DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 06/17/08

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 13 TOKYO 001653 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 06/17/08 INDEX: (1) Poll on Fukuda cabinet, political parties, censure motion against Fukuda, new healthcare system for elderly (Tokyo Shimbun) (2) Poll on Fukuda cabinet, political parties, new healthcare system for elderly, North Korea (Mainichi) (3) Postal rebels: LDP Election Committee informally nominates Horiuchi, Hori as candidates for next Lower House election: "Assassins" fiercely oppose decision (Mainichi) (4) Prime minister reveals his own initiatives, including global warming measures, establishment of consumer agency, without waiting for experts' proposals: Changes approach due to mistrust in bureaucrats (Mainichi) (5) Okada makes no reference while Maehara shows confrontational stance toward DPJ President Ozawa, three months before party presidential race (Mainichi) (6) DPJ strategy of boycotting Diet deliberations wavering, faced with public criticism (Yomiuri) (7) Idea of taking revote on bill revising Defense Ministry Establishment Law suddenly crops up in LDP (Tokyo Shimbun) 8 (8) Divided Diet (Part 2): Ruling coalition trying to slice down DPJ with eye on political realignment (Nikkei) (9) TOP HEADLINES (10) EDITORIALS 11 (11) Prime Minister's schedule, June 16 (Nikkei) ARTICLES: (1) Poll on Fukuda cabinet, political parties, censure motion against Fukuda, new healthcare system for elderly TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) June 14, 2008 Questions & Answers (Figures shown in percentage. Parentheses denote the results of the last survey conducted May 1-2.) Q: Do you support the Fukuda cabinet? Yes 25.0 (19.8) No 60.2 (66.6) Don't know (D/K) + no answer (N/A) 14.8 (13.6) Q: (Only for those who answered "yes" to the previous question) What's the primary reason for your approval of the Fukuda cabinet? Pick only one from among those listed below. The prime minister is trustworthy 20.4 (16.1) Because it's a coalition cabinet of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito 12.6 (16.4) The prime minister has leadership ability 1.2 (0.8) Something can be expected of its economic policies 5.0 (4.6) TOKYO 00001653 002 OF 013 Something can be expected of its foreign policies 3.6 (4.1) Something can be expected of its political reforms 3.7 (3.5) Something can be expected of its tax reforms 0.9 (0.8) Something can be expected of its administrative reforms 0.7 (3.6) There's no other appropriate person (for prime minister) 47.1 (48.1) Other answers (O/A) 1.3 (0.7) D/K+N/A 3.5 (1.3) Q: (Only for those who answered "no" to the first question) What's the primary reason for your disapproval of the Fukuda cabinet? Pick only one from among those listed below. The prime minister is untrustworthy 11.5 (11.1) Because it's a coalition cabinet of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito 5.2 (4.5) The prime minister lacks leadership ability 28.7 (25.7) Nothing can be expected of its economic policies 22.2 (26.6) Nothing can be expected of its foreign policies 1.8 (1.3) Nothing can be expected of its political reforms 9.3 (8.0) Nothing can be expected of its tax reforms 6.4 (11.6) Nothing can be expected of its administrative reforms 4.7 (6.9) Don't like the prime minister's personal character 5.3 (3.3) O/A 1.8 (0.3) D/K+N/A 3.1 (0.7) Q: The House of Councillors passed a motion censuring Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda with a majority of votes from the Democratic Party of Japan and other opposition parties. What do you think Prime Minister Fukuda should do? He does not have to resign because the motion is not legally binding 30.0 (18.5) His cabinet should resign en masse 8.4 (8.4) He should dissolve the House of Representatives for a general election 56.2 (68.1) D/K+N/A 5.4 (5.0) Q: Now that the House of Councillors has passed a motion censuring the prime minister, the DPJ will likely refuse Diet deliberations from the outset of the next Diet session expected to be called this summer or later. Do you support the DPJ's stance of refusing Diet deliberations? Yes 17.3 No 68.6 D/K+N/A 14.1 Q: The House of Representatives' current term runs through September ¶2009. When would you like the next election to be held for the House of Representatives? As early as possible, this summer or earlier 22.0 This fall or later, within this year 36.4 During the first half of next year 10.9 When the term ends in September next year 23.5 D/K+N/A 7.2 Q: Some LDP lawmakers say the multiple-seat constituency system should be restored. Do you support this idea? TOKYO 00001653 003 OF 013 Yes 32.2 No 38.5 D/K+N/A 29.3 Q: The government and the ruling parties plan to improve the newly introduced healthcare system for the elderly. Specifically, the ruling coalition will not change the new system's framework but will lighten the burden on those in lower income brackets. Meanwhile, the DPJ and other opposition parties are calling for the new system to be abolished. What do you think about this? Improve the new system 44.9 (44.0) Abolish the new system 47.0 (46.5) D/K+N/A 8.1 (9.5) Q: What do you think about the idea of raising the consumption tax rate in a reform of the tax system for next fiscal year in order to secure revenue for social security, the costs of which are growing due to the aging population? Do you support this idea? Yes 36.9 No 56.6 D/K+N/A 6.5 Q: Would you like the present LDP-led coalition government to continue, or would you otherwise like it to be replaced with a DPJ-led coalition government? LDP-led coalition government 35.1 (26.7) DPJ-led coalition government 40.4 (50.0) D/K+N/A 24.5 (23.3) Q: Which political party do you support? Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 29.1 (24.3) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 23.6 (30.3) New Komeito (NK) 3.2 (3.6) Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 3.9 (3.7) Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1.7 (1.6) People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) --- (0.7) New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) --- (---) Other political parties, groups --- (---) None 35.3 (34.4) D/K+N/A 3.2 (1.4) Polling methodology: The survey was conducted across the nation on June 12-13 by Kyodo News Service on a computer-aided random digit dialing (RDD) basis. Among randomly generated telephone numbers, those actually for household use with one or more eligible voters totaled 1,458. Answers were obtained from 1,024 persons. (2) Poll on Fukuda cabinet, political parties, new healthcare system for elderly, North Korea MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) June 16, 2008 Questions & Answers (T = total; P = previous; M = male; F = female) Q: Do you support the Fukuda cabinet? TOKYO 00001653 004 OF 013 T P M F Yes 21 (18) 21 22 No 60 (61) 65 55 Not interested 17 (19) 13 20 Q: (Only for those who answered "yes" to the above question) Why? T P M F Because the prime minister is from the Liberal Democratic Party 36 (37) 36 37 Because something can be expected of the prime minister's leadership 9 (8) 11 8 Because there's something stable about the prime minister 28 (28) 23 32 Because something can be expected of the prime minister's policy measures 15 (18) 17 12 Q: (Only for those who answered "no" to the above question) Why? T P M F Because the prime minister is from the Liberal Democratic Party 7 (8) 8 7 Because nothing can be expected of the prime minister's leadership 31 (37) 33 30 Because there's no fresh image about the prime minister 5 (5) 4 6 Because nothing can be expected of the prime minister's policy measures 54 (49) 53 56 Q: Which political party do you support? T P M F Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 21 (20) 21 21 Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 25 (28) 31 19 New Komeito (NK) 4 (3) 2 5 Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 4 (3) 4 4 Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1 (3) 1 1 People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 1 (0) 1 1 New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0 (1) 0 -- Other political parties 1 (1) 1 1 None 40 (39) 36 44 Q: The government's newly introduced healthcare system for the elderly encountered harsh criticism from the public. In response, the government and the ruling parties decided to take alleviative measures, such as lightening the burden on those in lower income brackets. Do you support this? T P M F Yes 44 40 48 No 48 53 42 Q: Four opposition parties have presented a bill to abolish the new healthcare system for the elderly and restore the previous system. However, the ruling parties are opposed to the move. Do you support the idea of restoring the previous healthcare system? T P M F Yes 56 59 54 No 30 32 27 Q: The DPJ has taken a confrontational stand against the governing parties in the current ordinary Diet session. Do you approve this TOKYO 00001653 005 OF 013 DPJ response? T P M F Yes 47 (41) 49 45 No 43 (51) 44 42 Q: The House of Councillors passed a motion censuring Prime Minister Fukuda. Prime Minister Fukuda will not dissolve the House of Representatives and will not step down. Do you approve this response? T P M F Yes 29 27 30 No 61 64 58 Q: North Korea has promised to look again into the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea and turn over Japan Airlines hijackers. In response, the Japanese government decided to lift some of its sanctions on North Korea. Do you approve this decision? T P M F Yes 34 37 31 No 55 55 56 (Note) Figures shown in percentage, rounded off. "0" indicates that the figure was below 0.5 PERCENT . "--" denotes that no respondents answered. "No answer" omitted. Figures in parentheses denote the results of the last survey conducted May 1-2. Polling methodology: The survey was conducted June 14-15 over the telephone across the nation on a computer-aided random digit sampling (RDS) basis. Answers were obtained from 1,008 persons. (08061607im) Back to Top (3) Postal rebels: LDP Election Committee informally nominates Horiuchi, Hori as candidates for next Lower House election: "Assassins" fiercely oppose decision MAINICHI (Page 5) (Almost full) June 17, 2008 The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on June 16 informally decided to officially endorse former General Council Chairman Mitsuo Horiuchi as a candidate for the Yamanashi No. 2 Constituency and former Education Minister Kosuke Hori for the Saga No. 3 Constituency in the next Lower House election. Two incumbent lawmakers have been contesting to secure nomination in those constituencies. The LDP has thus picked former "postal rebels," who opposed postal privatization in the 2005 election, to run for seats in the next Lower House