DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07//08

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TOKYO 001802 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 07//08 INDEX: (1) U.S. makes one compromise after another to North Korea; Hasty results are fraught with danger (Nikkei) (2) Nuclear threat to Japan -- Repercussions from North Korea's nuclear declaration (Part 1): Impatient U.S. to delist just as DPRK anticipated (Yomiuri) (3) Nuclear threat to Japan -- Repercussions from Korea's nuclear declaration (Part 2): Need for Japan to rebuild North Korea policy, U.S. policy (Yomiuri) (4) Dispatch of "handful of" SDF personnel to Sudan: lack of PKO strategy (Asahi) (5) Ozawa embarks on coordination for campaign cooperation with other opposition parties on his nationwide tour (Yomiuri) (6) Poll on Fukuda cabinet, political parties (Nikkei) (7) Wiercinski becomes new commander of U.S. Army Japan at Camp Zama (Asahi) (8) Man arrested for bomb threat to U.S. Embassy (Sankei) (9) Flights leaving Haneda to the west to be shorter by 3 minutes with partial return of airspace over U.S. Yokota base, starting in September (Asahi) (10) Prime Minister's schedule, June 30 (Nikkei) ARTICLES: (1) U.S. makes one compromise after another to North Korea; Hasty results are fraught with danger NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) July 1, 2008 The United States delisted North Korea as a terrorism sponsor in return for Pyongyang's declaration of its nuclear development programs. Following this, the six-party talks have entered a new phase. Under the situation in which things are going on under the lead of the U.S. and North Korea, Pyongyang has given no information on the number of nuclear weapons and facilities it now possesses. Since nuclear arms threaten Japan's national security, the government, which has been beset with the issue of North Korea's abductions of its people, now finds itself in a difficult situation. U.S. President Bush abruptly changed his schedule and appeared in the White House's Rose Garden a little past 07:30 on June 26. The President held a press conference to announce the delisting plan only less than two hours after the North presented the nuclear report. Recently, the Bush administration has often used North Korea's favorite expression, "action for action," in an apparent attempt to justify what it did in response to North Korea's action. In a drive to hurriedly produce positive diplomatic results in the TOKYO 00001802 002 OF 010 SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07//08 run-up to the expiration of its term of office, the Bush administration has made one compromise after another. The North's nuclear report is not directly linked to the removal of North Korea from the U.S. blacklist under a six-party agreement. But the U.S. decided to delist North Korea with the aim of prompting Pyongyang to produce a nuclear report six months behind schedule. Japan has taken seriously the fact that the report contains no information about North Korea's nuclear weapons. Focusing on this fact, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said in talks held by Japan, the U.S., and South Korea in Washington in mid-May, "That's why the verification of the report becomes important." He called on his counterparts for their cooperation in forming a framework to verify the nuclear report. The Bush administration has also deepened cooperative relations with India and Pakistan, both of which possess nuclear weapons. While making utmost efforts to prevent Iran's nuclear development in the Middle East, the Bush administration has given top priority to preventing North Korea from shipping its nuclear weapons. The administration has thus adopted the so-called "double standard." According to (U.S.) informed sources, North Korea gives priority to the nonuse and nonproliferation of nuclear weapons over possession, like Pakistan. This shows that the U.S. has a different type of alarm from Japan, which is faced with nuclear threat. The U.S.-North Korea framework accord signed under the Clinton administration in 1994 used just the expression "freeze" (on operations at nuclear facilities in North Korea),so North Korea, breaking its promise, resumed plutonium production. The resumption allowed the North to develop nuclear weapons. North Korea might do the same thing under the latest agreement, too. But NSC Advisor Stephen Hadley said: "The framework agreement was a bilateral accord between the U.S. and North Korea. The agreement this time specifies that multilateral nations push ahead with sanctions and diplomatic negotiations. The accord also obligates the North not to freeze but to disable nuclear facilities." U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice advocates developing the six-party talks into a Northeast Asia security mechanism. If moves for creating the mechanism gain momentum in the six-party foreign ministerial, the next U.S. administration will take over the challenge. Hadley emphasized that the two factors of multilateral agreement and continuity will ensure that the failure in the days of the Clinton administration will never be repeated. Even so, a sense of apprehension cannot be erased. The Group of Eight (G-8) leaders planned to hold the six-party talks soon after the U.S. delists North Korea, but this plan was cancelled. Behind this decision seems to be North Korea's strategy to put off the six-party talks to sometime after the G-8 Summit (Lake Toya Summit) and ascertain moves by U.S. Congress during the 45 days until the delisting plan is put into effect. The Japan-U.S. summit to be held on the sidelines of the G-8 Summit will be the first important test case to