DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 03/03/09

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TOKYO 000484

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 03/03/09

INDEX:

(1) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties (Asahi)

(2) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties (Mainichi)

(3) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties (Nikkei)

(4) Ozawa political support groups to be investigated in connection
with contributions from Nishimatsu Construction (Asahi)

(5) CO2 emissions cuts: Cost also challenge; Six proposals for
mid-term goal to be narrowed down (Asahi)

(6) TOP HEADLINES

(7) EDITORIALS

(8) Prime Minister's schedule, March 2 (Nikkei)

ARTICLES:

(1) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties

ASAHI (Page 4) (Full)
February 21, 2009

Questions & Answers
(Figures shown in percentage, rounded off. Bracketed figures denote
proportions to all respondents. Figures in parentheses denote the
results of the last survey conducted Feb. 7-8.)

Q: Do you support the Aso cabinet?

Yes 13 (14)
No 75 (73)

Q: Why? (One reason only. Left column for those marking "yes" on
previous question, and right for those saying "no.")

The prime minister is Mr. Aso 15(2) 15(11)
It's an LDP-led cabinet 40(5) 20(15)
From the aspect of policies 22(3) 51(39)
Cabinet lineup 6(1) 9(7)

Q: Which political party do you support now?

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 25 (22)
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 26 (25)
New Komeito (NK) 3 (3)
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 2 (3)
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 39 (43)
No answer (N/A) + don't know (D/K) 4 (3)

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 00000484 002 OF 009



Dissolve as early as possible 64 (60)
No need to hurry 28 (31)

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 (22)
DPJ 42 (42)
NK 3 (3)
JCP 4 (3)
SDP 2 (1)
PNP 0 (0)
RC 0 (0)
NPN 0 (0)
Other political parties 1 (1)
N/A+D/K 26 (28)

Q: Which one between Prime Minister Aso and DPJ President Ichiro
Ozawa do you think is more appropriate for prime minister?

Mr. Aso 19 (20)
Mr. Ozawa 45 (39)

Q: Would you like Mr. Aso to remain in office as prime minister, or
would you otherwise like him to quit early?

Remain in office 15
Quit early 71

Q: Finance Minister Nakagawa has resigned for being woozy during a
press conference after an international conference. Do you think
Prime Minister Aso, who appointed Mr. Nakagawa to his ministerial
post, is very responsible, or not very responsible?

Very responsible 50
Not very responsible 43

Q: Do you think Prime Minister Aso's response over Finance Minister
Nakagawa was appropriate?

Yes 37
No 52

Q: Prime Minister Aso, looking back on the days when he was internal
affairs and communications minister in the Koizumi cabinet, said he
was not in favor of postal privatization. Is this convincing?

Yes 14
No 79

Polling methodology: The survey was conducted from the evening of
Feb. 19 through the night of Feb. 20 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 1,044
persons (59 PERCENT ).

(2) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties

MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full)

TOKYO 00000484 003 OF 009


February 23, 2009

Questions & Answers
(T = total; P = previous; M = male; F = female)

Q: Do you support the Aso cabinet?

T P M F
Yes 11 (19) 10 12
No 73 (65) 76 70
Not interested 14 (15) 13 15

Q: (Only for those who answered "yes" to the above question) Why?

T P M F
Because the prime minister is from the Liberal Democratic Party 26
(29) 24 28
Because something can be expected of the prime minister's leadership
9 (12) 12 7
Because there's something friendly about the prime minister 24 (26)
25 23
Because something can be expected of the prime minister's policy
measures 31 (18) 34 28

Q: (Only for those who answered "no" to the above question) Why?

T P M F
Because the prime minister is from the Liberal Democratic Party 5
(6) 7 4
Because nothing can be expected of the prime minister's leadership
44 (33) 41 47
Because there's something imprudent about the prime minister 19 (14)
20 18
Because nothing can be expected of the prime minister's policy
measures 31 (45) 32 30

Q: Which political party do you support?

