DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 09/10/09

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 TOKYO 002098 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 09/10/09 INDEX: (1) U.S. Ambassador to Japan Roos eager to deepen environmental cooperation and to organize business exchanges; "President expects frank opinions" (Nikkei) (2) Japan through the eyes of Roos: Gap between "equal diplomacy" and reality (Nikkei) (3) SDP a headache for DPJ in U.S. ties? (Tokyo Shimbun) (4) Editorial: 25 percent reduction target; Strategy to influence U.S. and China important (Mainichi) ARTICLES: (1) U.S. Ambassador to Japan Roos eager to deepen environmental cooperation and to organize business exchanges; "President expects frank opinions" NIKKEI (Page 7) (Full) September 10, 2009 U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos gave an interview to the Nikkei in which he expressed strong enthusiasm for (helping) Japan and the United States to work together to address global warming, especially in the area of environmental technology, by utilizing his experience of having managed a law firm in Silicon Valley where there are many startups. The Ambassador indicated that he is required to offer "frank" opinions to President Barack Obama based on his close ties to the President whom he supported during the presidential race last year. "I have the unique experience of having worked in Silicon Valley for 25 years. I definitely want to utilize my expertise," Ambassador Roos said. "Japan's strength lies in hybrid cars, batteries, and solar energy generation. The United States' strong point is its know-how on developing unknown firms into global businesses." He also indicated that he wants to create venues to introduce Japanese entrepreneurs and venture businesses to U.S. venture-capital and other firms. The law firm that Roos ran supported the launch of many new businesses, such as Google, the largest search engine on the Internet. Roos especially favored the video sharing website YouTube. "I remember visiting a pizza parlor where (YouTube's) three founders were always sitting with their laptop computers at a table on its second floor," the Ambassador said. His introduction of a venture capital firm to them helped their company get off the ground. "I want to see the United States and Japan promote a future Google," the Ambassador said with enthusiasm. He is paying especially close attention to environmental technologies, such as renewable energy, in business exchanges. He indicated that he has held talks twice with Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai and that (the United States) is in specific talks with the Japanese government. "There is ample room for the United States and Japan to cooperate in this sector." Ambassador Roos's strongest asset is his personal friendship with President Obama. About his relationship with the President, Roos said, "We are bound by trust. It seems that the President not only TOKYO 00002098 002 OF 006 trusts my judgment but also expects me to offer frank opinions." Ambassador Roos took up his post three weeks ago. The Liberal Democratic Party's crushing defeat in the (Aug. 30) general election has paved the way for a coalition government led by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ),which advocates an "equal Japan-U.S. relationship." Ambassador Roos, who has exchanged views twice with DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama, said they had "very constructive conversations." The Ambassador also indicated that he is satisfied with current Japan-U.S. relations, saying, "I believe the United States has deep ties with Japan in all areas." Ambassador Roos's three weeks August 19th Arrived at Narita Airport. 20th Paid a courtesy call on Vice-Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka. Presented his credentials to the Emperor at the Imperial Palace. 21st Attended a meet-and-greet event at the U.S. Embassy. 22nd Took a subway ride. Enjoyed a Bon festival dance with his family. 23rd Viewed a Kaguramai dance at Meiji Shrine. 25th Met with Prime Minister Taro Aso at the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei),followed by talks with Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura. Called on Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry Toshihiro Nikai. 26th Called on Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone. Met with visiting U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. 28th Watched a baseball game at Meiji Jingu Stadium. 31st Placed a telephone call to DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama to offer his congratulations. September 3rd Held talks with DPJ President Hatoyama at DPJ headquarters. 4th Delivered the opening speech for the "Women and Politics" Symposium held at Sophia University. 5th Watched a baseball game at Tokyo Dome. 7th Held talks with Kanagawa Governor Shigefumi Matsuzawa at the prefectural government office and with Yokohama Mayor Fumiko Hayashi at the city hall. Visited the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Institute Japanese Language and Area Training Center. 8th Held talks with METI Minister Nikai. 