DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 05/20/09

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 16 TOKYO 001151

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 05/20/09

INDEX:

INDEX:

(1) Roos named U.S. ambassador to Japan; displayed skills in aiding
IT business startups; no diplomatic experience (Nikkei)

(2) U.S. government replies to Shii's letter (Akahata)

(3) Spot poll on Aso cabinet, political parties, DPJ election
(Yomiuri)

(4) Spot poll on Aso cabinet, political parties, DPJ's Ozawa (Asahi)


(5) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties (Nikkei)

(6) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties (Mainichi)

(7) Which will voters choose, Aso or Hatoyama? Key lies in to what
extent Hatoyama can control bureaucracy and how Aso can eliminate
discord in policymaking (Tokyo Shimbun)

(8) Interview with Yasunori Sone, professor at Keio University,
about prospects and tasks for Hatoyama-led DPJ: Party is required to
present consistent policy goal (Tokyo Shimbun)

(9) "Seiron" column: "Concerns about the DPJ's foreign and security
policies" (Sankei)

(10) DPJ elated with "best" new leadership; Can Hatoyama demonstrate
his policy imprint? Some factors could destroy harmony (Tokyo
Shimbun)

(Corrected copy): Senior U.S. official agrees to consider
President's visit to Hiroshima in response to Shizuka Kamei's
request, calling it "very interesting" (Jiji)

ARTICLES:

(1) Roos named U.S. ambassador to Japan; displayed skills in aiding
IT business startups; no diplomatic experience

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
Evening, May 20, 2009

Hiroshi Marutani, Washington

The decisive factor in the selection of the U.S. Obama
administration's ambassador to Japan was "economic expertise."
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had wanted to appoint the
prominent international relations scholar, Professor Joseph Nye of
Harvard University. However, President Barack Obama, whose top
priority is economic recovery, gave more importance to an economic
background in this ambassadorial appointment.

Google, others among his customers

Ambassador-designate John Roos grew up in San Francisco, California.
He went to college and law school at Stanford University.

He is currently the CEO of the major law firm Wilson Sonsini

TOKYO 00001151 002 OF 016


Goodrich & Rosati in Silicon Valley, where many IT businesses are
located. He has been involved not only with corporate legal affairs
and governance, but also with assisting startups and venture
capital. He is more like a business consultant. Google and Apple are
among his customers, and he has been instrumental for the IT boom
behind the scenes.

While he has not been involved with Japan directly, over 50 Japanese
companies have contracts with his law firm. He is said to be
well-versed in business practices in Japan and the U.S. and other
matters.

Obama has appointed Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who runs a business
that has plants in China, as the new ambassador to the PRC. A U.S.
government source said that "the basis for appointing the ambassador
to Japan was the same."

Meanwhile, since supporting former vice president Walter Mondale in
the 1984 U.S. presidential election, Roos has also displayed his
talents as a fund raiser for the Democratic Party. One aspect of
this appointment is a "reward" for his services.

However, Roos has no experience in public administration and
diplomacy. It is uncertain whether he will be able to skillfully
steer Japan-U.S. relations - often ruffled by such issues as how to
deal with North Korea.

Japanese government surprised by "unexpected appointment"

According to a source connected to Japan-U.S. relations,
ambassador-designate John Roos is a well known figure among lawyers
dealing in corporate law in California. He has been actively
involved with supporting Democratic candidates in previous
presidential elections. However, his diplomatic capability is an
unknown factor, and the Japanese government is surprised by this
appointment. A senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs official says: "He
is not on the list of expected appointees." During a news conference
on the morning of May 20, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura
said: "We exchange various information with the U.S. government that
is not limited to the appointment of the ambassador to Japan. We do
not reveal the details of diplomatic exchanges."

(2) U.S. government replies to Shii's letter

AKAHATA (Top Play) (Full)
May 20, 2009

Japan Communist Party (JCP) Chairman Kazuo Shii on May 19 held a
press conference in the Diet building to announce that he had
received a letter from the U.S. government replying to one that he
sent to President Obama in late April. In his letter, he urged
President Obama to take the initiative in eliminating all nuclear
weapons. The statement that Shii gave at the outset of the press
conference is as follows.

