JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 01/04/07

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E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 01/04/07 Index: 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials Prime Minister's daily schedule: Still on New Year's holiday 3) Prime Minister Abe's aides distressed by his falling popularity rates Alliance affairs: 4) US, Japan agree to begin study of joint tactical response plan in event of contingency between China and Taiwan 5) US, Japan to draft specific joint response plan, postulating a Korean Peninsula contingency 6) Joint tactical response plan between US, Japan may be another step toward unification of SDF under US armed forces 7) Low altitude flights by US military jets in Japan resulted in 11 damage cases over last five years, seven involving payment of compensation to victims 8) JDA chief Kyuma plans to reconsider Futenma relocation plan to favor construction of single runway in shallow waters off Camp Schwab 9) Government plans to building housing for US military at Iwakuni base, premised on relocation there of carrier jets from Atsugi Defense and security issues: 10) JDA Director General Kyuma meets top brass of Thai military in Bangkok 11) Kyuma: New defense ministry will add MD-related Japan-US defense cooperation division, coordinator for USFJ realignment 12) DFAA to be dismantled in Sept., integrated into defense ministry 13) METI to tighten restrictions on foreign capital purchased of Japanese companies, linked to halting transfers of sensitive technology to terrorists 14) 44 Chinese victims of exposure to poison gas left after war by Japanese military to sue Japan for compensation Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: Japan, US to flesh out contingency plan by envisaging Korean Peninsula situation; Seaports, hospitals to be used Mainichi: Many lawmakers stay away from much criticized Akasaka Diet members' apartments Yomiuri: Defunct UFJ Bank collected 1 billion yen from Fujichiku knowing its tax evasion Nihon Keizai: Land and Transport Ministry and Finance Ministry agree to shoulder road-related public corporations' debts at government expense Sankei: Sankei poll: Less than 10% of companies considering raising wages TOKYO 00000007 002 OF 010 Tokyo Shimbun: 44 Chinese suffering from respiratory illnesses due to poison gases abandoned by Imperial Japanese Army to sue Japanese government seeking 1.3 billion yen in compensation Akahata: Amendments to labor legislation to become focus of attention in regular Diet session 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) No quick remedy for education (2) Defense Ministry: Solid foundation essential Mainichi: (1) Education reform requires heated debate Yomiuri: (1) Japan-US alliance key to handling DPRK threat Nihon Keizai: (1) No growth without liberalization (Part 3): Open door to foreign workers to create multicultural society Sankei: (1) Fiscal reconstruction: Discussion on tax hikes imperative Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Thoughts at beginning of year: Every one should be main player Akahata: (1) Peace and coexistence possible with diplomatic efforts 3) Prime Minister's Official Residence worrying about level of Prime Minister Abe's media exposure in order to stop declining public support rating for Abe cabinet YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) January 4, 2007 The Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) is having a difficult time over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's response to the media. The Kantei wants to put an end to falling support for the cabinet by improving Abe's appearance in the media. However, it has yet to come up with a basic policy regarding whether the prime minister's appearances in the media should be increased or decreased. It has not found a good idea. Aides to the prime minister have decided to have Abe respond to questions by reporters once a day for about four to five minutes. Compared with former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who was good at avoiding questions by reporters with his ad-lib remarks and "one-phrase" responses, Prime Minister Abe appears to be cautious and too serious. One of Abe's aides said, "I don't want to have Prime Minister Abe spend a long time to respond to reporters' questions." There is a growing concern in the government about the recent low approval ratings for the cabinet, with one government official TOKYO 00000007 003 OF 010 saying, "The public does not understand the Age government's efforts." In the Kantei, some aides have suggested increasing Abe's responses to questions by reporters to twice a day, as well as introducing the idea of Abe replying to questions sitting, but some others have opposed to such ideas. Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Hiroshige Seko proposed last September holding the prime minister's meeting with reporters once a day. However, reporters have complained that the agreement that the prime minister meets with them twice a day - in the afternoon and evening - under the Koizumi government was decreased. The Kantei and the reporters have decided to continue discussion on this matter. 