9th Held talks with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) authorities. (2) Japan through the eyes of Roos: Gap between "equal diplomacy" and reality NIKKEI (Page 1) (Full) September 10, 2009 The Rising Sun and the Stars and Stripes flew side by side in the sea breeze outside the building. U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos, 54, paid a visit to Governor Shigefumi Matsuzawa, 51, of Kanagawa at the prefectural government building on the morning of September 7. Roos began his talk with the first local Japanese leader he met with after arriving in Japan on August 20 with the words: "You were once a Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Diet member. I would like to know the DPJ's thinking on the TOKYO 00002098 003 OF 006 Japan-U.S. relationship and security. What issues are you concerned about with regard to the military bases?" Matsuzawa talked about three issues: the relocation of the Futenma base out of Okinawa, the relocation of military planes on aircraft carriers at the Atsugi base to Iwakuni, and a review of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). Roos nodded with great interest. Roos once headed the top law firm in Silicon Valley and assisted in the listing of hundreds of venture businesses on the stock market. He served as a senior official at the campaign office for Barack Obama, 48, on the West Coast in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. He was appointed as ambassador in recognition for his contributions to the campaign. The change of administration in the U.S. brought about his relationship with Japan. Roos's first discoveries in Japan were the clean subways, sacred kagura dance at Meiji Shrine, and Bon Festival dance in his neighborhood. He encountered the change of administration in Japan only about 10 days after taking up his post. The end of the government led by the Liberal Democratic Party, which has practically ruled Japan continuously for more than 50 years, threatens to bring changes to foreign policy, which has so far been based on the principle of continuity. Just before the recent House of Representatives election, DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama, 62, stated in an article that "Japan has been continually buffeted by the winds of U.S.-led market fundamentalism." When DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada, 56, stated that "the Japan-China relationship will evolve further if the DPJ takes over the reins of government," this was reported prominently by Renmin Ribao (The People's Daily),the official organ of the Communist Party of China. Hatoyama's ideal of "yuai (fraternal) diplomacy," which aims at an equal Japan-U.S. relationship, clashes with the reality of Japan being protected by the U.S. "nuclear umbrella" and U.S. Forces Japan. Roos faces the difficult question of how to deal with Japan in such a situation. During his recent visit to Japan, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus stressed on August 26 that "the Pacific will become the most important operational base for the U.S. Forces in 10, 20, or 30 years, and the Japan-U.S. alliance will be the pillar of that base." On August 30, when the House of Representatives election took place, the Yokosuka-based aircraft carrier George Washington and the San Diego-based aircraft carrier Nimitz held a major exercise in the Pacific close to Okinawa, with a keen awareness of China's presence. On September 3, Hatoyama told fellow Stanford University alumnus Roos that he will "promote a constructive future-oriented Japan-U.S. relationship." However, the foreign policy of the DPJ-led coalition government remains unclear ahead of President Obama's expected visit to Japan in November. The sights that Roos saw from the carriage carrying him to the Imperial Palace to present his credentials became deeply imprinted on his mind. The female court ceremony officer accompanying him on the ride said, "That is Marunouchi, where most of the major private TOKYO 00002098 004 OF 006 companies are concentrated. This is Edo Castle, where the shoguns used to live." Japan, where the East and West and the old and new coexist. Moves to shrink the distance with China - a country in close geographic proximity with which Japan has a long history of exchanges - and other Asian countries and to balance the relationship with the U.S. have emerged from the change of administration. Shortly after noon on September 7, Roos was at the U.S. State Department's Japanese language training center in Yamate-cho, Yokohama. With a hamburger fresh from the grill in his hand, he asked students at the training center, "Will Japan's foreign policy really change?" Roos listened closely to the responses. "Mr. Hatoyama's article was meant for the election. Even the Obama camp became realistic the moment it assumed power," said one student. "Japan is trying to change," said another. "We should be patient and favorably watch how things unfold." Will there be a stable new government supported by the people? There will certainly be many days ahead of patiently and carefully watching to see how the situation unfolds. (3) SDP a headache for DPJ in U.S. ties? TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) September 10, 2009 The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ),the Social Democratic Party (SDP),and the People's New Party had difficulty reaching an agreement particularly on foreign and security polices, when they were working through their differences at coalition talks. The SDP persistently called for stipulating in the three-party coalition agreement policies symbolizing an equal Japan-U.S. relationship in specific terms, starting with revisions to the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The coalition partner SDP will likely become a headache to the DPJ when the soon-to-be-formed Hatoyama administration grapples with relations with the U.S. The DPJ actually wanted to wrap up the talks with a reasonable agreement on foreign and security policies. That is because the U.S. indicated its alarm about Hatoyama, who advocated an Asia-first policy and criticized U.S.