JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 04/20/09

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SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 04/20/09

Index:

1) Harvard professor and former Pentagon official Joseph Nye picked
as next ambassador to Japan, arriving this summer: Senior Japanese
official [Mainichi]

Pakistan and Afghanistan assistance:
2) International conference hosted by Japan to assist Pakistan
exceeds $5 billion in pledges [Yomiuri]
3) Special Envoy Holbrooke at news conference after Pakistan aid
conference says U.S. seeking Japan to provide civilian aid to
Afghanistan not SDF dispatch [Mainichi]
4) In talks in Italy with U.S. and European counterparts,
Agricultural Minister Ishiba announces that Japan will send more
technicians to assist Afghanistan [Nikkei]

Anti-piracy effort:
5) MSDF destroyer has third encounter with pirate boat off Somalia
[Mainichi]
6) MSDF averaging only three vessels for anti-piracy duty, much less
than originally planned [Mainichi]
7) Ruling camp confident that anti-piracy bill will clear the Diet
[Yomiuri]
8) Ruling camp refuses opposition's call for revising the
anti-piracy bill to add clause requiring MSDF to acquire Diet
approval for dispatch [Sankei]

9) Concern rising about being able to implement the U.S. FORCE
realignment agreement due to opposition resistance to Guam pact, no
progress on Futenma [Tokyo Shimbun]

North Korea problem:
10) Former President Carter was ready in March to visit Pyongyang
for talks, but North Korea, readying its missile launch, refused the
offer [Sankei]
11) Senior Japanese official says the U.S. will not engage in
bilateral talks with North Korea for the time being [Tokyo Shimbun]

12) Former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa wants Japan to consider
arming itself with nuclear weapons to meet the nuclear threat from
North Korea [Sankei]

13) Former Prime Minister Abe in Washington speech backs Obama
disarmament plan [Sankei]

Political agenda:
14) Aso Cabinet support rate jumps 7.6 points to 25.2% in Jiji poll
[Tokyo Shimbun]
15) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) puts off holding an opinion
survey to gauge public mood linked to the issue of party head
Ozawa's resignation [Tokyo Shimbun]
16) DPJ wavering in its opposition to the supplementary budget now
before the Diet [Nikkei]

Articles:

1) Nye selected as U.S. ambassador to Japan; Expected to arrive at
post around the summer

MAINICHI (Page 2) (Abridged)
April 18, 2009


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The appointment of Harvard University Professor Joseph Nye, a former
assistant secretary of defense, to be the next U.S. ambassador to
Japan has been firmed up. This was revealed on April 17 by a senior
Japanese government official. Nye is known for his expertise on
Japan, having tackled [while at the Pentagon] the strengthening of
the Japan-U.S. alliance. His appointment can be said to demonstrate
the Obama administration's stance of placing importance on relations
with Japan. He is expected to arrive at his post around summer.

According to the senior government official, although Nye's name was
floated prior to the inauguration of the Obama administration in
January as the likely candidate for the ambassadorship to Japan,
several candidates later were reportedly screened.

Nye served as assistant secretary of defense under the Clinton
administration, and is known for promoting a redefinition of the
alliance to strengthen the security arrangements between Japan and
the United Nations in the post-Cold War period. In 2000 and again in
2007, he with former Deputy Secretary of State Armitage put together
two comprehensive strategic papers on policy toward Japan known as
the Armitage-Nye reports, which urged Japan to share the security
role with the U.S.

2) 5 billion dollars in financial assistance to Pakistan pledged at
international conference

YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full)
April 18, 2009

The Pakistan Donors Conference hosted by the Japanese government and
the World Bank was held at a Tokyo hotel on April 17. It was agreed
at the meeting that participating nations will extend financial
assistance totaling more than 5 billion dollars or roughly 500
billion yen over the next two years in order to help that nation,
which is suffering from a continuing economic crisis, deal with
poverty and improve health and education conditions.

The objective of the meeting was to severe the link between poverty
and terrorism. The meeting brought together representatives of 31
countries, including Japan, the U.S., China and Iran, and 18
international agencies. Japan announced a plan to provide up to 1
billion dollars or roughly 100 billion yen, based on the premise
that the program mapped out by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
in November last year be implemented steadily. The U.S. also pledged
to extend the same amount.

