JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 04/23/09

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E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 04/23/09 Index: 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials 3) Prime Minister's daily schedule [Nikkei] 4) Prime Minister Aso while in office has decided not to visit Yasukuni Shrine [Nikkei] 5) Former Secretary of State Kissinger meets Prime Minister Aso [Mainichi] Anti-piracy measures: 6) Talks collapse between camps over Diet involvement in SDF dispatches for anti-piracy missions; Government to ram bill through Lower House today [Asahi] 7) Democratic Party of Japan gives priority to unity of the opposition bloc in deciding response to anti-piracy measure [Nikkei] 8) 2.7 billion yen provided as aid to Somalia unaccounted for [Tokyo Shimbun] 9) Official development assistance to the Middle East to be doubled, with aim of helping nations hit by terrorism [Nikkei] 10) JAXA to be moved under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet Office for such matters as space development, early warning satellites [Sankei] Political merry-go-round: 11) Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura blasted by LDP members for saying that the timing of the next general election should give consideration to New Komeito [Mainichi] 12) LDP's Ishihara wants campaign pledges (manifesto) to include promise to increase taxes [Sankei] 13) Former DPJ President Okada wants Ozawa to step down as party head if he cannot give a clear explanation of his secretary's arrest taking corporate donations. [Sankei] Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: Norinchukin Bank to book pretax loss of 620 billion yen in fiscal 2008 Mainichi: IMF expects global economy to shrink 1.3% in 2009 Yomiuri: Nara court orders hospital to award overtime pay for night and holiday work to doctors Nikkei: Retailers expect sales of private-brand products to increase 35% in fiscal 2009 Sankei: JAXA to be transferred to Cabinet Office: Promotion of space development expected TOKYO 00000942 002 OF 009 Tokyo Shimbun: Chiba mayor arrested over bribe Akahata: Temporary workers and others hold demonstration, calling on government to protect jobs, businesses, livelihoods 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) Hitachi's misleading fridge ads: "Green buying" must not be stopped (2) Offering by prime minister to Yasukuni Shrine contrary to his argument Mainichi: (1) Trade deficit: Support to strengthen competitiveness needed (2) Inauguration of conference to create safe society: Aso's vision invisible Yomiuri: (1) Set goal for when to resume Monju nuclear reactor (2) Lawsuit over wages to obstetricians: The state of overwork must be quickly improved Nikkei: (1) The use of government's recapitalization program must be limited (2) Japanese firms should craft strategy focusing on domestic demand in Vietnam Sankei: (1) Urgently revise Oran Transplant Law (2) Revised Industrial Revitalization Law: Specify' management responsibility Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Aso should pay homage at Yasukuni Shrine in stately way (2) Use national tests to improve class work Akahata: (1) Abolish antipiracy bill that would incur violent actions 3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) Prime Minister's schedule, April 22 NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) April 23, 2009 09:02 Met Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsumoto at the Kantei. 10:01 Attended an Upper House plenary session. 11:26 Attended a party celebrating the completion of the JA Building in Otemachi. Afterward chatted with JA-Zenchu Chairman Moki, followed by MAFF Minister Ishiba. 13:30 TOKYO 00000942 003 OF 009 Met former U.S. Secretary of State Kissinger at the Kantei, in the presence of Fuji Television Chairman Hieda. 14:16 Met New Zealand's Parliament Speaker Smith. 15:12 Met former Prime Minister Abe. Afterward met Japan Prize winners, concluding University of New Hampshire Professor Emeritus Meadows, in the presence of Science and Technology Foundation of Japan President Yoshikawa. 16:31 Met Public Security Intelligence Agency Director General Kitada. 17:35 Attended a Council for Overseas Economic Cooperation meeting. Afterward met Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura. 18:33 Attended a Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy meeting. Finance Minister Yosano and Matsumoto stayed on. 20:00 Dined at a Japanese restaurant in Kagurazaka with Cabinet Councilor Sueyoshi and others. 21:57 Returned to his official residence. 4) Prime Minister Aso while in office will not pay homage at Yasukuni Shrine NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) Eve., April 22, 2009 Prime Minister Taro Aso firmed up his intention today not to pay homage at Yasukuni Shrine while he is in office. The aim is to avoid politicizing the issue [prime minister's visiting the shrine]. With China and South Korea in mind, he has given major diplomatic consideration to his decision, one aide saying, "If the prime minister pays homage there, it would not be taken as a private visit." 5) Aso exchanges views with Kissinger MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) April 23, 2009 Ai Yokota Prime Minister Taro Aso met with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, 85, at his office yesterday, and they exchanged views for about 25 minutes on the North Korean issue, Japan-U.S. relations and other matters. After the meeting, Kissinger told the press: "(The prime minister and) I spoke of the need to remove the threat that is caused by North Korean nuclear programs." He also said this about the abduction issue: "I can sympathize with Japan's position." According to the Foreign Ministry, Kissinger is visiting Japan to coincide with this year's meeting of the Trilateral Commission, to TOKYO 00000942 004 OF 009 be held on April 25-26 in Tokyo, to discuss the financial crisis and other matters. 