JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 10/16/09

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TOKYO 002384 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 10/16/09 INDEX: 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials 3) Prime Minister's daily schedule (Nikkei) Refueling mission: 4) Parliamentary Secretary for Defense informs U.S. officials Japan will end refueling mission (Yomiuri) 5) LDP to submit bill for continuation of refueling mission at special Diet session (Yomiuri) Futenma relocation 6) Chief cabinet secretary says Futenma decision might not be reached before Obama visit (Yomiuri) 7) U.S. spokesperson: Futenma accord is an agreement between governments (Sankei) 8) Futenma relocation issue to be discussed by committee of ministers (Mainichi) 9) PM says reaching a decision on Futenma will take time (Mainichi) Child abduction issue 10) Father accused of abducting own children freed (Yomiuri) Defense & security: 11) U.S. forces realignment costs to be deferred (Asahi) 12) MOD budget shrinks by 1.9 billion yen (Yomiuri) Foreign relations: 13) Japanese govt. introduces resolution for elimination of nuclear weapons (Sankei) 14) 19th and 20th century German and French maps indicate Takeshima belongs to Japan (Sankei) 15) MOFA says allocation of funding for Afghan aid and global-warming countermeasures to be postponed (Nikkei) Politics 16) Special Diet session to be convened on Oct. 26 (Yomiuri) Economy 17) Budget for the next fiscal year is estimated at more than 90 trillion yen (Yomiuri) Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: Land Ministry's fiscal 2010 budget request for public works down 14 PERCENT Mainichi, Yomiuri & Tokyo Shimbun: Budget requests for fiscal 2010 top record 90 trillion yen Nikkei: Toyota, Daihatsu to jointly develop low-cost car for emerging markets Sankei: Administrative reform panel eyes budget cuts for "model projects" TOKYO 00002384 002 OF 009 Akahata: Pensioners across nation call for abolishing elderly HEALTH program 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) Quickly enact law to allow married couples to use separate surnames (2) Plan to make Haneda international hub: Strengthen competitiveness in air Mainichi: (1) ONE month of Hatoyama administration: What should come after changes made? (2) World food day: Is starvation a tragedy in distant countries? Yomiuri: (1) Revise income indemnity system for farming households to increase productivity (2) International "parental authority" issue: Urgently study possibility of participating in Hague Convention Nikkei: (1) Prime minister should not betray public expectations for budgetary reform (2) Push ahead with process of JAL reconstruction in transparent way Sankei: (1) Budget requests: Government urged to establish fiscal discipline to prevent financial collapse (2) Retrenchment of academic examination reflects inclination toward Japan Teachers' Union Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Make efforts to cut more expenses (2) System of six years for teachers training: Applicants might decrease Akahata: (1) Give up new Okinawa base plan in accordance with local people's desire 3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) Prime Minister's schedule, October 15 NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) October 16, 2009 10:26 Met Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa at the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei). 11:35 Met Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation) Chairman Nobuaki Koga and others. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries Yorihisa Matsuno and Koji Matsui were also present. Later met National Strategy Minister Naoto Kan. 12:17 Met Hirano. 12:57 Met Hirano. 14:21 Met Cabinet Intelligence Director Hideshi Mitani. Later met PM Adviser Yoshikatsu Nakayama. 15:08 Met Vice Minister Mitoji Yabunaka and Director General Toshiro Suzuki of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau of the TOKYO 00002384 003 OF 009 Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 18:21 Presented appointment paper to playwright Oriza Hirata as cabinet consultant. Hirano and Matsui were also present. 19:49 Had dinner with Hirata and others at Chinese restaurant in Kojimachi "Toryu." Administrative Reform Minister Yoshito Sengoku was also present. 23:20 Arrived at his private residence. 4) Nagashima tells U.S. officials about MSDF pullout plan YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) Eve., October 15, 2009 Satoshi Ogawa WASHINGTON-Parliamentary Defense Secretary Akihisa Nagashima met separately on Oct. 14 with U.S. White House National Security Adviser Jones, Under Secretary of Defense Michhle Flournoy, and Assistant Secretary of Defense Wallace Gregson. In the meetings, Nagashima informed them that Japan will not extend the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission, which is being conducted in the Indian Ocean under a new antiterror special measures law, after the law expires in January next year, and that Japan will withdraw the MSDF. According to Nagashima, his U.S. counterparts consented to the pullout plan. He quoted them as saying, "Basically, that is for Japan to decide itself." Nagashima also said they expressed high expectations for Japan's plans to assist Afghanistan with its reconstruction. On the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air station in Okinawa Prefecture, Nagashima told the U.S. officials that there are various views not only among his ruling Democratic Party of Japan's coalition partners but also within his party. "Also," Nagashima added, "the political situation in Okinawa is unclear and we are facing a very difficult situation." The U.S. officials reiterated the reasons why the current plan was adopted, according to Nagashima. However, Nagashima did not reveal the details of their responses. He only said, "We need more and more opportunities to exchange views with the United States." 