The Japanese government at first aimed to raise 4 billion dollars or
roughly 400 billion yen. However, with Middle Eastern and Asian
countries taking interest in the situation in Pakistan, since it
could affect the public security of its neighbor Afghanistan, those
countries, too, announced their decisions to extend financial
assistance. As a result, the pledges topped the original estimate.
Many participating countries also asked the Pakistani government to
make efforts to take measures to improve public safety mainly in the
region bordering Afghanistan, and to correct social disparities.

Emerging from the meeting, Foreign Minister Nakasone, who serves as
a co-chairman, told a news conference, "I hope that Pakistan will
strengthen measures to root out international terrorism."

A friends meeting to confer on a mid-term strategy for the
stabilization of politics in Pakistan was held prior to the donors

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conference. Participating countries vowed to help Pakistan reform
its economy.

3) Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Holbrooke: U.S. not
seeking SDF dispatch to Afghanistan, appeals for contribution from
civilian sector

MAINICHI (Page 3) (Full)
April 19, 2009

In a press conference in Tokyo at the Foreign Correspondents Club in
Japan, U.S. Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard
Holbrooke stated: "There is no doubt that terrorists in Pakistan and
Afghanistan are planning attacks on such major international cities
as Tokyo." He also appealed for Japan to contribute to the stability
of Afghanistan and Pakistan in areas that are its forte such as
agriculture, health care, and civil-servant training.

Holbrooke compared the war in Afghanistan to the Bosnian dispute, in
which he himself brokered a peace agreement. He said that in the
case of Bosnia one could just phone the president and negotiate, but
in Afghanistan, nobody knows who is in charge.

On the other hand, he admitted there were informal contacts at the
Pakistan donors conference on April 17, saying that he had chatted
one or two minutes with Iranian President Mottaki. In his speech on
Afghan assistance, Mottaki highly praised the results, saying, "I
was impressed by the extremely constructive contents."

4) Agriculture minister announces to U.S., EU plan to increase
number of technicians dispatched to Afghanistan

NIKKEI (Page 3) (Full)
April 20, 2009

Hiroshi Nomiyama, Cison di Valmarino, Italy

Agriculture Minister Shigeru Ishiba on April 19 separately met with
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Marian Fischer Boel, a
member of the European Commission responsible for agricultural
affairs at the European Union. Ishiba during those meetings revealed
Japan's plan to boost its assistance to Afghanistan in response to
the U.S. policy of speeding up the reconstruction of the civilian
sector in that nation, including an increase in the number of
technical experts that Japan dispatches. It has been confirmed at
the meetings that they will move ahead with talks for an early
settlement of the multilateral trade talks at the World Trade
Organization.

Ishiba during the meeting with Vilsack called on the U.S. to
regulate animal feed promptly to ensure the safety of U.S. beef. The
U.S. side made no requests to Japan to ease its import restrictions
imposed on U.S. beef. In the talks with Fischer Boel, an agreement
was reached that Japan and the EU will pursue talks in
collaboration, while paying close attention to changes in the U.S.
trade policy.

5) Third encounter for MSDF off Somalia

MAINICHI (Page 26) (Full)
April 19, 2009


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A squadron of Maritime Self-Defense FORCE destroyers, currently on
an antipiracy mission in waters off the eastern African coast of
Somalia, caught an SOS call radioed by a foreign ship that was not
under the MSDF's escort and was being tailed by suspicious boats,
the Defense Ministry reported yesterday. When a destroyer-based
helicopter flew to check the situation there, the suspicious boats
stopped tailing the foreign ship, according to the Defense Ministry.
This is the third time for the MSDF squadron to encounter suspicious
boats since it started operations there on March 30.

According to the Defense Ministry, a foreign cruiser asked nearby
ships over the radio for help on April 18 at around 8:04 p.m. (2:04
p.m., local time) when it was being tailed by two small boats and
was out at sea about 37 kilometers northeast of a gathering point in
the western part of the Gulf of Aden for Japanese ships and
Japan-linked ships where the MSDF destroyers were on standby.

A helicopter based on the Sazanami, one of the two MSDF destroyers,
took off and closed in on the suspicious boats, and the suspicious
boats halted their operation. The helicopter left the scene in about
30 minutes, judging that the suspicious boats gave up chasing the
cruiser.

