JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 05/18/09

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 13 TOKYO 001109 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: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 05/18/09 Index: 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials 3) Prime Minister's weekend schedule (Nikkei) DPJ election: 4) Democratic Party of Japan picks Yukio Hatoyama as new president, edging out Katsuya Okada, but can he shake off the influence of Ichiro Ozawa? (Asahi) 5) Okada to be DPJ secretary general and Ozawa will be acting president in charge of elections (Nikkei) 6) Concern that there might be a dual structure of power in the DPJ (Tokyo Shimbun) 7) Accusations already that Hatoyama may be Ozawa's "puppet" (Tokyo Shimbun) 8) Opposition camp with Hatoyama's election expects to tighten its united front against the ruling camp (Tokyo Shimbun) 9) Profile of Yukio Hatoyama (Tokyo Shimbun) Opinion polls: 10) Yomiuri poll: 53 PERCENT of public have no expectations of Hatoyama as new DPJ president, but support for the DPJ rises to exceed that for LDP (Yomiuri) 11) Asahi poll: 47 PERCENT have expectations for Hatoyama and his new team in the DPJ, while 38 PERCENT will vote for DPJ in election (Asahi) 12) Nikkei poll: Public split in expectations about Hatoyama as DPJ president, but DPJ now exceeds LDP in support, 38 PERCENT vs. 33 PERCENT (Nikkei) 13) Kyodo poll: Hatoyama has an 11point lead over Aso on question of who is more appropriate to be prime minister (Tokyo Shimbun) 14) Mainichi poll: 34 PERCENT of public favor Hatoyama compared to 21 PERCENT for Aso (Mainichi) 15) Jiji poll: Aso cabinet support rate inches up to 26.3 PERCENT (Tokyo Shimbun) Defense and security affairs: 16) Defense Ministry report estimates the range of North Korea's long-range missile at over 3,000 kilometers (Nikkei) 17) Defense Minister Hamada issues order for P-3c patrol aircraft to be sent for anti-piracy duty over waters off Somalia (Tokyo Shimbun) 18) Justice Ministry data: 80 PERCENT of incidents involving U.S. forces in Japan are never indicted (Akahata) Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi and Mainichi: New flu infection spreads to 96 people in Hyogo, Osaka prefectures, including primary and middle school students and teachers; Schools and facilities closed Yomiuri: 92 infected with new flu in Osaka, Hyogo, over 1,400 schools closed Nikkei: Listed firms likely to report 8 PERCENT drop in pretax profit in FY 2009 TOKYO 00001109 002 OF 013 Sankei: DPJ President Hatoyama appoints Ozawa as deputy president and Okada as secretary general Tokyo Shimbun: New flu infection spreads to 100 people; 1,000 schools in Osaka, Hyogo closed Akahata: Lack of daycare centers ascribable to local governments with powers to authorize centers; MHLW's assertion raises questions 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) Measures necessary to prevent widespread of new influenza (2) New lay judge system: Experience must be shared by judges Mainichi: (1) Aso vs. Hatoyama: Strong expectations for change (2) Indictment of Suu Kyi a case of excessive political suppression Yomiuri: (1) Kyoto Protocol overreach must not be repeated (2) Fukuoka High Court decides Imabayashi should face charge of dangerous driving Nikkei: (1) Intel fined by EU for anti-competitive practices (2) Will reform be implemented after ruling coalition's victory in India? Sankei: (1) Schools must take thorough measures to prevent spread of new influenza (2) Corporate account settlements: Market-sensitive management strategy essentials Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Thought at beginning of week: What is happening at school Akahata: (1) Dispatch of P-3Cs: Overseas dispatch of SDF enters a new phase 3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) Prime Minister's schedule, May 16 NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) May 17, 2009 10:00 Took a walk around his official residence. 14:59 Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management Ito at his official residence. Prime Minister's schedule, May 17 NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) May 18, 2009 TOKYO 00001109 003 OF 013 10:07 Took a walk around his official residence. 16:54 Had a haircut at "Barber Sato" in Hotel Pacific in Takanawa. 18:25 Met at his official residence with Finance Minister Yosano, BOJ Gov. Yamaguchi, Vice Finance Minister Sugimoto, Financial Services Agency Director General Sato, and Vice METI Minister Mochizuki. 