JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 11/25/09

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TOKYO 002702 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 11/25/09 INDEX: 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials 3) Prime Minister's daily schedule (Nikkei) Defense & security: 4) Police obtain arrest warrant for four children of U.S. forces personnel in connection with motorcycle accident (Yomiuri) 5) Foreign Minister giving serious consideration to allocating funds for deployment of additional PAC3 missiles (Sankei) 6) Foreign Minister Okada: Govt. to investigate Aso administration's lobbying of U.S. congressional commission to maintain nuclear umbrella (Asahi) 7) Preparatory meeting on "nuclear security summit" to be held in Tokyo next month (Nikkei) Futenma issue: 8) Senior MOFA, MOD officials in U.S. for working level consultations on Futenma issue (Yomiuri) 9) Funding for Futenma facility relocation included in budget (Asahi) Trade & economics: 10) Govt. mulling subsidies to maintain flights after JAL's withdrawal (Nikkei) Foreign relations: 11) Ambassador Roos to visit Okinawa (Asahi) 12) Ozawa to lead delegation of 140 lawmakers to China (Sankei) Secret nuclear accord: 13) Panel of experts will be set up to review results of MOFA investigation into the existence of "secret nuclear accord" (Nikkei) Politics: 14) Budget screening panel slashes ODA funds; some govt. officials concerned about the decline in Japanese presence (Yomiuri) 15) ODA grant aid for building infrastructure in developing nations to be cut by one-third (Tokyo Shimbun) Opinion: 16) Yomiuri poll: 61 PERCENT approve of consumption tax hike (Yomiuri) Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: Government panel with new members to recalculate financial burden on households from 25 PERCENT cut in greenhouse gas emissions Mainichi & Yomiuri Another political body linked to Hatoyama allegedly failed to report donations Nikkei: Transport minister eyes subsidies to local governments to maintain flights after JAL's withdrawal TOKYO 00002702 002 OF 009 Sankei: Police to search offices of Kashima Construction Co. on suspicion of swindling 4.7 million yen in public works project Tokyo Shimbun: Government unit calls for cutting ODA grant aid for infrastructure in developing countries by 30 PERCENT Akahata: Nine university presidents protest against government unit's call for slashing budget requests related to science and technology 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) Release of Japanese hostage in Yemen proves importance of aid that wins people's hearts (2) Measures needed to stop increase in greenhouse gas emissions Mainichi: (1) Six months after introduction of lay judge system: In-depth discussion of confidentiality needed (2) Prevent soccer referees' mistakes by introducing video and other advanced technology Yomiuri: (1) Energy tax needed to cover revenue shortfalls that will result from abolishment of provisional tax rates (2) Take measures to quickly eliminate bad effects of recommendation-based admissions Nikkei: (1) Integration of three major airports in Kansai area necessary (2) Executive members of EU expected to demonstrate ability to act Sankei: (1) Prosecutors should thoroughly disclose details of illegal donations to Hatoyama (2) Japanese freed in Yemen: Efforts needed to protect civilian aid workers Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Are Cabinet Secretariat's secret funds really necessary? (2) New strain of flu: Review vaccine regulations Akahata: (1) Don't stop support for basic research and young researchers 3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) Prime Minister's schedule, November 24 NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) November 25, 2009 07:46 Attended meeting of ministerial committee on defense build-up at the Diet 08:18 Held cabinet meeting; Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano stayed behind 10:18 Met National Strategy Minister Naoto Kan at the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) TOKYO 00002702 003 OF 009 11:00 Met President Hiroyasu Ito, other officials of NPO Japan Abilities Association; followed by meeting with Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Tetsuro Fukuyama and Ambassador for Aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan Motohide Yoshikawa 12:10 Met Kan; joined by Hirano. 14:12 Inspection of government-project screening by the Government Revitalization Unit with Minister for Administrative Reform Yoshito Sengoku, others at the National Printing Bureau's Ichigaya Center in Ichigayahonmura-cho 15:02 Met Upper House member Shokichi Kina, Social Democratic Party Lower House member Kantoku Teruya, others at Kantei 16:15 Phone call from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown; Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yorihisa Matsuno and MOFA's Director General for Global Issues Shinsuke Sugiyama present 17:37 Met UN Development Program (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark 18:53 Had dinner with Kyocera Honorary Chairman Kazuo Inamori, Kan, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka, DPJ Upper House caucus chair Azuma Koshiishi, and Upper House Secretary General Yoshimitsu Takashima; joined by Land Minister Seiji Maehara 21:31 Arrived at official residential quarters 4) Police obtain arrest warrant for four dependents of U.S. service members for stringing rope across road and causing motorcyclist's crash, serious injury YOMIURI (Page 39) (Full) November 25, 2009 Last August, a female company employee, 23, collided with a rope strung across a street in Musashimurayama City in Tokyo while riding on a motorcycle and fell as a result, suffering a serious skull fracture. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has obtained a warrant of arrest for four teenagers, aged 15-18, who are children of U.S. military personnel living on the Yokota base, on charges of attempted murder. These teenagers are suspected of stringing the rope across the road intentionally. The MPD will seek the cooperation of the Military Police on the Yokota base to detain the four this week and interrogate them on their motives. According to a source familiar with the investigations, the incident occurred at around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 13 on a street in Inahira in Musashimurayama City. The motorcyclist ran into a rope stretched from a metal pole (about 1.5 meters high) on the grounds of a transportation company along the street to a utility pole on the opposite side of the road, which is about 6.5 meters wide. The woman fell and suffered serious injuries requiring three months to heal. According to the MPD's investigations, the rope is normally tied between two poles on either side of the entrance of the company in the evening to prevent trespassers from entering the garage. It was found that at the time of the incident, the rope was removed from one pole and tied to the utility pole at a height of about 70 centimeters from the ground. A police patrol car that passed by the area some 10 minutes before the incident did not notice the rope strung across the street. The MDP suspected that somebody had intentionally tied the rope to the utility pole during that 10-minute period, and their investigations revealed that three boys and one girl were playing near the area at that time. Nearby security cameras captured the four teenagers on video, and they acted suspiciously when police officers rushed to the scene of the accident. TOKYO 00002702 004 OF 009 5) Okada cautious about allocating funds for additional PAC-3 deployment SANKEI (Page 3) (Full) November 25, 2009 The government yesterday held a meeting of its cabinet ministerial committee in the Diet on the defense budget for fiscal 2010. In connection with creating guidelines for defense-related spending for the next fiscal year, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada indicated a cautious stance during the meeting about the Defense Ministry's budget request for an additional deployment of the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3),a ground-to-air guided missile system designed to intercept ballistic missiles. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa, and Okada participated in the committee meeting. In response to such factors as North Korea's ballistic missile threat, the Defense Ministry has earmarked 94.4 billion yen in its budget request for the next fiscal year to deploy PAC-3 batteries at three additional sites in the country under its five-year deployment plan. Based on this antiballistic missile defense plan, Kitazawa insisted on the necessity of additional PAC-3 deployment. Okada rebutted by saying: "PAC-3 accounts for a considerable portion of the defense budget. We need public accountability on its effectiveness. I think it will be all right if we fully discuss the matter during fiscal 2010." Fujii said, "I agree." Furthermore, a question was raised about the Defense Ministry's request to increase the number of Self-Defense Forces personnel. Meanwhile, the Hatoyama cabinet has decided to postpone the government's work schedule for a year of revising the National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) and formulating the next midterm defense buildup plan. The government had planned to work out these two new defense plans at the end of the year. The NDPG is to determine a basic course of action, including Japan's defense buildup and the SDF's operation over a long period of time. The midterm defense buildup plan is to specify such matters as the SDF's annual troop strength and costs. 6) Foreign Ministry to investigate previous government's alleged lobbying of U.S. congressional commission to maintain nuclear capability ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) November 25, 2009 Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada clarified at a press conference yesterday that his ministry would investigate the issue of the previous Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito government allegedly lobbying a U.S. congressional commission, which compiled nuclear policy proposals (for the Obama administration),to maintain the U.S. nuclear capability in Japan. He stated: "I would like to know what the previous government told (the U.S. side)." The U.S. congressional body in question is called the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States. The commission presented in May a set of nuclear policy proposals to the Obama administration. Former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger, TOKYO 00002702 005 OF 009 who serves as deputy chair of the commission, revealed in an interview to the Asahi Shimbun that the Japanese side expressed concern that the credibility of the U.S. "nuclear umbrella might be undermined." 7) Preparatory meeting for nuclear security summit to take place next month in Tokyo NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) November 25, 2009 The Japanese and U.S. governments have decided to hold a preparatory meeting on Dec. 3 in Tokyo for a nuclear security summit slated for next April. The United States will host the nuclear security summit with the attendance of 43 countries and four international organizations, including the United Nations and European Union (EU). Measures to prevent terrorism aimed at nuclear materials will be discussed at the summit. The preparatory meeting is the first step in cooperation between Tokyo and Washington toward achieving a world free of nuclear weapons as agreed upon at the summit meeting between Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and President Barack Obama on Nov. 13. At the preparatory meeting, working-level officials will discuss such issues as international cooperation in dealing with nuclear terrorism and the establishment of an antitheft management system. Gary Samore, U.S. coordinator (for arms control and non-proliferation/antiterrorism),who held negotiations with North Korea under the Clinton administration, will chair the meeting. 