DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 04//09

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SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 04//09

INDEX:

(1) North Korean missile launch - part 2: Aim is to enter into talks
with U.S. (Yomiuri)

(2) Hiroyuki Noguchi's reader on security: Lessons learned from
North Korean missile launch; MD is national strategy itself (Sankei)


(3) Drifting alliance: North Korean missile launch - part 1; Gap in
sense of alarm between Japan and U.S. (Yomiuri)

(4) Don't allow North Korea to repeat missile launches, nuclear
tests (Yomiuri)

(5) Gov't to ask U.S. military to provide info without delay
(Okinawa Times)

(6) Coffee thrown on consul general (Okinawa Times)

(7) Poll on Constitution (Yomiuri)

(8) TOP HEADLINES

(9) EDITORIALS

(10) Prime Minister's schedule, April 6 (Nikkei)

ARTICLES:

(1) North Korean missile launch - part 2: Aim is to enter into talks
with U.S.

YOMIURI (Page 6) (Full)
April 6, 2009

Masao Okonogi, Keio University professor

The aim of the launch of a missile by North Korea on April 5 is to
enter into talks with the U.S. Pyongyang has thus far been assuming
a hard-line stance, as it carried out the launch with no regard to
international criticism. In my view, however, its stance will change
in the coming years.

North Korea is developing nuclear weapons and missiles with the aim
of maintaining General Secretary Kim Jong Il's dictatorship. The aim
is to preserve the present regime, and developing weapons is a means
to achieve that end. The North will not abandon its weapons unless
it feels that its regime is safe. Then what will bring peace of mind
to that nation? It can only be the normalization of ties with the
U.S. and the rebuilding of its economy.

The key objective of the latest missile launch is to influence the
Obama administration's North Korea policy. The North wants to
normalize ties with the U.S. by engaging it in "missile talks", set
apart from the six-party talks. Now that Secretary of State Clinton
has referred to normalization of bilateral ties, both countries are
motivated by the same desire to hold talks. With the launch of its
missile, North Korea intends to use that card (against the U.S.).

Acrimonious exchanges of words are likely at the UN Security Council
in debate over North Korea's missile launch. However, what North

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Korea is thinking now is probably what might happen afterward. In an
unusual move, it took a stance of abiding by international rules, as
can be seen in its prior notification of the launch. North Korea
arguably has paved the way for starting talks with the U.S., using
China as an intermediary. It probability intends to continue the
six-party talks, as well, in tandem with talks with the U.S.

The meaning of the missile launch on the domestic front is great.
Because of the economic slump and Kim Jong Il's health problem, the
leadership is very sensitive to winning the hearts and minds of the
North Korean people, so that turmoil will not occur in the country.
Since unity cannot be achieved unless the leadership shows some
results, it made much propaganda of the missile launch. If it
succeeds in igniting a second-stage booster, even if an artificial
satellite does not go into orbit, it probably intends to use it as
the achievement.

In my view, Kim Jong Il is under pressure. The launch this time was
presumably quite a venture domestically as well. If the launch had
failed, the news would have spread, making people feel insecure. It
can be said that (the regime) had restored stability to some
extent.

When we think about how many more years Kim Jong Il might stay
healthy, 2012, the year when the Obama administration will end its
first term, surfaces as a key year. Kim will be 70 years old. The
year will also mark the 100th anniversary since the birth of Kim Il
Sung. General Secretary Kim wants to settle the successor problem by
normalizing ties with the U.S. and rebuilding the economy by that
time.

The missile launch this time does not significantly increase the
North Korean military threat. A missile launch that takes several
weeks for preparations and is dictated by weather conditions is no
threat to the U.S. There are already Nodong-1 missiles specific
targeting Japan.

The greatest threat to Japan is a compact-size nuclear weapon being
fitted into the warhead of a Nodong-1 missile. What is important is
to restrict Nodong missiles and bring about denuclearization. We
must not allow the six-party talks tasked to tackle denuclearization
to collapse.

Masao Okonogi: Specialist in South Korean and North Korean politics.
His works include "North Korea in the Era of Kim Il Sung" and "Korea
War." 63 years old.

