DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 02/10/09

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 11 TOKYO 000320 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 02/10/09 INDEX: (1) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties (Asahi) (2) BBC-Yomiuri poll: The world still giving high marks to Japan (Yomiuri) (3) Editorial: Removing "Buy American" provision is U.S. President's duty (Sankei) (4) Men in uniform back up Obama administration (Sankei) (5) Defense Ministry official reveals plan for Japan to bear cost of constructing operating base in Guam (Akahata) (6) DPJ to decide Feb. 10 on candidates for Lower House election; Some members unhappy with party's policy of giving priority to coalition of other opposition parties (Yomiuri) (7) Study of DPJ (Part 1): No way in sight for building political leadership; Ozawa says, "Priority on victory elections (Nikkei) (8) To help prevent global warming, Japan to propose to UN creation of a body of technology-transfer experts to advise developing countries on cutting emissions (Nikkei) There will be no Daily Summary on February 11 - a Japanese holiday. ARTICLES: (1) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties ASAHI (Page 2) (Full) February 10, 2009 Questions & Answers (Figures shown in percentage, rounded off. Figures in parentheses denote the results of the last survey conducted Jan. 10-11, 2009.) Q: Do you support the Aso cabinet? Yes 14 (19) No 73 (67) Q: Which political party do you support now? Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 22 (24) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 25 (24) New Komeito (NK) 3 (2) Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 3 (2) Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1 (1) People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0 (0) Reform Club (RC or Kaikaku Kurabu) 0 (0) New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0 (0) Other political parties 0 (0) None 43 (40) No answer (N/A) + don't know (D/K) 3 (7) Q: Do you think the House of Representatives should be dissolved as early as possible for a general election, or do you otherwise think there is no need to hurry? TOKYO 00000320 002 OF 011 Dissolve as early as possible 60 (54) No need to hurry 31 (35) Q: If you were to vote now in a general election for the House of Representatives, which political party would you vote for in your proportional representation bloc? LDP 22 (25) DPJ 42 (38) NK 3 (3) JCP 3 (4) SDP 1 (1) PNP 0 (0) RC 0 (0) NPN 0 (0) Other political parties 1 (1) N/A+D/K 28 (28) Q: Which one between Prime Minister Aso and DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa do you think is more appropriate for prime minister? Mr. Aso 20 (26) Mr. Ozawa 39 (35) Q: Do you support the idea of raising the consumption tax after seeing an economic turnaround? Yes 45 No 47 Q: The government has presented a bill which will prepare the government by fiscal 2011 to raise the consumption tax. However, the government has yet to decide when to raise the consumption tax. The government has now waived its decision on when to raise the consumption tax. Do you think this is appropriate? Yes 67 No 21 Q: Do you appreciate Prime Minister Aso's approach for the consumption tax? Yes 15 No 72 Q: Concerning the way of business corporations, there is a view insisting that management should sacrifice job security to a certain extent for the sake of business profit, and there is also a view insisting that management should sacrifice business profit to a certain extent for the sake of job security. Do you think business profit should come before job security for business corporations, or do you otherwise think job security should come before business profit? Business profit 20 Job security 69 Q: There is a view insisting on work sharing, which shortens each employee's working hours to share jobs for job security. Fewer working hours will decrease each employee's earnings, but there will be more employees. Do you support this idea? TOKYO 00000320 003 OF 011 Yes 68 No 19 Q: There is a view insisting that business corporations should lower working conditions for regular workers in order to improve those for nonregular workers like temporary and part-time workers. Do you support this idea? Yes 32 No 51 Q: Do you think the government should totally prohibit the amakudari ("descent from heaven") practice of retired bureaucrats moving into public corporations or private businesses? Yes 80 No 15 Q: The government has decided to prohibit its ministries and agencies from offering amakudari placements for retired or retiring bureaucrats. Instead, the government has also decided to set up a placement center within three years. Prime Minister Aso has clarified that he would move up this schedule to next year. Do you appreciate this course of action? Yes 55 No 30 Polling methodology: The survey was conducted Feb. 7-8 over the telephone on a computer-aided random digit dialing (RDD) basis. Respondents were chosen from among the nation's voting population on a three-stage random-sampling basis. Valid answers were obtained from 2,036 persons (58 PERCENT ). (2) BBC-Yomiuri poll: The world still giving high marks to Japan YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) February 8, 2009 The Yomiuri Shimbun and BBC, a British-based broadcaster, conducted a joint poll in 21 countries and asked respondents if they thought Japan has had a "good impact" on the world. To this question, a total of 56 PERCENT answered "yes." However, 23 PERCENT of the respondents said Japan has had a "bad impact" on the world. The question was asked about 16 countries and international organizations that have an influence on the world in the political, economic, and security areas. Among countries with a good impact, Germany ranked top at 61 PERCENT , Britain at 58 PERCENT , and Canada at 57 PERCENT , followed by Japan. In a poll almost a year ago, as well, Japan's "good impact" rating was 56 PERCENT , ranking at the top with Germany. This time, Japan slipped but remained high. Among countries with a "bad impact," Iran was ranked at the top with 55 PERCENT , followed by Pakistan at 53 PERCENT , and Israel at 51 PERCENT . North Korea's "bad impact" rating was 48 PERCENT , and its "good impact" rating was 20 PERCENT . When it comes to the United States, its "good impact" rating was 40 PERCENT , with its "bad impact" rating at 43 PERCENT . With the Obama administration coming into office, the figures for the United TOKYO 00000320 004 OF 011 States have improved from its previous 35 PERCENT good and 47 PERCENT bad impact ratings. The poll was conducted from November last year through February this year on a face-to-face or telephone interview basis. The Yomiuri Shimbun covered Japan. (3) Editorial: Removing "Buy American" provision is U.S. President's duty SANKEI (Page 2) (Full) February 10, 2009 The U.S. Senate will take a vote on an economic stimulus bill designed to revitalize the U.S. economy possibly on Feb. 10. For the administration of President Barack Obama, the bill is a touchstone that will affect its management. Besides economic stimulus measures such as tax cuts and infrastructure investment, the stimulus bill contains a serious problem, that is, a "Buy American" provision, which requires the U.S. government to use only U.S.-made products for public works projects. The House of Representatives, which has already given approval to the bill, has designated only iron and steel products as subject to obligatory procurement, but the Senate has expanded the scope of the requirement to include all industrial products. A matter of concern is that the Obama administration has not expressed its definite opposition to this protectionist move in the U.S. Congress. In response to accusing voices from Japan and European countries, President Obama emphasized the importance of abiding by the World Trade Organization's (WTO) agreements, but he stopped short of criticizing the provision itself. The Senate agreed to require that the provision should be "applied in a manner consistent with U.S. obligations under international agreements." Even so, the provision is still in the bill. If the bill is approved in the Senate, both houses will start work to coordinate views to iron out differences to come up with a unified bill. Unless the provision was removed, global trade and investment flows might be undermined. President Obama, who has the right to veto, should urge Congress to delete the provision in a resolute manner. This provision has been exposed to criticism, because it could grow the ongoing global recession into a great depression similar to the one in the 1930s. In 1933, the U.S. enacted the Buy American Act to obligate the U.S. government to favor U.S. products for its contracts. This U.S. move prompted many other countries to take retaliatory acts. As a result, the depression became more serious, and World War II eventually broke out. We must not allow such a disaster to occur again. Free trade brings about international competition, and as a result, less competitive industries go into a decline, and an increasing number of people lose their jobs. But global competition is indisputably the source to general new industries and to renovate technologies. Free and active trade will help vitalize developing countries' economies and enrich their people's livelihoods. Postwar history proves this. TOKYO 00000320 005 OF 011 The 20 countries and region that participated in the financial summit last November pledged not to set any new trade barriers over the next year. The U.S. has a responsibility to fulfill this promise on its own initiative. Aware of this responsibility, President Obama should apply pressure to Congress to delete the provision. (4) Men in uniform back up Obama administration SANKEI (Page 5) (Excerpts) February 10, 2009 By Hiroyuki Noguchi The Obama administration has appointed James Jones, a former Supreme Allied Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general, as assistant to the President for national security affairs. This should be a model for Japan in making personnel appointments. Jones bears the heavy responsibility of bringing together such strong personalities as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vice President Joseph Biden, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates regarding responses to the pressing situations in Afghanistan and Iraq. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Jones retired from active duty after 40 years of service. In January 2003, he became the first Marine Corps general to serve as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. At the time, NATO was facing the severest political crisis since its establishment as France and Germany had announced that they would not join the Iraq war. Jones' efforts to improve relations with them have earned him a high reputation. He has become a key presidential aide in less than two years after retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps in February 2007. Further, Dennis Blair, former commander-in-chief of the Pacific Command and retired Navy Adm. has become director of National Intelligence who controls 16 intelligence organizations, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Presidential aides include not only military veterans but also personnel in active service. (Obama's predecessor) President George W. Bush named Lieutenant General Douglas Lute as Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan. As seen from this, men in uniform back up politics in the United States. Through my research, I have found that 17 generals are on loan to such bodies as the White House Military