4) Hatoyama elected as new DPJ president ASAHI (Page 1) (Excerpts) May 17, 2009 The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on May 16 held its presidential election at a Tokyo hotel and chose Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama, 62, as its new president. In the election by DPJ members of the two Diet chambers, Hatoyama defeated Vice President Katsuya Okada by a vote of 124 to 95. At a press conference after the election, Hatoyama revealed that he would give Okada and his predecessor Ichiro Ozawa important party posts. In order to bring about a change in government in the next House of Representatives election, Hatoyama will now move quickly to regain party strength. The term of the new DPJ leader will run until September next year, which is the time left to serve out by Ozawa. Hatoyama has again assumed the presidential post, having resigned in the past to take responsibility for causing turmoil over his plan to form a new party with the former Liberal Party. Can Hatoyama break away from depending on Ozawa? Commentary With the sudden resignation of its President Ichiro Ozawa over the indictment of his chief secretary for accepting illegal donations from Nishimatsu Construction Co, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) had to hold a presidential election unexpectedly. The key question in the leadership race was whether a new party leader would be able to break away from the party's nature of relying on Ozawa. The leadership race was rough going from the beginning. The DPJ leadership decided to take a vote five days after Ozawa's announcement of his resignation on May 11. DPJ lawmakers estranged from Ozawa opposed the leadership's decision, citing the early election was aimed at having Hatoyama succeed to Ozawa as party leader. With this, the pattern of confrontation between the pro- and non-Ozawa groups was made clear. Hatoyama had supported Ozawa when he was secretary general and had been deeply involved in Ozawa's resignation. He was elected, defeating Katsuya Okada, who called for leaving the Ozawa policy line. Hatoyama must first clearly wipe away the suspicion that the new DPJ leadership will be "a puppet regime of Ozawa." Actually, Ozawa rendered distinguished service to the DPJ. After assuming the DPJ presidency in 2006, Ozawa, who accumulated his political experiences through power struggles in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),urged the DPJ members to carry out grassroots door-to-door election, citing their daily political activities lacked such. He united the party, which was seen as TOKYO 00001109 004 OF 013 disorganized. He was like a Spartan who strengthened the weak DPJ. As a result, the DPJ's base has become strong. In return for this, however, the DPJ has lost its freshness. Okada, therefore, played up his determination to regain that freshness, using the words, "a new DPJ" and "opening the DPJ." Although Okada does not have his own group, he secured 95 votes. Taking this seriously, the new DPJ president's challenge is to graduate from the "Ozawa school." 5) New DPJ President Hatoyama picks Okada as secretary general NIKKEI (Page 1) (Full) May 18, 2009 Yukio Hatoyama, the new president of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ),announced the lineup of the DPJ new leadership. He picked former Vice President Katsuya Okada, who competed with Hatoyama in Saturday's presidential election, to be secretary general, a key post in the party. Former President Ichiro Ozawa, meanwhile, was appointed DPJ acting president in charge of election strategy. There is a strong possibility that Ozawa will hold the real power. Naoto Kan and Azuma Koshiishi will be retained in their current deputy president posts. The Hatoyama-led DPJ leadership will get started soon, after it is approved in a meeting of the party lawmakers from the two Diet chambers, which will be held in a day or two. Hatoyama met yesterday with Okada and others at party headquarters and decided the new leadership lineup. Other senior party executive members will likely be retained. Asked about the appointment of Ozawa by reporters, Hatoyama said: "He nurtured the DPJ into a party that is strong in elections. I highly value his achievements." He then added: "Although I will manage election funds, I want Mr. Ozawa to take charge of election affairs. I want Mr. Okada to understand this." Asked about his aim of picking Okada as secretary general, Hatoyama said in a strong tone: "There are many DPJ lawmakers supporting Mr. Okada. So, it is important to quickly form party unity with them. He stated: "I want them (to cooperate with me) to make the DPJ a party that will be able to bring about a change in government." 