The helicopter spotted a total of three suspicious boats but could
not see if they were armed. They were flying a flag looking like
Yemen's national flag but might have been pirate ships in disguise.

On April 11, the MSDF destroyers were asked for help by a foreign
ship almost in the same area.

6) MSDF escorts 3 ships on average

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top play) (Abridged)
April 19, 2009

The Sazanami and the Samidare, Maritime Self-Defense FORCE
destroyers on an antipiracy mission in waters off the coast of
Somalia, escort three Japanese ships a day on average and most
recently escorted only one ship. This is primarily because there has
been a sharp decrease in the number of ships due to the global
recession and the MSDF destroyers and commercial ships have
different schedules.

On March 30, the MSDF started its escort activities in Somalia
waters, where the two MSDF destroyers convoy Japanese commercial and
Japan-linked ships, making a shuttle almost every four days in the
Gulf of Aden off Somalia. The MSDF has so far made three shuttles
and a half. The two MSDF destroyers, in their first shuttle,
escorted five ships on their way from the gathering point and two
ships on their way back. In their second shuttle, they escorted
three ships on their way outward and four ships on their way back,
and in their third shuttle, three ships on their way outward and
three ships on their way back. In the fourth shuttle, only one ship
on their way outward.

The government had explained that Japanese ships and Japan-linked
ships passing through the Gulf of Aden would total 2,000 a year or 5
a day on average. If that is the case, the MSDF would have escorted
20 ships in a four-day shuttle and would have escorted 10 ships on
its way outward and another 10 on its way back.

However, the actual number has failed to reach a half. According to

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the Japanese Shipowners' Association, a total of about 1,500 ships,
broken down into container ships and automobile carriers, passed
through the Gulf of Aden last year. However, there has been a sharp
decrease in that number, as seen from a decrease of 50% in the
number of automobile carriers.

7) Ruling parties confident about enactment of anti-piracy bill

YOMIURI (Page 4) (Excerpts)
April 19, 2009

The ruling and opposition camps will start talks at the beginning of
next week to review the government-sponsored anti-piracy bill.
Stormy negotiations are expected, but the Democratic Party of Japan
(DPJ) plans to avoid delaying deliberations. Ruling party members
now expect that the bill will be undoubtedly enacted in the current
Diet session.

The DPJ and the People's New Party (PNP) have called for six items
in the government bill to be revised. The Japanese Communist Party
and the Social Democratic Party have decided not to participate in
the revision talks. The DPJ and the PNP focus on a provision for the
government's authorization to mobilize Self-Defense FORCE (SDF)
troops to cope with a situation that demands higher capability than
what the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) can offer.

They cite the procedures in the government as stipulated in the bill
as one problem. Under the bill, the defense minister would issue an
order upon gaining approval from the prime minister. Under the
opposition side's draft amendment, the land, infrastructure,
transport and tourism minister would make a request to the prime
minister, and the anti-piracy taskforce, headed by the prime
minister, would dispatch SDF troops. SDF troops on an anti-piracy
mission would be also given the status of taskforce members. The
draft amendment specifies anti-piracy operations as chiefly the
JCG's duty and aims to weaken the image of SDF dispatch by giving
SDF troops anti-piracy taskforce membership.

Another problem is the Diet's involvement. The amendment requires
prior Diet approval, placing emphasis on civilian control.

The ruling coalition is negative about these proposals on the
grounds that they touch on the fundamentals of the bill. On the idea
of regarding SDF troops also as members of the anti-piracy
taskforce, a senior Defense Ministry official pointed out: "It would
become ambiguous which would be responsible, the anti-piracy
taskforce or the SDF." Some voice concern about a lack of
consistency with other laws if the bill requires prior Diet
approval.

Reflecting such concerns, the government bill is likely to be
revised on a small scale. In the ruling camp, some insist that even
if the bill is revised, the DPJ is expected to vote against it
because the main opposition party does not want to undermine a joint
struggle framework among the opposition parties. The government bill
should not be amended at all." But a senior Liberal Democratic Party
member said: "The DPJ must be hoping for smooth enactment of the
bill so that its stance of opposing it will not be spotlighted.