election. However, so-called "assassins" dispatched by the Koizumi administration to beat postal rebel candidates in the previous Lower House election -- Kotaro Nagasaki (incumbent Lower House member for the South Kanto proportional representation bloc) and Motoko Hirotsu (incumbent Lower House member for the Kyushu representation bloc), who lost the battle for LDP sponsorship this time, are fiercely opposing the party's decision, giving rise to a source of internal contention. Election Committee Chairman Makoto Koga and Vice Chairman Yoshihide Suga held talks separately with senior members of the LDP Yamanashi TOKYO 00001653 006 OF 013 and Saga Chapters at the party headquarters and conveyed their informal decisions to them Suga after the press conference told reporters, "We have chosen persons who can win." Hirotsu on the afternoon of the 16th told reporters, "I do not feel that's likely, following the party decision." Nagasaki was also angy at the party decision, saying, "I do not understand in what way I am inferior to the person chosen. I want the party to reconsider its decision." The Party Election Committee had said that it would adopt objective numbers, such as the number of party members the candidates acquired as standards for officially endorsing them. Nagasaki had the largest number of people join the LDP last year. As such, there is vagueness about the reasons why Nagasaki and Hirotsu were not chosen. As a remedial measure, there is an idea of giving special treatment to Nagasaki, by placing him in the upper echelon of the proportional representation list. However, Nagasaki is determined to decline such an offer. (4) Prime minister reveals his own initiatives, including global warming measures, establishment of consumer agency, without waiting for experts' proposals: Changes approach due to mistrust in bureaucrats MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) June 17, 2008 Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has recently released his own initiatives before experts' groups came up with policy proposals. The Round-Table to Discuss the Global Warming Issue, chaired by Hiroshi Okuda, advisor to Toyota Motors, released a package of proposals on June 16. However, the prime minister had released its specifics as the Fukuda Vision on the 9th. He also released the consumer agency initiative without waiting for the issuance of the final report. Mistrust in bureaucrats appears to be behind this behavior. However, persons close to the prime minister are perplexed at his bypassing them. The prime minister at first intended to release the Fukuda Vision, after the panel released its proposals. However, the panel was having difficulty coordinating views of the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Environment Ministry with its proposal for adopting a domestic carbon emissions trading system meeting strong opposition. Feeling frustrated, the prime minister complete the Fukuda Vision with several staff members and released it without notice. Regarding the consumer agency issue as well, the prime minister released a plan for the establishment of a consumer agency in 2009 on April 23, when discussion on the issue was still half-baked. The Consumer Administration Promotion Council, chaired by Takeshi Sasaki, professor at Gakushuin University, was set to release a final plan on June 13. Anticipating resistance from government agencies, he led the move to release the plan. The prime minister has aimed at coordination-based policy-making style in cooperation with various government agencies, disliking former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's top-down policy-making formula. However, he appears to have gradually changed his approach, deepening mistrust in bureaucrats due to a series of blunders made by them and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's response TOKYO 00001653 007 OF 013 regarding the new health care plan for the elderly aged 75 or older. A government source spoke for the prime minister's stand, noting, "Nothing will be decided through coordination among various government agencies." However, the government agencies' side is increasingly becoming discontent with the prime minister's approach, with one Foreign Ministry official noting, "There is concern about the prime minister making mistakes, if he does not properly use government offices, which have expertise." (5) Okada makes no reference while Maehara shows confrontational stance toward DPJ President Ozawa, three months before party presidential race MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) June 17, 2008 Katsuya Okada, vice president of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ),will publish on June 18 his first book titled, "A change of government" (Kodansha Ltd.). In the book, Okada sums up the political activities he carried out until he stepped down as party head in 2005. He stresses the need for a change of government. But the book makes no comment about President Ichiro Ozawa. Meanwhile, Seiji Maehara, another vice party president, cites in a contribution to a monthly magazine three major policy differences between him and Ozawa as points of contention in the upcoming party presidential race. Now that the two vice presidents are coming under the spotlight in the run-up to the presidential election three months from now, party members are discussing the differences in their