(2) Hiroyuki Noguchi's reader on security: Lessons learned from
North Korean missile launch; MD is national strategy itself

SANKEI (Page 5) (Abridged slightly)
April 7, 2009

A North Korean long-range ballistic missile that appeared to be an
improved version of the Taepodong-2 flew over Japan again. As with a
series of incidents involving North Korean spy ships, every time
North Korea effectively infringes Japan's sovereignty, challenges
for Japan's security come to the fore. To begin with, it was the
North's Taepodong-1 missile that flew over the Japanese archipelago
in 1998 that pushed Tokyo toward the missile defense (MD) system the
United States was pursuing. The latest missile launch also posed a
variety of challenges for Japan.

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As was the case of 1998, there is a subtle gap in views between
Japan and the United States. The biggest concern for the United
States was whether or not the North has acquired the technology to
launch a missile that can reach the continental United States. The
results showed some progress in technology, but it was not quite
that level. As such, the extent to which the United States will act
in concert with Japan regarding policy toward North Korea policy
remains unclear. The United States might manipulate its military
information demanding concessions on the political, diplomatic, and
economic fronts. There is a possibility that the United States will
not provide Japan with full information collected by the U.S.
military.

Independent information-collecting capability

To deal with the manipulation of information, Japan must increase
its ability to gather information. Currently, Japan relies heavily
on the United States' early-warning satellite capable of detecting a
rocket's injection flames immediately after its launch. Possessing
such a satellite independently is one option. It is also necessary
to have a complex three-dimensional system to search and intercept
an incoming missile that combine ground-based high-performance
radars, such as the X-band radar capable of identifying the
configuration of a launched missile, with Aegis-equipped vessels.
The X-band radar is deployed at an AIR Self-Defense FORCE camp in
Aomori Prefecture. Having independence in deploying and operating
such a system is ideal.

The country's administration also has serious problems. For
instance, frequency bands that can be used for national defense are
extremely limited. Priority rights to use them have yet to be
established. Radio sending equipment, such as radars, is
manufactured in consideration of domestic law. But a large part of
imported products are not. They cannot fully output in Japan because
they interfere with private-sector radio waves, such as televisions.
There are such restrictions on the radar linked to the PAC-3
interceptor missiles deployed in the Tohoku region in anticipation
of a launched North Korean missile falling on Japan. A system that
can fully utilize national-defense radio-waves in time of a national
contingency is desirable.

SDF and local governments

There are mounting challenges for contact points between the people
and the Self-Defense Forces (SDF),as well.

People in the region where the missile might have fallen said in
unison: "We don't know what might fall upon us. We are scared." The
North launched the missile before the local governments clearly
determined whether or not the people should stay indoors. Persons
connected with the locally-deployed SDF were swayed between the view
that the imminent missile launch would be a good opportunity to
increase the local residents' awareness of the importance of
evacuation drills and the opinion that fears must not be stoked
unnecessarily. How should a balance be struck between evacuation and
prevention of a panic? Study on damage control must be conducted.

Meanwhile, a highly toxic substance called hydrazine is used as fuel
for North Korean missiles. Inhalation of 0.1 mg of hydrazine can be
lethal. The substance is volatile enough to emit smokes at once when
it touches the air. The SDF had chemical protective suits on hand to

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be ready to extinguish fallen missile debris and rescue local
residents. In dealing with hydrazine, a person needs a mask to
inhale AIR from the compressed-air cylinder on his back. There were
enough protective suits, but AIR masks were in severe shortage. As
seen in the purchase of fire extinguishing helicopters by local
governments for storage by SDF helicopter units, the two sides are
already in close cooperation in some areas. It is imperative to
expand collaboration of this sort.

Lessons must be learned from mistakes

There were some mistakes in distributing communication and
responding to the incident militarily. But they should be regarded
as the mother of success. In the case a glitch is found in the
system, any decent military in the world thoroughly clarifies it and
improve it and increase the degree of completion by repeating that
process. For the people, it is fortunate that the incident like this
has not happened often, but such is not necessarily good for the
SDF.