6) New DPJ leadership: Okada as key person in election; Ozawa for actual work involved in election; Concern about double power structure remaining TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Excerpts) May 18, 2009 In selecting the line-up of party executives, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Yukio Hatoyama placed top priority on party unity and measures to deal with the next Lower House election. In doing so, he focused on role-sharing between Ozawa and Okada by leaving the actual work involved in the upcoming election to newly-appointed Deputy President Ichiro Ozawa and characterizing new Secretary General Katsuya Okada, who is more popular than Hatoyama among the public, as the key person in the election. There is concern that criticism saying this system is a double power structure will mount, depending on to what extent Ozawa will seize power in dealing with the election campaign. TOKYO 00001109 005 OF 013 Referring to the appointment of Ozawa as the person responsible for the upcoming election, Hatoyama on the 17th stressed to reporters, "I will control everything. However, I will basically ask Mr. Ozawa to be in charge of the upcoming election." Hatoyama expects Ozawa to display his ability to deal with elections, as he did in realizing the switch between the ruling and opposition parties in the 2007 Upper House election. Hatoyama paid special attention to the treatment of Ozawa. There is still deep-rooted dissatisfaction with Ozawa, who did not lay the groundwork properly or provide full explanations to party members when he was president. There is a sense of wariness, mainly among lawmakers who distance themselves from Ozawa, that if he is in charge of the election campaign, he might seize control of power and money. 7) Ruling camp start criticizing new DPJ leader Hatoyama as "puppet of Ozawa," fearing recovery of public support for DPJ TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) May 17, 2009 Following Yukio Hatoyama's election as president of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ),members of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the New Komeito yesterday voiced criticism of the new DPJ leadership as a "puppet" in the hands of former president Ichiro Ozawa, who has been dogged by the fallout of a fund-raising scandal involving Nishimatsu Construction Co. By underscoring the image that Ozawa is stage-managing Hatoyama, they expect to deal a blow to the main opposition party, eyeing the next general election. Ruling coalition members did not want to see Okada elected in the presidential race, because he has given a clean image and has distanced himself from Ozawa. Their judgment was that if Hatoyama, who supported Ozawa as the party's secretary general, became his successor, they would be able to keep the tactics of criticizing Ozawa. Immediately after Hatoyama won the election, the ruling camp launched an offensive against Hatoyama. LDP Election Strategy Council Chairman Makoto Koga said about Hatoyama: "Mr. Ozawa's influence will be kept as is." Election Strategy Council Vice Chairman Yoshihide Suga also stressed: "The DPJ will have a dual structure." Such an offensive strategy is also intended to contain moves by Ozawa, in addition to the aim of swaying the DPJ under Hatoyama. Concern is rising in the ruling parties that Ozawa might actively move behind the scenes in preparation for the next general election. A senior LDP member said: "Mr. Ozawa is expected to pour all his energy into election strategy. We are scared." Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori commented: "The question is to what extent Mr. Hatoyama will be able to act based on his own judgment." This remark sounds like advice to Hatoyama that he should be independent but probably is aimed to undermine relations between Ozawa and Hatoyama. The ruling coalition has not changed its initial plan to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election after having the fiscal 2009 extra budget and related bills pass the Diet. Coalition members take the view that the key to the outcome of the election lies in how to boost public support by effectively attacking the Hatoyama DPJ. TOKYO 00001109 006 OF 013 But a senior ruling party member takes the view that the resignation of Ozawa as party president will undoubtedly contribute to buoying up public support temporarily. Some members urged Prime Minister Aso to rouse himself. Former LDP Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa commented: "We will not be able to win the election as long as we rely on the enemy's errors." New Komeito President Akihiro Ota also said: "It is most important for us to brace ourselves." 8) Opposition bloc expects strengthened joint-struggle structure TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Slightly abridged) May 17, 2009 In response to the election of Yukio Hatoyama as Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) president, Social Democratic Party President Mizuho Fukushima said: "(Hatoyama) is very approachable. I would like to proactively hold talks with him and strengthen the joint-struggle structure among the opposition parties." But she added: "It is strange that a person who had to step down continues to have an influence. I hope that the new leadership will settle the 'politics and money' issue and take action under the new structure." She asked Hatoyama to eliminate the "Ozawa color." People's New Party Secretary General Hisaoki Kamei welcome Hatoyama's election, saying: "His has been responsible for maintaining cooperative relations with us on Diet affairs, policies, and election, so there will be no concern." New Party Nippon President Yasuo Tanaka commented: "I hope we will reinforce the joint-struggle structure and win a victory as the face of regime change." Meanwhile, Japanese Communist Party Secretary General Ichida said cynically: "I was surprised by the fact that neither of the candidates referred to Nishimatsu Construction. 