prompt Pyongyang to disable its facilities in the third step under the six-party agreement. (2) Nuclear threat to Japan -- Repercussions from North Korea's nuclear declaration (Part 1): Impatient U.S. to delist just as DPRK anticipated TOKYO 00001802 003 OF 010 SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07//08 YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) June 28, 2008 U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, visiting Kyoto on June 27 to attend the Group of Eight foreign ministerial, was hit by questions during a press conference to explain the U.S. decision to remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. She replied: "Even if the DPRK is delisted as a state sponsor of terrorism, there still remain sanction measures against it." Washington's decision to start the process of delisting Pyongyang in return for the North's having provided the day before a list of its nuclear programs, as promised in a six-party agreement, met with strong reactions not only in Japan but also the United States. The Wall Street Journal carried an editorial that went: "Delisting North Korea will send a message to rogue states that just by producing nuclear weapons, they can boost their political power." President George W. Bush has acknowledged that the DPRK's nuclear declaration does not include the enriched-uranium nuclear program, nuclear cooperation with Syria, and a list of nuclear weapons, which threaten Japan's security. The Bush administration has made a complete about-face in its policy from the one it professed when it was inaugurated. At that time, President Bush described North Korea as part of an "axis of evil." For the Bush administration, negotiations with North Korea on its nuclear programs are a fight against time. There are about seven months to go before President Bush leaves office. However, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il can serve as general secretary for as long as he wishes. There was a previous case in which the White House made a major concession to North Korea during its closing days because it was in the rush to achieve progress on denuclearization. President Bush, too, is proving to be no exception. North Korea completely saw through President Bush's anxiousness to make a deal. According to a source familiar with the six-party talks, Washington and Pyongyang generally agreed on the contents of the DPRK's nuclear declaration in their bilateral meeting in April. In order to win further concessions, however, Pyongyang dragged out negotiations, urging Washington to first delist it from its rest of state sponsors of terrorism. The source said: "North Korea took advantage of Christopher Hill, chief U.S. negotiator at the Six-Party Talks." Following Pyongyang's submission of its nuclear declaration, Six-Party Talks on North Korean's nuclear programs will enter the next stage in which the DPRK is to completely abandon its nuclear weapons. However, the time left for the Bush administration to reach that stage is too short. The Japanese government has insisted that the United States should not delist the DPRK before improvement is made on the abduction issue. Tokyo will not only have to move ahead with the U.S., South Korea, China and Russia to pressure the North to abandoning its nuclear weapons, it will also have to find a way to resolve of the abduction issue. It therefore finds itself in a difficult position. North Korea considers delisting to be an important step toward normalizing relations with the United States. As Washington and Pyongyang move closer to each other, it is conceivable that discord might break out between Tokyo and Washington. TOKYO 00001802 004 OF 010 SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07//08 Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said on June 27: "Denuclearization is important, but we have to resolve the abduction issue, as well." He underscored his intention to aim at pressuring North Korea to abandon its nuclear programs and at the same time making progress on the abduction issue. At the G-8 Summit in Hokkaido, which will open just 10 days from now, Fukuda intends to take up the North Korean issue in a positive manner in order to boost his administration's popularity. However, if the Fukuda government provides support to North Korea without any progress on the abduction issue, its diplomacy might be fatally wounded A senior Foreign Ministry official said in worried voice: "Any mishandling of the issue could create a problem for the future that would make it difficult for the Fukuda administration to survive. (3) Nuclear threat to Japan -- Repercussions from Korea's nuclear declaration (Part 2): Need for Japan to rebuild North Korea policy, U.S. policy YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) June 29, 2008 On June 25, a day before the United States started the process of removing North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, U.S. President George W. Bush called Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on the phone to say: "I will not forget the abduction issue." Although the remark shows the President's sincere feeling, his real intention was in his unreported remark: "There must never be a divide in U.S.