Reflects serious stance and eagerness

I sent a letter to U.S. President Obama on April 28, asking for his
leadership in abolishing nuclear weapons. As I received a reply to
that letter recently, I would like to make it public. The letter was
written by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East
Asian and Pacific Affairs Glyn T. Davies on behalf of the

TOKYO 00001151 003 OF 016


President.

I would like to distribute copies of the letter written in English,
and the Japanese translation we prepared. I would like to withhold
the segment that carries the signature of Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State Davies in order to protect personal information.

The President made a proposal in Prague for pursuing a nuclear-free
world. My letter to the President, written from the perspective of
welcoming his proposal, expressed my thinking about how we can work
effectively to make the President's proposal come true.

The letter I received in reply expressed appreciation to me for my
impression of the President's speech delivered in Prague and for
conveying my ideas on how we can best realize a world free of
nuclear weapons. The letter praised my letter, noting, "We
appreciate your passion for this issue." It ends with the line, "I
once again thank you for your thoughtful letter."

The fact that such a letter was officially sent to me indicates that
President Obama has a sincere and enthusiastic attitude toward
eliminating all nuclear weapons, and I welcome that.

Public opinion and movements will decide trends

I made two requests in my letter: (1) starting international talks
on the issue of abolishing nuclear weapons; and (2) nuclear powers
unequivocally committing themselves to achieving the complete
abolition of their nuclear weapons at the 2010 Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. I would like to
closely watch how President Obama will make a specific response to
those proposals with anticipation.

In this regard, President Obama's sending a message to the
preparatory committee for the NPT Review Conference, underscoring
his stance of pursuing peace and safety, namely a world free of
nuclear weapons, and noting that the U.S. will fulfill an NPT
commitment, is a forward-looking step, the first to move away from
the stance of the former Bush administration, which rejected making
a pledge as a nuclear power. I am carefully watching President
Obama's next move.

Only public opinion and movements in the world will decide the fate
of the nuclear weapons issue. In the run-up to the NPT Review
Conference next year, there is an international signature-collecting
drive seeking the immediate start on talks for a treaty to ban and
scrap nuclear weapons, which the World Conference against Atomic and
Hydrogen Bombs called for last year. It is decisively important that
grass-roots opinion and movements aiming to abolish nuclear weapons,
starting with that signature-collecting drive, will spread
throughout the world, in particular, in Japan, the only country on
which nuclear weapons have been used. Our party is determined to do
its utmost to achieve that end.

(3) Spot poll on Aso cabinet, political parties, DPJ election

YOMIURI (Page 6) (Full)
May 18, 2009

Questions & Answers
(Figures shown in percentage)


TOKYO 00001151 004 OF 016


Q: Do you support the Aso cabinet?

Yes 30.0
No 60.4
Other answers (O/A) 1.1
No answer (N/A) 8.5

Q: Which political party do you support now? Pick only one.

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 28.4
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 30.8
New Komeito (NK) 3.8
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 2.1
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1.1
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) ---
Reform Club (RC or Kaikaku Kurabu) ---
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0.1
Other political parties ---
None 30.6
N/A 3.4

Q: Mr. Yukio Hatoyama has been elected as the new DPJ president. Do
you have any expectations for DPJ President Hatoyama?

Yes 39.5
No 52.7
N/A 7.8


Q: When comparing Prime Minister Aso and DPJ President Hatoyama, who
do you think is more appropriate to be prime minister?

Prime Minister Aso 31.8
DPJ President Hatoyama 41.9
N/A 26.2

Q: What's your impression of the DPJ with its leadership change to
Mr. Hatoyama?

Improved 21.8
Worsened 7.5
Unchanged 67.4
N/A 3.4

Q: DPJ President Hatoyama says there's no need to discuss raising
the consumption tax for at least four years. Do you appreciate
this?