9) Profile of the new DPJ President Hatoyama: Lived through such fiascos as the fake e-mail and grand coalition scheme but hardships enabled him to outgrow himself TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Excerpts) May 17, 2009 A number of politicians say that Hatoyama is mild and gentle but is not so powerful. Focusing on his advocacy of "fellowship" as his political principle, former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone once said, "He is like soft ice cream." In a press conference held just after he was elected to head the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ),Hatoyama emphasized: "Over the past several years, the DPJ faced a number of problems, such as the fake e-mail and grand-coalition fiascos, but we overcame them one after another. I do not easily lose energy and give up." He thus indicated that he has outgrown his old self through overcoming a number of hardships in supporting the DPJ under the lead of presidents Maehara and Ozawa, for whom he has served as secretary general for nearly four years. He was first elected to the House of Representatives on the Liberal Democratic Party's ticket in 1986 and is now in his seventh term. Battling for political reform, he left the LDP and joined the New Party Sakigake in 1993. In 1996, he established the DPJ with Naoto TOKYO 00001109 007 OF 013 Kan. After the party was reorganized in 1998, Hatoyama served as president for three years starting in 1999. Prime Minister Aso's grandfather Shigeru Yoshida was a prime minister, while Hatoyama's grandfather Ichiro Hatoyama, was also a prime minister. The grandsons are likely to face off in the next Lower House election. 10) Poll: 53 PERCENT don't have expectations for Hatoyama YOMIURI (Page 1) (Abridged) May 18, 2009 In the wake of the election of Yukio Hatoyama as new Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto) president, the Yomiuri Shimbun conducted a telephone-based spot nationwide public opinion survey from the evening of May 16 through May 17. In the spot poll, respondents were asked if they had expectations for Hatoyama. To this question, "yes" accounted for only 40 PERCENT , with "no" reaching 53 PERCENT . In the breakdown of public support for political parties, however, the DPJ outstripped the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, with the DPJ sharply rising from 23.4 PERCENT in the last poll taken a week ago to 30.8 PERCENT and the LDP at 28.4 PERCENT (26.8 PERCENT in the last poll). In the popularity ranking of political parties for proportional representation in the next House of Representatives election as well, the DPJ outdistanced the LDP, with the DPJ tallying 41 PERCENT (30 PERCENT in the last poll) and the LDP remaining flat at 27 PERCENT (27 PERCENT in the last poll). Hatoyama's popularity is not high, but the public's expectations for the DPJ are now back with an end put to the Ozawa problem. In the poll, respondents were also asked to choose between Prime Minister Aso and Hatoyama as more appropriate for premiership. To this question, 42 PERCENT preferred Hatoyama, with 32 PERCENT picking Aso. 11) Poll: DPJ rebounds to 38 PERCENT in popularity ranking for proportional representation; 47 PERCENT attaching expectations on new DPJ President Hatoyama ASAHI (Page 1) (Abridged) May 18, 2009 In the wake of the election of Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto) President Hatoyama, the Asahi Shimbun conducted a telephone-based spot nationwide public opinion survey on May 16-17. In the poll, respondents were asked which political party they would vote for in their proportional representation blocs if they were to vote now for the House of Representatives. To this question, 38 PERCENT chose the DPJ, up from 32 PERCENT in the last poll taken April 18-19. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party was at 25 PERCENT , down from 27 PERCENT . In the breakdown of public support for political parties as well, the DPJ rose to 26 PERCENT (21 PERCENT in the last poll). The LDP was at 25 PERCENT (25 PERCENT in the last poll). Asked about the desirable form of government, 45 PERCENT picked a "DPJ-led coalition" (41 PERCENT in the last poll),with 28 PERCENT choosing an "LDP-led coalition" (29 PERCENT in the last poll). In the poll, respondents were also asked if they had expectations for the DPJ led by Hatoyama. In response to this question, public opinion was split, with 47 PERCENT answering "yes" and 43 PERCENT TOKYO 00001109 008 OF 013 saying "no." The Aso cabinet's support rate was 27 PERCENT (26 PERCENT in the last poll). The nonsupport rate was 56 PERCENT (57 PERCENT in the last poll). As seen from these figures, the approval and disapproval ratings leveled off from the last poll. 12) Poll: Public split over new DPJ President Hatoyama NIKKEI (Page 1) (Full) May 18, 2009 Public opinion was split over newly elected Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto) President Yukio Hatoyama in a spot public opinion survey conducted by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun with TV Tokyo on May 16-17. When respondents were asked if they had expectations for Hatoyama, 47 PERCENT answered "yes," with 49 PERCENT saying "no." The DPJ's support rate was 38 PERCENT , up 10 points from the last poll taken in late April. The DPJ outstripped the LDP, which dropped 3 points to 33 PERCENT . The rate of public support for Prime Minister Taro Aso's cabinet dropped 2 points to 30 PERCENT . The nonsupport rate rose 3 points to 62 PERCENT . In the poll, respondents were also asked who they thought would be more appropriate for prime minister after the next House of Representatives election. In response to this question, 16 PERCENT chose Aso, with 29 PERCENT preferring Hatoyama. "Neither" accounted for 52 PERCENT . The survey was taken by Nikkei Research Inc. by 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 1,395 households with one or more eligible voters were sampled, and answers were obtained from 880 persons (63.1 PERCENT ). When the poll was conducted, little was known about how Hatoyama would treat his predecessor, Ichiro Ozawa, and Katsuya Okada, who also ran in the DPJ race. 13) Poll: Hatoyama leads Aso by 11 points as one most suitable for premiership; But 50 PERCENT have no expectations of Hatoyama TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 1) (Full) May 18, 2009 In a nationwide telephone survey that Kyodo News Agency carried out on May 16-17, following the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) presidential election, newly-elected President Yukio Hatoyama secured 43.6 PERCENT of the support of respondents as being more appropriate for the premiership, topping by 11.6 points the 32 PERCENT level secured by Prime Minister Taro Aso. In the survey conducted in late April, Aso had the lead over then DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa by 13.7 points. The outcome of the latest poll reflects the effect of replacing the president. The number of respondents who had expectations of Hatoyama, combining those who had great expectations and those who had a certain amount of expectations, stood at 47.5 PERCENT , less than the 50.6 PERCENT who had no expectations of him. The portion of respondents who thought Ozawa's influence over the DPJ would either "remain to some extent" or "still be considerable," reached 82.4 TOKYO 00001109 009 OF 013 PERCENT . This figure indicates a deep-rooted suspicion that the DPJ would have a dual-power structure. The support rate for the Aso cabinet stood at 26.2 PERCENT , down 1.8 points from the previous survey carried out on the 11th and 12th. The non-support rate reached 60.2 PERCENT , up 5.1 PERCENT . Asked whether the replacement of the president would work favorably for the DPJ or not, 49 PERCENT replied, "There will be no change," followed by 31.9 PERCENT , who replied, "It will work favorably," and 16.2 PERCENT , who said, "It will work negatively." Asked which party they would vote for in the election, 37.3 PERCENT said that they would back the DPJ, while 25.8 PERCENT said that they would vote for the LDP. The DPJ also secured the support of 30 PERCENT of respondents as a party they support, topping the LDP, which was supported by 25.2 PERCENT . 14) MAINICHI Poll: 56 PERCENT hope to see DPJ win Lower House election; 34 PERCENT see Hatoyama as suitable for premiership, topping 21 PERCENT who chose Aso MAINICHI (Page 1) (Full) May 18, 2009 Mainichi Shimbun on May 16-17 conducted a nationwide poll following the election of Yukio Hatoyama as president of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on the 16th. The poll asked respondents if they think incumbent Prime Minister Taro Aso or Hatoyama would be more appropriate to serve as the next prime minister. Hatoyama secured the support of 34 PERCENT , topping 21 PERCENT who chose Aso. To the question of which party pollees want to see win the election, 56 PERCENT chose the DPJ, up 11 points from the previous poll conducted on May 12-13 before the presidential election, reaching nearly double the number of pollees who chose the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). It seems as if the DPJ has restored the image of the party, which was tarnished by the arrest of former President Ichiro Ozawa, through the resignation of Ozawa and the presidential