-Japan relations. That would please only North Korea." If the delisting actually takes place 45 days later, Japan will lose an effective pressure card against North Korea for resolving the abduction issue. The remark was an expression of President Bush's concern that if Japan were to display skepticism about the reliability of the bilateral alliance, Pyongyang would triumph in the end. The Fukuda government is now under pressure to revamp its North Korea policy and to review the foundation of the Japan-U.S. alliance. Japan has already announced in the recent bilateral working-level talks its decision to partially lift sanction measures against North Korea, reflecting Fukuda's stance of giving more importance to a "dialogue" approach than to a "pressure" approach. Japan now needs to come up with an elaborate strategy toward North Korea that uses as diplomatic leverage the use of economic cooperation and energy assistance. Creating a mechanism which would allow the involvement of Japan and international organizations to join the reinvestigation of the abduction issue will be a topic of discussion between Tokyo and Pyongyang. Otherwise, North Korea might again claim there are no new facts, as it said in 2004 after the two meetings between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. It is also important for the Japanese government to gain the public's understanding. Shigeru Yokota and Sakie Yokota, the parents of abductee Megumi Yokota, openly voiced their distrust of the government on June 28 in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture. They stated that they saw no enthusiasm in the Japanese government to get the abductees back. TOKYO 00001802 005 OF 010 SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07//08 There is a certain sense of helplessness in the Japanese government. According to a senior Foreign Ministry official, the prevailing view there is delisting will come but the implementing process would not get started for a while. Ever since he took office, Fukuda has called on Bush not to remove the DPRK from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, but Japan's request has not been accepted. Some influential Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) members contend that they there is no evidence that Fukuda has made any effort to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance relationship. They cite his lack of interest in the use of the right of collective self-defense, which the United States has continued to ask Japan to consider. Fukuda must strengthen the foundation of the Japan-U.S. alliance, while moving forward with negotiations with Pyongyang by using a carrot-and-stick negotiating approach. Now is the time for Fukuda to test his diplomatic skills. (4) Dispatch of "handful of" SDF personnel to Sudan: lack of PKO strategy ASAHI (Page 2) (Slightly abridged) July 1, 2008 Prime Minister Fukuda during a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon held on June 30 revealed his government's plan to dispatch Self-Defense Forces (SDF) personnel to the command center of the UN peace-keeping operations (PKO) in southern Sudan. Defense Minister Ishiba is expected to order the Joint Staff Council chairman to prepare for the dispatch of a handful of SDF personnel in September. The Defense Ministry will dispatch a preparatory team to Sudan within July at the earliest for the inspection of the central command located in al-Khartum. Participation in PKO is one of the concrete measures Japan takes as a peace-cooperating state. Ban during the meeting welcomed the move, noting: "It is very encouraging. I welcome Japan's decision." He said he hoped for Japan's cooperation in logistical support, including transportation as well as the dispatch of command center personnel, saying, "I hope the SDF will contribute in specialized areas in the future." Fukuda also told Ban plans to donate about 1 million dollars to the PKO training center in Malaysia and dispatch an SDF officer as a lecturer to the center as a first case. MOD opposes foregone conclusion that SDF personnel should be dispatched Fukuda during a joint press conference with Ban held after the meeting proudly said, "I have conveyed to UN Secretary General Ban Japan's resolution that it as a peace-cooperating nation will make comprehensive contributions in a proactive manner for the sake of peace and the further development of our society." The idea of dispatching SDF personnel cropped up after Prime Minister Fukuda came up with a proposal for making Japan a "peace-cooperating nation" in a policy speech he delivered in January. Related government agencies desperately tried to find an appropriate country to be the destination for Japan's PKO personnel at the request of the Fukuda administration, which wanted to demonstrate Japan's international contribution to the international TOKYO 00001802 006 OF 010 SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07//08 community as the summit-host nation. They came up with Sudan. The Kantei and the Foreign Ministry at first considered the possibility of dispatching GSDF personnel to Juba, a major city in southern Sudan. However, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) opposed the government's stance that made dispatching SDF personnel a foregone conclusion, saying that it had had a harsh experience when it dispatched personnel to Mozambique, where they encountered trouble from local diseases. Reasons cited by the MOD included the argument that it was not in national interests for SDF personnel to risk their lives in Sudan. They argued that the country has a different climate and culture and that the Defense Ministry cannot dispatch troops to dangerous areas just for the convenience of the Foreign Ministry and for PKO strategy. However, China is rapidly increasing its presence in Africa through the dispatches of PKO personnel and official development assistance (ODA). China has dispatched 1,977 personnel as of the end of May, following France -- both are UNSC members. Japan has dispatched only 36, the smallest number among G-8 member nations. Africa is far away from Japan in geographical terms. However, its