JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 05/30/08

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 13 TOKYO 001479 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: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 05/30/08 Index: 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials Prime Minister's daily schedule: Attended the TICAD IV African Development Conference in Yokohama China quake assistance: 3) Government puts off plan to send ASDF transport planes to deliver relief goods to earthquake victims in China but may use civilian charters instead (Yomiuri) 4) Government pulls back on sending SDF to help China due to trouble in Beijing over the dispatch and rising anti-Japanese sentiment in China (Tokyo Shimbun) 5) Defense Ministry, readying ASDF planes for China trip, taken aback by sudden change in plans (Tokyo Shimbun) 6) Only party in the Diet against the dispatch of ASDF planes to help China quake victims was the Social Democratic Party (Sankei) Cluster bomb agreement: 7) In switch, Japan agrees to total ban on cluster munitions, as proposed by Dublin conference (Mainichi) 8) Prime Minister Fukuda issued the order to support the cluster-bomb ban (Asahi) 9) Decision to support the cluster-bomb ban made after prior coordination with the U.S. (Mainichi) 10) Opposition camp in Upper House readying resolution that would revise the U.S.-Japan SOFA (Mainichi) TICAD IV: 11) Raised expectations at the African Development Conference of Japan's taking the lead, starting with bringing up food crisis at the G-8 Summit (Nikkei) 12) Prime Minister Fukuda announces decision to produce commercially viable biofuel that would not be made from food stocks (Nikkei) 13) Fukuda ends marathon of meetings with African leaders (Nikkei) Political agenda: 14) Announcement of Okinawa prefectural assembly election in which key campaign issue seems to be medical care for elderly and not the U.S. bases (Mainichi) 15) Former postal rebel and now independent lawmaker Hiranuma expects to form a 30 member party (Sankei) 16) Global warming: 14 research institutes in joint study conclude that Japan's average temperature will rise 4.8 percent by 2100 (Tokyo Shimbun) 
17) Yomiuri poll finds 70 PERCENT of Japanese say they do not believe in any religion (Yomiuri) Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: Nippon Paper, Rengo mulling management integration to become the top maker Mainichi & Akahata: TOKYO 00001479 002 OF 013 At prime minister's order, Japan turns around its previous policy to agree to total ban on cluster munitions Yomiuri, Nikkei, Sankei & Tokyo Shimbun: Japan gives up on plan to send ASDF aircraft to China in aftermath of Sichuan earthquake, meeting with China's disapproval 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) Public servant system reform: We welcome this compromise (2) Talented personnel for nursing care: Top priority should be on wage reform Mainichi: (1) Recommendations for decentralization: Both prime minister and local governments need enthusiasm (2) NHK investigation: Investigations insufficient for regaining public confidence Yomiuri: (1) Government must fully respect decentralization plan (2) Nepal decides to abolish the kingship Nikkei: (1) Political parties should not make the new health insurance system a tool for political fight (2) Shareholders' meeting rejected reelection of president Sankei: (1) Decision to forgo ASDF aircraft dispatch to China extremely regrettable (2) Unreasonable rules for appointments requiring Diet approval should be scrapped Tokyo Shimbun: (1) To dispel distrust in Japan, government forgoes dispatch of SDF planes to China (2) Internationalization of Haneda airport: Make the best use of "24-hour airport" Akahata: (1) TICAD: Japan must seriously made efforts for poverty alleviation 3) Gov't forgoes ASDF dispatch YOMIURI (Top play) (Abridged) May 30, 2008 The government decided yesterday to forgo flying Air Self-Defense Force aircraft to China on a mission to airlift emergency relief supplies for those affected in the recent devastating earthquake that hits Sichuan Province. That is because the Chinese government showed reluctance based on the possibility of a public backlash in China. The Japanese government is instead planning to charter commercial airliners. If ASDF aircraft were actually sent to China, it would have been the first postwar dispatch of a Self-Defense Forces unit there. However, the government has now forgone the decision. The incident sheds light on the Chinese public's mixed feelings about the historical past. TOKYO 00001479 003 OF 013 China asked Japan for relief supplies. In response, the government was coordinating with the Chinese government, while preparing to dispatch the Self-Defense Forces. The Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director General Akitaka Saiki met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei at the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing. Wu apparently told Saiki in the meeting about the increasingly severe