Yes 40.8
No 47.2
N/A 12.1

Q: Do you think the DPJ will be able to take the reins of government
in the next election for the House of Representatives?

Yes 30.9
No 55.1
N/A 13.9

Q: Which one, DPJ President Hatoyama or Mr. Katsuya Okada, did you
think was appropriate to become the DPJ's new leader?


TOKYO 00001151 005 OF 016


DPJ President Hatoyama 28.4
Katsuya Okada 53.5
N/A 18.1


Q: Former DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa has resigned from his party
post to take responsibility for his state-funded secretary's
indictment for allegedly receiving illicit donations. Do you think
his resignation was necessary?

Yes 76.0
No 20.2
N/A 3.8

Q: Do you think former DPJ President Ozawa will continue to have a
strong influence within the DPJ?

Yes 80.7
No 13.2
N/A 6.1

Q: Do you think the House of Representatives should be dissolved for
a general election right away, or do you think there's no need to
hurry?

Right away 36.9
No need to hurry 54.0
N/A 9.1

Q: If an election were to be held now for the House of
Representatives, which political party would you like to vote for in
your proportional representation bloc?

LDP 27.4
DPJ 40.9
NK 3.8
JCP 2.4
SDP 1.2
PNP 0.4
RC ---
NPN 0.2
Other political parties ---
Undecided 18.1
N/A 5.6


Q: What form of government would you like to see after the next
election for the House of Representatives?

LDP-led coalition government 16.0
DPJ-led coalition government 23.5
LDP-DPJ grand coalition government 23.9
Government under new framework after political realignment 31.5
O/A ---
N/A 5.1

Polling methodology: The survey was conducted from the evening of
May 16 through May 17 across the nation on a computer-aided random
digit dialing (RDD) basis. Households with one or more eligible
voters totaled 1,736. Valid answers were obtained from 1,059 persons
(61.0 PERCENT ).


TOKYO 00001151 006 OF 016


(Note) In some cases, the total percentage does not add up to 100
PERCENT due to rounding.

(4) Spot poll on Aso cabinet, political parties, DPJ's Ozawa

ASAHI (Page 2) (Full)
May 18, 2009

Questions & Answers
(Figures shown in percentage, rounded off. Bracketed figures denote
proportions to all respondents. Figures in parentheses denote the
results of the last survey conducted April 18-19.)

Q: Do you support the Aso cabinet?

Yes 27 (26)
No 56 (57)


Q: Why? (One reason only. Left column for those marking "yes" on
previous question, and right for those marking "no.")

The prime minister is Mr. Aso 14(4) 7(4)
It's an LDP-led cabinet 40(11) 24(14)
Political aspects 28(7) 53(30)
Cabinet lineup 10(3) 12(7)

Q: Which political party do you support now?

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 25 (25)
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 26 (21)
New Komeito (NK) 4 (4)
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 3 (2)
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1 (1)
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0 (0)
Reform Club (RC or Kaikaku Kurabu) 0 (0)
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0 (0)
Other political parties 0 (0)
None 33 (40)
No answer (N/A) + don't know (D/K) 8 (7)

Q: If you were to vote now in a general election for the House of
Representatives, which political party would you vote for in your
proportional representation bloc?

LDP 25 (27)
DPJ 38 (32)
NK 5 (4)
JCP 3 (3)
SDP 2 (2)
PNP 0 (0)
RC 0 (0)
NPN 0 (0)
Other political parties 1 (1)
N/A+D/K 26 (31)

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 28 (29)
DPJ-led coalition 45 (41)

TOKYO 00001151 007 OF 016



Q: What do you think about Prime Minister Aso's job performance?

Beyond expectations 3
Up to expectations 17
Short of expectations 26
No expectations from the start 50

Q: Do you have expectations for Prime Minister Aso's economic
stimulus measures?

Yes 31
No 64

Q: DPJ President Ozawa has resigned from his party post. Do you
think it was good?