T P M F
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 20 (20) 20 19
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 29 (26) 37 21
New Komeito (NK) 3 (5) 2 3
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 2 (3) 1 4
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1 (1) 1 1
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0 (0) 0 0
Reform Club (RC or Kaikaku Kurabu) 0 (0) 0 0
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0 (0) 0 --
Other political parties 1 (1) 1 2
None 42 (42) 36 48

Q: The government and the ruling parties plan to hand out a per
capita benefit of 12,000 yen. Do you appreciate this cash payout?

T P M F
Yes 20 (22) 22 19
No 73 (74) 74 73

Q: Finance Minister and Financial Services Minister Nakagawa has
resigned to take responsibility for drunkenly meeting the press
after an international conference. Do you think Prime Minister Aso
is responsible for appointing Nakagawa to his cabinet ministerial
posts?

TOKYO 00000484 004 OF 009



T P M F
Yes 58 61 55
No 37 36 37

Q: Who do you think is more appropriate for prime minister between
Prime Minister Aso and DPJ President Ozawa?

T P M F
Prime Minister Aso 8 (16) 7 8
DPJ President Ozawa 25 (25) 35 15
Neither is appropriate 61 (55) 54 68

Q: Which party between the LDP and the DPJ would you like to see win
in the next election for the House of Representatives?

T P M F
LDP 22 (27) 20 23
DPJ 51 (50) 64 40
Other political parties 16 (16) 10 23

Q: With Finance Minister and Financial Services Minister Nakagawa's
resignation as an opportunity, there are calls from within the LDP
insisting that Prime Minister Aso should step down. How long do you
think Prime Minister Aso should remain in office?

T P M F
He should quit right away 39 40 37
He should remain in office until next fiscal year's budget passes
the Diet 39 38 40
He should remain in office until around this summer 7 8 7
He should remain in office as long as possible 8 10 7

(Note) Figures shown in percentage, rounded off. "0" indicates that
the figure was below 0.5 PERCENT . "--" denotes that no respondents
answered. "No answer" omitted. Figures in parentheses denote the
results of the last survey conducted Jan. 24-25.

Polling methodology: The survey was conducted Feb. 21-22 over the
telephone across the nation on a computer-aided random digit
sampling (RDS) basis. A total of 1,593 households with one or more
eligible voters were sampled. Answers were obtained from 1,067
persons (67 PERCENT ).

(3) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
February 23, 2009

Questions & Answers
(Figures shown in percentage. Parentheses denote findings from the
last survey conducted in January.)

Q: Do you support the Aso cabinet?

Yes 15 (19)
No 80 (76)
Can't say (C/S) + don't know (D/K) 5 (5)

Q: Which political party do you support or like?

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 34 (29)

TOKYO 00000484 005 OF 009


Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 35 (37)
New Komeito (NK) 3 (3)
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 4 (5)
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 (1)
None 17 (16)
C/S+D/K 5 (6)

(Note) The total percentage does not become 100 PERCENT in some
cases due to rounding

Polling methodology: The survey was taken Feb. 20-22 by Nikkei
Research Inc. by telephone on a random digit dialing (RDD) basis.
For the survey, samples were chosen from among men and women aged 20
and over across the nation. A total of 1,531 households with one or
more eligible voters were sampled, and answers were obtained from
960 persons (62.7 PERCENT ).

(4) Ozawa political support groups to be investigated in connection
with contributions from Nishimatsu Construction

ASAHI (Top play) (Excerpt)
Eve., March 3, 2009

In connection with political contributions from the Nishimatsu
Construction Company (Tokyo),a semi-large-scale general contractor
that has been associated with large sums of bribery money at home
and abroad, the Tokyo District Special Prosecutors Office as of
March 3 has firmed up its intention to investigate the political
organizations of Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Ichiro
Ozawa on suspicion of violation of the Political Funds Control Law.
The various political support groups of President Ozawa have
received large sums of money from two political organizations where
retired officials from Nishimatsu Construction Company have worked.
Reportedly, there is suspicion that persons connected with Ozawa's
political groups knowingly accepted the money from Nishimatsu
Construction. It is prohibited under the Political Funds Control Law
for a corporate contribution to be given under another person's name
or to go to anything but a political party. If persons connected
with the political organization of the politician knew the money
came from Nishimatsu Construction via a group of retired company
officials, there is a possibility of the law having been broken,
including false reporting in the report of income from political
contributions.

