DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 10/06/09

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TOKYO 002321 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 10/06/09 INDEX: (1) Poll of DPJ lawmakers (Tokyo Shimbun) (2) Editorial: Hatoyama's political funds donation scandal; Premier urged to give explanations before investigation (Asahi) (3) Interview with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano - My role is to have political leadership percolate through the bureaucracy (Yomiuri) (4) Editorial: Rapprochement between China, North Korea - Japan should persist with policy of pressure (Sankei) (5) Interview with former U.S. Ambassador Baker: Japan-U.S. relationship remains unchanged after advent of Hatoyama administration (Nikkei) (6) Internal Affairs Minister plans to set up Japanese version of U.S. Federal Communications Commission to oversee communications, broadcasting (Asahi) (7) Budget-compilation procedure (Nikkei) ARTICLES: (1) Poll of DPJ lawmakers TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) October 5, 2009 Questions & Answers (Figures shown in percentage) Q: The Hatoyama government started as a tripartite coalition of the Democratic Party of Japan, the Social Democratic Party, and the People's New Party. In the future, what do you think is the desirable framework of government? Maintain the current tripartite coalition of the Democratic Party of Japan, the Social Democratic Party, and the People's New Party 72.4 The DPJ's single-party government 25.7 A coalition of the DPJ and New Komeito 0.0 A coalition of the DPJ and some of the Liberal Democratic Party 0.0 An DPJ-LDP grand coalition 0.0 Other answers (O/A) 1.4 No answer (N/A) 0.5 Q: What do you think about sending the Self-Defense Forces overseas as Japan's international contribution? Japan should send the SDF for proactive participation in multinational forces (including rear support) 12.4 Japan should go no further than to use the SDF in United Nations peacekeeping operations 58.1 Japan should go no further than to use the SDF in humanitarian assistance activities 15.2 Japan should not send the SDF overseas 1.0 O/A 10.5 N/A 2.9 Q: The government, in its constitutional interpretation, has taken TOKYO 00002321 002 OF 009 the position that Japan is not allowed to participate in collective self-defense. What do you think about this? The Constitution should be amended so Japan can participate in collective self-defense 4.3 The government's constitutional interpretation should be reviewed so Japan can participate in collective self-defense to the extent possible 15.2 The government's conventional interpretation is satisfactory 53.3 O/A 23.3 N/A 3.8 Q: What do you think about the DPJ's policy of providing a child allowance handout? Provide a handout of 26,000 yen per child as planned (13,000 yen for next fiscal year) 91.4 Provide a child allowance handout according to each household's income or reduce the amount of the handout 8.1 N/A 0.5 Q: The DPJ has set forth its policy of reviewing large-scale public works. Do you think the public works in your constituency should be reviewed? There's no need to review 23.8 There's a need to review 65.7 N/A 10.5 Q: The DPJ, in its manifesto, says it will make the nation's expressways toll-free in principle. Do you approve of toll-free expressways in your electoral district or proportional representation bloc? Yes 85.7 No 3.8 N/A 10.5 Q: The DPJ says Japan should become a state with sovereignty residing in its regions as a sort of decentralization. What do you think the DPJ should pursue on a priority basis to that end? Transfer state authority to local governments 61.4 Expand the scope of ways and means for local tax revenues, such as a local consumption tax 16.7 Set up a law-based consultative body for the central and local governments 12.9 Study a regional system 2.4 N/A 6.7 Q: How do you think the DPJ should advance its agricultural income indemnity policy for farmers? Consider uniform indemnity for all farmers, including small-scale and part-time farm households 50.0 Add incentives according to scale and quality from the perspective of improving agricultural competitiveness 37.1 N/A 12.9 (Note) Total percentages are not necessarily 100 PERCENT , due to rounding. TOKYO 00002321 003 OF 009 Polling methodology: The survey was conducted Sept. 16-18. For the survey, a questionnaire form was distributed to 308 DPJ lawmakers elected in the Aug. 30 election for the House of Representatives at the Diet members' office building in Tokyo. The survey was intended to probe their policy thinking that cannot be gleaned from their party's manifesto alone. Answers were faxed from 210 persons (68.2 PERCENT ) by Oct. 4. The DPJ has a total of 143 newly elected lawmakers. Among them, 118 (82.5 PERCENT ) responded to the survey. A total of 44 DPJ lawmakers are in prime ministerial, cabinet ministerial, senior vice ministerial, chief cabinet secretarial, or parliamentary secretarial posts. Among them, 10 persons responded. (2) Editorial: Hatoyama's political funds donation scandal; Premier urged to give explanations before investigation ASAHI (Page 3) (Full) October 6, 2009 It has been found that the political fund report of Prime Minister Hatoyama's fund management body listed portions of donations as coming from deceased persons or persons who in fact did not made such donations. In this connection, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department has started questioning concerned people as reference witnesses. In July a Tokyo organization accused three persons -- Hatoyama and the fund management body's accountants - of violation of the Political Funds Control Law. Public prosecutors have launched a full-scale investigation, probably because the general election is now over and the new administration has gotten under way. At a press conference in June the prime minister acknowledged that there were 192 misstatements concerning