4) Japan, US reach basic agreement on preparing response plan, premised on Japan providing logistical support, with China-Taiwan contingency in mind TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Excerpts) January 4, 2007 It was revealed yesterday from several sources connected with Japan-US relations that the Japanese and US governments have reached basic agreement to start studying a joint response plan by the Self-Defense Forces and the US forces, envisioning a contingency between China and Taiwan. Responsible foreign affairs and defense officials from both countries will meet in February to start research on several scenarios leading to a China-Taiwan contingency. The Japanese side, based on the regional contingency law, plans to look into the possibility of such logistical support as fuel oil and medical treatment, but it seems likely that China, which will never allow an independent Taiwan, will react sharply. Japan has never made clear whether the applicable scope of the regional contingency law included Taiwan. It will be questioned about the consistency of the planning effort with its previous view. Among the joint strategic objectives that Japan and the US agreed on in February 2005 as the premise for the realignment of US forces in Japan, there was one that aimed at a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan issue. On the other hand, there also was this clear goal for the Asia-Pacific region: "Maintain the capability to respond to contingencies that would impact on Japan and the US." A joint response plan that aimed at a China-Taiwan contingency would implement this strategic goal, underscoring the deep-seated sense of alarm in the US about a rising China. According to an informed source, Japan and the US will research several possible scenarios, including a declaration of independence by Taiwan and the use of armed force by China. 5) Japan, US to flesh out contingency plan by envisaging Korean Peninsula situation; Seaports, hospitals to be used ASAHI (Top play) (Excerpts) January 4, 2007 The governments of Japan and the United States began mapping out in December a joint operational plan detailing the use of Japan's seaports and airspace and logistical support to deal with a possible TOKYO 00000007 004 OF 010 contingency on the Korean Peninsula and a resulting armed attack against Japan, Japanese government sources revealed yesterday. The two governments aim to finish up the program by the fall of 2007 in view of growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's nuclear test and missile launches. Work has been underway since last December by the Bilateral Planning Committee (BPC) composed of uniformed officers of the two countries, including the Self-Defense Forces joint staff deputy chief and the deputy commander of US Forces Japan. In 2002, Tokyo and Washington signed a plan codenamed 5055, which only specified policy and the number of necessary facilities under each item of joint cooperation. The ongoing effort is designed to raise this to a level of a viable joint operational plan. Work envisages the outbreak of a contingency on the Korean Peninsula. The overview will discuss specific responses to such situations as contingencies in areas surrounding Japan and a direct-armed attack against Japan in such subdivisions as situation, operational duties, implementation, replenishment, and the chain of command. Under the 1997 Guidelines for Japan-US Defense Cooperation, Japan and the US are in accord to separately prepare a joint operational plans and a mutual cooperation plan. Given the likelihood that a contingency on the Korean Peninsula and an armed attack against Japan could occur at the same time, 5055 took the form of covering two plans. 6) Japan-US joint operational plan: Unification of military forces stands out ASAHI (Page 2) (Full) January 4, 2007 (Commentary) Ongoing work to map out a joint operational plan detailing everything from frontline units to drugs for injured military personnel is designed to clarify roles and duty-sharing between Japan and the United States in dealing with a contingency on the Korean Peninsula. In past security talks with Japan, the US has repeatedly urged Japan to come up with clear ways to provide cooperation. Japan has been uncertain about to what extent the US military would support the Self-Defense Forces in the event (a contingency on the Korean Peninsula) escalated into a contingency in Japan. Producing a joint operational plan will not be easy. The plan will be a military secret of the highest classification and it will require the cooperation of relevant government agencies, local governments, and private firms. Determining the extent to which the government should reveal information about the plan will be a difficult issue. The insufficient security dialogue between Japan and South Korea might hinder talks on the evacuation of Japanese nationals on the Korean Peninsula. The joint effort began when Tokyo and Washington inked the Guidelines for Japan-US Defense Cooperation in September 1997. The delay is ascribable to Japan's contingency legislation, the terrorist attacks on the US on Sept. 11, 2001, the realignment of US TOKYO 00000007 005 OF 010 forces in Japan, and other pressing factors. In addition, there are rising voices in Japan calling for totally opening the way to exercising the right of collective self-defense. The ever-changing situation may force an operational plan codenamed 5055 to be altered markedly. Although the plan is for preparations against a contingency on the Korean Peninsula and an attack on Japan, placing high priority on smooth cooperation between Japan and the US, the two countries are required to abide by separate legislation in Japan. Some are that military unification of the Japanese and US forces will stick out over other aspects of bilateral relations, including the political and diplomatic spheres. 