atmosphere in China against sending SDF aircraft. A government source said yesterday evening: "They said it's also all right if we fly SDF aircraft there, but this opinion was not the Chinese government's consensus. That's a matter of their bureaucratic sectionalism." A Foreign Ministry official also said: "News media reported SDF dispatch, so there have been side effects in China. It cannot go together with our original purpose that is to deliver relief supplies." There was a meeting of a defense attach to the Japanese embassy in Beijing and officials from the Chinese Defense Ministry in Beijing on May 27, during which Chinese officials asked Japan to provide relief supplies. In that meeting, China asked Japan to provide tents and blankets. Japanese officials there were concerned about a possible backlash against the SDF, so they asked about how to deliver these relief goods. Chinese officials agreed there to accept SDF airlifts to airports in Beijing, Chengdu, or elsewhere. There has been a strong public backlash in China against Japan sending the SDF, with opinions appearing on Internet discussion boards linking the SDF to the now-defunct Japanese Imperial Army. Following the quake this time, the United States, Russia, and Pakistan have already flown their air force planes to airlift relief supplies for disaster-stricken areas. However, the Chinese government is believed to have deemed it difficult to accept Japan's SDF aircraft after weighing the public reaction in China. 4) SDF aircraft dispatch shelved as Tokyo, Beijing give consideration to growing anti-Japanese sentiments in China TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) May 30, 2008 The planned dispatch of Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) aircraft to China to deliver emergency supplies to victims of the Sichuan earthquake was forgone yesterday. Before arriving at this conclusion, the governments of Japan and China gave thoughts to public opinion in China, where there is stubborn resistance against the SDF because of such historical experiences as the Sino-Japanese War. In an attempt to avoid the Chinese public opinion against Japan from worsening, the two governments have decided to forgo the SDF aircraft dispatch. The prevailing view in the Japanese government, centering on the Defense Ministry, was that the dispatch of SDF planes would make sense, one official calling it, "Epoch-making." Such response in Japan appears to have stoked anti-Japanese sentiments on the Internet. A high government official expressed concern, saying: "China might have been surprised at a great reaction in Japan such as that Japanese newspapers were reported the matter as a top news item." TOKYO 00001479 004 OF 013 In the Japan-China summit held earlier this month, the two top leaders exchanged the joint statement vowing their efforts to move forward with "a strategic reciprocal relationship." Therefore, behind the decision this time around, there was the determination by Tokyo and Beijing to prevent the trend of improved relations from retreating. 5) Government forgoes planned dispatch of SDF aircraft; Senior Defense Ministry official stunned TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 27) (Abridged slightly) May 30, 2008 Reversing its previous policy course, the government has now decided to forgo its plan to dispatch Self-Defense Force aircraft to quake-hit areas in Sichuan, China. The decision created a stir in the Defense Ministry, which was making preparations until late last night for sending C-130 transport planes to Sichuan's capital of Chengdu. Learning of the government's decision to forgo the dispatch before dawn today, a senior Defense Ministry official said with a stunned look, "We haven't heard of anything about it." Yesterday morning, the planned first ever dispatch of SDF aircraft to China made front-page headlines. Feeling anxious, the official said yesterday morning, "I hope this will not irritate China." Following the decision, the SDF will cease its preparatory work. Nevertheless, quake-hit areas still need relief supplies, such as blankets and tents. The official commented, "Will the relief supplies be transported by commercial planes?" The dispatch of SDF aircraft was decided in response to a request from China. But the development prompted Chinese people to post all sorts of messages on the Internet, including one that said, "This is worse than the earthquake." Military commentator Tetsuo Maeda took this view: "The only conceivable explanation for the eleventh-hour cancellation of the SDF dispatch is that China harbors unexpectedly strong aversion toward the SDF. The Imperial Japanese Army indiscriminately bombed Sichuan Province between 1938 and 1941. People in Chengdu, which was also harshly bombed, have strong anti-Japanese sentiment. I thought it was significant for Japanese military planes, which used to carry bombs, to transport relief supplies. Still, I think Japan should continue providing assistance by using commercial planes of high transport capability." 