(5) CO2 emissions cuts: Cost also challenge; Six proposals for
mid-term goal to be narrowed down

ASAHI (Page 3) (Full)
March 2, 2009

With the setting of mid-term goals to cut carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions by various countries coming into focus of upcoming
international talks, Japan is pressed to make a decision on the
extent of such cuts to be achieved by 2020. However, discussions of
the cost of cutting CO2 emissions are going along divergent lines.
The effort to set out a vision of at what level global warming
should be constrained is being left behind.


TOKYO 00000484 006 OF 009


Major differences in estimations by research institutes

Prime Minister Aso paid close attention to the cost of measures to
cut greenhouse gas emissions during discussions on the adoption of a
mid-term goal, noting: "We must set a mid-term goal that is
implementable in economic terms as well. Just setting a goal high
will not do."

The government's Mid-Term Goal Review Committee, chaired by
Toshihiko Fukui, former Bank of Japan governor, has started
discussions on four options, using such data as the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry's (METI) long-term energy supply-demand
outlook, etc. It is now conducting an analysis of more detailed six
proposals.

The six proposals are varied, ranging from a case in which carbon
emissions are to be constrained to a 6 PERCENT increase from the
1990 level with such efforts as maintaining existing technologies
and systems but replacing existing equipment with energy-saving
types (proposal 1) to a case in which a 25 PERCENT cut compared
with the 1990 level is aimed at, by increasing the number of
detached houses equipped with a solar energy generation system
(proposal 6).

The higher the goal is, the more the cost to achieve it is. However,
estimates for actual amount of money differ among various research
centers.

The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) under the
jurisdiction of METI has estimated, centered on a case in which CO2
emissions are cut 4 PERCENT from the 1990 level with the maximum
introduction of energy-saving technologies but without setting new
restrictions, such as emissions trading or an environment tax
(proposal 3). It has calculated that this would require additional
investment worth about 52 trillion yen by 2020. Likewise, it has
estimated that achieving a 25 PERCENT reduction would require
additional investment worth approximately 380 trillion yen.

On the other hand, the National Institute for Environmental Studies
(NIE) under the jurisdiction of the Environment Ministry has
estimated that in a case in which energy-saving technologies are
introduced to a maximum extent, no additional investment will be
required. The organization stresses that even the cost needed for a
25 PERCENT cut would be about 27 trillion yen.

One cause of the differences in calculations is how to view future
prices of energy saving-type equipment. If the adoption of solar
energy generation spreads, the production cost would drop, which
will be reflected in prices. NIE has taken the margin of a drop in
prices into account. The IEEJ has made estimation, based on current
prices, viewing that a fall in future prices would be limited.

NIE assumed that the use of solar energy generation will help reduce
utility costs, enabling to recover invested funds over several
years. However, the IEEJ says that replacements of existing
equipment with energy-saving types would not increase, unless the
period needed to recover invested funds is considerably long.

Executive Director Masahisa Naito of the IEEJ at a meeting of the
review committee pointed out, "Industry circles have criticized
proposed options, saying that it is difficult to achieve even the
case of the maximum introduction of energy-saving equipment."

TOKYO 00000484 007 OF 009


Discussions by the panel were divided with Shuzo Nishioka, guest
researcher at NIE underscoring: "Investment for energy-saving
measures is expenditures for expanding domestic demand. Nurturing
related industries will strengthen Japan's international
competitiveness."

It is said that measures to address damages caused throughout the
world by global warming, such as a rise in sea level, drought and
floods, would cost dozens of trillions of yen. If sufficient
measures are not taken now, it would cost extra money later.
Discussions from such a perspective have been put on hold.