7) 11 cases of damage caused by US military planes' low-altitudes flight for five-and-a-half years through December 2006 NIHON KEIZAI (Page 38) (Full) January 4, 2007 It was learned yesterday that there have been 11 cases recognized by the US Forces Japan (USFJ) and the Defense Facilities Administration Agency (DFAA) of houses suffering damage caused by the US military's low-altitude flights during the period from May 2001 through December 2006. The DFAA paid compensation to 7 of the 11 cases under the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement. The total payments reached some 2 million yen. The cases of damage that the DFAA recognized have so far been made clear on a piecemeal basis, because local governments that receive the notice of the occurrence of damages announced there were such cases of damages or the USFJ headquarters recognized facts of damages. The breakdown of the 11 cases is as follows: four cases in fiscal 2001, three in fiscal 2002, two in fiscal 2003, one in fiscal 2004, and one in fiscal 2005. By prefecture, seven cases occurred in Hokkaido, followed by two in Hiroshima Prefecture and one each in Akita Prefecture and Shimane Prefecture. 8) JDA director general intends to reconsider Futenma relocation plan, with possibility in mind of constructing single runway in shallow waters ASAHI (Page 1) (Full) January 4, 2007 By Masahiro Tsuruoka in Bangkok Defense Agency (JDA) Director General Fumio Kyuma expressed his thinking yesterday on the plan to build a V-shaped runway at Henoko Point, Nago City for the relocation of Futenma Air Station (Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture) as part of the realignment of US forces in Japan. He said: "Constructing a V-shaped runway will require a large budget. A single runway would be cheaper. If the United States, local government, and the government all agree, any plan would be good." He indicated that JDA was considering a proposal for a single runway that would be shifted over into shallow waters off Henoko. He was speaking to the press corps in Thailand. Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima is opposed to the current plan for a V-shaped runway. "We will carry out (the relocation) by setting up conditions, not by the shape (of the runway)," he said. It seems likely that the government and Okinawa Prefecture will make a TOKYO 00000007 006 OF 010 readjustment in the plan. However, within the government, there is a view that given the agreement between Japan and the US that gave priority to the V-shaped runway, it will be difficult to make large changes in the plan, or as one Foreign Ministry official put it, "Turning a dual runway into a single one will not be that simple." There also is concern that if the runway is shifted over into shallow waters, a protest movement could flame up again, so whether things will go smoothly as Kyuma says cannot be predicted. Kyuma hinted to the press about the possibility of talks with the US on revising the plan, saying: "It will be OK with the US if we can guarantee it will not be hampered on the operational side by the changes. Even with one runway, take offs and landings can occur in either direction." On the location of the runway, as well, Kyuma noted: "(As Nago City and other communities requested,) there should not be flights over the hamlet nearby, so we must move the runway offshore to a fair extent. If we move it to the weed beds (to the southwest),it must not be up against the island (to the southeast where there are local residents)." He took the view supporting a proposal to move the location to shallow waters where there is a seaweed bed. 9) Government to build US military housing if Iwakuni City agrees to relocation of carrier-based aircraft from Atsugi Naval Air Station to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) January 4, 2007 The government has decided to buy up the Atagoyama housing land (about 100 hectares) in Iwakuni City, which is now being developed by Yamaguchi Prefectural Housing Corp. in order to build US military housing if Iwakuni City agrees to the relocation of carrier-borne US aircraft from Atsugi Naval Air Station (Kanagawa Prefecture) to the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. It plans to urge Iwakuni Mayor Katsusuke Ihara to soften his stance of opposing the relocation by proposing a way for the city to ease and resolve its huge deficit in developing housing