Office, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, National Counterterrorism Center, CIA, National Security Agency/Central Security Service, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and National Reconnaissance Office, in addition to the National Security Council (NSC). In Japan, prime ministerial secretaries are appointed mainly from lawmakers, but there are no Self-Defense Force officials who directly assist the prime minister. In the United States, 20 - 30 PERCENT of Senators and Representatives served in the military in the past. They are now actively working in the diplomatic and security fields. In Japan, only two Diet members are former SDF officers. The prime minister and defense minister require SDF officers' assistance, for the TOKYO 00000320 006 OF 011 legislative and executive branches are made up of military amateurs. In the French military, which is closer to Japan than to the U.S. military in size, 16 brass officers are serving at key government security offices. In Germany, eight brass officers hold major security posts. U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen visited India and Pakistan in the first week of December. In the wake of massive terrorist attacks in Mumbai, his mission was to discuss remedial measures with the presidents and national security authorities of the two countries in order to prevent India-Pakistan relations from being deteriorated. This is tantamount to the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, visiting North Korea and South Korea to encourage them to ease tensions, which is not allowed by the Japanese government. Japanese lawmakers rely on bureaucrats in mapping out foreign security polities, but they do not draw on the expertise of SDF personnel. A lack of a system allowing policymakers to have direct access to the insights of SDF officers prevents the government from making a swift decision in a national crisis. The political system that does not allow the appointment of SDF members to key posts testifies to the absence of confidence in the primacy of politics over the military. (5) Defense Ministry official reveals plan for Japan to bear cost of constructing operating base in Guam AKAHATA (Page 2) (Full) February 7, 2009 It was learned yesterday that the Japanese government was planning to foot the bill for constructing a base for an air combat team under the plan of transferring U.S. Marines in Okinawa to Guam. Defense Ministry's Defense Policy Bureau Director General Nobushige Takamizawa revealed this plan in replying to a question by Japanese Communist Party member Seiken Akamine during a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting yesterday. Akamine assailed: "Your explanation is different from what the government has explained so far. It is impermissible that tax money will be used to strengthen a foreign military's base outside the nation." The Japanese government has announced that it will bear only the costs of constructing such facilities as a headquarters building, housing as well as school buildings and will not pay for facilities for combat units." Takamizawa replied: "Is necessary to build a facility for air combat team members to exercise with Marines in Andersen Air Force Base in northern Guam. The Japanese government will undertake an infrastructure construction project." He also revealed plans to improve infrastructure at Apra Harbor in western Guam. Akamine criticized the infrastructure construction plan for the Andersen base as "indisputably tantamount to building the base of the air combat unit." Further, pointing out that Apra Harbor is a spot for landing craft utilities and amphibious assault ships to reach, Akamine argued: "Japan is about to pay for the U.S. TOKYO 00000320 007 OF 011 government to reinforce its military bases on Guam in a bid to make the island of Guam a hub base, like Hawaii and Okinawa. ... When the nation's economy is sinking deeper and its job market is in a state of collapse, the government is about to use tax money for the U.S. plan to reinforce its military bases." (6) DPJ to decide Feb. 10 on candidates for Lower House election; Some members unhappy with party's policy of giving priority to coalition of other opposition parties YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) February 8, 2009 The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ),the largest opposition force, will decide on Feb. 10 on a third group of its candidates for the next general election of the House of Representatives. The DPJ will officially endorse about 260 candidates, including other opposition candidates to whom it has given recommendations. Assuming that the Lower House will be dissolved for a snap election in April immediately after the Diet passage of a fiscal 2009 budget, DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa will soon narrow down the priority single-seat constituencies. The DPJ has so far officially endorsed 239 candidates and has unofficially decided 23 candidates. It looks now that the party will officially endorse most of the 23 candidates, following the selection of the third group of its candidates on Feb. 10. However, Ozawa intends to shake up the ruling parties by not clarifying the electoral district for which he will run until around when the Lower House is dissolved. Therefore, the DPJ plans not to decide on candidates for the Iwate No. 4 electoral district, which Ozawa now represents, the Tokyo No. 12 district, for which New Komeito leader Akihiro Ota will run, and the Hyogo No. 8 district, in which former New Komeito Secretary General Tetsuzo Fuyushiba will stand. The DPJ has decided to recommend candidates of other opposition parties (including independent candidates) in 22 single-seat constituencies. In addition, The DPJ and Social Democratic Party (SDP) have decided to jointly