8) Revising antipiracy legislation; Ruling parties reject idea of
prior Diet approval, saying such will make the system unstable


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SANKEI (Page 5) (Full)
April 20, 2009

The ruling and opposition parties are scheduled to begin on April 21
revision talks on the government-sponsored antipiracy legislation
enabling the country to dispatch Self-Defense Forces (SDF) vessels
on antipiracy missions in waters off Somalia and other areas as
necessary. Appearing on an NHK discussion program yesterday ahead of
the revision talks, ruling party members, including former Liberal
Democratic Party (LDP) Vice-President and Foreign Affairs Research
Commission Chairman Taku Yamasaki, announced that the ruling bloc
would not respond to the Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ) call to
make it mandatory for the government to obtain prior Diet approval
for dispatching SDF vessels for such purposes.

In the program, Yamasaki said: "We are willing to make revisions in
a reasonable scope, but prior Diet approval is not possible." New
Komeito Policy Research Council Chairman Natsuo Yamaguchi, too,
expressed reluctance, saying: "Under the divided Diet, prior Diet
approval would make the system extremely unstable."

Meanwhile, the DPJ shadow cabinet's foreign minister Yoshio Hachiro
emphatically said: "Prior Diet approval is necessary. We will
conduct revision talks in collaboration with other opposition
parties."

Hachiro added: "In principle, dealing with piracy is the Japan Coast
Guard's (duty). It is important to swiftly improve the Maritime
Self-Defense Force's setup."

Yamasaki objected to Hachiro's view, saying: "If the JCG were to do
everything on its own, it would have to build large vessels like
MSDF destroyers, and that would be a waste of time and tax money."

Social Democratic Party (SDP) Policy Deliberation Council Chair
Tomoko Abe expressed reluctance about taking part in the planned
vision talks, saying: "Frankly speaking, there is a huge gap with
the ruling parties. [The ruling bloc] is saying, 'We cannot make
compromises on this and that.'"

Japanese Communist Party foreign affairs department head Akira Kasai
opposed the very idea of dispatching the MSDF. People's New Party
Policy Deliberation Council Vice Chairman Mikio Shimoji noted: "An
agreement will not be reached unless dynamic revisions are made."

9) Government concerned about U.S. FORCE realignment, given DPJ's
opposition to Guam International Agreement and no progress on
Futenma relocation

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged slightly)
April 19, 2009

Takuji Soka

It has now become certain that the Japan-U.S. agreement to relocate
U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam will clear the Diet by mid-May.
The major opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is opposed to
the pact, however. Given the situation, in the event the DPJ takes
power through the next House of Representatives election, the pact
might be left up in the air. Further, there are no prospects for the
relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma AIR Station in Ginowan
to the coastal area of Camp Schwab in Nago. The environment

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surrounding the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan remains severe.


Based on the U.S. force-realignment roadmap, the foreign minister of
Japan and the U.S. secretary of State signed the agreement in
February. The pact would relocate some 8,000 U.S. Marines from
Okinawa to Guam. In the ongoing Diet session, the government sought
understanding for the agreement, saying it would help reduce the
burden on Okinawa, home to 75% of U.S. bases in Japan.

In an April 14 Lower House plenary session, four opposition parties,
including the DPJ, objected to the agreement, saying the grounds for
Japan's contribution (2.8 billion dollars) to the relocation plan
were unclear. Despite that, the accord was able to pass the Lower
House with a majority of votes by the ruling parties. Even if the
accord is rejected in the opposition-controlled Upper House, it is
now certain to clear the Diet within 30 days due to the
constitutional superiority of the Lower House.

Nevertheless, the fact that the DPJ opposed the agreement carries
great significance.

In his meeting on April 14 with former U.S. Ambassador to Japan
Walter Mondale, DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa expressed his intention
for Japan to have an increased say in the alliance with the United
States. "(Japan) has not said what it has to say (to the United
States)," Ozawa noted. Should the DPJ take power, the pact could
turn into just a paper agreement.

The agreement specifies "tangible progress toward completion of the
Futenma replacement facility." But the two countries have been
experiencing difficulties in realizing this.

The Okinawa side has repeatedly asked to move the planned runways
further offshore than Camp Schwab. Although Chief Cabinet Secretary
Takeo Kawamura said in response, "We take the local view seriously,"
the government still thinks the current plan is the best.