5) LDP to include provision requiring Diet approval in bill to continue refueling mission, with aim of rattling DPJ YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) October 16, 2009 The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has decided to submit to the upcoming extraordinary Diet session a bill designed to continue the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. The party decided yesterday to include in the bill a provision requiring Diet approval before dispatching Self-Defense Force (SDF) personnel. Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has indicated it would be difficult to extend the law authorizing the mission beyond its January expiration. But some Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) members are calling for changing the current policy on the condition of requiring Diet approval. For instance, Parliamentary Vice Defense Minister Akihisa Nagashima said in a speech on Oct. 5: "Japan's refueling mission should be extended by revising the existing law to TOKYO 00002384 004 OF 009 require Diet approval before dispatching SDF personnel." The LDP's decision is apparently aimed at rattling the DPJ. The current new antiterrorism special measures law requires only an ex post facto report to be submitted to the Diet. The LDP has also started discussing the possibility of submitting a bill that will allow inspections of cargo on flights head to and from North Korea to the extraordinary Diet session. This bill was scrapped in the last ordinary diet session. 6) Hirano implies postponement of decision on Futenma relocation YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) Eve., October 15, 2009 Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirano, meeting the press this morning, implied that the government will likely put off its decision until after U.S. President Obama's visit to Japan in November concerning the pending issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, to the island prefecture's northern coastal city of Nago. "We will try to reach a conclusion before President Obama's visit, but at this point we do not have a solid answer," Hirano said. "We're now looking into the matter," he added. Hirano also indicated that the foreign minister, defense minister, chief cabinet secretary, and other cabinet members will meet to discuss the issue. "If we need to decide things in concrete terms, then we will of course do so among the relevant cabinet ministers," he said. 7) Pentagon says Futenma relocation based on government-to-government agreement, announces Secretary Gates will visit Japan on Oct. 20 SANKEI (Page 8) (Full) October 16, 2009 Takashi Arimoto, Washington The U.S. Defense Department announced on Oct. 14 that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will visit Japan on Oct. 20-21 and hold talks with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa, and other Japanese leaders. In the announcement, department spokesman Geoff Morrell made it clear that the U.S. government will not accept any changes to the existing plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station (in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture),saying, "It is not an agreement between political parties but an accord between the governments of Japan and the United States." The Hatoyama administration has indicated that it will hold talks with the United States in the direction of reviewing the agreement on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, which was reached under the administration led by the Liberal Democratic Party. Touching on this fact, Morrell said: "We will make certain that the new Japanese government can obtain necessary information so that it will be able to understand the agreement well. The agreement will serve the interests of the two countries." A plan is being mentioned in the Japanese side to integrate Futenma Air Station into Kadena Air Base. During his recent visit to Japan, Assistant Secretary of State (for East Asian and Pacific Affairs) TOKYO 00002384 005 OF 009 Kurt Campbell indicated that realizing such a plan would be difficult, citing possible operational problems and objections from local governments. The U.S. government wants to obtain the understanding of the new Japanese government by explaining that (the two governments) have settled on the coastal area of Camp Schwab after examining many candidate sites. Parliamentary Defense Secretary Akihisa Nagashima, now visiting the United States, held talks on Oct. 14 with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, and Undersecretary of Defense (for Policy) Michele Flournoy, among others. Based on the fact that there are calls in the administration for a review of the (Futenma) plan, Nagashima indicated during the talks that reaching a swift conclusion would be difficult, saying, "We are in a very difficult situation." Nagashima also told the U.S. side that there is a strong possibility that Japan will temporarily withdraw the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) from the Indian Ocean, saying the Antiterrorism Special Measures Law authorizing the MSDF's refueling mission will expire Jan. 15. About an alternative plan to aid Afghanistan, Nagashima said, "We are looking into what's best for the country centering on the civilian sector." 