Yes 68
No 17

Q: Mr. Ozawa took the position that his decision to resign as DPJ
president is for his party's unity, saying he has nothing to be
ashamed of. Is this account for his resignation convincing?

Yes 14
No 78

Q: Mr. Yukio Hatoyama has become the DPJ's new president. Do you
have expectations for the DPJ led by him?

Yes 47
No 43


Q: The DPJ president has now changed from Mr. Ozawa to Mr. Hatoyama.
What's your impression of the DPJ now?

Better than before 16
Worse than before 6
Unchanged 75

Q: Who do you think is more appropriate for prime minister, Prime
Minister Aso or DPJ President Hatoyama?

Mr. Aso 29
Mr. Hatoyama 40

Polling methodology: The survey was conducted from the evening of
May 16 through the evening of May 17 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. Households with one or more eligible voters
totaled 1,897. Valid answers were obtained from 1,123 persons (59
PERCENT ).

(5) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
May 18, 2009

Questions & Answers
(Figures shown in percentage. Parentheses denote findings from the

TOKYO 00001151 008 OF 016


last survey conducted in March.)

Q: Do you support the Aso cabinet?

Yes 30 (32)
No 62 (59)
Can't say (C/S) + don't know (D/K) 8 (9)


Q: Which political party do you support or like?

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 33 (36)
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 38 (28)
New Komeito (NK) 4 (3)
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 3 (4)
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1 (2)
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0 (0)
Reform Club (RC or Kaikaku Kurabu) 0 (0)
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0 (0)
Other political parties 0 (1)
None 16 (19)
C/S+D/K 4 (7)

(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. 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 ).

(6) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties

MAINICHI (Page 4) (Full)
May 18, 2009

Questions & Answers
(T = total; P = previous; M = male; F = female)

Q: Do you support the Aso cabinet?

T P M F
Yes 24 (27) 26 22
No 58 (52) 58 58
Not interested 18 (20) 16 20

Q: (Only for those who answered "yes" to the above question) Why?

T P M F
Because the prime minister is from the Liberal Democratic Party 35
(34) 35 35
Because something can be expected of the prime minister's leadership
8 (10) 7 9
Because there's something familiar about the prime minister 21 (22)
23 19
Because something can be expected of the prime minister's policy
measures 29 (30) 32 26

Q: (Only for those who answered "no" to the above question) Why?


TOKYO 00001151 009 OF 016


T P M F
Because the prime minister is from the Liberal Democratic Party 9
(8) 12 5
Because nothing can be expected of the prime minister's leadership
26 (28) 21 32
Because there's something imprudent about the prime minister 19 (21)
19 18
Because nothing can be expected of the prime minister's policy
measures 45 (42) 45 45

Q: Which political party do you support?

T P M F
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 23 (27) 27 19
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 30 (24) 36 24
New Komeito (NK) 3 (6) 2 3
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 3 (3) 3 4
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1 (1) 1 1
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0 (0) 0 --
Reform Club (RC or Kaikaku Kurabu) -- (0) -- --
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0 (0) 0 --
Other political parties 2 (2) 1 3
None 37 (36) 29 45

Q: The DPJ has now elected Yukio Hatoyama as its new leader. Do you
have expectations for him?

T P M F
Yes 49 52 46
No 49 47 51

Q: DPJ President Ozawa has resigned from his party post, and Mr.
Hatoyama has now become the DPJ's new leader. What's your rating of
the DPJ?

T P M F
Up 17 18 17
Down 13 16 10
Unchanged 68 65 71

Q: Who do you think is more appropriate for prime minister, Prime
Minister Aso or DPJ President Hatoyama?

T P M F
Prime Minister Aso 21 25 17
DPJ President Hatoyama 34 36 31

Q: The House of Representatives' current membership is due to end in
September. Do you think the House of Representatives should be
dissolved for a general election at an early date?

T P M F
Yes 48 51 46
No 49 47 50

Q: Which party, the LDP or the DPJ, would you like to see win in the
next election for the House of Representatives?