In the past, an earlier plan to relocate the Futenma functions to
waters off the Henoko district in Nago fell through due to stiff
local opposition. A Foreign Ministry official said anxiously, "We
cannot let the United States down twice."

10) U.S. sounds out North Korea on visit by Carter in March, showing
eagerness for bilateral talks

SNKEI (Page 3) (Excerpts)
April 19, 2009

The U.S. government secretly planned to send former Democratic
President Jimmy Carter to North Korea in March in an effort to
convince Pyongyang to drop its missile-launch plan, a diplomatic
source connected to Japan-U.S. relations stated yesterday. But
Pyongyang declined Washington's unofficial proposal, citing leader
Kim Jong Il's health problem and other reasons. The plan for
Carter's visit represents, in a sense, Washington's eagerness to
have bilateral talks with Pyongyang. Once the two governments begin
talks, Japan might be pressed to go along with any agreement reached
there.

According to informed sources, the U.S. worked on North Korea in
March in various ways to realize bilateral talks, suggesting such

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plans as a dispatch of Special Representative for North Korea Policy
Stephen Bosworth to the nation. But North Korea rejected the U.S.
proposal, on the grounds that it would be unacceptable unless the
U.S sent someone at a higher level than Bosworth.

Former President Carter visited Pyongyang on June 15, 1994, to deal
with the first North Korean nuclear crisis. At the time, Pyongyang
announced its intention to withdraw from the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and indicated the possibility of
developing nuclear weapons, heightening tensions on the Korean
Peninsula. Carter met with President Kim Il Sung and succeeded in
eliciting his agreement to freeze the nation's nuclear program.

Keeping this experience in mind, the U.S. government anticipated
that Carter would be able to dissuade the North from implementing
the missile-launch plan. The government reportedly unofficially
sounded North Korea out about a visit by Carter, in the hope of
arranging about a meeting with Kim Jong Il.

North Korea, however, rejected the proposed Carter visit and ignored
the U.S. call for self-restraint on the launch plan. It fired a
missile on April 5.

Pyongyang's refusal of the U.S. proposal shows its stance of
recklessly pushing ahead with missile development. There is even a
rumor that the North Korean side explained, in rejecting the U.S.
proposal, that Kim Il Sung died on July 8, just after Carter visited
North Korea, so if Kim Jong Il, now in poor health, meets with
Carter, it "might bring him bad luck."

11) U.S. will not hold bilateral talks with North Korea for time
being, according to senior Japanese government official

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 1) (Full)
April 20, 2009

This newspaper learned on April 19 that the U.S. government, in the
wake of North Korea's boycott of Six-Party Talks, has decided not to
hold bilateral talks with that nation for the time being. Washington
has apparently responded to Tokyo's call that priority should be
given to maintaining the Six-Party Talks framework. This was
revealed by a senior Japanese official.

Some Japanese officials have been increasingly worried that once
U.S.-North Korea talks begin in earnest, the abduction issue could
be left behind. This official takes it that such a risk has
disappeared. However, many still take the view that directs talks
between the two countries would be the only way to find a
breakthrough in the situation. There is a possibility of the U.S.
reneging on its commitment if no prospects for resuming the
Six-Party Talks are obtained.

According to the same source, Secretary of State Clinton on April 14
revealed the U.S. government's stance of eyeing talks with North
Korea as a means to find a breakthrough on the North Korea problem.
Following this statement, Japan discussed future measures with the
U.S. side through several channels, including the Japanese Embassy
in the U.S. The same source also said that Japan has a commitment
from several senior U.S. officials not to enter into direct talks
with the North for the time being.

12) LDP lawmaker Nakagawa calls for "nuclear weapons to counter

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nuclear weapons"

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full)
April 20, 2009

In reaction to the UN Security Council's adoption of a presidential
statement condemning North Korea's [April 5] missile launch,
Pyongyang has declared that it would resume its nuclear development
program. Touching on this fact, former Finance Minister Shoichi
Nakagawa in a meeting yesterday in Obihiro, Hokkaido, expressed his
view that Japan should debate possessing nuclear weapons, saying:
"Speaking purely militarily, it is common sense in the world that
nuclear weapons are the only means that can counter nuclear
weapons."