recommend an independent candidate to run in the Toyama No. 3 electoral district race. The outlook is that there will ultimately about 10 electoral districts for which the DPJ will file no candidate. The 10 electoral districts include the Gunma No. 4 district, which is now represented by former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. Ozawa has expressed strong enthusiasm for the coalition of opposition parties. When choosing a candidate for the Toyama No. 3 constituency, Ozawa gave priority to cooperation between the DPJ and SDP over the candidate picked by the DPJ Toyama prefectural chapter. In the Miyazaki No. 1 district, as well, although an independent candidate wanted to be endorsed by the DPJ, the party decided, in accordance with Ozawa's wish, to recommend a single candidate along with other opposition parties. Forgoing fielding its own candidates in some electoral districts in the prefectures of Akita, Yamagata, Kagawa, Ehime, Saga and Kumamoto, the DPJ has built a system for election cooperation with the SDP in which the two parties mutually recommend each other's candidates. As to why Ozawa in particular places priority on election cooperation with the SDP, Ozawa's aide explained, saying: TOKYO 00000320 008 OF 011 "There are unions supporting the DPJ or SDP in the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Rengo). If the two parties form joint front, Rengo's organizational power will double or triple." A senior SDP member also said: "It is the first time for the SDP to build such a convenient formation for an election. I thank Mr. Ozawa." However, there is also smoldering discontent among party members. A senior prefectural chapter member in the Tohoku region, which gave up filing its candidate in order to recommend a candidate on the SDP ticket, said: "As there are many conservatives among supporters in our prefecture, they will not vote for SDP candidates. The LDP will triumph in the end. Those who are unhappy with the party's decision might throw a hat in the race." (7) Study of DPJ (Part 1): No way in sight for building political leadership; Ozawa says, "Priority on victory elections NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) February 10, 2009 With the Aso cabinet and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) suffering setbacks, the major opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is now eyeing taking over the reins of government by winning the next House of Representatives election. Due to the ongoing global economic hardship, further political turmoil will have an immense impact on the livelihoods of the people. Will the DPJ smoothly be able to take over the reins of government? Will it be able to implement its campaign pledges, including reform of the central government bureaucracy? The newspaper looked into moves in the DPJ to prepare for assumption of power. "We must focus all our energy to changing the bureaucracy-led government into a people's government," DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama said in a speech delivered yesterday in Osaka. He also said: "For example, we will ask bureau director general and higher-ranking officials to tender their resignations. We would like to make sure whether they will carry out our policy." He indicated that his party would force bureaucrats to take litmus tests. There has been a surge in momentum in the DPJ to create a transitional government plan. Policy Research Committee Deputy Chair Akira Nagatsuma in January asked the party executive to submit ideas to Hatoyama. Nagatsuma is looking into a roadmap for an administration led by politicians. The period between the Lower House election and a special Diet session, which is convened within 30 days after the election, is important for the preparations for a transitional government. DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa intends to announce on the day before the Lower House election key "Next Cabinet" members, who are candidates for new cabinet portfolios. Some DPJ members have proposed setting up a transition preparation committee made up of the party executive members and prospective candidates for cabinet ministers soon after the party wins the snap election, in order to discuss the appointments of the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) staff members and senor ministry officials. Deputy President Naoto Kan also has started drafting his own plan for a transitional government. He envisages a policy discussion for about one week between the prime minister and prospective candidates TOKYO 00000320 009 OF 011 for cabinet ministers. Kan and other party members share a sense of alarm that if preparations are insufficient, the framework of a government will be decided under the lead of bureaucrats. However, when to convene a special Diet session would have been decided by the government, that dissolved the Lower House, so a new government might have to open the special session even though preparations are insufficient. The possibility is strong that there won't be enough time for the DPJ to hold policy consultations with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and People's New Party (PNP). There are many problems to fend off creating a framework for bold political leadership. Regarding Ozawa's idea of sending more than 100 Diet members to a government, for instance, amendments to the Cabinet Law and National Administration Organization Law are indispensable for increasing the number of senior vice ministers and parliamentary secretaries. As a special Diet session usually runs several days, the DPJ envisions holding an extraordinary session about one month after the special session. If the formation of a government takes too much time, such could invite criticism about creating a political vacuum. There is also a view in the party that a