T P M F
LDP 29 (34) 30 27
DPJ 56 (45) 61 51
Other political parties 11 (17) 6 16

TOKYO 00001151 010 OF 016



(Note) Figures shown in percentage, rounded off. "0" indicates that
the figure was below 0.5 PERCENT . "--" denotes that no respondents
answered. "No answer" omitted. Figures in parentheses denote the
results of the last survey conducted May 12-13.

Polling methodology: The survey was conducted May 16-17 over the
telephone across the nation on a computer-aided random digit
sampling (RDS) basis. A total of 1,607 households with one or more
eligible voters were sampled. Answers were obtained from 1,003
persons (63 PERCENT ).

(7) Which will voters choose, Aso or Hatoyama? Key lies in to what
extent Hatoyama can control bureaucracy and how Aso can eliminate
discord in policymaking

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full)
May 20, 2009

Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Yukio Hatoyama appointed
Ichiro Ozawa, Naoto Kan, and Azuma Koshiishi as deputy presidents
and Katsuya Okada as secretary general in his new leadership. Such
aides as Hirofumi Hirano, Sakihito Ozawa, and Yorihisa Matsuno will
support the leadership.

Critics point out a lack of unity in the DPJ, but the new party
leader managed at least ostensibly to establish an all-party setup,
backed by awareness of the need to seal off internal discord in the
run-up to the next House of Representatives election in addition to
the personality of Hatoyama, who has few enemies.

Hatoyama said in a joint plenary meeting of party members of both
Houses of the Diet yesterday: "I am determined to score a victory in
the Lower House election and make efforts to jointly build a new
Japan with you." The question is what vision he has about a DPJ
government that will build a new Japan.

When Ozawa was president, secretary general Hatoyama conducted a
study on the details of a DPJ administration. Because Ozawa was
taking the stance of giving priority to winning elections, the study
was not conducted officially. Even so, the study group has already
decided to: (1) Include more than 100 politicians in the cabinet;
and (2) abolish department meetings of the Policy Research Council
and make policies in the cabinet.

When these policies were adopted, discussants envisioned an Ozawa
administration. The task of implementing these policy measures has
been shifted to Hatoyama himself.

Hatoyama has repeatedly said: "We will bring about a form of
politics that puts people first, to replace the Liberal Democratic
Party's politics that focus on the bureaucracy." The guidelines
worked out for an administration of the Ozawa-led DPJ also called
for smashing bureaucrat-let politics and creating politician-led
politics. The party plans to shortly launch a regime transition team
on the premise of the party winning the Lower House election.

The DPJ was cynically dubbed as "a think-tank political party"
because many members are well-versed in policy matters but cannot
make proper judgments on the political situation. The party is
preparing for a leadership struggle with the bureaucracy in
Kasumigaseki (the government office area),the largest think tank in

TOKYO 00001151 011 OF 016


Japan. Hatoyama is not an aggressive type of politician and has
never been placed in any cabinet post. Attention is being paid to
what extent this leader can control bureaucrats.

The LDP has long assumed political power. It has maintained the
policymaking process in which the party examines bureaucrat-drafted
bills and then enacts them without any change after checking and
approving them.

This system, though, has not functioned properly in recent times. In
some cases, senior LDP members oppose a policy set forth by Prime
Minister Taro Aso. There are also many cases in which discords over
a certain policies comes to surface.

Aso leads a faction with only 20 members. Given this, his political
ground is weak. It is not easy for him to control cabinet members or
even ruling party members.

He can rely only on these three aides: Former finance minister
Shoichi Nakagawa, State Minister in Charge of Administrative Reform
Akira Amari, and Election Strategy Council Vice Chairman Yoshihide
Suga. The group of the four lawmakers, including Aso, is called
"NASA." A number of decisions have been made under the framework of
NASA since the Aso administration was launched last September.

NASA is expected to take the lead in mapping out a strategy for the
Lower House election. A cause of concern is that out of the three,
only Suga holds an important post.