6) Antipiracy talks break down ASAHI (Page 4) (Abridged) April 23, 2009 The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito yesterday broke down in its talks with the leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto) over DPJ-proposed revisions to a government-introduced antipiracy bill, which is for a new law to endorse the Maritime Self-Defense Force's deployment to the Gulf of Aden off Somalia. They failed to compromise on the Diet's role, one of the legislation's focal points. The House of Representatives Antipiracy and Antiterrorism Special Committee will meet today and will approve the bill as drafted by the government. The bill will pass the House of Representatives in its plenary sitting this afternoon. The DPJ will come up with an amendment, but it is expected to be voted down. After the breakdown, Prime Minister Aso told reporters yesterday evening: "We'll have to ensure the position of those MSDF members sent out there, and that's what we must consider most. I hope the legislation will be enacted as soon as possible." The revision talks focused primarily on the Diet's role. According to the government-drafted bill, the government is to make a report to the Diet for its ex post facto approval of its dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces for overseas antipiracy activities and is to make a report when the SDF's antipiracy activities are wound up. The DPJ insisted that the government has to ask the Diet for approval before sending out the SDF for overseas antipiracy activities. However, the ruling coalition rejected the DPJ's proposal since the bill could not be approved in the opposition-controlled House of Councillors and the government may not be able to dispatch the SDF. Gen Nakatani, an LDP lawmaker and a former director general of the Defense Agency, now the Defense Ministry, showed a compromise proposal to the opposition parties yesterday, indicating that the Diet can call off the SDF's overseas deployment if both of its lower and upper chambers decide to do so. The Diet's role or involvement can be broken down into: 1) prior approval; 2) ex post facto approval; and 3) parliamentary reporting. Nakatani's compromise proposal was to vest 'veto power' in the Diet without touching on prior and ex post facto approval. In the case of prior approval, the government cannot send out the SDF if either of the lower and upper houses rejects it. Unlike this, Nakatani's proposal was that the government's SDF dispatch plan needs decisions from both houses. Yoshio Hachiro, foreign minister in the DPJ's shadow cabinet, stuck to "prior" approval. The gap was not closed. 7) Antipiracy bill to pass Lower House today; DPJ gives priority to common front with other opposition parties; Ruling coalition remains bullish NIKKEI (Page 2) (Excerpts) April 23, 2009 Talks on amending an antipiracy bill between the ruling coalition and the major opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) broke down yesterday. Giving priority to the common front with the Social TOKYO 00000942 005 OF 009 Democratic Party (SDP) and the People's New Party (PNP),which oppose an easy compromise, the DPJ did not lower its hurdle. The ruling bloc, too, gave up reaching an accord, concluding that in order to hold intensive deliberations on the fiscal 2009 supplementary budget bill, the antipiracy bill's passage of the House of the Representatives within this week was indispensable. Eagerness for compromise was apparently absent from both sides. The principal directors of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the DPJ of the Lower House Antipiracy Committee continued their discussions yesterday afternoon. Around that time, DPJ Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka met the party's principal director Yoshio Hachiro in a room in the Diet building and told him: "If a compromise isn't reached, it's acceptable for us to respond to their call for bringing the bill to a vote." Four hours later, the talks ruptured and the decision to vote on April 23 on the government-sponsored bill was finalized. Prior Diet approval The DPJ was unyielding on the issue of prior Diet approval of a Self-Defense Forces (SDF) dispatch. The ruling bloc presented a compromise plan that included a provision to allow a Diet resolution to halt an SDF dispatch. But DPJ Policy Research Committee Chairman Masayuki Naoshima ordered Hachiro and others not to reach an agreement. The leadership had decided from the beginning not to settle on anything less than prior approval. Behind this stance lay the wishes of the SDP and the PNP. The SDP is against any SDF dispatch and the PNP made requests about what revisions the DPJ should demand. DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa instructed the person in charge to handle the matter in a way the three opposition parties could remain aligned with each other. This forced the DPJ to give priority to the tripartite common front. At the same time, in consideration of conservative members in the party calling for the establishment of an antipiracy law, the party leadership had to choose the difficult option of allowing the Lower House to take a vote on the bill. Many DPJ members in the opposition controlled-Upper House are of the view that their party should oppose and dispose of any bill quickly that might cause a rift in the party or among opposition parties. Chances are high therefore that the bill will be brought to a vote before the current Diet session closes on June 3. But uncertainties still remain, such as the SDP insisting on protracting the deliberations. In preparation for the next Lower House election The LDP's principal director Gen Nakatani held a press conference after the talks collapsed yesterday in which he said: "We think the original plan is the best." LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Tadamori Oshima told a New Komeito executive on the phone: "It was good that the talks ended without making any revisions to the bill." Irrespective of the results of the revision talks, the ruling coalition intended from the beginning to have Prime Minister Taro Aso explain at the Diet the immediacy of the antipiracy legislation, followed by a vote on the bill at the special committee later this week and then the bill's passage by the Lower House. The ruling coalition's bullish stance was underpinned by the belief that TOKYO 00000942 006 OF 009 antipiracy measures were relatively easy to obtain public support for, and that the enactment of the legislation would help increase support for the achievements of the government and the ruling coalition ahead of the next Lower House election. 