election. When Mainichi Shimbun asked in April whether Prime Minister Aso or Ozawa is more suitable for the premiership, 21 PERCENT selected Aso and 12 PERCENT selected Ozawa. In the February survey conducted before the arrest of the secretary, Ozawa secured support from 25 PERCENT of respondents, outnumbering Aso, who secured 8 PERCENT . The number of respondents who supported Hatoyama - 34 PERCENT -- in the poll this time topped those who supported Ozawa in that poll. However, 42 PERCENT , the largest ratio of respondents, replied, "Neither of them is appropriate." To a question about which party respondents want to see win - the LDP or the DPJ - the percentage of those who supported the DPJ exceeded 51 PERCENT in the February poll. Respondents who supported the DPJ reached 30 PERCENT (24 PERCENT in the previous survey),surpassing 23 PERCENT (27 PERCENT in the previous survey),who supported the LDP. The support rate for the DPJ recovered to almost the same level as the February survey, which logged 29 PERCENT . The ratio of pollees without any party affiliation stood at 37 PERCENT . Cabinet support rating drops to 24 PERCENT after hiatus of three months TOKYO 00001109 010 OF 013 The support rating for the Aso cabinet stood at 24 PERCENT , down 3 points from the previous survey. After hitting 11 PERCENT in the February survey, cabinet support ratings had been on the rise since the March survey, carried out after the arrest of Ozawa's secretary. However, the rating has taken a downward turn for the first time in three months. The non-support rating reached 58 PERCENT , up six points from the previous survey. 15) Poll: Aso cabinet's support rate inches up to 26.3 PERCENT TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) May 16, 2009 The public approval rating for Prime Minister Taro Aso and his cabinet increased 1.1 points from last month to 26.3 PERCENT , according to an opinion poll conducted by Jiji Press on May 8-11. The disapproval rating decreased 1.8 points to 52.0 PERCENT . The survey was conducted across the nation on a face-to-face basis with a total of 2,000 persons chosen from among men and women aged 20 and over. The response rate was 67.8 PERCENT . In the popularity ranking of political parties for proportional representation in the forthcoming election for the House of Representatives, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party tallied 25.2 PERCENT , down 3.7 points from last month, and the leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto) was at 28.9 PERCENT , up 0.3 points. The DPJ outstripped the LDP again. In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the LDP stood at 19.9 PERCENT , down 1.5 points from last month, and the DPJ at 14.2 PERCENT , up 0.2 points. The New Komeito, the LDP's coalition partner, was at 3.3 PERCENT . The Japanese Communist Party was at 1.7 PERCENT and the Social Democratic Party at 0.4 PERCENT . "None" accounted for 58.5 PERCENT . 16) Defense Ministry report concludes that North Korean missile flew over 3,000 km; Government highly alarmed at the missile's improved performance NIKKEI (Page 5) (Excerpts) May 16, 2009 The release of the Defense Ministry's report pointing out progress in North Korea's long-range ballistic missile technology has set off alarms in the government and the ruling parties. With the progress likely to result in an increased performance of the Rodong mid-range ballistic missile, which has all of Japan in its range, it is likely to have an impact on the security of Japan, as well. Calls for reinforcing a missile defense (MD) system are expected to grow stronger. Calls for enhanced MD system in ruling bloc "(North Korea) has succeeded in prolonging the range (of its long-range ballistic missile). It is critical that (the missile's) performance has been increased," Assistant Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kyoji Yanagisawa said on April 15. Rodong a greater threat TOKYO 00001109 011 OF 013 Denying North Korea's claim that it launched a satellite on April 5, the report says that either a Taepodong-2 long-range missile or its improved version dropped its boosters into two oceanic areas, as was reported in advance, after flying over 3,000 km. A Taepodong-1 missile launched in 1998 flew about 1,600 km. A Taepodong-2 missile, fired in 2006 to extend its range, fell into waters immediately after its launch. The missile launched on April 5 clearly made progress. Former director-general Ryojiro Akiba of the Education and Science Ministry's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science assessed the launch this way: "The ability to put a missile into orbit and control its position has reached a certain level. Its technology is magnificent (rippa)." National Institute for Defense Studies former director Minoru Shibata expressed concern, saying, "The latest test is of great significance in that it would eventually increase the accuracy rate of the Rodong missile." 