6) SDP alone opposed ASDF dispatch SANKEI (Page 5) (Abridged slightly) May 30, 2008 Opposition parties reacted in their respective ways to the government's consideration to send Air Self-Defense Force planes to transport relief supplies to quake-hit areas in response to a request from China. The Social Democratic Party's reaction particularly stood out. SDP head Mizuho Fukushima said in a press conference on May 28, "In TOKYO 00001479 005 OF 013 consideration of China's national sentiment, we are opposed to (sending the SDF)," despite the fact that the SDF conducted relief activities in the wake of the earthquake off Sumatra in 2005. In contrast, Japanese Communist Party Chairman Kazuo Shii made the following comment in a press conference on May 29: "At the time of the Sumatra earthquake, we made it clear that we do not reject the idea of the SDF engaging in relief and rescue operations (overseas) in the wake of extremely massive natural disasters. There is no change in our stance this time around." Meanwhile, Democratic Party of Japan Upper House Caucus Chairman Azuma Koshiishi said: "Because the matter concerns human lives, the decision was made to extend cooperation." DPJ shadow cabinet foreign minister Yoshio Hachiro commented, "There is no problem in actively transporting relief supplies in response to a request from a foreign country." The DPJ exhibited a stance to promote the dispatch from a humanitarian viewpoint. 7) At prime minister's order, Japan turns around its previous policy and now will agree to total ban on cluster munitions MAINICHI (Top play) (Full) May 30, 2008 Keiichi Shirado The Japanese government yesterday adopted a policy line to agree to a draft treaty immediately banning cluster munitions except for a portion of "newer smart cluster bombs." The agreement gives consideration to the serious human harm caused by unexploded duds. The draft treaty is expected to be adopted today in the Dublin Conference of the international disarmament talks called the Oslo Process. Japan will declare on the scene that it will accept the draft treaty. Until recently Japan had been unwilling to endorse the draft treaty in consideration of its alliance with the United States, which has not taken part in the Oslo Process, but at the request by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, the government has decided to accept the draft treaty. In this connection, a government source late yesterday noted, "We've completed the process of coordinating views with the U.S.," and revealed that Tokyo told Japan's chief delegate to the Dublin Conference, Takeshi Nakane, ambassador and director-general of the Disarmament, Nonproliferation and Science Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA),that Japan would accept the draft treaty. The U.S. government appeared to show its understanding toward the Japanese government's policy of accepting the draft treaty because a provision stipulating that the draft treaty will not stand in the way of joint military operations with "non-members states of the Oslo Process," such as the U.S., is now included in the draft treaty. As for the question of a ban on cluster munitions, the government had noted, "We will decide our policy, keeping a balance between the humanitarian issues and Japan's security." The government's initial plan was not to make its attitude clear at the time of taking a vote on a total ban on May 30 and instead to reveal its attitude at the time of the signing of the treaty in December. However, when the junior coalition partner New Komeito's Deputy Representative Toshiko Hamayotsu visited Prime Minister Fukuda at TOKYO 00001479 006 OF 013 his official residence on May 23 and insisted on the need for Japan to agree to a total ban on cluster bombs, Fukuda told Hamayotsu: "I deem it necessary for Japan to deal with the matter in a much clearer way. Leave it to me." Fukuda then implied the possibility of giving the nod to the draft treaty at his own judgment. He also instructed relevant ministries and agencies to deal with the matter positively. At a news conference yesterday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura also noted, "The government needs to determine its attitude," indicating that discussion in the government on the draft treaty reached a final stage just before vote-taking on the draft treaty in the Dublin Conference. Fukuda was affected significantly by the moves by leaders of such major countries as Britain, France, and Germany who decided to accept the draft treaty based on political decisions. By following them, Fukuda apparently wanted to avoid the case of Japan being isolated internationally and also highlight his leadership as the host nation of the upcoming Group of Eight Hokkaido Toyako Summit in July. 8) Government to endorse cluster bomb treaty ASAHI (Page 2) (Excerpts) May 30, 2008 An agreement has been reached on a draft treaty banning cluster bombs. Unexploded cluster bombs continue to kill and wound civilians even after conflicts are over. Although Japan, too, has