TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - OBAMA DIPLOMACY, GLOBAL

UNCLAS TOKYO 000162 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 - OBAMA DIPLOMACY, GLOBAL WARMING, IRAN, AND CHINA'S DEFENSE WHITE PAPER" ¶1. LEAD STORIES: Top stories on Monday morning included the results of Sunday's gubernatorial election in Yamagata Prefecture, in which the opposition-backed candidate defeated the LDP-endorsed incumbent. ¶2. "'Fairness' Needed to Remove Distrust in U.S. Foreign Policy" The liberal Mainichi editorialized (1/26): "Hatred of the U.S. and Israel has mounted in the Middle East due to the former Bush administration's foreign policy, with even the 'pro-U.S.' Afghan President Karzai, referring to a series of off-target bombings by the U.S. in his country, reportedly saying: 'I would like to shoot down U.S. military planes.' In order to dispel regional distrust in the U.S., it will be necessary for the Obama administration to take a diplomatic posture that is deemed fair to the Islamic world." ¶3. "Is 'Green New Deal' Useful to Overcome Economic Crisis?" The top-circulation, moderate Yomiuri insisted (1/26): "The 'Green New Deal' initiative proposed by President Obama has offered a new approach in coping with global warming. It is meant to produce millions of jobs by expanding domestic demand through accelerated investment in the environment and energy sectors. The President is set to use the environment policy as a tool to overcome the economic crisis. There is no question that the fate of this initiative will determine the success in global efforts to address climate change." ¶4. "Direct Dialogue Necessary to End Stalemate" The liberal Asahi argued (1/26): "While calling Iran a threat to the world, President Obama has insisted that he will put an end to this threat by using every diplomatic vehicle available, including direct dialogue.... The new U.S. administration should swiftly embark on dialogue with Iran in order to come up with conditions under which Tehran will halt uranium enrichment. At the same time, America is also called upon to renew efforts to reconstruct international coordination with China, Russia, and others so as to stop Iran's nuclear development." ¶4. "Continued Opacity in Military Spending" On this year's Chinese Defense White Paper, the conservative Sankei asserted (1/26): "Just like the same in the past, China's military spending, as cited in this year's document, cannot be taken at face value. Given the continued double-digit surge in defense expenditures over the past 20 years, global concern about the Chinese military threat will not go away unless Beijing makes additional efforts to increase transparency in its military posture." ZUMWALT