Impact on achievement of long-term goal

Prior to the Hokkaido Lake Toya Summit last summer, the government
had set a long-term goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to be
achieved by Japan by 2050 at a 60 PERCENT -80 PERCENT decrease from
the current level. If a lenient mid-term goal is set, it would
become necessary to cut more emissions after 2020.

There is a scenario of cutting emissions sharply after 2020, by
developing innovative technologies, such carbon dioxide capture and
storage (CCS) technology, a process whereby CO2 is captured from
gases produced by fossil fuel combustion, compressed, transported
and injected into deep geographic formations and a new ironmaking
process using hydrogen. However, it is not known whether it is
possible to reduce emissions with those technologies without fail.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has presented a
report noting that if the temperature rises by 2-3 degrees, its
impact would be felt all over the world.

Tokyo Institute of Technology Associate Professor Kanie said that if
the entire world is to tackle a goal of containing a rise in the
temperature at 2 degrees, Japan would need to set a mid-term goal at
an 18 PERCENT decrease. The government has not yet indicated its
view on to what level such a rise should be constrained. Kanie said,
"If it does not come up with a view on that as well as to set a
mid-term goal, it would miss its purpose of cutting emissions."

(6) TOP HEADLINES

Asahi:
Staffing firm, formally known as goodwill, to stop sending workers
to manufacturers: 4,000 workers registered for engineering work to
be trimmed

Mainichi: Yomiuri:
New York stocks plunge, Dow briefly slips to 12-year low

Nikkei:
Tripartite emergency forum on employment eyed by government, labor,
management: Employment adjustment system, work sharing as safety
net

Sankei:
Taepodong-2: Launch of later this month possible with eye on
U.S.-South Korea drill

Tokyo Shimbun:
AIG reports 9.7 trillion yen in deficit for October-December quarter
of 2008

TOKYO 00000484 008 OF 009



Akahata:
Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions probes new
nursing care need certification system

(7) EDITORIALS

Asahi:
(1) Local governments' finances: Use economic crisis as tool for
reform
(2) Court decision on fake anti-earthquake work: Responsibility for
authorizing building construction heavy

Mainichi:
(1) Discussion to abolish cost-sharing for public works should be
pursued with "revolt" of local governments as occasion
(2) Decline in crimes: Police should attach importance to their role
of protecting citizens

Yomiuri:
(1) Slump in auto industry: Emerging markets, environmental
technology hold key to secure income sources
(2) Improving public security should be precondition for pullout of
U.S. troops from Iraq

Nikkei:
(1) Confrontation between old and new members of EU, where economic
crisis is deepening, worrisome
(2) Redevelopment of Central Post Office national disgrace?

Sankei:
(1) World Baseball Classic (WBC): We hope to see exhilarating games
by Japanese players
(2) Pension finances estimate: Government should show realistic
projection

Tokyo Shimbun:
(1) U.S. should give top priority to Iraq's self-support and
stabilization in pulling out its troops
(2) Recession and sports: Now is time to reform the consciousness of
athletes

Akahata:
(1) Increase in number of children on waiting list to enter nursery

(8) Prime Minister's schedule, March 2

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
March 3, 2009

07:31
Took a walk around his official residence.

11:23
Met Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura and deputy chief cabinet
secretaries Matsumoto, Konoike and Uruma. Kawamura stayed behind.

15:05
Met Central Japan Railway Co. Chairman Yoshiyuki Kasai, CSIS Japan
Chair Michael Green, Confederation of Indian Industry Chief Mentor
Tarun Das, and others.


TOKYO 00000484 009 OF 009


15:45
Met State Minister for Economic and Fiscal Policy Yosano. Joined by
METI Minister Nikai, Vice MITI Minister Mochizuki, and Assistant
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda.

17:00
Attended an LDP executive meeting in the Diet Building.

17:53
Arrived at the Kantei.

18:16
Arrived at his private office in Nagata-cho.

18:41
Arrived at his private residence in Kamiyama-cho.

19:02
Met at his official residence with LDP third-term Lower House
members, with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsumoto.

ZUMWALT