8) Government plans to decide policy on Futenma relocation at Ministerial Council on Basic Policies with SDP, PNP leaders MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) October 16, 2009 In a press conference yesterday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano indicated that the government would hold a meeting of the Ministerial Council on Basic Policies joined also by the leaders of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the People's New Party (PNP) to decide what to do about the proposed relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture. Under the existing plan, the facility would be transferred to the coastal area of Camp Schwab in Nago City. Hirano said: "A decision naturally should be made at the Ministerial Council on Basic Policies or at the Committee of Relevant Cabinet Ministers." The Ministerial Committee on Basic Policies is tasked with discussing key policies among the ruling parties. It held meetings on Sept. 28 and Oct. 9. SDP leader Mizuho Fukushima has revealed her opposition to the existing plan, as she said in a press conference on Oct. 14: "I will do my best in the coalition government to prevent a base from being built off Henoko (in Nago City)." If the government decides to discuss a policy on the Futenma relocation issue at the Ministerial Council on Basic Policies, in which the SDP participates, coordination is not likely to be easy. 9) PM Hatoyama says solution to Futenma relocation issue will "take some time" MAINICHI (Page 1) (Full) Shinichiro Nishida Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama talked to reporters about the review TOKYO 00002384 006 OF 009 of the plan to relocate the U.S. forces' Futenma Air Station (in Ginowan City, Okinawa) to the coastal area of Camp Schwab (in Nago City) at the Prime Minister's Official Residence on Oct. 15. "Elections for the mayor of Nago and the governor of Okinawa will take place next year, so the situation may change," he stressed. "Our main concern is the sentiment of the people of Okinawa." He also said, "We would like to come up with the best solution acceptable to the people of Okinawa, even if it takes some time," indicating that it will be difficult to reach a conclusion before U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Japan in November. The Nago mayoral election will take place on January 24. The incumbent mayor, who has accepted the current relocation plan on the condition that the runways are moved further offshore, and a rival candidate, who advocates a review of the plan, have declared their intentions to run in the election, which is expected to be closely contested. The Okinawa gubernatorial race will take place in November 2010. Hatoyama's statement emphasizes his stance of arriving at a solution after discerning the Okinawan people's consensus and indicates that he regards the outcome of the two elections as a basis for gauging popular opinion in Okinawa. 10) American father arrested on suspicion of abduction released YOMIURI (Page 39) (Full) October 16, 2009 The Kurume branch of the Fukuoka District Public Prosecutors Office released with a suspended indictment on Oct. 15 Christopher Savoie, 38, president of an IT company in Tennessee, who was arrested and charged with the abduction of minors (his own children). Savoie was suspected of forcibly taking away his son, 8, and daughter, 6, both elementary school pupils, in Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture, where his ex-wife's home is located, on the morning of Sept. 28 while the children were on their way to school with his ex-wife. He was arrested by officers of the Yanagawa Police Station of the Fukuoka Prefectural Police. Savoie and his ex-wife divorced in Tennessee last January, and the ruling of the Williamson County Court in Tennessee on the divorce stipulates that "either parent needs to obtain the permission of the other parent to move with the children out of the state." However, the ex-wife brought the children to Japan in August without informing Savoie. As a result, the court granted custody of the children to Savoie, and the local police had obtained a warrant of arrest for the ex-wife for abducting her children. Savoie has been asserting that he has the parental rights. 11) Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry request same amount of funds for U.S. force realignment for next fiscal year ASAHI (Page 3) (Slightly abridged) October 16, 2009 In addressing the issue of realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, the focus of attention is on the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station. The Democratic Party of Japan's policy manifesto for the last House of Representatives election specified TOKYO 00002384 007 OF 009 that the party will tackle the issue in the direction of reviewing the agreed plan. But the Defense Ministry asked for 89 billion yen for expenses related to the realignment of U.S. forces - the same amount as in fiscal 2009 - in its budget request. The amount requested by the Foreign Ministry is 3 PERCENT less than the previous fiscal year, excluding 17.2 billion yen earmarked for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to be held in Yokohama next year. The ministry, however, intends to request more funds for measures to assist Afghanistan and Pakistan and to protect the environment. 12) Estimate budget requests for fiscal 2010 largest ever, topping 90 trillion yen YOMIURI (Top Play) (Lead para.) October 16, 2009 Each government agency has resubmitted its estimate budget requests for the fiscal 2010 budget. The amount of requests filed by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries have exceeded the level of the fiscal 2009 initial budget due to outlays for new policies incorporated in the Democratic Party of Japan's manifesto for the August Lower House election, including virtually free high school education and an income compensation scheme for rice farmers. The total amount of the general account budget will likely reach a record of around 95 trillion yen at the estimate request stage. The government has determined that there is now a prospect for achieving the goal to amass 3 trillion yen through a review of the fiscal 2009 extra budget, which is to be adopted at a cabinet meeting on Oct. 16. Focus will now be on to what extent requested amounts can be squeezed at a future screening stage. 