The challenges mentioned about would all require budgetary steps.
The country's defense spending has been trimmed by 200 billion yen
over the last seven years. Intercepting an incoming missile with the
MD system seems more effective than demanding the North to halt
launching missiles. Given the situation, Japan must be prepared to
contribute trillions of yen to the MD system. The cost borne by
Japan is casting a shadow on the joint operation of the Ground,
Maritime, and AIR Self-Defense Forces. In dealing with the latest
incident, the three forces cooperated smoothly. But in seeking
bigger shares in the limited pie, the three arms spare some
excellent personnel and lock horns with each other at times. Japan's
share has taken a toll on the SDF's potential.

The MD system is not just a weapon but a diplomatic means.
Therefore, as in the case with the cost related to reconnaissance
satellites, funds must be contributed to the MD system, including an
early-warning satellite, separate from the framework of defense
spending. That is the major lesson learned form the latest missile
satellite.

(3) Drifting alliance: North Korean missile launch - part 1; Gap in
sense of alarm between Japan and U.S.

YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full)
April 7, 2009

Defense Minister Hamada terminated the order to destroy North
Korea's ballistic missile Taepodong-2 26 hours and 30 minutes after
the launch. The pullout of the Maritime Self-Defense Forces' (MSDF)
Aegis ships and Patriot Advanced Capability - 3 (PAC 3) missiles
deployed in the Tohoku region began at 2:00 p.m. on April 6.

North Korea in 1998 launched a Taepodong-1 missile, which flew over
Japan. In 2006, it test-fired a Taepodong 2 missile, but the test
was a failure. In 1998, a U.S. Aegis ship left the Sea of Japan
before the launch. In 2006, determining that North Korea would not
launch a missile, the U.S. military did not order Cobra Balls
designed to observe ballistic missile flights at long range,
deployed at Kadena AIR Base in Okinawa, to take off. In that sense,
this is the first time for the SDF and the U.S. military to have
tracked a missile in cooperation.


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The U.S. military, which confirmed the launch and took over tracking
from Japan, announced that the missile had splashed down in the
Pacific Ocean. It is said that the collaboration worked
successfully. However, gaps were exposed during the process. The
order to destroy a launched missile was issued on March 27,
following an advance notice from North Korea. Foreign Ministry Asian
and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director General Akitaka Saiki, chief
delegate from Japan to the six-party talks, emphatically told U.S.
Special Envoy to the six-party talks Sung Kim the same day, "This is
the occasion when Japan and the U.S. must show that they are
united."

This U.S. government official at a gathering of diplomatic personnel
revealed his thoughts, "Japan cannot stay cool, when it comes to
North Korea." Secretary of Defense Gates on the 29th, announced his
stance of not intercepting a North Korean missile, unless it targets
the U.S. territory. Gates right after making that comment urged
Hamada to respond to the matter in a cool-headed manner.

An MSDF officer was surprised to know this, saying, "The U.S. has
never abandoned a military option against North Korea right from the
beginning."

Given the Obama Administration's response at the UN Security Council
(UNSC) after the launch, it is far from being conciliatory to
Pyongyang. It is rather the other way round. However, it appears
that the Obama Administration does not want to be committed to North
Korea, faced with the Afghanistan issue and the economic crisis. A
source connected to the U.S. Democratic Party complained, "It is
impossible to intercept a missile that flies over Japan, and yet,
Japan is making a fuss over North Korea's missile, saying that it
must be intercepted."

The MSDF was responsible for tracking the Taepodong 2 missile above
the Sea of Japan, and the U.S. Navy was responsible for dealing with
the Hawaii and Alaska areas on the day when the Taepodong 2 was
launched. A source connected to the SDF took this clear-cut
role-sharing as a message from the U.S. military that Japan should
take care of its our own affairs by itself.

Japan and the U.S. share a sense of alarm over the nuclear issue.
However, when it comes to North Korean missiles, there is a gap that
cannot be bridged between the two countries with Japan being within
the range of the Nodong missile, while the U.S. being out of the
range of the Taepodong 2 missile. However, this gap holds the
potentiality of turning the current passive structure of the SDF
providing (logistical) support to the U.S. military into a structure
of the U.S. military assisting the SDF.

