TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - CHINA'S MILITARY

UNCLAS TOKYO 000593 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR I/RF, PA/PR/FPC/W, IIP/G/EA, EAP/PD, R/MR, EAP/J, EAP/P, PM; USTR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE; TREASURY FOR OASIA/IMI; SECDEF FOR OASD/PA; CP BUTLER OKINAWA FOR AREA FIELD OFFICE; PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO JA SUBJECT: TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - CHINA'S MILITARY DEVELOPMENT ¶1. LEAD STORIES: All Thursday morning papers gave prominent front-page play to Sen. Hillary Clinton's victories in three of the four Democratic primaries on Tuesday. ¶2. "Concern about Chinese Military Buildup" The business-oriented Nikkei editorialized (3/6): "A sharp increase in military spending may lead to increasing fear of a China threat.... Even though the country's economy is growing rapidly, many Chinese people are still suffering from poverty. What is the aim behind China's military buildup? The fact that details of Beijing's defense spending are unclear makes its neighbors nervous. China would be better served by curbing its military spending and increasing transparency, shifting its priority to improving the living standards of its citizens." ¶3. "U.S.-China Cyber War in the Offing" A reporter for the conservative Sankei wrote (3/6): "The Defense Department's report on China's military power released on Monday revealed cases of illicit hacking of USG and other computer networks. Noting that these attacks appear to have originated from China, the Pentagon document expressed concern about China waging cyber warfare. Many experts believe that the two countries were essentially at war in cyberspace after a U.S. reconnaissance plane made an emergency landing on Hainan in China in April 2001 after colliding with a Chinese fighter. Depending on how one defines 'war,' the U.S. and China are already in the preliminary stages of one." SCHIEFFER