In October 2006, when he was serving as Liberal Democratic Party
(LDP) Policy Research Council chairman during the Abe
administration, Nakagawa also said: "Going nuclear is not prohibited
under the Constitution." Nakagawa emphasized the view that North
Korea possesses a large number of Nodong mid-range missiles and that
it has nuclear bombs small enough to be loaded on missiles. He said:
"They have moved closer to the stage where they can conduct launches
at any time without advance notice. We must always discuss
countermeasures."

13) Former Prime Minister Abe calls for nuclear disarmament
including China

SANKEI (Page 3) (Full)
April 19, 2009

Takashi Arimoto, Washington

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a speech in Washington on
the afternoon of April 17, local time, in which he referred to the
nuclear disarmament policy recently announced by U.S. President
Barack Obama and said: "The policy should include not only the U.S.
and Russia but also China."

Abe expressed his wariness about China's arms buildup, saying: "We
need to keep close tabs on what it is aiming at. Securing
transparency is important."

Abe also pointed out the need for Japan to cooperate with China in
tackling such issues as global warming. He remarked: "I have long
taken a severe view about China. Those who are called pro-Chinese
had said that 'if Abe became prime minister, Japan-China relations
would collapse,' I visited China as the first destination of my
overseas trip after assuming the premiership and paved the way for
the two countries to establish a mutually beneficial bilateral
relationship based on common strategic interests. Regarding North
Korea's past abductions of Japanese nationals, he said: "Some
reportedly criticize our nation's stance as uncompromising, but the
blame falls on North Korea, which abducted them, so North Korea
should take action first." He emphasized the need for a settlement
of the abduction issue, in line with the nuclear and missile issues.


14) Poll: Cabinet support rises to 25.2%

MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full)
April 18, 2009

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According to a Jiji Press poll conducted April 10-13, the approval
rating for Prime Minister Taro Aso rose 7.6 points from last month
to 25.2%, topping 20% for the first time since last December. The
disapproval rating was 53.8%, a decrease of 13.6 points over last
month. In the poll, respondents were asked who they thought was
appropriate for prime minister. In this popularity ranking for
premiership, Aso tallied 26.7%, with Democratic Party of Japan
(Minshuto) President Ichiro Ozawa at 20.6%.

Support for the Aso cabinet's support had been on the decline in
previous polls, but no further decrease was seen in the latest poll.
This is presumably because the government has now begun to implement
economic stimulus measures, such as handing out cash benefits to all
households and lowering expressway tolls. Meanwhile, the DPJ has
been unstable due to illicit political donations from Nishimatsu
Construction Co. to Ozawa's fund-managing body.

The poll was conducted across the nation on a face-to-face basis,
with a total of 2,000 male and female participants aged 20 and over.
The response rate was 65.9%.

Among those who support the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the Aso
cabinet's support rate was 58.9%, up 11.6 points, and its nonsupport
rate at 27.7%, down 14.2 points. Among those with no particular
party affiliation, the support rate rose 7.3 points to 16.5%, with
the nonsupport rate decreasing 15.5 points to 56.3%. Among DPJ
supporters, the support rate was 6.5% and the nonsupport rate was
87.5%.

In the popularity ranking for premiership, Aso rose 4.3 points from
last month, with Ozawa down 6.6 points. Ozawa was constantly above
Aso in last December's poll and in the following polls. This time,
however, Aso outstripped Ozawa.

15) DPJ puts off planned survey to explore voter preference

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full)
April 20, 2009

A conclusion on the issue of whether Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)
President Ichiro Ozawa will remain in his party post or resign will
likely be postponed to sometime after the Golden Week holidays in
early May. The reason is because the DPJ has put off its survey on
voters slated for mid-April to explore their preferences. It is
viewed that the results of the survey would become means for Ozawa
to make a decision on the matter. Some DPJ members are calling for
disclosing the outcome of the poll. Regardless of when the survey is
carried out, it will likely become a cause of rekindling the Ozawa
issue in the DPJ.

The DPJ conducts regular surveys in single-seat constituencies for
the House of Representatives. At a press conference in last March,
Ozawa revealed the intention to conduct a survey in April, the last
one having been carried out in late January. He told his aides that
the survey would be held on April 18-19.