(4) Don't allow North Korea to repeat missile launches, nuclear
tests

YOMIURI (Page 5) (Full)
April 7, 2009

By Hajime Izumi, professor at Shizuoka University

The Yomiuri Shimbun interviewed Hajime Izumi, professor at Shizuoka
University, to ask for his views about North Korea's purpose for
launching a long-range ballistic missile, which it claimed to be a
satellite, and the next moves that could be expected from that
country.

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ASTERISK ASTERISK ASTERISK
With the current launch, North Korea was able to raise the "selling
price" of its missile prior to anticipated negotiations with the
U.S. It calculated that under pressure from the U.S. in bilateral
negotiations, it would be able to call for a good reward from the
U.S. in exchange for scrapping its improved missile. With the North
having a missile with a longer range, such a product can work as a
threat to forestall moves by the U.S. In the North Korean regime,
there are those officials who engaged in missile negotiations with
U.S. officials in the Clinton administration. Fully aware that it
would become unable to launch a missile once bilateral negotiations
were concluded, North Korea was anxious to increase the "value" of
its missile as much as possible before the two countries reached any
negotiated agreement.

North Korea had announced that it would launch a rocket between
April 4 and 8. As seen from this timeframe, Pyongyang was apparently
aiming to liven up its newly elected parliament set to convene on
April 9. Leader Kim Jong Il was reelected to sit on the legislative
Supreme People's Assembly. Once Pyongyang launched its missile,
irrespective of its outcome, the nation would be able to demonstrate
the greatness of "the Great Leader who exercised the right of
launching a satellite despite the international community's improper
pressure on the nation."

Rumors about Kim's health problem have already spread across North
Korea, and there are those who are worried about clouds over the Kim
regime. The North expects the missile launch to dispel such clouds
and enhance national prestige.

Pyongyang claimed that the rocket was designed to carry a satellite.
Such a claim stems from its desire to split the international
community and to get authorization for its planned launch of a
projectile. In the case of a satellite launch, it will be possible
to obtain understanding from China and Russia. North Korea will be
inevitably exposed to international criticism for the time being,
but talks are expected to start around June to resume the six-party
talks after a cooling-off period set for a while.

The North can insist that any member of the international community
can freely launch a satellite. It can argue that although the
country has the technology to lift off a satellite, the right to
launch has been taken away. The North can use the same logic as it
used when it demanded light-water reactors in exchange for
dismantling its older nuclear reactors that generate electricity. It
will thrust the same demand at the U.S. If North Korea succeeds in
getting the U.S. to launch a satellite for it, it will be able to
play up progress in its relations with the U.S.

The second and third-stage rockets of the launched projectile did
not separate. But Pyongyang, in a sense, still has overcome the
failure of its missile tests in 2006 in the past three years. North
Korea has honed its technical skills to a noticeable level.
Pyongyang can be expected to repeatedly launch missiles from now,
given that it called the launched projectile an experimental
communications satellite. The sole country that could suffer damage
is Japan, because fired rockets fly over it. Japan absolutely must
not allow North Korea to continue missile launches.

There is also concern that Pyongyang has yet to make any commitment
about its nuclear weapons testing. If the North repeatedly carries
out nuclear tests, the nation will probably become able to produce a

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miniaturized warhead. In such a case, the threat of the Nodong
missile, which has already been deployed in North Korea and has
enough range to hit Japan, will become far more serious. It is
imperative to persuade North Korea to freeze any nuclear test and
missile launch simultaneously.

(5) Gov't to ask U.S. military to provide info without delay

OKINAWA TIMES (Page 1) (Full)
April 7, 2009

Taro Kono, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs
Committee, arrived in Okinawa Prefecture yesterday for the
committee's fact-finding purpose and met with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu
Nakaima and Okinawa Prefectural Assembly Speaker Zenshin Takamine.
Kono, in his meetings with the governor and the speaker, revealed
that the government was creating new rules for its procedures to go
through when the National Police Agency and the Foreign Ministry
cooperate and inquire of the U.S. side about incidents or accidents
involving U.S. military personnel.

Kono said that even though local police chiefs inquire of the U.S.
military about incidents or accidents that are believed to involve
the U.S. military or its personnel, what and when to answer are up
to the U.S. military and this impedes investigations as in the case
of the stray bullet incident that took place in Kin Town's Igei
district. "I will ask the Foreign Ministry to tell them that if they
do not give out information as soon as possible, this delay could
affect the Japan-U.S. alliance," Kono said.


