JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 1/27/09

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TOKYO 000182 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 1/27/09 Index: 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials 3) Prime Minister's daily schedule (Nikkei) Defense and security: 4) Government's defense panel focuses on President Obama's foreign and defense policies in discussing Japan's options (Yomiuri) 5) Vice Defense Minister Masuda critiques China's defense white paper as "insufficient" (Yomiuri) Economic agenda: 6) Second supplementary budget with stimulus package stalls in the Diet; joint upper and lower house committee to meet today to free logjam (Mainichi) 7) Economic effect of the second budget's stimulus package a long way off (Mainichi) 8) Views by two economists about the stimulus package of the Aso government (Nikkei) 9) Simulation shows the Aso stimulus package might sustain 160,000 jobs (Mainichi) Political agenda: 10) Opposition-backed candidate's win in Yamagata gubernatorial race casts pall over ruling Liberal Democratic Party (Asahi) 11) Yamagata upset demonstrates the waning local political power of LDP's Koichi Kato (Asahi) 12) Only 14 PERCENT of lawyers in Japan are women, compared to 30 PERCENT in the United States (Asahi) 13) IWC to allow coastal whaling, conditioned on scaling down "research" whaling (Mainichi) 14) Japan to send delegation to IRENA (Yomiuri) Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: 15 prefectures go back to refraining from disclosing maximum tender price amid recession Mainichi, Yomiuri, Tokyo Shimbun & Akahata Diet passage of second extra budget delayed Nikkei: JAL, ANA to cut more routes in fiscal 2009, reflecting global economic stagnation Sankei: LDP panel eyes punishment on food falsifying origin Tokyo Shimbun: 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) Government urged to set persuasive mid-term goal to stem global warming TOKYO 00000182 002 OF 010 (2) Yamagata gubernatorial election: "Warm policies" win public votes Mainichi: (1) Second extra budget: Aso, ruling camp will have to pay price for ignoring public opinion (2) Taxi regulations: Give to priority to improving service Yomiuri: (1) Take measures to secure personnel engaged in nursing care (2) Success in launch of H-2A rocket a new step toward space development Nikkei: (1) Aso administration to be still in distress after passage of second extra budget (2) Establish new age of Japan-Russia relations in Sakhalin Sankei: (1) Second supplementary budget: Upper House should swiftly start deliberations to prevent further economic tumble (2) Obama diplomacy should focus on both morality and antiterrorism efforts Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Outcome of Yamagata gubernatorial election show many voters' departure from LDP (2) Sales of pharmaceuticals: Ensuring safety must be prioritized Akahata: (1) Second extra budget includes measures to deteriorate economic conditions 3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) Prime Minister's schedule, January 26 NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) January 27, 2009 8:52 Met Upper House member Masahisa Sato in the Diet building. 09:01 Attended an Upper House Budget Committee session. 13:01 Attended an Upper House plenary session. 14:28 Attended a meeting of Lower House members. Afterward attended a Lower House plenary session. 15:22 Met at the Kantei Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura, joined in by Administrative Reform Minister Amari. 16:02 Met Lower House member Kosuke Ito. 17:00 Attended an LDP executive meeting in the Diet building. TOKYO 00000182 003 OF 010 18:34 Held a summit meeting with Bulgarian President Parvanov. 19:33 Hosted a dinner party. 23:00 Met Kawamura. 23:14 Returned to his official residence. 4) Defense panel to watch Obama policy YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) January 27, 2009 A government advisory panel on security and defense met yesterday at the prime minister's office and exchanged views on the international security environment, with Tokyo Electric Power Co. Tsunehisa Katsumata presiding. In the meeting, the panel focused on the U.S. Obama administration's foreign and security policies. One of its members in the meeting noted: "President Obama said he would reduce nuclear weapons. We need to watch out for the impact of that change in their nuclear strategy on Japan's policy." Another said: "The question is whether the United States' Afghan policy will work well. That's important." The panel also suggested the need to analyze the impact of the global financial crisis on the external operations of Russia and China as well as the need to analyze China's military moves. 5) China's defense white paper insufficient: vice defense minister YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) January 27, 2009 Administrative Vice Defense Minister Kohei Masuda, meeting the press yesterday, referred to China's recent release of a white paper entitled "China's National Defense in 2008" and indicated that China should further improve its transparency. Masuda said: "They have shown their own efforts to improve the transparency of their national defense. However, there are still something insufficient in its descriptions of defense spending, equipment quantities, and procurement plans. There is a considerable discrepancy from the level of our public announcement." 