decided to support the draft treaty, reversing its previous stance, there are no signs that major cluster-bomb producers and holders, such as the United States, will make moves. The envisioned treaty will soon be tested. Japan shifts stance under prime minister's initiative The government had long exhibited a cautious stance. A person familiar with the government explained the government's about-face this way: "It reflects Prime Minister Fukuda's thinking. He has concluded that it is necessary to align with the international community from a humanitarian perspective." On May 23, New Komeito deputy representative Toshiko Hamayotsu called for a total ban on cluster bombs. In response, the prime minister said, "I will bring the matter to a soft landing. Please leave it to me." Upper House lawmakers who were also present in the meeting had the same impression as the government's policy shift over the landmine ban treaty. Although Tokyo had been reluctant to sign the treaty, the government inked the pact in 1997 under the initiative of then Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi in response to growing public calls for the elimination of landmines. They saw Obuchi in Prime Minister Fukuda. The government considers cluster bombs to be indispensable in blocking an enemy landing. The government was also concerned about a possible impediment to joint operations with the United States, which uses cluster bombs. Japan's concerns weakened with the drafting of the treaty that made it possible for member countries and nonmember countries to carry out military cooperation and TOKYO 00001479 007 OF 013 operations. A supra-partisan parliamentary league calling for a ban on cluster bombs was launched in April. The league chaired by Lower House Speaker Yohei Kono includes many influential members from both the ruling and opposition camps. This seems to have given a boost to the prime minister. Once the treaty goes into effect, the use of all cluster bombs possessed by the SDF will be banned. Although the government has not revealed the number of bombs as a defense secret, the Air Self-Defense Force has since 1987 equipped its fighters with cluster bombs holding 202 bomblets. The Ground Self-Defense Force, too, possesses cluster rockets holding 644 bomblets and howitzers holding dozens of bomblets. 9) Japan agrees to draft treaty on total ban on cluster munitions, with eye on provision on joint operations; Attention paid to relations with U.S. MAINICHI (Page 7) (Excerpts) May 30, 2008 Katsumi Sawada, Yoshinori Fukushima, Dublin Japan yesterday decided to join the draft treaty prepared by the Dublin Conference of the Oslo Process," international disarmament talks aimed at concluding a treaty banning cluster munitions. Before doing so, Japan apparently continued coordinating views with the United States. America's other allies, such as Britain, France, and Germany, also attach importance to their ties with the U.S., but apparently they decided to accept the draft treaty because a provision allowing joint military operations with the U.S., which is a non-member state of the Oslo Process, has now been incorporated in the draft treaty. This provision seems to serve as a dividing line to decide the fate of the draft treaty. Japan has attached importance to three points in the Dublin Conference: (1) "Improved" cluster bombs whose failure rates are high and which the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) have currently possessed should be included in exceptions not subject to a ban; (2) a provision allowing joint military operations with the U.S. forces should be included in the draft treaty; and (3) a moratorium should be set before a total ban is implemented. Japan's calls for including improved cluster bombs as exceptions and setting a moratorium have not been realized, but regarding joint operations, a provision stipulating that "military personnel and the peoples of signatory states are allowed to be engaged in military cooperation and operations with non-signatory states" has been included in the draft treaty. This provision met with criticism from non-governmental organizations, but Japan and Britain uncompromisingly insisted on the need to add the provision to the draft treaty, even hinting that they would walk out of the Oslo Process. As a result, the provision was decided to be added to the draft treaty. 10) DPJ mulling submission to Upper House of resolution seeking revision to SOFA jointly with other opposition parties MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) May 30, 2008 The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) yesterday started looking into submitting to the Upper House a resolution seeking a TOKYO 00001479 008 OF 013 drastic revision to the Japan-U.S. Status-of-Forces Agreement (SOFA) jointly with other opposition parties. It will start undertaking coordination with other parties, based on the draft of a resolution adopted by "the Next Cabinet" on May 28. It wants to submit the resolution within next week. A resolution seeking a revision to SOFA will be submitted to the Upper House for the first time. Calls for a drastic revision to SOFA are deep-rooted in Okinawa due to a series of accidents and incidents involving U.S. servicemen. The submission of the resolution is aimed at clarifying differences from the stance of the ruling camp, which is calling for improved management of SOFA, with an eye on the upcoming Okinawa Prefectural Assembly elections. 