(8) Interview with Yasunori Sone, professor at Keio University,
about prospects and tasks for Hatoyama-led DPJ: Party is required to
present consistent policy goal

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full)
May 20, 2009

-- The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) will start preparations for
the next House of Representatives election. What do you think the
party should give priority to?

The DPJ has proposed measures to provide farmers with income
subsidies and to support child-rearing parents. But Hatoyama has not
presented any consistent policy goal. Even if the DPJ stresses the
need to avoid wasteful spending, it has not explained what it
considers to be wasteful.

-- In the Lower House election campaign, economic policies are
expected to take center stage.

The economic policies worked out so far are intended for those
applicable for peacetime. Since the outbreak of the ongoing
financial crisis last year, a manifesto designed to deal with a
crisis has become necessary. Calls for fiscal disbursements are
growing across the world, but there are wise and silly ways of
spending. It is necessary to show a wise, effective way of spending.


-- Where do you think will be different between a Hatoyama policy
manifesto and Ozawa's?

Mr. Ozawa took such (irresponsible) views as: "It would be enough to
present three policies;" and "if the party presents this policy

TOKYO 00001151 012 OF 016


measure, we will be able to get votes." But Mr. Hatoyama is expected
to address policies more seriously.

-- Hatoyama, though, seems to have no intention to significantly
change the party's conventional policies.

Even if the same materials are used, if the order of priorities is
changed, the taste will change; the question is whether the new
president starts with a hors d'oeuvre or a main dish. The party
head's character must be reflected in its policy stance.

-- Hatoyama has set forth "fellowship" as his political principle
and reportedly intends to put the slogan on the cover of the policy
manifesto.

I think this principle stems from the French Revolution's slogan:
"Freedom, equality, and fellowship." Its details, though, have yet
to be discussed. Like former prime minister Shinzo Abe's concept of
"a beautiful country, Japan," it sounds nice, but if asked about its
contents, Hatoyama probably will be embarrassed. That is why I
expect the media to continue to ask him about what policy he intends
to take to turn the slogan "fellowship" into action, so that
specifics will be included in the party's policy manifesto.

(9) "Seiron" column: "Concerns about the DPJ's foreign and security
policies"

SANKEI (Page 7) (Full)
May 20, 2009

Satoshi Morimoto, professor at Takushoku University Graduate School

Qualitative change in U.S. status and role

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has just come under the
leadership of Yukio Hatoyama, and according to opinion polls, it is
already more popular than the ruling camp. This has great
significance for domestic politics when one thinks about the general
election fast approaching. I hope that this will represent an
opportunity to introduce a breath of fresh air into politics.

I was unimpressed, though, by the DPJ's debate on foreign and
security policy issues during the presidential campaign. For sure,
it is understandable that the party paid more attention to avoiding
giving the impression of internal divisions, since this was an
election to pick a president who would lead the fight in the general
election in light of Ichiro Ozawa's resignation. Yet, is it right
that the president of the main opposition party, who may possibly
become the next prime minister, is elected without spelling out a
clear vision on the basic national policies on foreign affairs and
security? What is his thinking about the Japan-U.S. alliance and how
he would deal with China and Russia, for example?

The world is in turmoil today. Many countries are struggling to
extricate themselves from the financial crisis. The upheavals in the
Middle East and South Asia are serious, and there is a possibility
that terrorists groups may acquire and use nuclear weapons. North
Korea's is developing nuclear arms and missiles, and depending on
how the United States responds, it will probably go ahead with
another nuclear test. China and Russia are each engaged in an
unbridled military buildup. There has been a qualitative change in
the United States' status and role. President Barack Obama has

TOKYO 00001151 013 OF 016


proposed nuclear disarmament, but how to reconcile nuclear
deterrence with disarmament will be a tough task. Nuclear
proliferation, pirates, a new strain of influenza - all these are
difficult high-risk problems.

Specific policies based on national interest

In domestic politics, the Diet is in a serious state of impasse due
to the ruling and opposition camps each controlling a chamber of the
Diet. It has become difficult to enact crucial legislation, while
politicians and even bureaucrats busy themselves with maneuvering
among the parties. Even though there is global turbulence, Japanese
politics continues to move on without the public's involvement.