6) Passage of second extra budget delayed MAINICHI (Top play) (Slightly abridged) January 27, 2009 Members of the Upper and Lower Houses met last night and discussed what to do about the government's second supplementary budget bill for fiscal 2008 that features a controversial 2 trillion yen cash handout scheme. But a tug-of-war continued between the ruling and opposition camps from beginning to end, and no conclusion was reached. They will meet again at 1 p.m. today. Although there was no agreement yesterday, the government's bill will eventually be enacted into law today based on Article 60 of the Constitution. The article stipulates that if both chambers fail to agree on the passage of a budget in a joint committee, the decision of the more TOKYO 00000182 004 OF 010 powerful Lower House takes precedence. Lower House Steering Committee Chairman Kenji Kosaka of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) yesterday decided on his authority to bring about four speeches, including a policy speech by Prime Minister Taro Aso, in a Lower House plenary session starting at 1 p.m. today. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has fiercely reacted to the ruling side's plan to hold the meeting of both Houses and four speeches simultaneously. The opposition camp prepared its own bill to remove the government's cash handout plan. The bill was adopted in a plenary session of the House of Councillors yesterday. A bill amending the government's budget passed the Upper House for the first time in postwar history. Since the two Houses came up with different budget bills, a joint committee of both Houses was formed in the afternoon. The committee is made of 20 members, with eight lawmakers from the LDP and two from the New Komeito, respectively, representing the Lower House in support of the government's bill, and eight from the DPJ, one from the Social Democratic Party, and one from the People's New Party representing the Upper House seeking to endorse the amendment bill. The joint meeting was scheduled to start a little past 4 p.m., but due to the opposition side's demand for recording the proceedings in the joint meeting and disclosing them, the meeting started nearly five hours behind the schedule. Toshimi Kitagawa, who chaired the joint meeting yesterday, adjourned the meeting at about 10:45 p.m., upon declaring: "Participants seem to have more opinions, so we will continue the discussion tomorrow." Joint meetings usually end in several dozen minutes, so it was unprecedented that the meeting was thrown into confusion. It was also the first time in 15 years, since the one on bills related to political reform in 1994, that a meeting of both Houses did not end in a day. Further, it was unprecedented in postwar history that discussion at the panel of the two chambers on a budget lasted for more than two days. Senior members of the DPJ, including President Ichiro Ozawa, met in the Diet building last night and conferred on what approach the party should take. The main opposition party presented to the ruling side a compromise plan that would allow four speeches on the 28th and also indicated the party would approve the enactment of the second supplementary budget today, but the ruling parties declined the proposals. The 4.7858-trillion-yen second extra budget bill includes the cash handout plan, and measures to lower expressway tolls, create jobs, and help small businesses raise funds. A vote on bills related to the second extra budget to ensure fiscal resources for the measures to invigorate the economy, including the cash handout, has been put on hold in the Upper House. If the DPJ delays the voting further, the distribution of cash may be delayed to the middle of March, at the earliest. 7) Second extra budget still under tortuous negotiations; Economic effects unlikely anytime soon MAINICHI (Page 2) (Excerpts) January 27, 2009 TOKYO 00000182 005 OF 010 Keiji Yoshida, Ichiro Ikawa, Takanori Ishikawa The passage of a second supplementary budget for fiscal 2008 has been delayed. A cash handout plan and a plan to lower expressway tolls that are included in the budget bill cannot be implemented unless the budget-related bills are enacted. If the opposition camp, including the Democratic Party of Japan, does not take a vote on the related bills in the Upper House, the ruling camp would not be able to take a second vote in the Lower House to pass them until March 14 or later. It will take some time for economic measures to create effects. Cash handout plan Municipal governments that will pay out cash benefits totaling 2 trillion yen with the passage of the second extra budget will begin creating lists of recipients based on their respective basic resident registers and mailing out request forms. But unless the related bills to finance the cash handout plan are enacted, municipalities would probably not start paying cash benefits. Most