political donations worth 21.778 million yen over four years between 2005 and 2008 and corrected the report. Hatoyama dismissed his secretary, who had been responsible for the organization's accounting and on his own collected large amounts of political donations from individuals. However, a doubt remains about this account. The prime minister had explained that there was no targeted amount set for the collection of donations by individuals. He said that the secretary wanted to make donations from individuals appear larger than the actual amount. However, given the fact that Hatoyama received more political donations from individuals than any other politicians, why was it necessary for his secretary to make that amount appear even larger? The prime minister had indicated his intention also to continue the investigation into whether there were similar irregularities concerning donations smaller than 50,000 yen, which do not require the entries of donors' names. It has been three months since he made this statement. However, there have been no new reports presented yet. Concerning the prime minister's political funds, it has been found recently that a political organization related to him had been renting his mother's building situated in Muroran City, Hokkaido, for 100,000 yen a month, which is said to be less than one-fifth of the market price. Since the difference from the market price is tantamount to a donation, it has to be mentioned in the political fund report. However, the prime minister is continuing his stance that the rent was at the appropriate level. TOKYO 00002321 004 OF 009 The Hatoyama family is one of the richest among politicians. It is viewed that the sources of the false donations are Hatoyama's own money. However, there might have been cases in which his family's money was used. It is certain that the nature of the false statements on political donations is different from shady donations made by companies and organizations in anticipation of the exercise of influence-peddling by politicians. However, it is clearly in violation of the law to falsely report political donations received. If the family's budget and political funds are handled without a proper bookkeeping system, that is far too sloppy for a politician who became prime minister. Opposition parties, such as the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),are expected to harshly pursue Hatoyama over this issue in the extraordinary Diet session to be convened as early as the end of the month. It is not desirable for the matter to remain as a black mark on the administration on which many have pinned their hopes for new politics. The prime minister yesterday told reporters, "I must refrain from making any comments that could have an impact on the investigation." However, he should proactively fulfill his accountability, instead of keeping mum about the issue of the investigation. In the meantime, we would like the special investigation squad of the Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office to conduct a proper and fair investigation, even though the target is the prime minister, and reach a decision that can convince the people. (3) Interview with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano - My role is to have political leadership percolate through the bureaucracy YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) October 3, 2009 -- What role is the chief cabinet secretary going to play in the Hatoyama administration? Hirano: Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister for National Strategy Naoto Kan and State Minister for Administrative Reform Yoshito Sengoku will play the main roles in coordinating policies. My role is to ask (for cooperation) for the enactment of legislation and budgets and to have political leadership percolate through the bureaucracy in Kasumigaseki. -- What legislation are you going to submit to the Diet in the next ordinary session? Hirano: We would like to give top priority to what must be done to realize our manifesto (campaign pledges). We will focus only on key legislation. -- What about the bill to upgrade the National Strategic Office to bureau status? Hirano: Although a system authorized by law is desirable, (the office) is effectively functioning at present. I think the legislation can wait until the next regular Diet session. -- Do you have any plan to make informal ministerial meetings TOKYO 00002321 005 OF 009 public? Hirano: No. Informal ministerial meetings are designed for free-wheeling discussion. If they are made public, cabinet ministers would not speak their minds. Then again, the decision-making process must be transparent. A news conference is held at each ministry by the three parliamentarians -- the minister, senior vice minister, and parliamentary secretary. -- The Decentralization and Reform Promotion Committee and the Doshu (Regional Bloc) System Vision Council were established under the previous administration of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito. (Is the DPJ administration) going to maintain them? Hirano: Fundamentally we will abolish them and build new forums from scratch. -- How should the ruling parties involve themselves in the cabinet's policies? Hirano: We will discuss party affairs with the secretaries general and Diet affairs with the chairpersons of the Diet affairs committees. The chairperson of each Diet committee, directors, and the three parliamentarians must also regularly exchange information. It is also my role to pay close attention to ensuring this is done smoothly. There might be some friction in running (the administration),but there would be no disagreement over essentials. -- Can you set the direction for the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station before President Barack Obama visits Japan in November? Hirano: Japan must have a comprehensive view of some sort when the President visits Japan. The matter must be discussed among the