policy stances. Okada writes that when he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1990, he regarded then Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Ozawa the "father of the political world." The book explains why Okada publicly voiced an objection for the first time to Ozawa's move to disband Shinshinto (the New Frontier Party) and departed from his following in 1997. But in his book, without mentioning the present state of his relations with Ozawa, Okada suggests that there is a feeling of distance from him, stating, "I see him as my senior in the political world." In order for the party to grab political power, Okada stresses the necessity of party unity. He lists as the areas in which he intends to carry out reform on a priority bases should his party assume political power: (1) social security; (2) decentralization; and (3) fiscal structural reform. Meanwhile, Maehara, in an article titled "Can the Democratic Party take over the reins of government?" in the July edition of the monthly Voice, lists such policies as income compensation to each farmer, decentralization to divide all local districts across the nation into 300 municipalities; and priority given to the United Nations. He then highlights the differences between his policy stances and those of Ozawa. He emphasizes that in order to win the next party presidential race, "Thorough debate with President Ozawa is necessary in the campaign." Asked about his running in the presidential race, Okada states, "I would like to refrain from making any comment." But Maehara has told his close aides: "I don't want to run for the election, but if nobody stands as a candidate, I feel I would have to run in it." TOKYO 00001653 008 OF 013 (6) DPJ strategy of boycotting Diet deliberations wavering, faced with public criticism YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) June 17, 2008 The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has boycotted deliberations in the two Houses of the Diet since a censure motion against Prime Minister Fukuda was adopted in the House of Councillors. But some party members have begun to move to return to Diet deliberations. They have decided to attend a meeting of the House of Representatives Anti-Disaster Committee today. In addition, they are willing to attend the meetings of each committee and a plenary session to be held on June 19-20 for adopting the procedures to adjourn the Diet session. Asked about what response the party would take in the next extraordinary Diet session, a DPJ executive replied: "Our stance of refusing deliberations under the censured prime minister will remain unchanged." But some DPJ members are calling on the leadership to review this Diet strategy. Special case Meeting with his Japanese Communist Party (JCP) counterpart Keiji Kokuda in the Diet Building yesterday, DPJ Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka pointed out the propriety of the DPJ's stance. Yamaoka said: "We will attend meetings on working out countermeasures against natural disasters as a special case, because such is a humanitarian task. The health insurance system for people aged 75 or older is a different matter because that is a policy issue." Yamaoka stressed that the DPJ will attend meetings of the Anti-Disaster Committee following the powerful earthquake in the Tohoku district but reject deliberations on a bill submitted jointly by four opposition parties to scrap the elderly health system, in an attempt to underscore the party's consistent stance of boycotting Diet deliberations. A senior DPJ member reiterated: "Should public support for the cabinet decline further, the prime minister will be pressed to step down after the July Lake Toya Summit in Hokkaido. To that end, the DPJ has to assume a defiant attitude." Test of patience However, the public is taking a harsh view of the DPJ strategy in the Diet. In an opinion poll conducted on June 14-15 by Yomiuri Shimbun, a majority of respondents agreed that the censure motion had been meaningless. In response, DPJ Policy Research Council Chairman Naoshima said yesterday: "We will take seriously the severe evaluations. We must reconsider our strategy of boycotting deliberations." A veteran lawmaker also stressed the need for a flexible response, saying: "If the government compiles a supplementary budget to finance measures to reconstruct quake-hit areas and calls a special Diet session, we should respond to calls for deliberations in a positive manner." Meanwhile, the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito have started coordination with the DPJ to hold a meeting during the ongoing Diet session of the House of Representatives Special Committee on the issue of the past abductions of Japanese by North TOKYO 00001653 009 OF 013 Korean agents in order to deliberate on a partial removal of the nation's sanctions against North Korea. A senior New Komeito member said: "If we hold as many meetings as possible by the end of the session, the DPJ will find it difficult to reject deliberations in the next extraordinary Diet session." A senior DPJ member grumbled yesterday: "We would like to give heed to the public's call on us to join Diet deliberations, but since we chose a boycott strategy in the belief that it will result in benefiting the people, we will have to patiently wait the other one out." (7) Idea of taking revote on bill revising Defense