municipalities are likely to wait until after the Golden Week holiday period in May. In order to begin paying out the benefits, each municipal assembly has to approve their supplementary budgets that include necessary expenses, in addition to the Diet approval of the second state supplementary budget. Municipal assemblies hold their meetings between mid-February and early March, so payments will not occur until after that. The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry says it is possible for municipalities to mail out request forms before the related bills are enacted and to begin paying out benefits within the current fiscal year as soon as the related bills are enacted. But it is unknown how many municipalities will actually start complicated administrative work to begin disbursing the cash benefits before the end of the current fiscal year. Employment As a step to stop the deterioration of the employment situation, expenses to set up a 400-bullion-yen job-creating fund in prefectural governments is incorporated in the budget. The fund consists of two plans: an emergency job-creation project (150 billion yen) to have unemployed workers engage in public works projects temporarily, such as road repairing; and special subsidies (250 billion yen) to reinvigorate local job markets resulting in the development of indigenous projects and the stabilization of employment. In addition, a system will begin to pay 1 million yen per person to small and mid-sized companies that employed part-time workers aged between 25 and 39 for over six months. Expectant mothers will also be able to take all 14 health checkups free of charge until fiscal 2010 and families with children aged between 3 and 5 can receive 36,000 yen in child-raring support allowance once for each child except for the first child. 8) My view on economic stimulus measures NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) January 27, 2009 Takero Doi, Keio University Associate Professor: Eradicating anxieties about social security urged TOKYO 00000182 006 OF 010 An increase in public spending by Japan is in no way inferior to that by other countries in terms of size. However, Japan's economic stimulus package lacks a vision for the future, compared with the package the U.S. Obama administration has come up with. I believe politics should indicate ideals and a goal for making an environment-friendly society or ideals. Unless the government makes efforts to redress a strong sense of anxiety people feel about social security, consumers will not loosen their purse strings, even if its hands out flat-sum cash benefits to them. In order to eradicate anxieties felt by people, it is necessary for it to show a future image of social security, including a hike in the sales tax. Hideo Kumano, senior economist at the Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute Among items in the economic stimulus package incorporated in the fiscal 2008 second extra budget, measures to help small- and medium-sized businesses manage their cash position may produce more effects than expected. However, the package also contains outmoded proposals, such as a cut in highway tolls. The flat-sum cash handout scheme costing 2 trillion yen would be more helpful, if the money is used for unemployment measures. It is necessary for the government to focus on areas that create new industries and services, such as the consolidation of infrastructure for electric vehicles, when it boosts public spending. Various countries are tackling environment-related investment. Japan should not fall behind. It should come up with measures to create demand and jobs. 9) Research institute projects that second fiscal 2008 budget can create up to 160,000 jobs MAINICHI (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) January 27, 2009 Kenji Shimizu How much can a second supplementary budget for fiscal 2008 underpin the rapidly deteriorating economy and employment? The Daiichi Life Insurance Economic Research Institute estimates that the extra budget, if it is fully used by local governments for emergency job-creation projects and other measures, can create up to 160,000 jobs and push up real economic growth by 0.6 points. Specifically, the institute projects that a cash handout program can create 31,000 jobs and lowering expressway tolls can generate 24,000 jobs. The institute concludes that the extra budget can generate up to 160,000 jobs, including those plus other jobs that will be created by a school earthquake resistance project and local temporary employment measures. Nevertheless, related bills enabling the reserve funds in the Fiscal Investment and Loan Program Special Account ("buried treasures") to be used to finance most of those projects have yet to clear the Diet. For this reason, measures that can be implemented immediately are limited to support for small and mid-size companies to ease their cash-flow problems, school earthquake resistance projects, special subsidies to reinvigorate local job markets by utilizing the labor insurance special account, and others steps. As such, only up TOKYO 00000182 007 OF 010 to 30,000 jobs are expected to be created for the foreseeable future and the economy will grow a mere 0.1 point. 