cabinet ministers concerned. (4) Editorial: Rapprochement between China, North Korea - Japan should persist with policy of pressure SANKEI (Page 2) (Full) October 6, 2009 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited North Korea, where he was greeted by leader Kim Jong Il at the airport and held talks with him. In a meeting with his North Korean counterpart Premier Kim Yong, Wen promised to offer economic cooperation in an apparent attempt to solicit a concession from the North on its nuclear development program in return for the aid. Kim Jong Il also expressed willingness in a meeting with a member of the State Council of the People's Republic of China last month to engage in "bilateral and multilateral talks." North Korea, which once announced its intention to secede from the Six-Party Talks, might sit down at the negotiating table again. Even so, there is no guarantee that the North will immediately abandon its nuclear weapons. The international community has imposed additional sanctions on North Korea based on a UN resolution against its second nuclear test and ballistic missile launch. Under such a situation, China and North Korea are strengthening their ties. Japan must pay close TOKYO 00002321 006 OF 009 attention to their moves. During his earlier visit to the U.S., Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama called on state leaders to cooperate in resolving the North Korean abduction and nuclear development issues. Meanwhile, in a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Hatoyama proposed the establishment of an East Asian Community designed to introduce new economic cooperation and security frameworks in East Asia. Now that China is aiming to assume hegemony in East Asia, it is extremely dangerous for Japan to attempt to implement this initiative. Given the nuclear threat of North Korea and China's arms buildup, the Japan-U.S. alliance should be maintained as the cornerstone of security in East Asia. Japan also should step up its cooperation with the U.S. and South Korea in dealing with North Korea. Hatoyama is scheduled to meet South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak on Oct. 9 and attend a summit meeting among Japan, China, and South Korea on the 10th. Hatoyama should discuss measures to solve the abduction and nuclear issues involving Japan and South Korea before talking about the concept of an East Asian Community. In the earlier regular Diet session held before the latest House of Representatives election, a bill aimed at carrying out cargo inspections on North Korean ships stipulated in a UN resolution against the North was killed as the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) boycotted the deliberations. It is an urgent task to enact this key bill in the upcoming extraordinary diet session. Former finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa, who chaired a group of suprapartisan Diet members dealing with the abduction issue and engaged in rescue activities for the abduction victims, passed away recently. He was a politician who always took a tough stance toward China and North Korea, so his death is extremely regrettable. In a joint meeting on Oct. 4 in Tokyo of the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea and the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, many participants expressed regret over the death of Nakagawa. In the meeting, the participants agreed on the view that pressure and international cooperation will be necessary to prompt North Korea to move toward resolving the abduction issue. Hatoyama should keep this view in mind when he attends the upcoming trilateral summit. The new government should also persist with the Japanese government's policy up until now of placing pressure on North Korea. (5) Interview with former U.S. Ambassador Baker: Japan-U.S. relationship remains unchanged after advent of Hatoyama administration NIKKEI (Page 6) (Full) October 3, 2009 The Democratic Party of Japan administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has called for an equal Japan-U.S. relationship. An increasing number of U.S. politicians view this slogan as a point of concern for the future of the Japan-U.S. alliance. Nikkei interviewed former Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker, a political heavyweight who during the George H. Bush administration maintained TOKYO 00002321 007 OF 009 and managed the Japan-U.S. relationship. He was asked his views. -- We hear that a growing number of people in the U.S. have expressed apprehension that the Japan-U.S. relationship might grow weaker with the advent of the DPJ Hatoyama administration. Baker: Frankly, in my view Japan-U.S. relations have not changed at all. The current administration's basic policies are the same as the previous administration's. When I was ambassador to Japan, I often invited senior DPJ members, including Ichiro Ozawa, who is now secretary general, to the Ambassador's Official Residence for breakfast meetings. At such meetings, I keenly felt that the DPJ was eager to introduce a two-party system as exists in the U.S. I think that (once a politician-led political system takes root) the bureaucracy will seldom be criticized as a problem. With the change of president, government officials are replaced in the U.S. In Britain, the structure of the bureaucracy is more permanent than in the U.S. I think Japan may follow the U.S. model. -- Did you give Mr. Ozawa advice regarding Japan-U.S. relations and other issues? Baker: I told him that there was no need for Japan to adopt the U.S. system as a model. The two-party system is certainly functioning effectively in the U.S., but is nevertheless still evolving. Japan should aim to establish its own two-party system. The Japan-U.S. alliance is the cornerstone of security in the Asia-Pacific region, and it remains important even after the change of government. -- Are you apprehensive that the Japan-U.S. relationship will weaken