TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - IRAQ

UNCLAS TOKYO 001203 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR I/RF, PA/PR/FPC/W, IIP/G/EA, EAP/PD, R/MR, EAP/J, EAP/P, PM; USTR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE; TREASURY FOR OASIA/IMI; SECDEF FOR OASD/PA; CP BUTLER OKINAWA FOR AREA FIELD OFFICE; PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO JA SUBJECT: TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - IRAQ ¶1. LEAD STORIES: Top stories on Friday morning included a plan by the ruling parties to draft a bill to prohibit child pornography by blocking net users' access to child pornography sites. ¶2. "U.S. Paying Price for Shiite-Oriented Policy" The moderate Yomiuri's Cairo correspondent wrote (5/2): "Five years have passed since President Bush declared on May 1, 2003 an end to major combat operations in Iraq. However, there is no sign that the combat involving U.S. troops will come to an end in Iraq. Although al-Qaeda and other groups of Muslim extremists have been ousted, the number of U.S. military and Iraqi civilian casualties in the battle with Shiite militias has been increasing since March. A 'cold war' has broken out between the U.S. and Iran, which exercises its influence over Shiites in Iraq....The U.S. eliminated Sunnis, who had supported the regime of Saddam Hussein, and helped establish a government led by Shiites. Although the U.S. has made achievements since last year in mopping up al-Qaeda by having Sunnis cooperate with U.S. operations, the U.S. is still paying the price for its Shiite-oriented policy. The bitter reality is that Iran, which holds a large number of anti-U.S. Shiites, holds the key to the stabilization of Iraq." DONOVAN