Kono, after meeting with the governor and the speaker, said: "To get
information from the U.S. side, the ambassador at the Foreign
Ministry's liaison office in Okinawa and all others will have to try
hard. The committee also would like to back up." The Foreign
Ministry is expected to work out a course of action shortly,
according to Kono.

(6) Coffee thrown on consul general

OKINAWA TIMES (Page 27) (Full)
April 7, 2009

Urasoe police yesterday arrested Kazuo Yamamoto, 43, an unemployed
male from Shuri Ishiminecho in Naha City, for throwing coffee on
U.S. Consul General to Okinawa Kevin Maher in a restaurant at
Toyama, Urasoe City. Maher did not get hurt. Yamamoto has admitted
to the charge, the police said. The Urasoe Police Station is
interrogating him to find out his motive in detail.

According to the Urasoe police's investigation, Yamamoto has been
charged with assaulting Maher. Yesterday around 4 p.m., Yamamoto
threw coffee on Maher's legs while telling him to "get out of
Okinawa." He also pushed Maher with both hands against the chest,
the police said. Maher then held Yamamoto down and turned him over
to police officers as they hurried into the restaurant.

Maher said: "An act of violence is undesirable in any country. I
don't know why he did it, but I don't think he (the suspect)
represents the people of Okinawa, so this will not affect the
friendly relations we have."


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(7) Poll on Constitution

YOMIURI (Page 11) (Full)
April 3, 2009

Questions & Answers
(Figures shown in percentage)

Q: What's your interest in the Constitution of Japan? If there's
anything you are particularly interested in, pick as many as you
like from among those listed below.

The Emperor and imperial household 14.9
Japan's war renunciation, Self-Defense Forces 46.7
Equality, discrimination 19.2
Freedom of speech, press, and all other forms of expression 10.5
Information disclosure 10.5
Privacy protection 14.3
The right to live in peace, social welfare 25.4
Environmental disruption 30.4
The rights to assemble, demonstrate, and strike 1.7
Electoral system 15.8
The right of access to the courts 25.8
Official visits to Yasukuni Shrine 12.0
Constitutional revision 14.2
Separation of the three powers of administration, legislation, and
judicature 4.6
Local autonomy 15.0
The Diet's bicameral system 12.8
The process and background of establishing the Constitution 4.6
Other answers (O/A) + nothing in particular (NIP) + no answer (N/A)
13.8

Q: Do you think it would be better to amend the Constitution?

Yes 51.6
No 36.1
N/A 12.4


Q: (Only for those who answered "yes" to the foregoing question)
Why? Pick as many reasons as you like from among those listed
below.

Because it's a U.S.-imposed constitution 27.7
To expressly stipulate Japan's right of self-defense and the
existence of the Self-Defense Forces 27.0
Because there are too many cases claiming rights while neglecting
obligations 24.1
Because the conventional way of reading or applying the
Constitution's provisions would lead to confusion if and when there
is a need to meet situational changes 34.6
Because Japan is expected to make international contributions, and
there are also various challenges Japan cannot meet under its
present-day constitution. 49.0
O/A 2.8
N/A 2.2

Q: (Only for those who answered "no" to the foregoing question) Why?
Pick as many reasons as you like from among those listed below.

Because the Constitution has already taken root in the nation 47.6

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Because the Constitution is of a pacifist nature, Japan can be proud
of it in the world 49.3
Because the Constitution guarantees fundamental human rights and
democracy 25.6
Because the Constitution can be interpreted or applied in a flexible
way with changing times 19.0
Because revising the Constitution may pave the way for Japan to turn
into a military power 24.8
O/A 1.1
N/A 2.1

Q: The Constitution's Article 9 stipulates that Japan renounces war
and will never maintain any war potential. The government has so far
responded to relevant problems with its interpretation and
application of the article. What do you think the government should
do about Article 9 from now on? Pick only one from among those
listed below.