11) Issue of soaring food prices likely high on agenda at G-8 Summit, reflecting calls from African countries for Japan's cooperation NIKKEI (Page 2) (Excerpts) May 30, 2008 The issue of skyrocketing food prices is likely to be high on the agenda at the Group of Eight Summit (Lake Toya Summit) in July. In the 4th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD4),which opened yesterday in Yokohama, African countries called for Japan's cooperation in dealing with the issue. In response, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda intends to announce Japan's proactive aid plans in the upcoming Food Summit in early June. He is likely to be put to the test in assuming leadership as the chair of the G-8 Summit. Fukuda said in discussions on the food issue held yesterday: "I am determined to make utmost efforts to send a powerful message in the G-8 Summit." In a meeting with World Bank President Zoellick, Fukuda also pledged to cooperate on the food issue. In the discussions, Fukuda stated: "I am ready to offer more contributions" to resolve the food problem. Japan has already announced plans to provide developing countries with emergency food aid worth 100 million dollars. In the Food Summit starting on June 3, Japan will propose an additional 50 million dollars in financial aid to help developing countries boost the output of agricultural products. Behind the prime minister's eagerness toward the food problem is the development of the issue into an international problem. "We must not allow foods to be reduced as a result of the use of agricultural products as biofuel." "We hope Japan will import more agricultural products." In a subcommittee at TICAD yesterday, discussion was conducted on the effect of soaring food prices on Africa and other matters. Participants presented severe requests in succession, keeping in mind the U.S., which has promoted producing biofuel with corn, and Japan, which has imposed high tariffs on farm products. Four international organizations, including the World Bank and the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),issued a statement yesterday calling on industrialized countries to take the lead in expanding short-term, as well medium- to long-term assistance to Africa. The statement noted: "We must prevent a situation in which skyrocketing food prices undermine Africa's TOKYO 00001479 009 OF 013 long-lasting economic growth." Specifically, it urges them to extend financial support to small-scale farmers to improve their productivity. 12) Fukuda in Food Summit to express resolve to speed up practical use of nonfood biofuel NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) May 30, 2008 The main points of the speech Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will deliver in the upcoming Food Summit were revealed yesterday. The speech emphasizes the determination of Japan, the world's largest net food importer, to make possible contributions to ensure global food security. Specifically, the speech stresses a resolve to hurriedly put second generation biofuel to practical use. The speech also stresses Japan's determination to send a powerful message with other participant countries in the July Group of Eight Summit (Lake Toya Summit). Further, the speech points out the need for the international community to take joint and coordinated actions in dealing with the problem of global food shortage. It underlines Japan's willingness to make contributions to stabilizing global food supply-demand balance by improving its self-sufficiency in food. 13) Fukuda completes marathon talks with leaders of African countries, but receives ambiguous replies on Japan's bid for UNSC permanent seat NIKKEI (Page 2) (Slightly abridged) May 30, 2008 Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda completed marathon talks unprecedentedly held separately with the leaders of 40 African countries who visited Japan to attend the 4th Tokyo International Conference on African Development. Through the talks, Fukuda aimed to solicit their support for Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC),but many of them made an ambiguous response. The 53 African countries account for about one-fourth of UN members, so they are able to play a key role in reforming the UN. But in the talks, only several countries expressed support for Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the Security Council, including Ghana and Central African Republic. Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana made this reply: "I support Japan's position." 