17) Even GSDF ordered to be dispatched for "maritime security mission"; stretching legal interpretation without Diet involvement TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) May 16, 2009 Koki Miura Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada issued an order on May 15 for two Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) P-3C reconnaissance planes to proceed to Djibouti, the operational base for pirate surveillance, under the anti-piracy measures for the Gulf of Aden off Somalia. Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) troops will also be deployed to guard the reconnaissance planes. By stretching the legal interpretation of "maritime security mission" under the SDF Law, GSDF troops will be sent overseas without being checked by the Diet. Some 50 GSDF officers armed with pistols and rifles will be sent on this mission. GSDF troops had not been deployed when Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) aircraft were engaged in air transport operations for Iraq reconstruction aid in Kuwait, but the Ministry of Defense (MOD) says that, "Since civilian airports will be used this time, we need our own security measures." However, the legal basis for this is ambiguous. When the GSDF was sent overseas in the past for Japan's participation in UN peacekeeping operations (PKO) in 1992 and for the Iraq mission in 2004, the laws constituting the legal basis of the dispatch were debated in the Diet and such deployment had required the approval of and reporting to the Diet. On the other hand, the basis for the current mission is the provision on maritime security mission under the SDF Law. This provision is originally meant for missions in sea areas close to Japan and does not require Diet approval and reporting. When this legal provision on maritime security missions was used as the basis for sending escort ships to waters off Somalia recently, there was criticism that this was a case of stretching the legal interpretation. Now, this provision is being applied to the GSDF dispatch. Although the SDF Law authorizes only "(providing assistance to) missions at sea," the MOD is twisting this to TOKYO 00001109 012 OF 013 "providing assistance to maritime missions." The loophole in civilian control is widening steadily. 18) Proof of "secret agreement" on waiver of legal jurisdiction: Over 80 PERCENT of USFJ offenders not indicted from 2001-2008 AKAHATA (Top play) (Full) May 16, 2009 Ministry of Justice (MOJ) documents show that of the 3,829 members of U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) and others who committed crimes off duty from 2001-2008, 3,184, or about 83 PERCENT , were not indicted. This information was obtained by the Nihon Heiwa Iinkai (NHI; Japan Peace Committee).from the MOJ through information disclosure procedures and was revealed at a gathering held in the Diet on May 15. NHI obtains documents The Japanese government reached a "secret agreement" with the United States in October 1953 that except for "extremely serious cases," Japan would waive its right to primary jurisdiction over crimes committed by USFJ members, civilian employees, and their dependents. The MOJ documents show that this "secret agreement" still restrains Japanese judicial authorities and that crimes committed by U.S. soldiers and others are being left unpunished. According to calculations made by the NHI based on MOJ documents, while the prosecution rate for murder, robbery and other unmistakable vicious crimes is at the 70 PERCENT level, offenses such as obstruction of the performance of official duties, fraud, and embezzlement have not been prosecuted at all. Furthermore, while the prosecution rate for indecent assault and rape (including those resulting in death or injury) in Japan during the period in question is about 59 PERCENT , the figures are only about 11 PERCENT for indecent assault and about 26 PERCENT for rape among USFJ offenders. In addition, prosecution rates for theft, about 7 PERCENT , and trespassing, about 18 PERCENT , are also low. Although the Japanese government claims that "indictment decisions are made in the same manner for Japanese citizens and U.S. soldiers," prosecutors' statistics of the MOJ (2001-2008) show that while there is zero indictment of USFJ-related personnel, the prosecution rate for Japanese offenders is about 65 PERCENT for obstruction of the performance of official duties, about 76 PERCENT for fraud, and about 58 PERCENT for indecent assault (sic). Outcome of criminal cases by U.S. soldiers, others Year No. of persons prosecuted No. of persons not prosecuted Non-prosecution rate ( PERCENT ) 2001 53 317 85.6 2002 76 414 84.4 2003 99 472 82.6 2004 116 473 80.3 2005 77 448 85.3 2006 132 339 71.9 2007 53 349 86.8 2008 39 372 90.5 Total 645 3,184 83.1 TOKYO 00001109 013 OF 013 Statistics compiled by NHI based on MOJ documents ZUMWALT