sites. The final report on the realignment of US forces in Japan compiled in May 2006 stipulates that carrier-borne aircraft now based at Atsugi Naval Air Station would be relocated to Iwakuni. According to the Defense Agency (JDA),the government needs to secure new housing for about 4,000 US military service personnel and their family members, who will move to the vicinity of the base. The JDA intends to formulate a "master plan for the US Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni" and Atagoyama is a likely candidate site for the new US military housing. Yamaguchi Prefecture started the Atagoyama development project in 1998 with a total project cost of about 85 billion yen. It planned to build about 1,500 houses in order to start selling them in fiscal ¶2009. According to the prefecture's provisional estimation in November 2006, however, if it continues the project, it will fall into a deficit of about 18.4 billion yen to 49.2 billion yen, due to the low demand for housing and a drop in land prices. Even if it cancels the project, it will not be able to avoid a deficit of about 25 billion yen. The prefecture has stated that it is difficult to TOKYO 00000007 007 OF 010 continue the project at present. It has been decided that the prefecture and the city will share the burden of the deficit. The prefecture intends to propose to the government the idea of building US military housing in the Atagoyama housing land, but it has yet to get the city's approval. A senior JDA official commented: "Unless Iwakuni City agrees to the relocation plan, it is difficult to buy up the Atagoyama housing land." 10) Defense chief Kyuma meets with Thai national military supreme commander YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) January 4, 2007 Defense Agency Director General Fumio Kyuma held talks yesterday in Bangkok with Thai National Military Supreme Commander Boonsrang. In the meeting, Kyuma told the supreme commander: "I hope to see the interim government draft a constitution as early as possible and democratize the country." Referring to the planned his agency's upgrading to a ministry, Kyuma sought his understanding, saying, "Japan will not become a military state as it was in the prewar period. We will continue with our pacifism." 11) Japan-US Defense Cooperation Division, US force realignment coordinator to be installed in Defense Ministry ASAHI (Page 2) (Full) January 4, 2007 Masahiro Tsuruoka, Bangkok Defense Agency Director General Fumio Kyuma revealed on the night of Jan. 3 a plan to establish a Japan-US Defense Cooperation Division and a post of US force realignment coordinator in the new Defense Ministry, the aim being to accelerate bilateral efforts to implement the realignment of US forces in Japan and a missile defense system. Kyuma plans to incorporate the new division and position in related bills to be submitted to the regular Diet session, scheduled to open later this month. The plan would be take effect in September. The defense chief also referred to a plan to abolish the Defense Facilities Administration Agency and integrate it into the envisioned Defense Ministry in September 2007 instead of in January ¶2008. Kyuma was speaking to reporters traveling with him to Thailand. 12) Defense Facilities Administration Agency to be abolished in September YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) January 4, 2007 Yoshifumi Sugita, Bangkok In his informal press conference, Defense Agency (JDA) Director General Fumio Kyuma revealed yesterday in Bangkok, where he is now visiting, that the Defense Facilities Administration Agency (DFAA) would be dismantled in September 2007, which is earlier than the original plan to do so in January 2008. The integration of DFAA into JDA is part of efforts to prevent a recurrence of bid-rigging scandals that involved DFAA, and was included in the law to upgrade TOKYO 00000007 008 OF 010 JDA to ministry status that was enacted in the previous extra session of the Diet. JDA will establish the Defense Inspection Headquarters, which will be headed by a vice minister-level defense inspector, as well as a post of director for coordination of the realignment of US forces in Japan. Kyuma said, "Following the upgrading of the JDA to a ministry, I want to reorganize the agency as quickly as possible." 13) METI to tighten regulations on M&As by foreign capital as part of effort to prevent conversion of technology for terrorism SANKEI (Page 2) (Excerpts) January 4, 2006 The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) yesterday decided to tighten its regulations on foreign capital M&As of Japanese firms as part of efforts to prevent the proliferation of technology that may be used for the production of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or for international terrorist activities. More industries will be obligated to report on their technologies to the government, and the government will also consider negating voting rights acquired by foreigners in violation of such laws as the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law. The purpose of tightening the regulations is to improve the security system at a time of growing M&As