Former DPJ President Seiji Maehara, however, stated: "It is
important to debate the outcome of the poll, showing where the party
should go." Akira Nagatsuma, a deputy chairman of the Policy
Research Committee, softly sought for information disclosure in an
executive board meeting, questioning: "How much of the results of

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the survey be disclosed?"

Those remarks stem from that fact that Ozawa has kept secrecy in
disclosing survey results even to the executive board. Many in the
DPJ doubt that Ozawa would disclose the outcome of the survey in
order to continue serving as party leader.

Ozawa has rejected disclosure, saying "We have notified individual
(candidates and lawmakers) of the necessary information. The
information should not be disclosed." It is considered that the
postponement of the survey is to prevent creating discord in the
party.

Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama, who is in a position to support
Ozawa, put up a smoke screen, saying: "There is no political party
that discloses the timing and results of a survey. A survey might
have been conducted or it might be held next week."

A mid-level lawmaker said: "April 24 or 26." If this is the case,
the outcome of a survey in each electoral district would be conveyed
to individual lawmakers and candidates sometime after the
consecutive holidays in May.

Ozawa has kept his grip on the party by holding the power to select
candidates by obtaining the exclusive possession of the results of
surveys. It is ironic that all eyes are now being focused on whether
the outcome of the poll will become the criteria for Ozawa to make a
decision on his course of action.

16) DPJ unable to come up with response to second budget

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Excerpts)
April 20, 2009

The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has yet to reach
a consensus on how to respond to a supplementary budget for fiscal
2009 and related bills, which the government will submit to the Diet
on April 27. In the wake of the scandal involving DPJ President
Ichiro Ozawa's state-funded secretary over illegal donations from
Nishimatsu Construction Co., the driving FORCE for the largest
opposition party is now weakening. Given that situation, the DPJ has
yet to decide on when to take a vote in the opposition controlled
House of Councillors, although it has advocated carrying out
thorough deliberations, aiming to turn around the situation. Some
DPJ members are concerned that the ruling coalition, which is now
beginning to take a bearish posture, might control the pace of
deliberations.

DPJ Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka stressed in a
meeting on April 17 of the party's House of Representatives members:
"We consider deliberations on the extra budget as a battle field."
Prior to this, Yamaoka discussed with Ozawa about the handling of
the extra budget and related bills at Ozawa's office. Ozawa,
Yamaoka, Deputy President Naoto Kan, Secretary General Yukio
Hatoyama, and DPJ Upper House Caucus Chairman Azuma Koshiishi will
also confer on the matter tomorrow.

Behind the gaps in views of the DPJ members is Prime Minister Taro
Aso's remark that he may dissolve the Lower House, depending on the
DPJ's response.

With an eye on a possibility that Aso will dissolve the Lower House

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if deliberations are dragged on, Koshiishi pointed: "In order to
have the prime minister dissolve the lower chamber as early as
possible, we could take (the extra budget and related bills)
hostage." Hatoyama and Yamaoka, however, have emphasized that the
party will not put off the deliberations unnecessarily. The two have
predicted that the ruling camp would have a hard time because there
will be no issues if the DPJ accepts an early voting.

Kan referred to the DPJ's plan to submit a bill revising the
government-drafted extra budget in order to make clear pints at
issue in the budget. Policy Research Committee Chairman Masayuki
Naoshima, however, took a negative view toward Kan.

DPJ executives seem unable to come up with a strategy for the rest
of the Diet session, even though they are waiting for the ruling
coalition's moves by sending hard- and soft-line messages. Although
Ozawa has said he will make efforts to take the initiative in Diet
measures, many junior and mid-level lawmakers in the party want him
to quickly determine whether he will continue in his party post or
quit, rather than to focus on Diet measures.

With the exception of the budget and related bills, the DPJ
leadership intends to accept an early passage of such key bills as
the antipiracy bill. However, some in the DPJ remain unhappy with
the leadership's policy. The DPJ put off a vote on April 16 on a
bill amending the Financial Instrument and Exchange Law, on which
the Lower House Financial Affairs Committee is now deliberating,
since the DPJ Upper House caucus insisted that it should become a
tool to delay the start of deliberations on the supplementary
budget.

ZUMWALT