Ministry Establishment Law suddenly crops up in LDP TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) June 16, 2008 The idea of holding a revote in the House of Representatives on a bill amending the Defense Ministry Establishment Law and enacting the bill before the June 21 closing of the current regular session is being floated in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). If an overriding vote is held in the Lower House, it will become the third one during the ongoing session. The Defense Ministry Establishment Law revision bill was adopted on April 15 in a Lower House plenary session with support (not only by the ruling parties) but also by the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan. However since priority was given to other bills in the House of Councillors Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, deliberations on the revision bill have never be held. On June 14, 60 days passed since the bill had been forwarded the Upper House. Therefore, it will be possible for the Lower House to hold a revote on the legislation in line with the constitutional 60-day rule. During the current Diet session, the ruling coalition has already twice taken overriding votes: one on the bill revising the Special taxation Measures Law and the other on the bill amending the Road Construction Revenues Special Exemption Law. If a two-thirds overriding vote is held on the bill revising the Defense Ministry Establishment Law, it would be the first time for the revision bill, for which the DPJ voted in the Lower House, to be put to a second vote. The dominant view in the ruling camp is that it is not necessarily to enact the bill by overriding an Upper House decision. The New Komeito, the LDP's junior coalition partner, has taken a cautious stance. However, with an eye on a political timetable for the summer and after, it is not that simple story. The government plans to submit to the next extraordinary Diet session a bill amending the new Antiterrorism Special Measures Law, intended to allow the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) to continue its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. In the Upper House, like the bill amending the Defense Ministry Establishment Law, the new MSDF refueling bill will be deliberated in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. In the upper chamber committee chaired by Toshimi Kitazawa of the DPJ, the ruling camp had difficulties in dealing with important bills and treaties from the previous extra session through the ongoing regular session. The TOKYO 00001653 010 OF 013 similar situation is expected to occur in dealing with the bill amending the new Antiterrorism Special Measures Law. A senior LDP Upper House member has asserted that a revote on the bill revising the Defense Ministry Establishment Law should be held during the current Diet session, arguing: "If the revision bill is left in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, such will be used as an excuse for delaying deliberations on the bill." LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Tadamori Oshima told reporters on June 13: "We will make a decision after carefully considering whether the public can understand (a revote)." (8) Divided Diet (Part 2): Ruling coalition trying to slice down DPJ with eye on political realignment NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) June 17, 2008 "Mr. Ozawa is a habitual liar," Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda grumbled to a senior ruling coalition member. Fukuda appears to be unable to put up with the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ),as headed by Ichiro Ozawa, disagreeing repeatedly with his nominations for the Bank of Japan governor. The senior member clearly said: "The relationship of the two has been severed since March." Even if the ruling camp keeps its majority in the next House of Representatives election, the opposition bloc will continue controlling the House of Councillors. Unless the ruling coalition wins opposition forces over to its side, it will be difficult for them to push forward with Diet business. Therefore, the ruling camp has been seeking behind closed doors ways to peel off DPJ Upper House members. The move's behind-the-scenes architects include Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) General Council Chairman Toshihiro Nikai, who has channels of communication to the largest opposition party, and Tetsuro Yano, former LDP Upper House Diet affairs committee chairman. They have often invited some DPJ lawmakers to their meetings at night and proposed forming a third conservative force. The ruling camp, however, is having difficulties in implementing its plan because the possibility of the DPJ assuming power is moving closer to reality and because there are many instances where candidates from the two parties would face off against each other in the Lower House single-seat constituency races. Only a couple of DPJ members have always participated in LDP-sponsored meetings. In the opposition camp, as well, there is a mood aimed at implementing policies in cooperation with the ruling parties. Less than 80 PERCENT of the government-sponsored bills submitted to the current Diet session have been enacted. At the final stage of the ongoing session, lawmaker-sponsored bills, including one revising the Atomic-bomb Victim Assistance