8) Senior MOFA, MOD officials in U.S. for working level consultations on Futenma issue YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) November 25, 2009 Director General Kazuyoshi Umemoto of the North American Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Director General Nobushige Takamizawa of the Defense Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Defense (MOD) left for Washington on Nov. 24 for discussions with the U.S. side on the issue of the relocation of the U.S. forces' Futenma Air Station. They will meet with Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and other U.S. officials for working level consultations relating to the ministerial level working group on the Futenma issue consisting of cabinet members in charge of foreign affairs and defense of the Japanese and U.S. governments. 9) Government to earmark funds for relocation of Futenma facility, out of consideration for U.S., but make decision later ASAHI (Page 1) (Excerpts) November 25, 2009 The Hatoyama cabinet has started coordination to earmark in the fiscal 2010 budget bill expenses needed to reclaim in the Henoko district in Nago City the alternative site for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture, and also to transfer U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam. Although Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has yet to reach a conclusion on where the Futenma facility should be moved, the government has judged that if necessary expenses are excluded from the budget bill, the U.S. could interpret that to mean Japan has scrapped the entire bilateral agreement (on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan). TOKYO 00002702 006 OF 009 In its budget request, the Defense Ministry included 28.8 billion yen as expenses for relocating the Futenma airfield to Nago City and 34.6 billion yen for transferring U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam. A person close to the prime minister commented: "Unless the government earmarks expenses related to the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, the roadmap for the plan will go back to the drawing board. The prime minister is not considering that option (at the present point in time)." In reaction to the Japanese government's wavering stance over the Futenma relocation issue, some members of the U.S. Congress have begun to call for trimming expenses related to transferring U.S. Marines in Okinawa to Guam. The government must have taken into consideration such moves in the U.S. 10) Transport minister looking into using government subsidies to maintain flights after JAL's withdrawal NIKKEI (Top play) (Lead para.) November 25, 2009 Transport Minister Seiji Maehara on Nov. 24 revealed a policy of allocating in stages more than half of the landing and departure slots at Haneda Airport for international flights, starting October next year. He will also aim to introduce daytime European and U.S. flights, a plan that is not included in the existing one. Maehara also plans to implement toll-free expressways on a trial basis, starting in April next year. The ministry is now making adjustments with the possibility of excluding key routes connecting major cities. It will also consider providing government subsidies to localities to maintain local flight routes, after Japan Airlines withdraws in the process of management restructuring. 11) Ambassador Roos to visit Okinawa ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) November 25, 2009 The U.S. Consulate in Okinawa announced yesterday that U.S. Ambassador John Roos will visit Okinawa from Nov. 30 through Dec. 2. This will be the Ambassador's first visit to Okinawa. He is expected to meet with Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima and other local politicians and business leaders. He is likely to discuss with them the pending issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station. He also plans to visit U.S. military bases on the island prefecture and the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman City. 12) Ozawa to visit China with 140 Diet members SANKEI (Page 5) (Abridged slightly) November 25, 2009 The main ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) announced yesterday that about 140 DPJ lawmakers will join a delegation to China, which is expected to stay in China for four days from Dec. 10. In term of the size of an overseas delegation of Diet members, this delegation is unusually large. Including others who will participate in the delegation, the total number will exceed 600. The visit to China this time around will be carried out by the TOKYO 00002702 007 OF 009 Japan-China Exchange and Discussion Mechanism, a regular exchange program between the DPJ and the Chinese Communist Party, and the Great Wall Program, a Japan-China exchange project, in which Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa has been involved since he was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. Secretary General Ozawa will serve as honorary chairman of the delegation and Azuma Koshiishi, chairman of the DPJ caucus in the House of Councillors, as its chairman. Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka will also join the delegation. Ozawa is expected to meet with key Chinese figures, including President Hu Jintao. 