DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 10/29/08

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TOKYO 003018 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 10/29/08 INDEX: (1) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties (Asahi) (2) Editorial: MSDF must raise its information security awareness (Sankei) (3) Editorial: Court ruling on Aegis info leak: Appropriate approach needed in designating and controlling classified information (Mainichi) (4) Prime Minister Aso: Is a cup noodle about 400 yen? (Tokyo Shimbun) (5) Questioning on Cessna crash possible: Maher (Okinawa Times) (6) No prospects for V-shaped facility's offshore move (Okinawa Times) ARTICLES: (1) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) October 28, 2008 Questions & Answers (Figures shown in percentage, rounded off. The three figures from left to right in each row denote the results of Oct. 4-5, Oct. 11-12, and Oct. 25-26 surveys.) Q: Do you support the Aso cabinet? Yes 41 42 41 No 42 38 38 Q: Which political party do you support now? Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 32 30 32 Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 23 22 19 New Komeito (NK) 4 4 4 Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 2 2 2 Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1 1 1 People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0 0 0 Reform Club (RC or Kaikaku Kurabu) 0 0 0 New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0 0 0 Other political parties 0 0 0 None 31 34 35 No answer (N/A) + don't know (D/K) 7 7 7 Q: To what extent are you interested in the next general election for the House of Representatives? (One choice only) Very interested 35 38 36 Somewhat interested 44 39 43 Not very interested 17 16 17 Not interested at all 3 6 4 Q: If you were to vote now in a general election for the House of Representatives, which political party would you like to vote for in your proportional representation bloc? TOKYO 00003018 002 OF 007 LDP 33 32 33 DPJ 34 32 30 NK 4 5 4 JCP 3 4 2 SDP 1 1 1 PNP 0 0 0 RC 0 0 0 NPN 0 0 0 Other political parties 1 0 1 N/A+D/K 24 26 29 Q: In your single-seat electoral district, which political party's candidate would you like to vote for? LDP 31 30 31 DPJ 30 29 26 NK 3 4 2 JCP 3 3 2 SDP 1 0 1 PNP 0 0 0 RC 0 0 0 NPN 0 0 0 Other political parties 0 0 0 Independent 2 2 2 N/A+D/K 30 32 36 Q: Would you like the current LDP-led coalition government to continue, or would you otherwise like it to be replaced with a DPJ-led coalition government? LDP-led coalition 34 32 33 DPJ-led coalition 40 38 37 Q: Which one between Prime Minister Aso and DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa do you think is more appropriate for prime minister? Mr. Aso 50 53 52 Mr. Ozawa 22 20 20 Q: Do you think it would be better for Japan to have the ruling and opposition parties change places at times? Yes 73 70 73 No 19 20 19 Q: Do you think the House of Representatives should be dissolved as early as possible for a general election, or do you otherwise think there is no need to hurry? (Figures in parentheses denote the results of a survey conducted Sept. 2-3.) Dissolve as early as possible 33 (56) No need to hurry 57 (33) Q: The global expansion of the financial crisis has caused such repercussions as a stock market crash in Japan as well. To what extent are you interested in the financial crisis? (One choice only) Very interested 39 Somewhat interested 44 Not very interested 14 Not interested at all 3 TOKYO 00003018 003 OF 007 Q: Do you have expectations for Prime Minister Aso in dealing with the financial crisis? Yes 52 No 40 Q: The government and the ruling parties are planning an across-the-board income tax reduction in order to boost the nation's economy. The tax reduction is estimated at approximately 2 trillion yen. Do you appreciate this tax break? Yes 40 No 41 Q: In its campaign for a general election, the DPJ will pledge to make highways free in stages. Meanwhile, the governing parties are planning substantial reductions in local highway tolls. Do you consider much about the issue of highway tolls when voting for a political party or a candidate in the next general election? Yes 29 No 64 Polling methodology: The survey was conducted over the telephone on a computer-aided random digit dialing (RDD) basis. Respondents were chosen from among the nation's voting population on a three-stage random-sampling basis. Valid answers were obtained from 1,036 persons (57 PERCENT ) for the Oct. 4-5 survey, 1,040 persons (60 PERCENT ) for the Oct. 11-12 survey, and 1,045 persons (61 PERCENT ) for the Oct. 25-26 survey. (2) Editorial: MSDF must raise its information security awareness SANKEI (Page 2) (Full) October 29, 2008 In delivering a sentence (on Oct. 28) to a Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) officer who had leaked classified information on the Aegis naval air defense system, the Yokohama District Court severely criticized the MSDF's sloppiness in information control, while pointing out its lack of information security awareness regarding high-level military secrets. Learning lessons from the ruling, the MSDF, which manages all kinds of classified military information and data, must carry out thorough information control. The court sentenced Lt. Cmdr. Sumitaka Matsuuchi, a member of the service section of the MSDF Yokosuka Base who was charged with violating the Law Concerning the Protection of Secrets for the Japan-U.S. Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement, to two years and six months in prison, suspended for four years, generally in line with the prosecutors' demand for three years in prison. The guilty decision was appropriate even though the leaked information on the Aegis system, which is reportedly the most important military information for the Japan-U.S. alliance, did not find its way out of the MSDF. The most contentious point in the trial was whether the MSDF lieutenant commander -- Matsuuchi's acquaintance and a former TOKYO 00003018 004 OF 007 instructor at the MSDF First Service School -- who had received data on the capability of the Aegis system classified as a special defense secret from Matsuuchi constituted "others" as specified in the law prohibiting the act of leaking classified information. It is the first time that a judicial decision has been made over a violation of the defense secret protection law since it came into effect in 1954. Attention was focused on what decision the court would make. Under the law, a person handling special secrets who leaked a secret that was obtained in the line of duty to others can receive a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. It was natural for the court to clearly define the defendant as an "operator (gyomusha)" and the lieutenant commander as constituting "others" and to point out that the defendant "lacked security awareness as an operator handling defense secrets." What is also important is that the presiding judge stated: "In the event the information fell into the hands of a third country, Japan's security could have been harmed. Such a consequence is grave." America's trust in Japan has diminished tremendously by this incident in which data on the Aegis system that reportedly constitutes the foundation of the Japan-U.S. security system. It has become clear that the defendant had copied the Aegis data onto his personal computer, that he had sent a CD containing the data to the former instructor, that the data had spread to other members from there, and that a total of 38 persons had been involved in the incident. As was pointed out by the ruling, the defendant alone should not be blamed and the MSDF, too, should reflect on its lax awareness of classified information that lies beneath the incident. (3) Editorial: Court ruling on Aegis info leak: Appropriate approach needed in designating and controlling classified information MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) October 29, 2008 The Yokohama District Court found a Maritime Self-Defense Force lieutenant commander guilty of leaking within the MSDF information on the Aegis naval air defense system, which is a special defense secret provided by the U.S., in violation of the Law Concerning the Protection of Secrets for the Japan-U.S. Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement. It is only natural for the Ministry of Defense (MOD) to beef up the control of secret information related to security. However, we also want it not to excessively expand the scope of secret information when it designates classified information. The incident was brought to light in January last year. Following the arrest of the Chinese wife of a petty officer second class by the Kanagawa Prefectural Police on suspicion of violating the Immigrant Control and Refugee Recognition Law, a file containing information on the Aegis destroyer was found at the home of the petty officer second class. Investigation by the prefectural police TOKYO 00003018 005 OF 007 and the MSDF Criminal Investigation Command found that the lieutenant commander leaked the information. He was arrested and indicted 11 months later. Internal investigation by MOD found that 38 MSDF members copied the leaked file without permission. Fifty-eight persons, including the lieutenant commander were punished in March this year. Aside from this case, the investigation also revealed that a textbook compiled by the MSDF First Technical School in Edajima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, carried details of special defense secrets. A report compiled by the government's Council to Reform the Defense Ministry pointed out that the leak of such special defense secrets is an extraordinary expansion of leakage. The information leak countermeasures council set up by MOD clarified the scope of responsibility and placed a ban on MSDF members from bringing in PCs for personal use to their workplaces. Needless to say, it is imperative to eradicate ill-disciplined sloppy control of defense secrets and adopt and implement strict rules. The incident this time has followed an unusual course of developments into a diplomatic issue between Japan and the U.S. The Japanese side offered an apology for the leak of the information at the Japan-U.S. defense summit held in April last year. The governments of Japan and the U.S. signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). The pact is designed to cater to increased secret information sharing between the two countries, including the missile defense system. The signing of such an accord is apparently the reflection of the U.S. having raised distrust in Japan's intelligence and security system. The matter was not leaked to outsiders. Fault was also on MOD, because its system of checking information leaks was far from being sufficient, as the sentence noted. Nevertheless, the defendant was held criminally responsible. Regarding this point, some have pointed out that the Japanese side gave consideration to the U.S. The court decision may reflect its judgment that it is necessary to indicate a tough stance toward matters that could hamper Japan from receiving military technology and state-of-the-art weapons from the U.S. Secret defense information includes