system should be devised so that things would be changed without legal revisions. The administration of Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, launched in 1993, was busily occupied by consultations on a coalition of non-LDP forces. The DPJ compiled in 1998 a report, in which the party judged that the Hosokawa administration heavily relied on certain ministry bureaucrats. It then asserted that when a government carries out drastic structural reform, considerable preparations are required. On the night of Jan. 15, Ozawa, Kan and Hatoyama got together at a Japanese restaurant in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo. Kan and Hatoyama proposed that Ozawa start making a transitional administration plan, but Ozawa has not given them any directions. He has said that top priority is to win the election and take over the political reins. Ozawa's aide said: "If the framework of the new government has been revealed, the prime minister's political hands would be tied. The prime minister should have free hands." When asked reporters about a transition plan after the party convention in January, Ozawa pointed out: "When time comes for Lower House dissolution, a plan will be necessary." Eventually, Ozawa will decide a plan on his own judgment. (8) To help prevent global warming, Japan to propose to UN creation of a body of technology-transfer experts to advise developing countries on cutting emissions NIKKEI (Page 5) (Full) February 6, 2009 The government has finalized a new proposal that would create an international framework for curbing greenhouse gas emissions (post-Kyoto Protocol) to be adopted in 2013. The full text of the proposal has been revealed. Japan will ask the United Nations to set up a body of experts to help transfer to developing countries the technologies needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions. On the question of setting a mid-term goal for cutting emissions, Japan will simply propose without indicating its own figure that all countries come up with reduction levels that can be achieve through self-help TOKYO 00000320 010 OF 011 efforts. UN talks on the post-Kyoto Protocol framework are slated to end in late 2009. The government plans to submit the proposal to the secretariat of the Climate Change Convention possibly today. It will also submit the proposal at a taskforce meeting to be held in Bonn in late March and seek understanding from the concerned countries. The secretariat is set to present a specific plan for a post-Kyoto framework, based on proposals made by various countries, possibly by June. In the proposal, Japan calls on the UN to set up an advisory group to give advice to developing countries regarding what technologies are needed in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The envisaged group would bring together experts from such key industries as steel, electric power and cement in leading countries so as to promote technology transfer to developing countries. Major countries are starting to issue mid-term goals for emissions cuts, the major purpose for creating the post-Kyoto framework. However, Japan will put off presenting any specific figure. Prime Minister Taro Aso at the annual meeting of World Economic Forum (Davos Conference) at the end of January announced a plan to reveal Japan's mid-term goal by June. Japan will call on industrialized countries to present emissions that can be reduced through their own efforts and start talks based on that level. Regarding those portions to be reduced by purchasing CO2 emissions credits from abroad, the proposal states that such should not be included in the goals. The EU has put up a mid-term goal of cutting by 2020 greenhouse gas emissions by 20 PERCENT from the 1990 level. It plans to achieve one-third of that amount by purchasing emissions credit from abroad. Japan's proposal would seem to check such a method. Detailed rules on emissions quotas to be included in the post-Kyoto framework have yet to be set. In order to ensure impartiality, Japan has determined that talks should be pursued based on the pure amount of emissions to be reduced. Japan will propose that various countries map out and share a road map for the development of new technologies, such as technologies for solar energy generation or new nuclear power generation, in cooperation with the International Energy Agency (IEA). Emerging countries, such as China, are seeking the charge-free disclosure of intellectual properties for cutting CO2 emissions. However, the package rejects such a request. It maintains that intellectual properties should be protected properly in order to support sustainable investment in R&D by private companies. The package also includes proposals that have been made previously: (1) concerned countries share a goal of halving the emissions of greenhouse gases in the world by 2050; and (2) fast emerging and developing countries set obligatory energy-saving goal under the post-Kyoto framework. Points of Japan's new proposals for post-Kyoto Protocol Concerned countries share a goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions in the world by 2050. Each industrialized country set an emissions cut goal. TOKYO 00000320 011 OF 011 Industrialized countries set more than one base year in setting a reduction goal Industrialized countries discuss pure amount of emissions they can reduce first and use purchases of CO2 emission credit from abroad as a supplementary means. Fast emerging and developing countries set an energy-saving goal Establish an advisory organ to promote technology transfer Mid-term goal of key countries (by 2020) Base year Goal Japan Under consideration To be released by June EU 1990 20 PERCENT U.S. 1990 0 PERCENT Canada 2006 20 PERCENT Australia 2000 5 PERCENT (NB) U.S. figures are based on a pledge made by President Obama. ZUMWALT