DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 09/24/08

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TOKYO 002638 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 09/24/08 INDEX: (1) U.S. financial crisis: Japanese banks bailing out U.S. financial institutions (Nikkei) (2) Guam relocation costs rise 4.7 billion dollars, totaling over 15 billion dollars: Marine Forces Pacific estimate (Ryukyu Shimpo) (3) Are U.S. nuclear warships safe? (Asahi) (4) Deployment of U.S. nuclear-powered carrier (Part 1): Anxiety about its safety; Citizens seek self-protection measures: families to store iodine tablets (Tokyo Shimbun) (5) Special contribution by Yukio Okamoto (Part B): Japan dropping out of international mutual aid society; Japan not allowed to stand outside terrorist bloc (Sankei) (6) TOP HEADLINES (7) EDITORIALS (8) Prime Minister Fukuda's schedule, September 23 (Nikkei) ARTICLES: (1) U.S. financial crisis: Japanese banks bailing out U.S. financial institutions NIKKEI (Page 3) (Full) September 23, 2008 Major realignment of financial institutions in the U.S. and Europe has gotten underway, triggered by the U.S.-induced financial crisis. Amid such a move, Japanese banks are seen investing in those financial institutions as saviors. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFJG) will invest in Morgan Stanley, a U.S. securities firm. Nomura Holdings will purchase the Asia business of Lehman Brothers. Japanese banks have thus begun targeting the last stronghold of the U.S. financial industry, taking the advantage of the financial crisis, which has been gradually deepening since summer last year. Last week, when Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, Morgan Stanley's share price plunged. Media organizations reported that the firm was trying to find several investors or business partners. MUFJG was chosen from among several bidders. According to MUFJG, the basic capital reinforcement agreement with MUFJG is the only such agreement for that firm. Other bidders and potential business partners appear to have remained cautious. In the ongoing financial crisis, U.S. and European financial 
institutions were first pressed for major recapitalization in the second half of last year through early this year. At the time, major investors were mainly government-affiliated funds in Asia and Middle Eastern funds flush with oil money. However, it is said that those funds now find it difficult to make additional investments, strapped with massive latent losses due to lingering sluggish stock prices. Japanese banks, whose financial standing is relatively solid by international standards, have suddenly begun drawing attention for their investment capacity. Morgan Stanley accepted investment worth 5 billion dollars or TOKYO 00002638 002 OF 010 approximately 540 billion yen from a Chinese government-affiliated fund. Now MUFJG will invest nearly double that amount. MUFJG, which has particularly abundant capital among Japanese banks, is expected to use its own funds when investing up to 900 billion yen in Morgan Stanley. The financial standing of other mega-banks is also healthy. Goldman Sachs, another leading U.S. securities house, will likely draw major attention as Morgan did. Provided that discussion for reinforcing that company's capital base heightens, what approach Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG),which has deep relations with Goldman, will make will come into focus. One SMFG executive said, "We will value our historical relationship with Goldman Sachs." The two financial institutions have had a close relationship since the former Sumitomo Bank invested a total of 500 million dollars in Goldman Sachs in 1986. In 2003, when SMFG was facing a bad loan fiasco, Goldman bought 150 billion yen in SMFG preferred shares to help the Japanese institution strengthen its financial base. SMFG has decided to provide approximately 100 billion yen in financial assistance to Barclays of Britain. However, it has turned down a similar request for financial assistance from Lehman Brothers, a leading U.S. securities firm like Goldman Sachs, apparently giving consideration to Goldman. The purchase of the Asia business of Lehman Brothers and the ongoing talks to take over its Europe business by Nomura are another case of a Japanese financial institution investing in a U.S. financial institution. Nomura came up with a bidding price exceeding the amount proposed by its competitors, because it has capital procurement capacity, backed by its fiscal and profit-earning base. Japanese banks have successively invested in foreign financial institutions since early this year. The scale of MUFJG's investment in Morgan Stanley this time is unprecedented, reflecting that leading Japanese banks, which have suffered a relatively minor blow in the current financial crisis stemming from the U.S. subprime mortgage fiasco, are increasing