importance as a supplier of rare metals is increasing. The following comment by a Japanese government source indicates Japan lacks a PKO strategy: "When withdrawal of SDF personnel from refueling operations in the Indian Ocean and air-lifting operations in Iraq became a hot topic, we realized that our policy toward UN-led PKO activities was weak. We should have compiled a mid- to long-term strategy for international cooperation." (5) Ozawa embarks on coordination for campaign cooperation with other opposition parties on his nationwide tour YOMIURI (Page 4) (Excerpts) July 1, 2008 Ichiro Ozawa, president of the major opposition Democratic Party of Japan, on June 30 visited Gifu Prefecture, the last prefecture on his nationwide stumping tour that began in May 2006 shortly before assuming the party presidency. With an eye on a Lower House dissolution for a snap general election, Ozawa has also embarked on coordination with the aim of carrying out campaign cooperation with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the People's New Party (PNP). His effort has already given rise to objections in some local districts. After touring shopping streets in Gifu City yesterday, Ozawa exchanged views with local housewives and others and sought the cooperation of Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation) Gifu executives. Ozawa also held a press conference in the city and indicated that he would make clear his attitude in late August or later regarding the DPJ leadership race, saying: "I want to continue visiting a variety of places in July. My calendar is packed with events at least until after the (mid-August) Bon holiday break. I am so engrossed in the nationwide tour that the party presidential race is not on my mind." The frequency of Ozawa's nationwide visits increased in June. In fact, Gifu was the 13th prefecture he visited in the month. His tour has been focused on campaign cooperation with other opposition parties. The SDP is reluctant to join hands with the DPJ in such prefectures as Yamagata, Miyagi, Niigata, Fukuoka, Oita, Miyazaki, and Okinawa. Given the situation, when he visited those prefectures, TOKYO 00001802 007 OF 010 SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07//08 Ozawa made certain to meet in person with local Rengo, DPJ, and SDP executives. The reason is that Ozawa, deeming the SDP's prefectural organization rigid, thinks controlling SDP headquarters is difficult. In yesterday's press conference, Ozawa expressed high hopes for the SDP's organizational strength, saying: "The SDP still has influence in some local districts. Joining hands with that party is essential." The DPJ has also stopped looking for its own candidates for some districts, including the Tokyo No. 25 constituency, where PNP candidates are likely to win seats as a result of garnering votes from postal organizations. The DPJ has informally determined its own candidate for 243 single-seat constituencies. Further, the party has decided to back SDP and PNP candidates for 10 constituencies and is also considering supporting the two parties' candidates in an additional 20-30 constituencies. Ozawa's top-down approach displayed in his nationwide tour has been drawing fire in some areas. In Akita, Ozawa dissuaded the DPJ prefectural chapter from backing a prefectural assemblyman and to instead to support the SDP candidate. This has left strong discontent in the prefectural chapter. (6) Poll on Fukuda cabinet, political parties NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) June 30, 2000 Questions & Answers (Figures shown in percentage. Parentheses denote findings from the last survey conducted in late May.) Q: Do you support the Fukuda cabinet? Yes 26 (24) No 63 (64) Can't say (C/S) + don't know (D/K) 11 (12) Q: Which political party do you support or like now? Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 36 (31) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 35 (36) New Komeito (NK) 4 (5) Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 3 (4) Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1 (2) People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0 (0) New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0 (0) Other political parties 1 (1) None 15 (16) C/S+D/K 5 (5) (Note) The total percentage does not become 100 PERCENT in some cases due to rounding Polling methodology: The survey was taken by Nikkei Research Inc. over the telephone on a random digit dialing (RDD) basis. For the survey, samples were chosen from among men and women aged 20 and over across the nation. A total of 1,555 households with one or more eligible voters were sampled, and answers were obtained from 900 persons (57.9 PERCENT ). TOKYO 00001802 008 OF 010 SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07//08 (7) Wiercinski becomes new commander of U.S. Army Japan at Camp Zama ASAHI (Page 31) (Full) July 1, 2008 By Mitsuo Sekine There was a commander replacement ceremony at U.S. Army Japan (USARJ) headquarters at Camp Zama (Sagamihara City, Zama City) on June 30. Brig. Gen. Francis Wiercinski, former deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific in Hawaii, has now become the new USARJ commander, replacing Maj. Gen. Elbert Perkins, who has retired after serving in the post for five years. As was the case with his predecessor, Wiercinski also presides over the headquarters of U.S. Army 1st Corps. Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon of U.S. Army Pacific and Gen. Ryoichi Oriki, chief of staff of the Ground Self-Defense Force, and others attended the ceremony. Outgoing commander Perkins delivered a speech before some 220 Japanese and American persons, in which he said: "I am proud of the last five years (here at Camp Zama). The establishment of U.S. Army 1st Corps headquarters at Camp Zama (in December 2007) has made us feel that the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force is always beside us." Many Camp Zama-centered plans are in place to strengthen collaboration between Japan and the Untied States, such as increasing the number of personnel at U.S. Army 1st Corps headquarters from the current 30 to 90 in September and the relocation of the GSDF Central Readiness Regiment to Camp Zama by fiscal 2012. Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Wiercinski, who is scheduled to become a major general before long, said in his speech: "I have hopes for Japan, a great ally of the United States." Holding a press conference on behalf of the new commander, Maj. James Crawford, a U.S. Army spokesman at Camp Zama, said: "The United States and Japan will continue strengthening cooperation. Increasing his understanding of Japan is the new commander's immediate task. In July, he is scheduled to tour U.S. and SDF bases across Japan and to visit places in (Kanagawa) Prefecture and Zama." (8) Man arrested for bomb threat to U.S. Embassy SANKEI (Online) (Full) June 30, 2008 (22:59) The Akasaka Police Station of Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department on June 30 arrested a 50-year-old jobless man of Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, for threatening to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo's Minato Ward. The man has admitted to the charges, but the Akasaka police will carefully check his mental competency to bear responsibility. According to police investigations, the man called the U.S. Embassy that day from his home at around 10:30 a.m., saying, "I've set a bomb there, and it will blow up at 12 noon." Police tightened security, and the man is charged with obstructing the embassy's business. His home telephone number was displayed on the embassy's telephone, so he was identified. TOKYO 00001802 009 OF 010 SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07//08 There was a similar telephone call to the U.S. Embassy on June 26. The Akasaka police are investigating the man's involvement. (9) Flights leaving Haneda to the west to be shorter by 3 minutes with partial return of airspace over U.S. Yokota base, starting in September ASAHI ONLINE (Full) July 1, 2008, 1:27PM Yokota Air Base of the U.S. military (Tokyo) will partially return to Japan this September the airspace over which the base has the air traffic control rights. After the airspace is partially returned to Japan, the flight times of aircraft leaving Haneda Airport and heading west will be shortened by about three minutes on average, according to a provisional calculation released by the Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Ministry today. The operation of flights on new routes will be initiated on Sept. 25. In an agreement reached between the governments of Japan and the U.S. in 2006 over the airspace controlled by the Yokota base, the U.S. side agreed to partially return the airspace to Japan. The so-called Yokota RAPCON (Radar Approach Control) area covers a wide airspace, including space over Tokyo and Yokohama. With the Yokota RAPCON area as the "block," commercial aircraft leaving Haneda and bound for the west must raise their altitude, while circling around above Tokyo Bay to a higher altitude than the RAPCON area. The partial return will enable aircraft to fly at a lower altitude. It will become possible to set new flight routes more effectively. Flight times will be shortened by about three minutes on average - about four minutes for flights bound for Fukuoka and Hiroshima, and about two minutes for those headed for the Kansai district. The ministry's calculation also sees annual fuel costs will be cut by approximately 2.8 billion yen and that carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by an amount equivalent to the total of emissions from 15,000 households annually. Many people concerned expect the partial return of the airspace will contribute to easing the rising air traffic problem and improving the safety of air traffic. (10) Prime Minister's schedule, June 30 NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) July 1, 2008 09:30 Posed for a photo with his wife and UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and his wife at the Kantei. Hosted a welcome event. 10:00 Met Globe International chairman and others. Followed by Japan Trade Union Confederation Chairman Takagi. Later met METI Vice Minister Kitabata, Deputy Vice Minister Toyoda, and Resources and Energy Agency Director General Mochizuki. 11:34 Met former Prime Minister Nakasone at Sabo Hall in Hiraga-cho. 12:32 Met Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura at the Kantei. TOKYO 00001802 010 OF 010 SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07//08 13:34 Met Foreign Minister Koumura and Machimura. Koumura stayed behind. 13:59 Met former Prime Minister Kaifu at TBR Building in Nagata-cho. 14:29 Met at the Kantei with Internal Affairs Minister Masuda and Info-Communications Policy Director General Ogasawara. 15:04 Met former Education and Science Minister Kawamura, caretaker of the parliamentary council to promote public record libraries, LDP Digital Archives Subcommittee Chairman Seiko Noda, and others. Followed by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Futahashi and Assistant Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Saka. 16:03 Met LDP Tax System Research Council Advisor Noda. 18:00 Met Ban. Later, held a joint press conference. 19:10 Hosted a dinner party. 20:42 Returned to his official residence. SCHIEFFER