defense secrets under the SDF Law and ministry secrets as well as classified defense secrets. It is the defense minister who designates classified information. If secret protection policy expands to cover items more than necessary, it would lead to excessive secrecy and acceleration of information hiding, incurring public distrust in defense and security policy. We want MOD to reach a balanced decision between the protection of confidential information, whose leak will threaten national security, and information disclosure to the public. (4) Prime Minister Aso: Is a cup noodle about 400 yen? TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) October 29, 2008 When asked about the price of a "cup noodle" (instant noodles) in a House of Councillors Foreign and Defense Affairs Committee session yesterday, Prime Minister Taro Aso was stuck for an answer, but he then said: "I don't know exactly because I haven't bought any cup noodles recently. When Nisshin Food first produced them (cup TOKYO 00003018 006 OF 007 noodles),they were cheap. Now, a package is about 400 yen? Isn't that high?" Hiroe Makiyama of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) made this question in connection with the widening income disparities. When Makiyama told him, "They sell for about 170 yen," Aso gave a wry smile. Aso revealed his true colors, even though he has tried to make the public think that by his visiting a supermarket in Tokyo and delivering an outdoor speech in Akihabara, while going to exclusive hotel bars. (5) Questioning on Cessna crash possible: Maher OKINAWA TIMES (Page 29) (Full) October 29, 2008 In the wake of the recent crash at Nago City's Makiya of a Cessna light aircraft belonging to the U.S. military, Kevin Maher, U.S. consul general in Okinawa, indicated yesterday that the U.S. military would comply with Okinawa prefectural police's request to question the crashed aircraft's crew. Meanwhile, Nago Mayor Yoshikazu Shimabukuro has made an investigative request. "The U.S. Air Force will cooperate with the Okinawa prefectural police's investigation," Maher told the Okinawa Times in an interview. "I think it's possible (for the local police to question the four U.S. military personnel)," he added. The Okinawa Socialist Masses Party (OSMP) also made a request yesterday to look into the accident, and Maher said he has explained to the party that the U.S. military would not refuse the questioning of them. In addition, Maher also indicated that the aircraft flight this time was made off duty, saying: "I have not been told that they were on duty. We're not talking about that." He further said the Air Force's accident investigation committee would independently investigate the accident so there will be no pressure from military headquarters. (6) No prospects for V-shaped facility's offshore move OKINAWA TIMES (Page 2) (Full) October 29, 2008 It has now been three years since Japan and the United States reached an intergovernmental agreement on an interim report regarding the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, which was titled "U.S.-Japan: Transformation and Realignment for the Future." The planned relocation of Futenma airfield to Nago City's Henoko has now become a major point at issue as a step to mitigate Okinawa's base-hosting burden in the process of realigning the U.S. military presence in Japan. Futenma relocation was originally based on a 1996 agreement of the Japan-U.S. Special Action Committee on Okinawa (SACO),and an alternative facility was to be installed in an offshore area situated 2.2 kilometers off the coast of Henoko. Okinawa Prefecture and Nago City accepted this offshore relocation plan. Meanwhile, the original Futenma relocation plan has now changed to the current plan to build a V-shaped pair of airstrips (in a coastal area of Camp Schwab in Nago). However, Okinawa Prefecture and Nago City have been claiming that they cannot accept the Futenma relocation as long as it is based on the current plan. They are holding consultations with the government, but the issue cannot be expected to reach a settlement. TOKYO 00003018 007 OF 007 Okinawa Prefecture and its base-hosting municipalities called for the government to restore the original offshore relocation plan before launching an environmental impact assessment for the construction of an alternative facility. In August 2007, however, the government presented an assessment plan, leaving the local hosts behind, and the procedures for an environmental assessment began automatically. The environmental assessment, which was started in March this year, is now eight months behind the original schedule. However, the government repaired its relations with Okinawa by showing consideration for its base-hosting localities with the construction site's offshore move in mind. In August, the government launched working teams to discuss the construction and environmental assessment plans with officials from Okinawa and its municipalities. However, as seen from the recent remarks made by the American Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission to Japan Zumwalt, who arrived at his Tokyo post in July this year, the U.S. government does not agree to move the Futenma replacement facility into the sea even after the next administration comes into office. The Japanese government and Okinawa Prefecture remain unable to find out a "rational reason" that is needed to convince the United States. Meanwhile, the domestic political situation is also fluid. As it stands, there is still no knowing whether the government will be able to make a final political decision. SCHIEFFER