DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 09/16/09

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 TOKYO 002163 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 09/16/09 INDEX: (1) U.S. Ambassador visits Yokosuka mayor: "You can call me directly" (Asahi) (2) Campbell to arrive in Japan tomorrow (Okinawa Times) (3) Profiles of two of DPJ's three top officials (Asahi) (4) Hatoyama decides to appoint Kamei as financial and postal services minister rather than as defense minister out of concern for friction with United States (Asahi) (5) "Defense minister Kamei" ends an illusion; Priority given to relations with U.S.? (Mainichi) ARTICLES: (1) U.S. Ambassador visits Yokosuka mayor: "You can call me directly" ASAHI (Page 32) (Full) September 15, 2009 U.S. Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos paid a call on Yokosuka Mayor Yuto Yoshida yesterday. In response to Yoshida's remark, "We would like to develop our relationship with the U.S. Embassy," the Ambassador said, "Please let me know if there is anything I can do. You can call me directly." At the outset of the meeting, the Ambassador said, "Congratulations on your victory in the election. I was also involved in election campaigning (on the side of Barack Obama) calling for 'change'." Yoshida introduced himself by saying, "I am Yoshida. I used the word 'change' in my election campaign and won." His words softened the tense atmosphere. The mayor stated: "I expect the U.S. government also to take measures to ensure safety, disclose information, and bring about economic benefits from the base. I ask the U.S. to continue and increase such efforts." The Ambassador replied: "I am fully aware of the situation in Yokosuka." Reportedly, the Ambassador also gladly consented to Yoshida's proposed visit to the U.S. Embassy. (2) Campbell to arrive in Japan tomorrow OKINAWA TIMES (Page 3) (Full) September 16, 2009 The Foreign Ministry announced yesterday that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell (for East Asian and Pacific affairs) will visit Japan Sept. 17-19. He is scheduled to meet Administrative Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka, Deputy Foreign Minister Kenichiro Sasae, and other Japanese officials to exchange views on Japan-U.S. relations under the incoming administration of Yukio Hatoyama, who will be voted in as prime minister today. Coordination is also underway for Campbell to meet with Katsuya Okada, who has been tapped as foreign minister. (3) Profiles of two of DPJ's three top officials ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) September 16, 2009 TOKYO 00002163 002 OF 005 Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa Ichiro Ozawa, the greatest election strategist in the political arena, who also served as secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),has now taken command of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) after ousting the LDP from the ruling camp. He will be in charge of next year's House of Councillors election. After leaving the LDP in 1993, Ozawa formed the Renewal Party, the New Frontier Party, and the Liberal Party. He finally joined the DPJ. When he served as DPJ president, Ozawa tried to find ways to form a grand coalition with the LDP. He has personal ties with many politicians, including lawmakers from the People's New Party (PNP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). There is concern in the DPJ that Ozawa will gain more influence as the number of people in his group has increased. The illegal donation scandal involving Nishimatsu Construction Co. is a cause for concern for Ozawa. Ozawa set out to become a politician because he greatly admired the last samurais in the last days of the Shogunate. He plays the game of go two to three times a month at a go salon. He also enjoys fishing and takes a walk every day for his health. He represents the Lower House No. 4 district in Iwate Prefecture. Deputy President Azuma Koshiishi, former elementary school teacher, leads the DPJ caucus in the Upper House Azuma Koshiishi's motto is "In order to build a country, fostering human resources is vital." After teaching at elementary schools, he served as chairman of Yamanashi Prefecture's Teachers Union. He was elected for the first time to the House of Representatives Lower House in 1990, where he served for two terms (until 1996) until he lost reelection. He was elected for the first time to the House of Councillors in 1998. Koshiishi assumed the post of chairman of the DPJ caucus in the Upper House in 2006. He led the opposition camp in the twisted parliament (the two houses of the Diet being controlled by different parties) situation. He is the leader of the DPJ group affiliated with the former Japan Socialist Party. He is trusted by Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa and has maintained close relations with the Liberal Democratic Party. The Yamanashi Prefectural Board of Education suspended some Yamanashi Prefecture Teachers Union members from work as a punitive measure because they supported his fund-raising campaign for the 2004 Upper House election. Since the LDP has intensified its criticism of the Japan Teachers Union, there is a possibility of an attack being launched on Koshiishi. He was elected in the Upper House Yamanashi constituency. (4) Hatoyama decides to appoint Kamei as financial and postal services minister rather than as defense minister out of concern for friction with United States ASAHI (Page 2) (Abridged) September 16, 2009 It had initially been expected that People's New Party leader Shizuka Kamei would be appointed as defense minister, but he has been informally named state minister for postal and financial services instead. As soon as he learned of his post, Kamei announced that he will launch a review of the postal privatization program, a TOKYO 00002163 003 OF 005 symbol of the Koizumi reform drive. Armed with the power to oversee the postal financial business, including Japan Post Bank Co., and the mail delivery business, Kamei is likely to undertake a radical reexamination of the program. Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Yukio Hatoyama secretly mulled over who should join his cabinet. Reporter: Did you meet anyone? Hatoyama: I can't recall. The exchange took place on Sept. 13. Earlier, Hatoyama had stayed at two Tokyo hotels for over two hours. He did not reveal (to the press) who had visited him in his hotel rooms. The switch in Kamei's post occurred under such circumstances. Security policy is the Achilles' heel of the DPJ, which has internal conflicts. What's more, there is a yawning gap between the DPJ and the Social Democratic Party (SDP),with which the DPJ will form a coalition. Hatoyama secretly planned to appoint Kamei as defense minister in hope of leaving such a sticky matter (the gap with the SDP) for the politically savvy Kamei to deal with. The course of events changed on Sept. 14. On that day Hatoyama held with Deputy President Ichiro Ozawa talks in which Hatoyama presented the idea of naming Kamei as defense minister. But a decision was not made out of concern in the party that Kamei's appointment might irritate the U.S. government. Hatoyama was scheduled to dine with U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos that night. In the July issue of the monthly magazine Gekkan Nippon Kamei is reported as saying (to political analyst Keiichiro Nakamura): "During my last trip to the United States (in May),I told the U.S. side that the new administration (to be launched after a change of government) will seek a fresh bilateral relationship. Unless you assassinate Shizuka Kamei, the United States will not be able to have things its way." A report on Sept. 14 on "Defense Minister Kamei" prompted a former U.S. government source to express concern that Kamei's appointment will strain Japan's ties with the Obama administration. "I have to go back and start all over again tomorrow," Hatoyama told his aides on the night of Sept. 14 so as not to stumble in the relationship with the United States -- a relationship regarded as the DPJ's weakness. Hatoyama ultimately decided to name Kamei minister in charge of reexamining the postal privatization program, the PNP's starting point. Obtaining a working majority in the House of Councillors election next summer is the number one priority for the DPJ. To do so, the DPJ needed a mechanism to secure the postal votes held by the PNP. That plan coincided with Ozawa's wishes. The aborted plan for defense minister has affected other candidates for the new cabinet. Hirohisa Fujii, who is likely to be named finance minister, was initially eager to become the chief of the national strategy bureau, who could serve as the chief strategist in compiling the state TOKYO 00002163 004 OF 005 budget. Hatoyama apparently wants Fujii to serve as cabinet watchdog. In exchange for accepting the finance portfolio, Fujii asked that it be separated from state minister for financial services, a post concurrently held by Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano. Keeping fiscal and monetary policymaking separate is the DPJ's policy. In line with that policy, Hatoyama at one point considered the option of appointing a private citizen as financial services minister, but in the end gave the post to Kamei. Last night Hatoyama called those who are going to join his cabinet. "It is not true that I have decided to name (Kamei) defense minister," Hatoyama later told the press corps. (5) "Defense minister Kamei" ends an illusion; Priority given to relations with U.S.? MAINICHI (Page 2) (Excerpts) September 16, 2009 A plan to appoint People's New Party President Shizuka Kamei to the post of defense minister was floated on Sept. 14. However, the proposal disappeared over night. It is believed that DPJ President Hatoyama informally offered the post. However, Kamei on the 15th denied that he received such an offer. From the beginning the PNP has been seeking a post that enables it to be involved in reviewing the ongoing postal services privatization process. The proposal to pick Kamei as defense minister became the talk of Nagata-cho, stirring surprise and concern. Kamei at a press conference held at the party headquarters on the evening of the 15th left reporters bewildered, saying, "I have not talked with Mr. Hatoyama, since I told him, 'Please do as you wish. I will leave the matter to you to work out.' I do not know what happened. I wonder if the U.S. was frightened by the idea of my becoming defense minister." Hatoyama's side was making arrangements for the possible appointment of Kamei as defense minister as of the 14th. A person close to Hatoyama averred, "The PNP will accept the offer, because unlike the Social Democratic Party, it is a conservative party." The DPJ presumably expected Kamei to play in the ruling coalition the role of coordinator for diplomatic and security policies. In those areas there is a wide gap between the DPJ and the SDP. However, the defense minister is a key post responsible for pending issues concerning the Japan-U.S. alliance, including the U.S. Forces Japan realignment and the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling operation in the Indian Ocean. Chairman Mikio Shimoji of the PNP policy board is strongly calling for a revision of the plan to relocate the US Marine Corp's Futenma Air Station from Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture. Kamei himself is viewed as cautious about the overseas dispatch of Self-Defense Forces personnel abroad. Voices of concern that Japan-U.S. relations might worsen if Kamei took office as defense minister perhaps grew louder in the DPJ, the Foreign Ministry, and the Defense Ministry. For that reason, according to a Hatoyama aide, impetus for Kamei's appointment as defense minister suddenly lost steam. "The U.S. might have reacted negatively," a party source conjectured. A senior Defense Ministry official said with a relieved look: "The Defense Ministry is the DPJ's Achilles' heel, because it is saddled TOKYO 00002163 005 OF 005 with such issues as the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean and the realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan. I thought it would be difficult (for the new administration) to deal with those issues, even if it entrusts the task to Mr. Kamei." ROOS