10) Dark clouds over LDP with its candidate losing Yamagata gubernatorial race ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) January 27, 2009 Opposition-backed newcomer Mieko Yoshimura, 57, defeated incumbent Yamagata Gov. Hiroshi Saito, 51, in Sunday's gubernatorial election. Both candidates did not officially accept recommendations from any political parties. Prior to the next general election for the House of Representatives, however, the defeat of Saito, whom three Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Lower House members strongly backed, gave the impression of a shadow falling on the LDP's strength, all the more because the election was held in Yamagata, which is a stronghold for conservatives. It is too early to strongly link the result of the Yamagata race with such issues related to national politics as the Aso cabinet's slump in the polls. There is no doubt that the primary reason for Saito's loss is that the prefectural people judged his four-year conduct of prefectural administration, for example a subsidy cut, as "cool" toward the residents. When analyzing the results of exit polls the Asahi Shimbun conducted in 60 places in the prefecture on Jan. 25, the LDP can see its negative aspects. Compared with the previous gubernatorial race conducted four years ago, the percentage of LDP supporters to respondents in the exit polls dropped from 46 PERCENT to 40 PERCENT , while that of supporters of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) increased to 26 PERCENT from 18 PERCENT . Although part of the LDP backed Saito, 71 PERCENT of the LDP supporters voted for him. Of the DPJ supporters, 80 PERCENT voted for Yoshimura. It shows the trend that the LDP is not coherent with decreasing its supporters, while the DPJ is coherent with the increase of its backers. In the recent Asahi nationwide poll, as well, the approval rates for the LDP and DPJ were nearly equal. Asked which party they would vote for in the proportional representation segment race, the percentage of respondents favoring the DPJ topped that of the LDP. The decline in the LDP's momentum is probably seen in many parts of the country. It seems that the result of the local election has become a factor that makes Prime Minister Aso hesitate to dissolve the Lower House. 11) LDP's Kato may lose political clout ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) January 27, 2009 In Sunday's Yamagata gubernatorial election, the incumbent governor was defeated, even though the candidate was recommended by Koichi Kato, former secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Kato analyzed the reasons for the defeat, saying: "There was something like the unpopularity of the (Aso) administration and the LDP." However, the influence of Kato, who is aiming for a comeback to the central political stage by leading TOKYO 00000182 008 OF 010 political realignment, will inevitably decline. Kato fielded Hiroshi Saito, a former Bank of Japan official, as a candidate for the previous gubernatorial race. As Saito won the race, defeating the incumbent governor, Kato was praised. However, the number of votes Saito obtained in the Lower House Yamagata No. 3 district, which is Kato's home constituency, was about 10,000 votes fewer than the number of votes cast for the first-time candidate. Kato also envisages a liberal alliance with some members of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ),the largest opposition force. In addition to his abundant experience in politics, Kato has maintained his political clout with his strong electoral turf. He has won elections without relying on the LDP. However, Saito's defeat in the election has exposed the weakness of his political footing in his home constituency. Kato said: "If the defeat is due to the LDP's bad reputation, it will have an impact on the national election. We should be on our guard." He appears to be required to solidify his political footing before leading political realignment. He complained to his aides that the Yamagata election symbolized the difficulty of politics in the future. 12) Only 14 PERCENT of lawyers are women in Japan ASAHI (Page 1) (Full) Eve., January 26, 2009 The proportion of female lawyers has been flat despite an increase in the number of lawyers with the reform of the judiciary system. As of the end of March 2008, there were about 25,000 lawyers, including 3,599 women. Woman lawyers account for only 14 PERCENT , a far cry from Western countries. Although bar associations are backing female lawyers, they are falling behind in their efforts. Lawyers should be second to none among all occupations in honoring gender equality, yet they seem to be inattentive to their own business community. The Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) has released its 2008 white paper, featuring the postwar advancement of female lawyers. In 1950, there were about 5,800 lawyers. Among them were six women, or 0.1 PERCENT . The number of women who were lawyers was over 100 in 1966 and over 1,000 in 1996. In 2008, the proportion of woman lawyers was more than double from 2000. In their proportion, however, Japan