14) Medical service system for elderly people over 75 a campaign issue for Okinawa Prefectural Assembly MAINICHI (Page 5) (Excerpts) May 30, 2008 The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly elections slated for June 8 will be officially announced on May 30. Both ruling and opposition camps are staging an all-out battle, airing TV commercials and sending in senior party officials. That is because since both camps are equally matched in strength, if the opposition parties win, the government of Governor Hirokazu Nakaima, who supports the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corpse' Futenma Air Station within the prefecture, would become a minority government, which is bound to affect the TOKYO 00001479 010 OF 013 relocation issue. In addition, the key campaign issue is the new medical service system for elderly people over 75, the focus of attention in the final phase of the ongoing Diet session. The fixed number of seats in the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly is 48, of which 27 are held by the ruling parties -- the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),the New Komeito, etc., and 20 are held by opposition parties. One seat remains vacant. There are many closely-contested constituencies due to mergers of municipalities. One LDP lawmaker elected from the prefecture expressed his sense of alarm, "The ruling and opposition are equally matched in strength. If the opposition camp wins, the Nakaima-controlled prefectural administration would be rejected by the public." Okinawa Assembly election results will influence national administration of the Futenma relocation issue. This can be seen in a past prefectural referendum held to ask residents about the propriety of consolidating and realigning U.S. military bases. Because of such a background, both camps are tackling the election in an exceptionally serious manner. The LDP has made TV commercial on the medical service system for the elderly, featuring former LDP lawmaker Koichi Hamada (79),about making efforts to revise the system. It will be aired in Okinawa from the 30th. New Komeito head Akihiro Ota visited Okinawa from the 23rd through the 26th and delivered speeches, pledging a revision to the medical service system. Secretary General Kazuo Kitagawa also visited Okinawa to support the election campaign. Among opposition parties, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) Deputy President Naoto Kan, Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Kazuo Shii, Social Democratic Party President Mizuho Fukushima and People's New Party President Tamisuke Watanuki will visit Okinawa on June 1 to give sidewalk speeches. Kan during a press conference yesterday said, "Elderly people are all strongly opposing the system. I want to make a public appeal on this issue as a key campaign issue." 15) Takeo Hiranuma: Prime Minister Fukuda always stays on sidelines; Plans to form 30-member new party before next Lower House election SANKEI (Page 3) (Slightly abridged) May 30, 2008 Takeo Hiranuma, 68, an independent member of the House of Representatives, gave an interview to the Evening Fuji, in which he criticized Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who has been suffering the low public support ratings, saying: "He has stayed on the sidelines, and he does not understand the feelings of the people." His interview is as followed: -- The drop in the support rated for the Fukuda cabinet is striking. Hiranuma: Prime Minister Fukuda has not carried out the kind of politics that the public expects. A number of thorny issues have been left unresolved. His replies to the press seem as if they are someone else's problems. He does not understand the feelings of the public. The public has become unhappier. -- There is strong criticism of the new health insurance system for TOKYO 00001479 011 OF 013 those aged 75 and older. Hiranuma: It is unbelievable. I can say that's mismanagement. Taking care of the elderly by younger people should continue to be Japan's proud tradition and virtue. It is outrageous that medical pension premiums are deducted from the small pension benefits of people aged 75 and over, who contributed to Japan's economic reconstruction since the end of the war. -- Prime Minister Fukuda has stated that the basis of the system is correct. Hiranuma: That's a bureaucratic statement. He does not stand with the public. -- How do you view the present Liberal Democratic Party? Hiranuma: I belonged to the LDP for 25 years. I am disappointed with the present LDP. A third force is necessary. -- Do you mean you will form a new party? Hiranuma: It is good for Japan to have a third political force. What I am working on is to nurture robust conservative politicians. I have supported 13 people -- five former Diet members, who lost their seats in opposition to postal privatization, and eight regional lawmakers. There are talented persons in the LDP such as abut 90 members of the policy group led former policy chief Shoichi Nakagawa. I as a supreme advisor have close exchanges with them. Since Nagata-cho