13) Government submits resolution to UN calling for elimination of nuclear weapons SANKEI (Page 8) (Full) October 16, 2009 Masaya Matsuo, New York The Japanese government submitted on Oct. 15 a resolution to the United Nations General Assembly First Committee (on Disarmament) calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons. Japan has submitted similar resolutions every year for 15 years since 1994 and all of the resolutions were adopted at the UNGA. Expectations about the elimination of nuclear weapons are growing around the world due to developments such as U.S. President Barack Obama's speech on his ideal of "a world without nuclear weapons." Under such circumstances, all eyes will be focused on whether the United States, which was continuously opposed to the resolutions during the Bush administration, will shift its position and approve this year's resolution. 14) Takeshima part of "Japan" in world maps produced by Germany and France in 19th and 20th centuries SANKEI (Page 6) (Excerpts) October 16, 2009 TOKYO 00002384 008 OF 009 Research by Shimane Prefecture's Takeshima Reference Office shows that Takeshima, an integral part of Japanese territory under illegal occupation by South Korea, is marked as Japanese territory in world maps produced in Germany and France in the early 19th centuries and 20th century, respectively. The maps reinforce the central and Shimane prefectural governments' claim that "Takeshima has been part of Japanese territory since the 17th century." The cartographic evidence came to light when the Takeshima Reference Office examined in late September some 50 materials, including world maps, belonging to a man in Okino-shimacho. The German map is believed to have been produced in 1872, and the French map between 1902 and 1904. In the German map, Takeshima, which is named Liancourt Island, sits next to Utsuryo Island, named Matsushima, with a border line between Utsuryo Island and the Korean Peninsula, indicating that Takeshima) is Japanese territory. In the French map, the names for Takeshima and Utsuryo Island are indicated along with the word" Jap" signifying that they are part of Japanese territory. 15) Foreign Ministry puts off budgetary requests for assistance to Afghanistan, measures to curb global warming: Estimate budgetary request down 0.4 percent NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) October 16, 2009 The Foreign Ministry (MOFA) did not incorporate in its estimated budgetary requests for fiscal 2010, released on October 15, expenses for key diplomatic policy measures, including assistance to Afghanistan and measures to curb global warming, which the Hatoyama administration has begun to consider. Since specific measures have yet to take shape at the present point, the ministry drafted requests with an eye only to the fiscal 2010 initial budget. It intends to work out the details by the time the government adopts its budget plan at the end of the year. The total amount of general-account budget requests stands at 667.1 billion yen, down 0.4 percent from the fiscal 2009 initial budget. Among official development assistance (ODA) items, cooperation in the form of grants stands at 157.2 billion yen, down 2.3 percent. Technological cooperation through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is at 150.9 billion yen, down 3.2 PERCENT . MOFA has put off budgetary requests for assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan, a 25 percent reduction in domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 in comparison with the 1990 level, and aid to Africa. This is the major reason for the drop in the amount of budgetary requests filed by MOFA. The ministry's request for assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan was no more than about 17.5 billion yen, which is about the same level as the estimated outlay for the current fiscal year. 16) Extra Diet session to be convened on Oct. 26 YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) October 16, 2009 TOKYO 00002384 009 OF 009 The government and ruling parties yesterday decided to convene an extraordinary session of the Diet on Oct. 26. The three ruling parties had previously agreed to open the extra session on Oct. 23, but their decision caused backlash from opposition parties and was changed. The session will likely run for 36 days through Nov. 30. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will deliver his first policy speech on the 26th. 17) Estimate budget requests for fiscal 2010 largest ever, topping 90 trillion yen YOMIURI (Top Play) (Lead para.) October 16, 2009 Each government agency has resubmitted its estimate budget requests for the fiscal 2010 budget. The amount of requests filed by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries have exceeded the level of the fiscal 2009 initial budget due to outlays for new policies incorporated in the Democratic Party of Japan's manifesto for the August Lower House election, including virtually free high school education and an income compensation scheme for rice farmers. The total amount of the general account budget will likely reach a record of around 95 trillion yen at the estimate request stage. The government has determined that there is now a prospect for achieving the goal to amass 3 trillion yen through a review of the fiscal 2009 extra budget, which is to be adopted at a cabinet meeting on Oct. 16. Focus will now be on to what extent requested amounts can be squeezed at a future screening stage. ROOS