Law, cleared the Diet in succession. A rush of nonpartisan parliamentary leagues and study groups that have been quickly formed were motivated by a desire to ease policy disputes in the divided Diet. Former LDP Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa, a member of the Machimura faction, is actively on the move. He places priority on economic growth and reform of the government office district of Kasumigaseki, although he is reluctant to hike the consumption tax rate. In the Machimura faction, a study group using a book as a text TOKYO 00001653 011 OF 013 written in May by Nakagawa has been launched. The speculation has spread in political circles that Nakagawa is trying to take the initiative in reorganizing the political parties. On June 12, Nakagawa and Seiji Maehara, former DPJ president, called on Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Hiroko Ota and asked the minister to incorporate a strategy of Japan becoming a marine-oriented nation in the government's big-boned reform policy guidelines for 2008. Nakagawa and Maehara are also advocates for the formation of a parliamentary group to consider tobacco and the people's health, which was launched on June 13. In the capital district of Nagatacho, former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is regarded as one of the key persons advocating political realignment. His remark in April that Maehara would become a presidential candidate became a hot topic of political conversations. He appears to be enjoying the uproar between the ruling and opposition camps. In an LDP Lower House member's wedding ceremony on June 4, Koizumi told Administrative Reform Minister Yoshimi Watanabe: "You should work in cooperation with the DPJ from now on." (9) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: Government to disburse state subsidies to 7 quake-hit municipalities earlier than scheduled Mainichi: Number of completely or half-collapsed houses in northeastern Japan quake totals 10 Yomiuri: Senior MLIT official, others arrested in Hokkaido bid-rigging Nikkei: Poll: Sales of food products decline after price hikes Sankei: Scale of landslides largest ever in northeastern Japan quake Tokyo Shimbun: Fukutoshin Line hit by delays for three consecutive days Akahata: JCP proposes emergency talks among four opposition parties with aim of starting deliberations on bill scrapping elderly health plan (10) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) Amakudari continuing to create hotbed of government agency-led bid rigging (2) 3rd oil crisis: Use investment funds for new energies Mainichi: (1) Senkakus: Taiwan, too, should take responsible action (2) Economy in recession: Pump-priming measures unneeded Yomiuri: (1) Looming economic crisis needs flexible response TOKYO 00001653 012 OF 013 (2) Arrest of MLIT official: Eradicate hotbed of government agency-led bid rigging! Nikkei: (1) Is Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau an office for bid rigging? (2) Japan-Australia cooperation strategically important Sankei: (1) Iwate-Miyagi earthquake: Consider quakes in urban areas (2) Intrusion into Japanese waters: Firm and calm response necessary Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Japan-Taiwan relations: Prevent the Senkaku issue from flaring up again (2) Arrest of MLIT official: Hokkaido not a "sacred cow" Akahata: (1) Child-care system made worse: JCP to make efforts for child-support programs (11) Prime Minister's schedule, June 16 NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) June 17, 2008 08:20 Attended a global warming council meeting at the Kantei. 09:24 Met Vice Foreign Minister Yabunaka, Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director-General Saiki, in the presence of Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management Ito, joined in by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Futahashi. Machimura, Futahashi and Ito stayed on. 09:51 LDP International Competitiveness Research Council Chairman Omi and chief secretary Gotoda. 10:18 Met former Ambassador to the U.S. Kato, followed by Cabinet Intelligence Director Mitani. Afterward, met Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Ota in the presence of Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Saka. Ota stayed on. 11:01 Met Yabunaka. Afterward attended a meeting of cabinet ministers connected with the Iwate-Miyagi Inland Earthquake. Afterward met Climate and Energy Minister Hedegaard of Denmark. 14:07 Met LDP Public Relations Headquarters chief Kawamura, followed by Machimura. Afterward attended an agricultural, commerce and industrial summit. 15:03 Met MOF European Affairs Bureau Director-General Harada and Finance Ministry International Bureau Director-General Tamaki, followed by advisor Ito. TOKYO 00001653 013 OF 013 16:30 Attended an LDP executive meeting. Policy Research Council Chairman Tanigaki and former MHLW Minister Kawasaki stayed on. 17:03 Met New Komeito Representative Ota, his deputy Inoue, and Upper House Caucus Chairman Koba. Ota stayed on. Afterward attended a meeting of cabinet ministers connected with the monthly economic report. 18:06 Met Machimura. Afterward attended an anti-crime cabinet ministers meeting. Afterward met Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Masuda and Fire and Disaster Management Agency Director-General Araki. 19:50 Returned to his official residence. SCHIEFFER