conference yesterday, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Ichiro Ozawa said: "Mr. Nukaga is responsible for compiling a budget. If what he said is found contrary to the facts, not only the cabinet minister but also the Fukuda cabinet will find themselves in a hopeless situation." Ozawa indicated that depending on the outcome of the planned summoning of Finance Minister Nukaga as a sworn witness, there may be an impact on the Fukuda administration. (4) Seiron (Opinion) column by Yasunori Sone: Ways to break stalemate in Diet TOKYO 00005359 005 OF 008 SANKEI (Page 13) (Excerpts) November 28, 2007 Yasunori Sone, professor at Keio University "A grand coalition government" means one professional baseball league? The chief editor of a certain newspaper company who suggested forming a grand coalition government has been an advocate of integrating the two professional baseball leagues into one. So, I was oddly convinced by the idea that a grand coalition would mean to shift to a one-league system. Technically speaking, a one-league system corresponds to a unicameral legislature. For Japan to shift the current bicameral system to a unicameral one, Japan needs to amend its Constitution. Is the idea of forming a grand coalition something like a merger of the Giants and the Hanshin Tigers? Democracy is not necessarily premised on a two-party system, but the prerequisite is that two or more political parties must exist. The recent uproar over the idea of forming a grand coalition in Japan gave me an opportunity to confirm a few things. One is that bills are not enacted into law unless they clear both chambers of the Diet. Another is that even though one party wins a victory in the Upper House election, it does not mean that it holds the reins of government. That party still cannot put its campaign pledges into practice. A grand coalition in Germany was frequently cited when the uproar over the idea of forming a grand coalition in Japan developed. In fact, one academic asked me, "Germany has created a grand alliance to resolve the split in the parliament, hasn't it?" This question made me realize the need to give a clear-cut explanation about (Germany's grand alliance). Difference in grand alliance between Japan and Germany Members of Germany's Federal Council, which corresponds to Japan's Upper House, are not elected. The Federal Council consists of representatives from each province. So there is no case where the opposition parties hold a majority of seats in the Federal Council like Japan. Germany has formed two grand alliances until now, including the current one. The reason why Germany has formed a grand alliance is principally to secure a majority in the Federal Assembly in order to have a stable foundation for the government. Meanwhile, in Japan, the ruling bloc holds more than a two-third majority of seats in the Lower House. This means that the foundation of the ruling coalition is as firm as a rock. Given this, the reason why Japan's ruling bloc attempted to form a grand coalition recently was perhaps because the ruling camp wanted to resolve the impasse in the Upper House, where the opposition bloc holds a majority and tends to reject the ruling bloc-sponsored bills. Although the current Diet has been in a stalemate, I think the root cause of this stalemate is the lack of enthusiasm to activate discussion in the Diet. A two-third majority of votes in the Lower House can override bills rejected by the Upper House. This is one way for the ruling bloc to deal with the current situation in the Upper House under the current TOKYO 00005359 006 OF 008 Constitution. Without using this method, the ruling parties attempted to form a grand coalition (with the major opposition party),perhaps envisioning a distant future. This approach is no more than the one taken under the so-called 1955-year political setup (namely, when two major parties in Japan merged). Specifically, under this political setup, political parties tended to think that a majority of votes was necessary in order to get bills approved in the Diet. Another method supposed under the Constitution to deal with the current situation in the Diet is the use of a joint committee of both Houses. Given the composition of the current joint committee, I think it is impossible to get a final draft of a bill. To deal with this situation, one idea is to change the current joint committee, which has simply followed precedent. Ideas are necessary accordingly to alter or make good use of the joint committee system. Each party should devise through talks ways to better use the parliamentary system. (5) Can Defense Ministry start all over again? TOKYO (Page 2) (Full) November 27, 2007 Former Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya is now being questioned over his murky ties with a former managing director of Yamada Corporation, a defense-related trading company. Meanwhile, the defense contractor's bill-padding was brought to light. The Defense Ministry-since its Defense Agency days-has been called a hotbed of scandals. Its occasional reorganizations in the past, however, did not work well. This time as well, the government is about to embark on a drastic reform of the Defense Ministry. It is possible for the Defense Ministry to start all over again? The Defense Ministry yesterday held a meeting of its working group to reform its current system of procurement. In the wake of a defense contractor's bill-padding, the Defense Ministry confirmed its intention in the meeting to study ways to procure defense equipment for the Self-Defense Forces, including whether it is possible for the Defense Ministry to enter into direct contracts with manufacturers instead of dealing with them through trading companies. The government will also call its advisory panel to meet next week on a reform of the Defense Ministry. The advisory panel will discuss how to secure the transparency of defense procurement and how to carry through civilian control. The panel is expected to work out an interim report of its discussions in February next year. The Defense Ministry, when it had agency status, was tainted with scandals over its procurement of expensive weapons and its placing of orders for public works for base neighbors. In those days as well, the government often reformed the agency. Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga, currently in the post of finance minister, resigned over a 1998 misappropriation incident that involved the Central Procurement Office (CPO). At that time, the government broke up the CPO into a contract division and a cost accounting division in order to prevent bill-padding. In 2006, the Defense Facilities Administration Agency (DFAA) was involved in a bid-rigging incident. In the aftermath of that event, the government abolished the DFAA. Both actions were aimed at revamping the TOKYO 00005359 007 OF 008 function of checking the two defense organizations in order to prevent their specific personnel and sections from being concentratedly authorized. In the bill-padding event this time, the Defense Ministry was unable to check a trading company's asking price. In the background was the existence of Moriya, who served in the post of administrative vice minister for an unprecedentedly four years and who boasted of his strong influence. In the end, the Defense Ministry's past reforms were all in vain. This means that the Defense Ministry has repeated the same mistake. Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba called the Defense Ministry's past efforts "makeshift." With this, Ishiba admitted that his ministry's two reorganizations in the past were insufficient. Ishiba, in his Diet reply, suggested the necessity of political appointees from the private sector as defense counselors to the defense minister in order to strengthen civilian control. In addition, the Defense Ministry will also need to add third party oversight in order to fulfill its procurement overseeing functions. (6) Municipal, prefectural authorities strongly object to FA-18 arrival from Iwakuni for training RYUKYU SHIMPO (Page 2) (Full) November 28, 2007 The arrival of 30 FA-18 fighters and 600 Marines from Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi Prefecture for readiness training at the U.S. Air Force's Kadena base has enraged local communities in the vicinity of Kadena base. In addition, there also have been strong objections from local communities neighboring Futenma airfield, where the personnel will be based for the training. One local resident said, "It's a buildup of base functions." The Okinawa prefectural government is also concerned about such training that will be carried out with the participation of so many fighter jets. "We've never heard of such a thing," an official of Okinawa Prefecture's Military Base Affairs Division said. The Okinawa prefectural government inquired of the base about the training. The Defense Ministry's local defense bureau also requested the base to check up the fighter jets in their maintenance and carry out safety control in a thoroughgoing way. "When they have plans to relocate several fighters to bases in other prefectures for training purposes, the government will talk about it often with local hosts," says Chatan Town's Mayor Masaharu Noguni, who chairs a liaison conference of three municipalities hosting Kadena base. "But," Noguni went on, "600 troops suddenly came to Kadena." He added in an angry tone: "They're really using the base as they like. They're building up the base functions in the name of U.S. military realignment." Ginowan City is saddled with Futenma airfield. Its mayor, Yoichi Iha, indicated that he would inquire about the training because he knows nothing about it. "If they're going to carry it out, our burden will be more than double," Iha said, adding: "I'm absolutely against any kind of training that will cause the local residents to feel uneasy. All of Ginowan City and all of Okinawa Prefecture are even more upset. I will file a protest with the liaison conference members." TOKYO 00005359 008 OF 008 Okinawa Prefecture's Military Base Affairs Division, informed of the readiness training plan, made an oral request to the Kadena Air Base's public affairs office for sufficient consideration so that the training will not affect local residents. The division is concerned about the readiness training to be conducted with the participation of fighter jets unlike before. "If they have plans to conduct different training, then we'd like to think about different counteractions," a division official said. (7) Prime Minister's schedule, November 27 NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) November 28, 2007 09:02 Attended cabinet meeting in Diet building. 09:53 Attended ceremony for the 60th anniversary of the founding of Japan War-Bereaved Families Association held in Kudan Kaikan Hall. 11:32 Met at Kantei with Liu Beixian, leader of the Chinese delegation of journalists to Japan, joined by TV Asahi President Hirose and journalist Tahara. Met afterwards with Science and Technology Minister Kishida, lawmaker Aizawa, member of the Science and Technology Policy Council. Kishida remained in the room. 12:47 Met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura. 14:23 Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Ono. 15:36 Met with Agriculture Minister Wakabayashi, followed by Administrative Reform Minister Watanabe and Kikkoman Chairman Mogi. 16:25 Met with Finance Minister Nukaga and Tax Bureau chief Kato. 17:04 Attended monthly economic report-connected cabinet ministers' meeting. 17:37 Photo session for Vietnamese President Nyuyen Minh Triet. Held summit with Triet. Held signing ceremony together with Triet. Held joint press conference. 19:09 Hosted dinner party for Vietnamese president. 20:53 Returned to his private residence in Nozawa. SCHIEFFER