during the DPJ administration? Baker: I hear some say the relationship may weaken during the DPJ administration, but there are no definite grounds for this view. My current view is not greatly different from my thinking when I was ambassador. Japan and the U.S. share numerous common interests, for example, science and technology, and promoting trade. There are also relations with Asian countries. The situation has changed over the last 10 years. Today there are no thorny issues pending between Japan and the U.S. -- I heard you gave advice to U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos. Baker: As Mr. Mansfield used to say, I told him that no relationship is more important than the Japan-U.S. relationship. The Democratic Party and the Republican Party share this view. I stressed this point to him. Second, I told him to work as a team with State Department officials and other government offices. Mr. Roos is close to President Barack Obama. He fully recognizes the importance of science and technology and the promotion of trade. He is also aware of the significance of Japan-U.S. relations. He is not a so-called big-name ambassador, but he will make a very good ambassador. -- President Obama's popularity in the U.S. is declining. Do you think the Republican Party will be able to regain power? Baker: I think the Republican Party may win both houses in the midterm elections and also win the gubernatorial elections. The pattern in U.S. politics is that a big electoral victory by one party is followed by a comeback victory in the next election by the other party. President Obama is saddled with many problems. In TOKYO 00002321 008 OF 009 addressing those problems, he could meet a backlash, and that might negatively affect his election campaign. (6) Internal Affairs Minister plans to set up Japanese version of U.S. Federal Communications Commission to oversee communications, broadcasting ASAHI (Page 1) (Excerpts) October 6, 2009 Harunori Murayama, Yasukazu Akada Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Kazuhiro Haraguchi gave an exclusive interview to Asahi Shimbun on October 5, during which he revealed for the first time detailed plans for establishing the new "Communications and Broadcasting Commission" involved with communications and broadcasting administration. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) will regulate and oversee the broadcasting companies through this body, and it will be tasked with preventing unjust intervention in the contents of broadcast programs. Haraguchi envisions this as a "bastion for protecting the freedom of expression." The creation of the Communications and Broadcasting Commission is included in the "Policy Index" issued by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) before the general election. According to the "Policy Index," this body is meant to resolve the contradiction in the current system, under which broadcasters, which play the role of watchdogs over state power, are supervised by state power. Under the Liberal Democratic Party administration, moves to impose new penalties emerged time and again during the debate on the amendment of the Broadcasting Law in 2007. The MIC, which has the power to grant broadcasting licenses, has also issued administrative guidance on several occasions over problems with program contents. In light of this history, Haraguchi indicated that there is a danger that the intentions of the government may turn into pressure, and that freedom of speech may be suppressed. Therefore, he emphasized that the commission will essentially be a "commission independent from the governing power," in order to eliminate the danger of suppressing freedom of speech. Specifically, the new body will be an organization similar to the National Public Safety Commission, which oversees the National Police Agency. It will be given legal authority and the power to report to the MIC and demand corrective measures. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission, which is highly independent from the government, is a possible model. The DPJ's "Policy Index" calls the new commission the Japanese version of the FCC. While the FCC has the power to regulate program contents, the new body will leave them to the broadcasting industry's self-regulation and self-discipline and will not intervene. At present, corrective measures in cases of violation of human rights by broadcasters are handled by the third-party organization Broadcast Ethics and Program Improvement Organization (BPO) consisting of NHK and the commercial broadcasters. This framework will continue to be upheld. Members of the new body will be selected based on their political TOKYO 00002321 009 OF 009 neutrality. A system of direct public election by the people will also be considered. The above basic ideas will serve as the basis of discussion for a panel of experts to deliberate for about one year. Haraguchi plans to submit the legislation on the creation of the new commission to the regular Diet session in 2011. Haraguchi asserted that "the freedom of broadcasting, the freedom of expression, and the freedom of the press should be protected no matter who is in power and what the political regime is." He added: "What I have in mind is an organization that will monitor for violations of freedom of speech by political power. We need a mechanism to resist moves to place the powerful tool of opinion under the control of the state." (7) Budget-compilation procedure (shaded portions indicate strong political involvement) NIKKEI (Page 1) (Full) September 29, 2009 (1) Determination of basic policies Determination of basic policies (Sept. 29) (2) Budget compilation/examination Budgetary requests (by Oct. 15) (3) Adoption (1) Determination of basic policies Budgetary requests guidelines compiled Budgetary requests approved (2) Budget compilation/examination Budgetary requests Agreement on budget draft through negotiations (3) Adoption ZUMWALT