their presence. The situation is bound to affect the investment behavior of other Japanese financial institutions. (2) Guam relocation costs rise 4.7 billion dollars, totaling over 15 billion dollars: Marine Forces Pacific estimate RYUKYU SHIMPO (Top play) (Full) September 24, 2008 Japan and the United States have reached an intergovernmental agreement to share the burden of costs for relocating U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam in the process of realigning U.S. forces in Japan. In this connection, it became known on Sept. 22 that the U.S. Marine Forces Pacific estimates the total cost for the Guam relocation at 15 billion dollars (approximately 1.575 trillion yen), an increase of 4.7 billion dollars (493.5 billion yen) over the agreed amount (about 10.3 billion dollars or about 1.0815 trillion yen). The estimated costs include high-speed craft acquisition. In its report dated Sept. 17, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) listed the costs as estimated by a Marine Forces Pacific officer. TOKYO 00002638 003 OF 010 In its analysis, the GAO report says there are uncertain factors affecting spending on the relocation of Marines from Okinawa to Guam. As a precondition for that, the report suggests the need to settle the various changes in the plan to relocate Futenma airfield. In a way, this suggestion urges the U.S. government to take action, with Futenma airfield's offshore relocation in mind. In April 2006, the Japanese and U.S. government agreed that Japan would take on approximately 6.1 billion dollars (59 PERCENT ) in the breakdown of relocation costs. The GAO report makes no mention of shares in the increased portion. However, the U.S. Congress is expected to frown on further spending. Accordingly, Washington could call for Tokyo to further increase its burden. The extra portion covers acquisition and maintenance costs for high-speed boats intended to carry Marines in Guam. In addition, it includes costs for building new training facilities in the Northern Mariana Islands and purchasing furniture for these facilities. In addition, the GAO report estimates 2 billion dollars for training ranges for the Marines on Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. In connection with costs for the strategic movement of Marines, the GAO report estimates an additional outlay of 88 million dollars a year from Guam as compared with their movement from Okinawa. (3) Are U.S. nuclear warships safe? ASAHI (Page 3) (Full) September 23, 2008 Fumiaki Sonoyama Kuniichi Tanida, senior writer The USS George Washington, a U.S. aircraft carrier, is slated to arrive at the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture on Sept. 25 for deployment. The George Washington is the first U.S. nuclear-powered flattop to be homeported in Japan. The U.S. Navy has underscored the nuclear aircraft carrier's safety. However, there have been accidents involving U.S. nuclear warships, such as a fire on the George Washington and radiation leaks from a nuclear-powered submarine. Due to such eventualities, the local residents of Yokosuka are growingly concerned about the aircraft carrier's deployment. The U.S. Navy has disclosed only limited information on these incidents, a factor that further rocks the safety myth of U.S. nuclear warships. The George Washington caught fire in May when she was underway from the U.S. East Coast to the Pacific Ocean, and she underwent large-scale repairs. The U.S. military's first deployment to Japan of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is aimed to buttress up its western Pacific presence. On Aug. 7, George Washington Carrier Strike Group Commander Richard Wren met the press at the San Diego base on the U.S. West Coast. In his press briefing there, the commander underscored the safety of the carrier for the Japanese public. "Our nuclear-powered vessels have operated about 5,000 times around the equator," he said. "And," he went on, "we've never caused a major accident in over 50 years of use." In the same month of August, however, the USS Houston, a TOKYO 00002638 004 OF 010 nuclear-powered submarine of the U.S. Navy, leaked a trace amount of radiation when she called at the Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture, the Sasebo base in Nagasaki Prefecture, and White Beach in Uruma City, Okinawa Prefecture. This fact added to local concerns about nuclear warships. U.S. nuclear-powered warships are equipped with pressurized light water reactors. A nuclear-powered submarine has a single nuclear reactor, and the George Washington has a pair of nuclear reactors. In terms of commercial reactors, the combined thermal output of the George Washington's two reactors is equivalent to the No. 1 reactor at the Mihama nuclear power plant (1,031,000 kilowatts). According to a private institution's estimate, a large number of local residents could die should they be exposed