is a pragmatic world, if I asked them to join a new party, though no one is saying "yes." But who can tell what will happen immediately before the next Lower House election. I have communications also with some members of the Democratic Party of Japan and the People's New Party." -- How about the timing for forming a new party and the party's scale? Hiranuma: If I form a new party, I will do so before the Lower House election. I'm considering fielding about 30 candidates for the single-seat constituencies. I have been steadily carrying out my activities, thinking that forming a new party is one of the choices. -- On April 28, you dined with DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa. Hiranuma: Upper House member Yoshihiro Kawakami invited us as his benefactors. He won his Diet seat as a DPJ member in last year's Upper House election, after having lost his Lower House seat in opposition to postal privatization. We did not talk about the election. However, Mr. Ozawa urged me to form a new party. 16) Japan's temperature estimated to rise 4.8 degrees centigrade by 2100: Rice production to increase and then decline; Beach forests in Shirakami Mountain to disappear; 1.37 million people along coasts to be buffeted by high tides TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 1) (Abridged slightly) May 30, 2008 TOKYO 00001479 012 OF 013 A project team consisting of 14 research institutes looking into global warming on May 29 mapped out a projection of the impact of global warming on Japan by 2100. According to the projection, the temperature will have risen 4.8 degrees centigrade by the end of the century, compared with the 1990 level. The ocean will have risen 36 centimeters. As a result, 1.37 million people will be affected by high tides. Rice yield will have increased in such areas as Hokkaido. However, beach forests in the Shirakami Mountain, a World Heritage site, will have disappeared. Projection by 14 research bodies Global warming will likely hit hardest those areas affected by water. In 2030, when the temperature is estimated to have risen 2 degrees centigrade, the Pacific coasts and mountainous areas will be frequently subject to localized torrential rains. The amount of damage caused by such floods would cost 1 trillion yen a year. Damage caused by high tides in bays of Tokyo, Osaka, Ise and western Japan will also increase, causing 50,000 people to suffer. The rise on the surface of the ocean will destroy resort areas along coastal areas. Economic losses of 1.4 trillion yen due to the loss of beaches and 5 trillion yen due to the loss of tidelands are projected. Rice yield from 2040 through 2060 is projected to increase. For instance, Hokkaido will see a 26 PERCENT increase in such yield. However, rice yield will become unstable after that due to frequent crop failures. The cultivation of rice with increased heat tolerance will increase. However, if cold weather causes damage, the impact would be immense. Professor Nobuo Mimura of Ibaraki University, who has led the research, noted, "Japan is subject to the effects of climate change, because it rains a lot in Japan and 70 PERCENT of the country is mountainous. It must consider measures to adapt itself to climate change as well as to make efforts to cut global warming greenhouse gas emissions." The research, which used the largest computer in the world, was conducted, assuming the most feasible type of society that is achieving a good balance between the use of fossil fuels, such as oil, and the use of recyclable energy, such as solar energy generation. 17) Poll: 70 PERCENT don't believe in any religion YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) May 30, 2008 An estimated 72 PERCENT of the Japanese public do not believe in any religion while only 26 PERCENT believe in some religion, the Yomiuri Shimbun found from its yearlong serial public opinion survey conducted May 17-18. However, public opinion was widely split when asked about their religious mentality in a broad sense unrelated to specific religious sects, with 45 PERCENT saying they think the Japanese people are less religious and 49 PERCENT saying they do not think so. In addition, a total of 94 PERCENT answered "yes" when asked if they had feelings of respect for their ancestors. Respondents were also asked if they feel there is something in TOKYO 00001479 013 OF 013 nature that transcends human capabilities. To this question, "yes" accounted for 56 PERCENT . Many Japanese distance themselves from specific religious sects but seem to be strongly prone to regard with pious respect the possibility of something that goes beyond human intelligence. The survey was conducted on a face-to-face basis about religious beliefs. In the survey, respondents were asked if they thought the souls of people who died would be reincarnated. To this question, 30 PERCENT answered "yes," topping all other answers. Among other answers, 24 PERCENT answered that they would go to another world, with 18 PERCENT saying they would be extinguished. SCHIEFFER