13) Expert panel on Japan-U.S. secret pacts to hold first meeting tomorrow NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) November 25, 2009 Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said in a press conference yesterday that a new panel of experts set up to investigate the issue of alleged secret pacts between Japan and the U.S. will hold its first meeting tomorrow. The panel is composed of six experts and chaired by Tokyo University Professor Shinichi Kitaoka. After examining the historic background of the issue and other details, the panel will come up with a report in around mid-January. The panel will look into four alleged secret accords: (1) a pact allowing the U.S. military to bring nuclear weapons into Japan made in 1960 when the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty was revised; (2) a pact made in 1960 on combat action in times of emergency on the Korean Peninsula; (3) a pact allowing the U.S. military to bring nuclear weapons into Japan in the event of a contingency made at the time of the reversion of Okinawa from U.S. control to Japanese sovereignty; and (4) a pact concerning Japan's payment of fees for restoring the land the U.S. military has used to its original state. Okada emphasized: "The basic principle should be that the details of the secret accords are released after a certain period of time passes, although it depends on the contents." The members of the panel are Hosei University Professor Yasuko Kono, Osaka University Profesor Kazuya Sakamoto, Rikkyo University Professor Takuya Sasaki, Tsukuba University Professor Sumio Hatano, and Nagoya University Professor Mikio Haruna. 14) Budgetary requests screening: Cut in public facilities, ODA; Concern about decline in Japan's presence YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) November 25, 2009 The Government Administrative Unit (GRU) on Nov. 24 screened project requests filed by the Foreign Ministry as official development assistance (ODA) and decided to cut about one-third of grant aid for building public facilities, such as schools and hospitals, which account for about 50 percent of the 157.1 billion yen requested by the ministry as cooperation in the form of grants. Government officials are voicing concern about a possible decline in Japan's presence and diplomatic clout in the international community. Prime Minister Hatoyama in the speech delivered at the UN in September this year announced that he wanted to double Japan's TOKYO 00002702 008 OF 009 efforts to support developing countries in cooperation with international agencies. However, on the 24th the GRU determined that it would be possible to trim projects being carried out in countries to which Japan is providing reimbursable yen loans in tandem with grant aid. Foreign Minister Okada during a press conference on the same day said: "If it is a matter of the total amount of ODA, then it is a policy argument. Except for some extraordinary reason we cannot easily alter the prime minister's major policy line (of strengthening assistance to developing countries)." However, he also said, "If there are problems with the specifics, it is only natural for us to modify them." 15) Project screening: 30 percent cut in grant aid for building infrastructure in developing countries TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top play) (Excerpts) November 25, 2009 The Government Revitalization Unit (GRU),chaired by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, on Nov. 24 continued with its second round of project screening with the aim of identifying wasteful budget requests for fiscal 2010. During the process, the panel called for about a one-third reduction in the development of infrastructure, such as the building of ports, harbors, and roads, in developing countries from requests filed by the Foreign Ministry as cooperation in the form of grants (budget request of 157.1 billion yen) in official development assistance (ODA). The building of infrastructure like this is referred to as the overseas version of public works. It usually accounts for about 50 percent of grant aid. Lower House member Motoyuki Odachi, who was in charge of the screening, said, "The Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ) policy of shifting the focus of spending from concrete to human resources will be adopted for policies involving overseas projects as well." From among ODA-related budgetary requests, the GRU has decided to cut research expenses for technical cooperation worth 9.6 billion yen by 30 percent from subsidies worth 150.8 billion yen requested by the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA),an independent administrative agency tasked with providing economic and technological support to developing countries. 16) Poll: 61 PERCENT favor consumption tax hike YOMIURI (Page 1) (Abridged) November 25, 2009 An estimated 61 PERCENT of the nation think that it would be unavoidable to raise the consumption tax in order for the nation to maintain its social security system, while 37 PERCENT do not think so, the Yomiuri Shimbun found from its recent face-to-face nationwide public opinion survey conducted Nov. 14-15. The proportion of those in favor of raising the consumption tax increased 14 percentage points from 47 PERCENT in the last survey conducted in July 2008 and marked the highest level ever since July 2004 when the same question was first asked. An increasing number of people seem to think it will be necessary to raise the consumption tax in order to ensure revenue resources for the growing cost of social security. TOKYO 00002702 009 OF 009 Meanwhile, 62 PERCENT answered that they thought the Hatoyama cabinet's policy of not raising the consumption tax rate in the next four years will make it impossible for the nation to maintain its current level of social security. ROOS