to highly concentrated radiation in the fallout from a major accident. However, the U.S. Navy has little disclosed data about the reactors of its nuclear-powered warships. That is because the United States could lose its military supremacy, according to a U.S. naval officer. In the case of the Houston's radiation leaks as well, the U.S. government explained that liquids containing radioactive substance leaked from a valve. However, the U.S. government has never explained why the leaked water contained radioactive substance, nor has it accounted at all for what kind of substance leaked and which valve leaked such radioactive substance. "Something like potassium-which exists in the human body and in the natural world-is quite different in meaning from iodine and cesium that accumulate in the human body, even though at the same amount," said Makoto Akashi, director of the Center for Emergency Radiation Exposure Medical Studies at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences. "Their effects on human health cannot be military secrets at all," he added The Japanese government swallowed the U.S. government's account. The Foreign Ministry received a report from the U.S. Embassy and released the U.S. government's explanation three times. However, the Japanese government only reiterated the U.S. government's standpoint, saying the leakage of radiation does not affect the human body or the environment. Hiromichi Umebayashi, special advisor to Peace Depot, a nonprofit organization, commented: "This is nothing but negligence. It's equal to only discharging information." Meanwhile, U.S. nuclear-powered warships have made nearly 1,400 port calls in Japan since 1964. They have received exceptional treatment because the Japanese government has honored memorandums and statements issued by the U.S. government in 1964 when the first port call was made. The U.S. government promised in its documentation that U.S. nuclear warships will not replace fuel or repair power units, which could cause danger, while in Japan. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy has refused to provide technical data about the design and operation of its nuclear warships. In addition, the U.S. Navy has also refused to let Japanese officials board its nuclear warships for the purpose of obtaining such technical data. This constrains the Japanese government's plan to deal with radiation leakage. TOKYO 00002638 005 OF 010 Since the U.S. government rules out the possibility of an accident occurring on U.S. nuclear-powered warships, the Japanese government takes the position that it will not go further. "The important thing in the event of an accident is to disclose information without delay," said Hiroshi Honma, a professor emeritus at Hosei University, who is familiar with legal issues involving the U.S. military. "Even so," Honma went on, "how far to let us know is at the U.S. side's discretion." He added, "We have no choice but to rely on their favor, as a matter of fact." In 2000, the Japanese government added a clause of nuclear vessel disasters to its disaster prevention plan, which is based on the Natural Disasters Law, to determine roles and countermeasures for the central and local governments. However, the government has yet to decide on anything about what to do at the stage where Japan and the United States conflict over their respective sovereignties in clearing up the causes of nuclear warships' accidents and pursuing responsibilities for such accidents. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has set up monitoring posts measuring aerial and underwater radiation in the three ports of call to detect radiation leakage from U.S. nuclear warships. Patrol boats are also assigned there for monitoring assistance. MEXT continues to analyze seawater and marine products sampled right near nuclear warships. In addition, MEXT has also set up the "Nuclear Ship Monitoring Center" near the Yokosuka base in preparation for the George Washington's deployment. The center started its operation on Sept. 1. In the past, the monitoring system detected abnormality twice. However, the government could not clear up its cause. In May 1968, a nuclear-powered submarine entered the port of Sasebo. At the time, radiation was detected near the nuclear submarine. Its readout was 10-20 times higher than normal levels. In September 2006, nuclear substances, cobalt 58 and 60, were detected from seawater sampled near a nuclear submarine in Yokosuka. The U.S. Navy denied its potential links to the nuclear submarine. Eventually, this case reached a gray settlement. The local communities of base-hosting municipalities are concerned about the port calls of nuclear-powered warships. In August, the municipal assembly of Sasebo City passed a statement maintaining that the city should not easily allow nuclear warships to enter port as long as their safety is not established. In May