TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - EU PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION AND

UNCLAS TOKYO 001296 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 - EU PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION AND IRANIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ¶1. LEAD STORIES: Wednesday morning's Sankei gave top play to the finding by intelligence authorities that DPRK leader Kim Jong Il's third son Jong Un has been given a post within the country's National Defense Commission, which is defined by the Constitution as "the highest guiding organ of the military and the managing organ of military affairs." ¶2. "Concern about Setback in Unification Efforts" On the recent European Union parliamentary elections, in which voter turnout recorded a historic low, the liberal Tokyo Shimbun editorialized (6/10): "[The low turnout] shows the state of the voters' perception of themselves as 'European citizens.' The election outcome also dealt a severe blow to the promotion of further unification.... The role of the EU is significant, as it is undertaking the future-oriented task of achieving regional unification based on the principle of anti-war sentiment in the face of the repeated emergence of global challenges that cannot be dealt with by a single state.... Major EU member states and Sweden, which will assume the chairmanship next month, must regard the election results as a serious warning [of stalled unification] and demonstrate their accountability and leadership to European citizens." ¶3. "Voters to Evaluate Hard-line Foreign Policy" On the upcoming Iranian presidential race, in which incumbent President Ahmadinejad is expected to clash head-on with former Prime Minister Mousavi, a correspondent for the top-circulation, moderate Yomiuri wrote from Tehran (6/10): "While a prevailing view holds that there is not much difference between the policies of the two leading candidates on the issues of nuclear development and relations with the U.S., expectations are high that a victory by Mousavi will help turn around Iran's tense relations with the international community overnight. Given that the conservative and reformist blocs have been vying for a greater say for over 10 years with the former calling for the 'maintenance of Islamic values' and the latter arguing for 'freedom from oppression,' the upcoming election will be the final round between the two rival camps. Iran is at a critical crossroads that will determine the fate of the Iranian Revolution." ZUMWALT