globally, including those by China's state-run firms. Japan's Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law obligates foreign direct investment in Japan that may harm the nation's safety to report on the purposes of investments and businesses, as well as their scale. The minister in charge, after examining the foreign firm's investment plan, can advise or order it to change or drop the plan. However, the industries subject to the law are limited to aircraft, weapons, nuclear power, and space development as notified. In contrast, the US, under the Exon-Florio provision, and Britain, under the Antitrust Law or other laws, can put restrictions on every merger and acquisition of domestic firms by foreign capital if the M&A is deemed as affecting the country's security. Taking this into consideration, METI late last year organized a study forum of experts to strengthen measures against international terrorism, and using examples from the US and European countries, METI began considering tightening regulations on foreign capital to meet with the wave of globalization. METI will put together ideas into a report by March this year and will set about preparing ordinances for relevant ministries to issue as well as creating a bill revising the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law. Specifically, METI, considering highly advanced weapons, will add machine tools to the industries subject to the regulations, and it will also put stock acquisition of a holding company on the list of industries subject to monitoring. Strengthening the regulations in view of security reasons was once discussed in the process of amending the Corporate Law in 2005, but it was not realized because the discussion was focused on defensive measures against hostile acquisition. TOKYO 00000007 009 OF 010 14) 44 Chinese to sue Japan for damage from poison gas left by former Japanese Imperial Army in China, seeking 1.3 billion yen in compensation for "dangers left unattended by Japan" TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top play) (Excerpts) January 4, 2007 Forty-four Chinese who suffered breathing problems from the leakage in Qiqihar City in Heilongjiang Province, China, in August 2003 of poison gas abandoned by the former Japanese Imperial Army in the late days of World War II will bring a case later this month before the Tokyo District Court against the Japanese government, seeking a total of 1.32 billion yen in compensation for damages. They will pursue the illegality of the way Japan atoned for misdeeds of the war, arguing that Japan left the poison gas uncared for and neglected its duty to remove danger. On the poison gas abandoned by the former Japanese Imperial Army, two other suits for damages caused by other accidents are going on at the Tokyo High Court, but the planned suit will be the largest in terms of the number of plaintiffs and the compensation amount. Japan's way of taking responsibility for misdeeds of the last war now questioned Commentary Yoichi Oniki "What we want to pursue is the responsibility of the current Japanese government, which has delayed collecting the poison gas in spite of their dangers, rather than the past responsibility of Japan, which abandoned such gas," a lawyer of the legal team representing the Chinese victims stressed. This means that the case will shed light on the way Japan has failed to take the responsibility for the war. Under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) that was adopted in the United Nations and went into effect in 1997, the Japanese and Chinese governments exchanged memorandums obligating Japan to dispose of its chemical weapons in 1999. Following this, the Japanese government has at last begun collecting chemical weapons since that year to date but the number of poison gas bombs Japan has removed so far is merely 40,000 or so, a long way short of the estimated number by the Japanese government of 300,000-400,000 bombs. The initial deadline for the collection of poison gas bombs was April this year, but the Japanese government applied to the Organization for the Protection of Chemical Weapons (OPWC) in the UN and received an extension. Japan's poison gas bombs have been discovered in some 60 locations across China, but no one can tell whether there may be some other bombs buried in somewhere else. Even though the deadline has been extended, it is unclear whether Japan will be able to dispose of all the bombs. Unlike postwar compensation for military comfort women or forced labor, damages caused by poison gas abandoned by Japan are still spreading even now. Even after the poison gas accident in Qiqihar City, similar accidents, though on a smaller scale, have occurred. Most of postwar compensation cases have come under the theory that the state was not liable for compensation or have blocked by the "barrier of time," which means the right to claim for compensation TOKYO 00000007 010 OF 010 was extinguished. The accident in question occurred in three and a half years ago in Qiqihar City. How the Japanese court will judge the Japanese government's responsibility for "ongoing damages"? This will be the focus of the lawsuit this time. DONOVAN