this year, a group of citizens in Yokosuka City submitted a petition with about 50,000 signatures working on the city government to hold a referendum on whether to host the George Washington. The city's municipal assembly voted down the proposal but passed a resolution calling on the central government to ensure safety and step up disaster prevention. "It is Japanese people who will sustain damage in the event of an accident," Honma said. "To protect their lives and properties," he added, "the Japanese government should propose standards for information disclosure and renegotiate an agreement with the U.S. government." (4) Deployment of U.S. nuclear-powered carrier (Part 1): Anxiety about its safety; Citizens seek self-protection measures: families to store iodine tablets TOKYO 00002638 006 OF 010 TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 28) (Full) September 23, 2008 "Since the city's countermeasures are insufficient, city residents have no other recourse but to do what they can to protect themselves." The statement was made by Yokosuka City Assembly member Akihiro Harada in mid-month, when the deployment of the nuclear-powered carrier U.S.S. George Washington to Yokosuka Naval Base was imminent. He was rushing to stock up stable iodine tablets for use at home. Visiting pharmacies, he explained the need for it and asked their cooperation. Slowly but surely, the number of stores consenting to stock the material increased. Stable iodine prophylaxis will prevent radioactive iodine that has been released by a nuclear reactor accident or the like from being absorbed by the human body and causing thyroid cancer. Similar to local communities that house nuclear power plants, the city of Yokosuka, too, will stockpile approximately 300,000 tablets at disaster prevention centers. City residents during a disaster will be required to take them at evacuation centers. However, in order to heighten the effectiveness of the preventive measure, time is of the utmost importance when taking the tablets. City assembly member Harada made this appeal: "Three hours after the accident occurs, the effectiveness of the tablets is reduced by half. I am worried about the response being swift enough, such as a delay in informing people of the accident. The tablets should always be stored at home and taken there." The Ministry of Education and Science and Technology, which promotes safety measures to counter nuclear-power disasters, will increase the number of monitoring posts set up inside and outside the base to measure radiation that might be leaked into the air or the water. It stressed that it will build a new facility to analyze radioactive materials, as well as put every effort into the surveillance system. That being said, the function of the monitoring system comes into play only after an accident has occurred. The Japanese side, being unable to check the safety of the nuclear reactor (in the carrier), has no way to realize preventive measures. The city last year in March signed a disaster-prevention accord with the U.S. Navy in Japan that included mutual assistance at the time of a disaster. Although it was to provide fully for such measures as early dispensing of stable iodine tablets, it lacked specifics steps to control damage such as swift reporting of an accident from the U.S. forces. The reality is that we can only rely on the U.S. forces. With such a system of safety measures that only relies on the U.S. military, a feeling of alarm has grown in the labor union federation of the Miura Peninsula, the mother organization of Yokosuka City Mayor Ryoichi Kabaya. The union on Sept. 5 pressed Mayor Kabaya to take such steps as promoting safety measures for base employees, saying, "This will become material for making our judgment in next year's city election." The union's Deputy Manager Noriyuki Iijima complained: "The city until the end has not indicated to us in a visible way what its safety measures are." The U.S.S. George Washington will enter the port of Yokosuka on TOKYO 00002638 007 OF 010 Sept. 25. It is unprecedented for the United States to deploy a nuclear-powered vessel of this kind in an overseas base. With a nuclear disaster and the danger of a terrorist incident looming ahead, we embark on this report filled with anxiety. (Nuclear-powered carrier problem news gathering team) (5) Special contribution by Yukio Okamoto (Part B): Japan dropping out of international mutual aid society; Japan not allowed to stand outside terrorist bloc SANKEI (pp. 1-3) (Abridged slightly) September 19, 2008 Maritime Self-Defense Force supply vessels are providing fuel to coalition forces' vessels in the waters off Somalia so that they do not have to return to the Persian Gulf to be refueled. The task is safe but requires high technologic skills. The MSDF's performance is praised and appreciated by other countries. The Emden, which headed to rescue the