The government should continue with its interpretation and operation
of Article 9 33.3
The government's conventional way of responding to problems with its
constitutional interpretation and operation has now reached its
limit, so Article 9 should be amended 38.1
The government should strictly abide by Article 9 and should not
respond to problems via interpretation or operation 20.7
O/A 0.5
N/A 7.5

Q: The Constitution's Article 9 has two paragraphs. The first
paragraph stipulates Japan's war renunciation. Do you think this
paragraph should be amended?

Yes 17.7
No 77.5
N/A 4.8

Q: The second paragraph in Article 9 stipulates Japan's maintenance
of no war potential. Do you think this paragraph should be amended?

Yes 42.0
No 50.9
N/A 7.1


Q: The government has been taking the position that although Japan
has the right to collective self-defense, the Constitution does not
allow Japan to exercise this right. What do you think about this?
Pick only one that is closest to your opinion from among those
listed below.

The Constitution should be amended so that Japan can exercise the
right of collective self-defense 24.3
The Constitution should be reinterpreted so that Japan can exercise
the right of collective self-defense 24.5
Japan should continue as it has done and need not be allowed to use
the right of collective self-defense 43.8
O/A 0.5
N/A 7.0

Q: The government used to create a special law whenever it needed to
send SDF members for a long period of time on overseas missions
other than Japan's participation in United Nations peacekeeping

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operations. Do you think Japan should instead have a permanent law
that prescribes general rules for Japan to send SDF members overseas
as needed?

Yes 53.0
No 37.0
N/A 10.0

Q: Do you think SDF personnel participating in United Nations
peacekeeping operations overseas should be allowed to use weapons in
order to help foreign troops working together if they come under
attack?

Yes 51.2
No 38.6
N/A 10.2


Q: Then, do you think the Maritime Self-Defense FORCE should be
allowed to fight back if a U.S. naval ship acting together comes
under attack on the high seas around Japan?

Yes 48.3
No 40.5
N/A 11.2

Q: The Constitution stipulates that the Diet shall consist of two
houses, namely the House of Representatives (lower chamber) and the
House of Councillors (upper chamber). What do you think about this
bicameral parliamentary system? Pick only one that is closest to
your opinion.

Combine the lower and upper houses into the unicameral-chamber
system 28.3
Maintain the bicameral-chamber system and review the lower and upper
houses' respective roles and authorities 38.7
Maintain the current system as is 28.0
O/A 1.0
N/A 4.0

Q: The Constitution stipulates that a bill passed by the House of
Representatives and rejected in the House of Councillors becomes a
law when passed a second time by the House of Representatives by a
majority of two-thirds or more of the members present. Pick only one
that is closest to your opinion.

It's only natural to take a second vote 11.2
It's unavoidable to take a second vote 34.1
It would be better to avoid taking a second vote as far as possible
31.3
The lower chamber should avoid taking a second vote 17.2
N/A 6.2


Q: The Diet is currently divided with the ruling parties holding a
majority of the seats in its lower chamber and the opposition
parties dominating its upper chamber. In this regard, there are two
opinions: (A) Bills will fail to pass the Diet or their enactment
will be delayed if the ruling and opposition parties are at odds
over these bills; (B) The ruling and opposition parties will hold
policy talks and the Diet will be activated. Which opinion is closer
to yours?

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Closer to (A) 43.8
Closer to (B) 43.0
N/A 13.2

Q: The "regional system" is now being discussed as a step to reform
the nation's local government system which currently consists of 47
prefectures. The concept of this regional system is to transfer as
many of the government's current roles as possible to each regional
government, with the exception of such functions as diplomacy and
defense. Do you support the idea of introducing the regional
system?

Yes 21.1
Yes to a certain degree 18.9
No to a certain degree 21.9
No 25.2
N/A 12.8

Q: Do you think the political parties should have even more animated
discussions on the Constitution?

Yes 77.4
No 17.4
N/A 5.2

Q: Do you think the current state of politics is appropriate to
discuss the Constitution?

Yes 15.2
No 78.2
N/A 6.6

Q: If there's anything you think it would be better to revise in the
Constitution or add to the Constitution, pick as many as you like
from among those listed below.