The Japanese people's involvement was absent from the recent DPJ
president election. It is impossible to see where Hatoyama's DPJ is
taking this country. The freeze on proposals for constitutional
revision will be lifted in May 2010. The DPJ's position on
constitutional revision is also unclear. The only thing that is more
or less known is that Hatoyama is positive about constitutional
revision, while Katsuya Okada is negative.

The DPJ's manifesto and policy index talk about such things as
"establishing an independent diplomacy," "a true alliance with
relations with the U.S. on an equal footing," "U.S. Forces Japan
(USFJ) realignment without the people's involvement," "revision of
the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement," and "developing an
independent foreign policy toward North Korea." Yet, the overall
picture of foreign policy cannot be discerned from these. The DPJ
has opposed in Diet deliberations the extension of the Special
Anti-Terrorism Measures Law, the deployment of the Maritime
Self-Defense Force (MSDF) for anti-piracy operations in waters off
Somalia, budget allocations for the relocation of U.S. Marines from
Okinawa to Guam, HNS (host nation support),and the construction of
the Futenma (replacement) facility.

If the DPJ takes over the reins of power, will it withdraw the
Self-Defense Forces (SDF) from the Indian Ocean and Somalia? Or will
it shelve what it has been saying in the Diet once it is in power?

Hatoyama, who has been criticized by some as "Ozawa's puppet,"
should spell out the impact of each policy stance on the credibility
of the Japan-U.S. alliance and the damage such would inflict on
Japan's national interest.

So far, Ozawa has been the guiding hand in the DPJ's policies. Ozawa
is now deputy president under Hatoyama, but in reality, he will
continue to have control in the DPJ.

China once reacted strongly to Ozawa's statements on nuclear
weapons. He opposed both the SDF's dispatch to Iraq and the MSDF's
mission in the Indian Ocean on grounds that they violate the
constitution, but claims that participation in the ISAF
(International Security Assistance Force) in Afghanistan is
constitutional because this is based on UN Security Council
(resolutions). He has made remarks to the effect that, "If Japan
plays its role in global strategy with the United States and takes
up more responsibilities born by the USFJ, it will not be necessary
to station active troops in Japan." "The Seventh Fleet will be
sufficient for the United States' presence in the Far East."

Questionable ability to govern

TOKYO 00001151 014 OF 016



Among the U.S. forces stationed in Japan, the Army and the Navy are
support forces, while the Marines and the Air Force are combat
troops. However, the Seventh Fleet is a combined force engaged in
maritime operations and is not part of the USFJ.

The Seventh Fleet operates across the West Pacific and is not in
waters near Japan all the time. However, it cannot conduct its
activities without support from the U.S. Navy and Marines in Japan.
The Seventh Fleet is inseparable from the USFJ. An extension of
Ozawa's thinking will be either withdrawing USFJ combats troops and
stationing only contingency units or Japan's rearmament to take on
the functions the USFJ is currently responsible for.

The proposal to station only contingency units underestimates the
deterrence the USFJ represents, so this move would only please China
and North Korea. On the other hand, if the U.S. forces are withdrawn
and Japan is to replace them, it will have to rearm. This will be
unacceptable not only to other Asian countries, but also to the U.S.
The Japan-U.S. alliance will be endangered. Most Japanese would not
favor either of these options.

One cannot afford any risks in security policy. Anything that would
result in a major rift in the Japan-U.S. alliance would be
detrimental to Japan's security. Hatoyama's DPJ should lay out for
the Japanese people what its foreign and security policies are, in
the event it takes over the administration. The people can then
judge whether the DPJ is truly capable to govern on this basis. The
party should not forget that this is being watched not only by
Japan's ally, but also by the international community.