-led globalism. Now that Hatoyama is scheduled to visit the U.S. later in the month after the inauguration of his administration and hold his first meeting with President Obama, the DPJ wanted to avoid irritating the U.S. The DPJ has been criticizing the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-led administration as pursuing diplomacy subservient to the U.S. However, the DPJ, when starting policy talks with the SDP, did not intend to touch on a review of the U.S. military bases in Japan or a revision of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). However, the SDP called for stipulating in the coalition agreement a pullout of Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel dispatched for refueling operations in the Indian Ocean and anti-piracy operations off Somalia. The SDP also insisted on steadfastly maintaining the three nonnuclear principles. Regarding base issues, the DPJ proposed "settling bilateral issues, TOKYO 00002098 005 OF 006 starting with the presence of U.S. military bases." The SDP did not agree. After exchanging views on what language to be used, the DPJ and the SDP in the end settled by quoting words used in the DPJ's manifesto, such as "proposing an revision" of the SOFA and "with the possibility of reviewing" the U.S. military base issue. This resulted from the DPJ's consideration for the SDP. The coalition agreement did not stipulate a pullout of MSDF personnel in the Indian Ocean and in waters off Somalia. In this respect, the SDP made concessions. DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada, who has informally been appointed to serve as foreign minister, said, "Those commitments are within the bounds of what we have maintained in our manifesto. There are no new pledges made." The coalition agreement will likely become a burden each time Hatoyama and Okada hold talks with the U.S. The DPJ will likely be caught on the horns of a dilemma - if it assumes a bullish stance, it would provoke a backlash from the U.S., but if it remains weak, the SDP would put pressure on it. (4) Editorial: 25 percent reduction target; Strategy to influence U.S. and China important MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) September 9, 2009 Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Yukio Hatoyama declared at a symposium on the environment that Japan will aim at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. This figure is specified in the DPJ's manifesto (campaign pledges). It is more ambitious than the government's target, announced in June by Prime Minister Tao Aso, and is one of the policy shifts symbolizing a change of government. The 15th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP15) to determine a framework after the Kyoto Protocol will be held in December. A UN high-level meeting on climate change will take place in New York on Sept. 22 with the participation of Hatoyama and U.S. President Barack Obama. It is important for Japan to demonstrate its intention to actively address global warming and to give an impetus to international talks. At the same time, global warming cannot be prevented just by Japan setting a high target. In his speech, Hatoyama indicated that a highly ambitious accord with participation by all major countries is a prerequisite to Japan's promise to the international community. Climate stabilization requires emission cuts by such emerging nations as India and Brazil, not to mention cuts by the United States, the world's largest emitter, and China. The DPJ must work out a plan whereby Japan's active stance will lead to participation by all counties. In reaction to Hatoyama's 25-percent-cut declaration, some in industrial circles have expressed concerns, such as that they might have to move their production bases overseas. Some others have pointed out heavier public burdens, such as a higher unemployment rate. TOKYO 00002098 006 OF 006 The government's target of reducing emissions by 15 percent from the 2005 level (or 8 percent from the 1990 level) cannot simply be compared with (the DPJ) goal of cutting emissions by 25 percent from the 1990s level. The reason is because the government's target shows the cuts only in Japan (or the genuine reduction),while the DPJ's figure seems to include cuts overseas and greenhouse gas emissions trading as well. Even so, attaining a 25 percent cut does not seem easy; it requires a national commitment. As means to achieve the target, the DPJ cites the introduction of a domestic emission trading system and an environmental tax - approaches avoided by the government - in addition to the promotion of energy conservation technologies and renewable energies, and the development of technologies to recover and store carbon. Ways to advance these policies will be worked out in the future. We want to see the DPJ offer a thorough and convincing explanation about specific steps and the national burden so that the people can willingly cooperate. The government's response in the past has been void of a future vision for Japan. It is essential for the DPJ to present a clear vision for a low carbon society. If the general public shares that vision, they will be able to consider the cost of cutting emissions by 25 percent an investment for the future. ROOS