The Emperor's status 13.2
Japan's maintenance of armed forces for self-defense 30.3
Proactive international cooperation 23.3
Right to access government information 19.5
Privacy protection 17.5
Respect for family 11.5
The right to live in a good environment 30.9
The prime minister's strengthened powers to deal with emergencies,
etc. 10.7
The lower and upper houses' respective roles 21.5
Central and local government roles 30.3
Establishment of a constitutional court 6.0
O/A 0.3
NIP 19.6
N/A 3.4

Polling methodology
Date of survey: March 14-15.
Subjects of survey: 3,000 persons chosen from among all eligible
voters throughout the country (at 250 locations on a stratified
two-stage random-sampling basis).
Method of implementation: Door-to-door visits for face-to-face
interviews.
Number of valid respondents: 1,755 persons (58.5 PERCENT )
Breakdown of respondents: Male-48 PERCENT , female-52 PERCENT ;

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SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 04//09

persons in their 20s-8 PERCENT , 30s-14 PERCENT , 40s-17 PERCENT ,
50s-21 PERCENT , 60s-25 PERCENT , 70 and over-16 PERCENT ; big
cities (Tokyo's 23 wards and government-designated cities)-22
PERCENT , major cities (with a population of more than 300,000)-17
PERCENT , medium-size cities (with a population of more than
100,000)-26 PERCENT , small cities (with a population of less than
100,000)-24 PERCENT , towns and villages-11 PERCENT .

(8) TOP HEADLINES

Asahi & Tokyo Shimbun:
Prime Minister Aso orders more than 10 trillion yen in fiscal
spending in FY2009 extra budget

Mainichi:
60-year-old man to be arrested for the murder of 15-year-old girl in
Kyoto Prefecture

Yomiuri:
U.S. turns tough on North Korea

Nikkei:
Central banks prepare to supply euro, yen in liquidity crunch

Sankei:
China, Russia taking icy attitude toward adoption of UNSC
resolution

Akahata:
Japan Post Bank card business consigned to Sumitomo Mitsui Banking
Co.-affiliated company

(9) EDITORIALS

Asahi:
(1) Obama speech: The international community urged to fall into
line to eliminate nuclear weapons
(2) Afghan aid: Many difficulties lie ahead

Mainichi:
(1) U.S. use of nuclear weapons: We are glad that President Obama
clarifies U.S. has "moral responsibility"
(2) Daido River dam: Cooperation among governors changed the trend

Yomiuri:
(1) North Korea puts ball in Obama's court
(2) U.S., Europe barely has kept solidarity

Nikkei:
(1) Obama notion of creating world without nuclear weapons
(2) Strategy of intellectual property should be strengthened

Sankei:
(1) North Korea's missiles: We urge a strengthening of the
Japan-U.S. alliance as a deterrent
(2) U.S. nuclear arms reduction policy: U.S. should start forming
sanction framework

Tokyo Shimbun:
(1) Obama's "nuclear" speech: Superpowers must first reduce nuclear
weapons
(2) Reform of Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry: Reform the

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SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 04//09

ministry to effective organization

Akahata:
(1) 60th anniversary of NATO: No role for military alliance

(09040704kn) Back to Top


(10) Prime Minister's schedule, April 6

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
April 7, 2009

07:31
Took a walk around the official residence.

09:58
Gave a letter of appointment to Board of Audit President Nishimura.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura and Deputy Chief Cabinet
Secretaries Matsumoto, Konoike and Uruma were present. Uruma
remained.

11:01
Met with Venezuelan President Chavez.

12:50
Met with Finance Minister Yosano, Vice Finance Minister Sugimoto and
Budget Bureau Director General Tango.

14:05
Met with Seychelles President Michel.

15:03
Met with the chief of the European Parliament legislative mission
for exchange with Japan. Taro Nakayama, the chief of the Japanese
Diet members delegation, was present.

15:37
Met with LDP Tax System Research Commission Chairman Tsushima and
Vice Chairman Koyanagi. Kawamura was present.

16:02
Met with U.S. Academy Award Oscar winners film directors Yojiro
Takita and Hisajin Kato. METI Minister Nikai was present.

16:10
Intellectual Properties Strategy Headquarters.

17:08
Party executive meeting in the Diet.

18:12
2009 TOKYO Political and Economic Forum hosted by LDP Tokyo Chapter
at Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka.

18:34
Arrived at the official residence.

ZUMWALT