is far lower than Western countries, as seen from the fact that female lawyers account for 49 PERCENT of the total in France and 30 PERCENT in the United States. Tomoko Suganuma, a lawyer and a vice chair of the JFBA's committee on gender equality, says: "Our job needs a license from the start, so we have made it a principle to say there is no gender segregation. Besides, bar associations have been falling behind in their efforts." Actually, women account for 40 PERCENT among corporate lawyers at business firms that make maternity leave available to their employees. "There is a lot of flexibility for our job," Suganuma said. "But," she added, "we have been responsible for conception, childbirth, and childcare." According to her account, woman lawyers have less income while they are growing up their children, but there is no compensation for these mothers. "There were also many women who could not pay membership dues to their bar associations and gave up TOKYO 00000182 009 OF 010 on their registration," she said. The JFBA currently has a plan to push for gender equality. The plan, however, was created in March last year, about seven years after the government's gender equality plan was announced. The JFBA is now working to install women in all committees. Woman lawyers' proportion in major countries Japan (2008) 14.4 PERCENT U.S. (2007) 30.1 PERCENT U.K. (2007) 42.2 PERCENT Germany (2006) 29.3 PERCENT France (2006) 48.7 PERCENT ¶S. Korea (2007) 10.7 Source: 2008 JBFA white paper 13) IWC chairman will likely approve coastal whaling: Compromise plan in return for curtailing down research whaling MAINICHI (Page 24) (Full) January 27, 2009 The Mainichi Shimbun has learned that International Whaling Commission Chair Hogarth has compiled a compromise plan approving resumption of small-scale coastal whaling, which Japan is seeking, in return for curtailing Japan's research whaling in the Southern Ocean. The Washington Post reported this on Jan. 25. The IWC has come to a standstill due to the protracted confrontation between whaling countries, such as Japan, and anti-whaling countries, such as the U.S. and Britain, over resumption of commercial whaling, which has been suspended since 1986, and the propriety of research whaling. Japan is also seeking to resume small-scale coastal whaling, a traditional way of whaling adopted in Miyagi Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture. However, the ban is still not expected to be lifted. The IWC at its annual meeting in 2008 decided to set up a taskforce for the normalization of the stalemated situation. Panel members discussed such issues as research whaling. Hogarth appears to aim at resolving the confrontation by formally presenting the compromise plan in February. However, what approach anti-whaling countries will make is unclear. Japan takes the position that research whaling aimed at scientifically studying the ecology of whales is a right acknowledged under the International Whale Fishing Control Treaty, which stipulates rules adopted by the IWC. Japan is expected to disapprove a proposal for a substantial reduction in research whaling. A Fisheries Agency official declined to make a comment on the matter. 14) Establishment of IRENA: Japan dispatched delegate in turnaround from previous stance YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) January 27, 2009 A plenary session for the establishment of the International Agency for Renewable Energies (IRENA),which aims at expanding the use of solar light and wind power, was held in Bonn, Germany on January 26. The meeting was joined by representatives from about 120 countries, TOKYO 00000182 010 OF 010 including both industrialized and developing countries. According to the German government, about 50 nations are expected to sign the agreement of the establishment of IRENA. The U.S. and Britain will not sign the accord. IRENA will facilitate technical transfers, fund procurement and information exchanges related to renewable energies in order to address global warming and the depletion of fossil fuel in the future. Unlike the International Energy Agency (IEA) comprising of 28 countries centering on industrialized countries, IRENA will be joined by many more countries. As such, it is expected to play a role of encouraging developing countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions: developing countries are at present not obligated to do so. The Japanese government has decided not to join IRENA. However, it dispatched a delegation consisting of officials from four ministries, including the Foreign Ministry, to the plenary session. This is because concern is growing in the Diet that if Japan does not dispatch a delegation, it could be taken as backward-looking. The government will reach a final decision on whether it should or should not join the agency as decided previously, after determining the responses of various countries. Referring to Japan's participation in IRENA, Prime Minister Taro Aso at the Upper House Budget Committee meeting on January 26 simply said, "I would like to look into the issue, taking into consideration the merits and demerits of joining the agency." ZUMWALT