Takayama, has also received fuel from the MSDF refueler Omi. On Aug. 25, coalition naval forces designated the waters off Somalia as a Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) and strengthened the setup to defend commercial vessels. I hear that Germany and Denmark are considering sending additional naval troops for protecting commercial ships. Ichiro Ozawa is calling for an end to the MSDF's refueling mission for coalition forces vessels off Somalia as a violation of the Constitution. The ruling bloc managed to return the MSDF refueler to the waters off Somalia by using a two-thirds House of Representatives override vote. The opposition bloc is again calling for the withdrawal of the MSDF. Such a demand would probably make terrorists and assailants feel relieved. Why the refueling mission, which is divorced from the use of force, constitutes the use of the right to collective self-defense is a mystery. Before that, can Ozawa tell Japanese shipping industry people that we are going to block Japan's support for the coalition naval forces so seek assistance from coalition naval vessels? The predicament does not just make Japan feel small in the international community. It concerns how Japan should operate in the world. (Ozawa's demand) is tantamount to saying, let Japan enjoy the fruit of the international mutual aid society although it will drop out of the society and urging the society to build a world in which Japanese people can live safely by forcing all the risks on other countries. When did Japan become such a country? ? Destructive The international community has been combating terrorism for over 30 years, but it was still not able to prevent the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. There have been many terrorist attacks on civilians in Europe and Asia since then. Why? In recent years, terrorists' organizational and financial power has increased, and the use of information and telecommunications technology has made their attacks even more destructive. Their doctrines have become more radical, as well. The goal of Osama bin Laden and others is to TOKYO 00002638 008 OF 010 annihilate civilized society. It does not go along with Japan's preference for a peaceful settlement. Japan is still on Osama bin Laden's list of targets of attacks. The defending side must go into terrorist bases. One of them is Afghanistan, a country producing 93 PERCENT of opium in the world and serving as a basis of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Originating from there, terrorism has spread to Asia. Another breeding ground for terrorists is Somalia, anarchy in East Africa. Coalition naval vessels are deployed in the waters off Somalia to block exchanges between the two areas. The MSDF's refueling mission is not for supporting the United States but for Japan itself. When the world is not safe, Japan is not safe. Japan is not allowed to stand outside the terrorist bloc by itself. In 1997, 10 Japanese tourists were killed by terrorists at Luxor, Egypt. The 9/11 World Trade Center attacks claimed 24 Japanese lives. In some cases, Japanese nationals launched terrorist attacks. In 1972, three Japanese men, including Kozo Okamoto, killed 24 people at a Tel Aviv airport. There was the 1977 "Dacca Incident" as well. Terrorism knows no national borders. ? Sense of mission The Tiananmen Incident occurred in June 1989. Beijing was on the verge of chaos because of the clash between the students and the People's Liberation Army. The evacuation of Japanese nationals seemed imminent, and we informally asked an airline to airlift them to Japan. But the airline union did not give its nod of approval. So I, a Foreign Ministry official at the time, informally asked the United States about the possibility of rescuing Japanese nationals. A reply came immediately: "We will extend maximum cooperation. Can you assemble those leaving China at one place?" Fortunately, we did not have to plan specifics any further. We learned a sense of mission from the U.S. government's quick response. Japan, too, has quite a few civil servants with a strong sense of mission. In 1987, it became dangerous to sail through the Persian Gulf because of the intensified Iran-Iraq war. Japan received a request from the United States to join a multinational fleet to escort civilian vessels. Although sending SDF vessels was politically difficult, the Japan Maritime Safety Agency (JMSA) responded to the request. The JMSA crafted a plan to deploy patrol boats to the Persian Gulf for assisting Japanese vessels. JMSA officials' determination reached Transport Minister Ryutaro Hashimto and the minister declared that he would board the first patrol boat. Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone also endorsed the plan. The plan eventually fell through due to Chief Cabinet Secretary Masaharu Gotoda's strong opposition. But it was a fact that arrangements were made to deploy patrol boats to waters 12,000 kilometers away from Japan in order to defend Japanese vessels. A vessel can reach the Persian Gulf by navigating northward after passing through the Strait of Hormuz, or can reach off Somalia by sailing westward without going through the strait. Once an order is issued, SDF personnel can demonstrate their high morale. Their sense of mission and performance on overseas missions TOKYO 00002638 009 OF 010 are often praised by locals. ? Defending fellow citizens Dispatching the SDF only to places that are not dangerous is the basic principle established through Diet deliberations. If everyone stays away from anything dangerous, Japan would not be able to stand as a state. As a result, only those who do not have any means to defend themselves would go to such a place. In Afghanistan, there are Japanese nationals working for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) or for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Most foreign aid workers in Afghanistan are protected by their own military or police under the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) regime. A total of 27 international teams are conducting activities under this regime. There is no team to escort Japanese experts. There are Foreign Ministry officials in Baghdad. There are no SDF personnel because the place is dangerous, and the Japanese Embassy is guarded by Iraqi guards. In Baghdad, the Japanese Embassy is the only embassy that is not guarded by its own troops. Some 100 Japanese nationals, including aid workers, are living in Sudan's capital of Khartoum. Making sure that the city is safe before sending a couple of SDF personnel there requires tremendous efforts. Even a fact-finding team was sent there. It has been nearly six months since Japan received a request form the United Nations, but the SDF has not been sent there. The same is true with oceans. Even after the SDF's departure, Japanese commercial ships would have to cruise off Somalia in order to pass through the Suez Canal. Japanese tankers have been loading crude oil in Iraq after the Takasuzu incident. Without their efforts, Japan would run out of crude oil. What the Diet is trying to secure is not the safety of the general public but the safety of SDF troops. There is no other country in the world that is trying to such. Given the situation, in the case of Japan, "unarmed teams" are assigned to dangerous areas. Reportedly there is no chance of deploying the SDF to Afghanistan because Kazuyo Ito was slain. There are two types of countries in the world: those that say we cannot go to a place where our fellow citizen was killed and those that say we will go to the defense our fellow citizens. (6) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: Tokyo Shimbun Nomura strikes deal to buy Lehman's European and Middle Easter operations Mainichi: Yomiuri: Sankei Ex-education minister Nakasone likely to be tapped as foreign minister in Aso's cabinet to be launched today Nikkei: Aso to be picked prime minister today: To review public health insurance scheme for elderly people aged 75 or older; Agreement reached on LDP-New Komeito coalition; Review organ to discuss TOKYO 00002638 010 OF 010 regional bloc system to be set up Akahata: Japanese Communist Party is the only party people can depend on (7) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) We want to ask the New Komeito why it has opted for another LDP-New Komeito coalition (2) Border-crossing food safety controls necessary Mainichi: (1) Ota-led New Komeito: We want a clear cut explanation and action (2) Falling land prices: Development that does not depend on speculative money needed Yomiuri: (1) Investment in U.S. securities firms: Japanese banks now going on offensive (2) Melamine-tainted milk: Strict inspection of China-produced food needed Nikkei: (1) Can Japanese financial institutions grab opportunities in the U.S. financial crisis? (2) The New Komeito should be aware of its weighty responsibility Sankei: (1) Power-sharing talks between LDP and New Komeito: Revising public health insurance scheme for elderly people aged 75 or older is a problem (2) Realignment of financial institutions throughout the world: Use major turmoil in financial market as good opportunity to advance into international market Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Tainted food products in Japan and China: Japanese and Chinese citizens should jointly pursue responsibility (2) Pakistan could become a powder keg in Asia Akahata: (1) Deployment of nuclear aircraft carrier George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base unacceptable (8) Prime Minister Fukuda's schedule, September 23 NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) September 24, 2008 09:34 Attended Autumnal Equinox Festival at Imperial Palace. 11:21 Returned to his private residence in Nozawa, Tokyo. SCHIEFFER