(10) DPJ elated with "best" new leadership; Can Hatoyama demonstrate
his policy imprint? Some factors could destroy harmony

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged)
May 20, 2009

Yoichi Takeuchi

The new lineup of the leadership of the major opposition Democratic
Party of Japan (DPJ) was approved in a general meeting yesterday of
DPJ Diet members from both chambers. Given the public's favorable
reaction to the election of Yukio Hatoyama as party president, the
DPJ is visibly exited. But in reality, only the party's fagade has
been refurbished. If Hatoyama tries to demonstrate his policy
imprint with the next House of Representatives election in mind,
schisms and turmoil might occur in the party.

After the new lineup was approved at yesterday's general meeting,
Secretary General Katsuya Okada jokingly said: "Besides the
president, there are three heavyweight deputy presidents. I wonder
if I can support them."

The new leadership was approved by the DPJ lawmakers with huge
applause. The meeting ended in just 10 minutes without any
objections. It made a stark contrast to the May 12 general meeting
that became tangled over when to carry out the presidential
election. Coming out of the hall, all DPJ lawmakers described the
new leadership lineup as the best ever.

At an executive board meeting that followed, Hatoyama expressed his
eagerness to display leadership, saying, "I will devote myself to

TOKYO 00001151 015 OF 016


playing the role of a conductor who can turn your tunes into a
well-balanced harmony."

At the same time, the supreme leadership composed of three deputy
presidents -- Ichiro Ozawa, Naoto Kan, and Azuma Koshiishi - plus
Okada contains some factors that could destroy harmony.

Under the new system, Ozawa will be basically responsible for
practical affairs for the next Lower House election. At a Rengo
(Japanese Trade Union Confederation) meeting yesterday, Okada
emphatically said, "In order to support the president and the deputy
presidents, information-sharing is essential." There are already
concerns in the party that Hatoyama might be caught between Ozawa,
who has held a tight grip on information and funds, and Okada.

Work to formulate a manifesto for the next Lower House election is
not free from destabilizing factors, either. The DPJ produced its
manifesto last fall. The party is now trying to review the manifesto
based on the economic situation thereafter. It will not be easy to
incorporate in the manifesto anything distinct from Hatoyama's goal
of building a "fraternal society" and Okada's slogan "no policy
without funding."

What approach the party is going to take toward Diet deliberations
is another question. Under Ozawa, there were scenes in which the DPJ
did not hesitate to use strategies that were criticized by the
ruling bloc as boycotting or dragging out deliberations. Hatoyama
declared: "We will not use the strategy of disagreeing for the sake
of disagreeing. We will play the game fairly and squarely through
debate." What do DPJ lawmakers think of Hatoyama's approach, which
is somewhat softer than that of his predecessor, Ozawa? Attention
will be focused on what the DPJ does in the Upper House Budget
Committee deliberations that start today.

(Corrected copy): Senior U.S. official agrees to consider
President's visit to Hiroshima in response to Shizuka Kamei's
request, calling it "very interesting"

Jiji Com
10:44, May 14, 2009

Washington, Jiji Press, May 13

Shizuka Kamei, deputy leader of the People's New Party (PNP),held a
meeting with Gary Samore, coordinator for nonproliferation of
weapons of mass destruction of the National Security Council (NSC),
at the White House on May 13. He requested a visit by President
Barack Obama, who advocates a nuclear-free world, to the atomic
bombing site in Hiroshima when he visits Japan. Samore responded
with: "This is a very interesting proposal. We will consider it."

Kamei stressed that, "I greatly appreciate President Obama's
advocacy of a nuclear-free world. If the President makes his pledge
for efforts toward denuclearization before the monument at the
atomic bombing site as a representative of mankind, his appeal will
carry even more weight." He also pointed out that the impact will be
even greater if the President makes a speech at the peace memorial
ceremony held on August 6.

On relations with North Korea, Kamei asked that, "If the U.S. and
North Korea talk directly, the U.S. should not impose the results on
Japan ex post facto, but should hold close consultations with Japan

TOKYO 00001151 016 OF 016


simultaneously." Kamei also met principal deputy assistant of state
Glyn Davies and Democratic Congressman Sander Levin on the same
day.

ZUMWALT