8) Approximately 2.7 billion yen in aid for Somalia unaccounted for TOKYO SHMBUN (Page 2) (Full) April 23, 2009 In a meeting of the House of Representatives' Antipiracy Special Committee yesterday, a lawmaker said that approximately 2.7 billion yen Japan had disbursed for United Nations activities in Somalia operations remained unaccounted for. The statement of accounts for fiscal 1993, which has been kept by the Foreign Ministry, notes that about 2.7 billion yen of the funds disbursed to international economic cooperation organizations was appropriated as assistance funds for Somalia. Based on the statement, Social Democratic Party member Nobuto Hosaka pursued the government on this issue. The Foreign Ministry, however, was unable to make a clear reply, with Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone only saying: "We would like to make a report upon checking the details." The ministry has started examining data of that time. Hosaka assailed: "I guess that the money is unaccounted for, probably because the Foreign Ministry allocated it on its own judgment, with no Diet examination." 9) Government to double yen loans to Middle East in ODA priority distribution policy TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 1) (Full) April 23, 2009 The government will announce for the first time starting in fiscal 2009 areas to which official development assistance (ODA) funds will be provided on a priority basis. The draft of a report due out today designates as priority assistance areas projects aimed at helping to strengthen the economic growth potential of Asia, which has been hit by the ongoing financial crisis, and to fight terrorism, including assistance for Afghan reconstruction. Japan intends to boost yen loans to the Middle East almost double that of the previous fiscal year to 113 billion yen, and to Asia by 100 billion yen to 760 billion yen in fiscal 2009. The government previously only announced records of ODA disbursements at the end of a fiscal year after the funds were provided, but many critics had pointed out that how the money was use remained unclear. To make ODA spending more transparent and efficient, the government has decided to announce a basic ODA policy and region-specific distribution targets at the beginning of each fiscal year. U.S. President Barack Obama has already released a strategy to step up efforts in both military and public welfare areas to stabilize Afghanistan. Japan has also decided to double yen-loan disbursements to the Middle East, an amount equivalent to more than one tenth of the total amount. By helping improve people's livelihoods through setting up infrastructure, the government hopes to strengthen TOKYO 00000942 007 OF 009 cooperation with the U.S. The draft also specifies priority distribution of funds to the Palestinians with an eye on Middle East peace and to projects related to reconstruction in Iraq. Through ODA assistance to Gulf nations, the government aims to deepen relations with oil-producing countries, as part of its efforts to promote energy security. 10) JAXA to be under Cabinet Office's wing SANKEI (Top play) (Abridged) April 23, 2009 The government decided yesterday to transfer the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA for short, to the Cabinet Office. JAXA is currently under the wing of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and carries out research and development in the space aeronautics area. Japan's space development has so far been limited to scientific purposes. However, the Space Law came into effect in August 2008, paving the way to the expanded use of outer space for security and industrial development. As it stands, the government judged that MEXT would have its own limits to oversee JAXA. With JAXA's transferral to the Cabinet Office, Japan is expected to gear up for introducing early warning satellites, which can detect missile launches, and heightening the performance of intelligence-gathering satellites or de facto surveillance satellites. JAXA's transferral will be incorporated in a five-year space master plan to be worked out in late May, and it will be set for fiscal ¶2010. Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura has indicated that Japan's space development would make rapid progress with JAXA's transferral. "The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology alone is not enough to step up the functionality of space development in industrial development, security, and all other areas," Kawamura said yesterday in Tokyo. "The government is in charge of this task, so it would be better for the Cabinet Office and JAXA to team up with each other," he added. JAXA's purpose is limited to "basic research" under the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Law. This point has been criticized within the government and ruling parties for the lack of awareness to cut costs and improve reliability for commercialization. The government and ruling parties have therefore reviewed JAXA's organizational modality in conformity with the law's supplementary provisions. 11) Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura's comment criticized by ruling and opposition parties, even though he retracts it MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) April 23, 2009 Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, referring to the timing of the next House of Representatives election, said yesterday: "What the New Komeito says cannot be ignored," suggesting that the Lower House not be dissolved around the July timeframe for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election. However, Kawamura's comment created a stir in the ruling and opposition parties. From the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),one member voiced criticism, saying: "Prime TOKYO 00000942 008 OF 009 Minister's right to dissolve the Lower House would be tied." An opposition member rebutted: "That's maneuvering for party interests." Kawamura said in a speech yesterday: "We have received a warning (from the New Komeito) that if the Lower House is dissolved around (the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election),it won't be able to support the LDP's campaign for the general election." At a press conference later in the day, he withdrew his earlier remarks, saying: "I made the remarks at a gathering of supporters for the LDP. In order to make them understand easily, I cited an example. The prime minister has the right to dissolve the Diet. He is now considering it from all aspects." Prime Minister Taro Aso yesterday told the press corps: "I always give consideration to the New Komeito. However, I will never pick the date for the election for the sake of the New Komeito." In the LDP, a former cabinet member made this comment: "He made an unnecessary remark. The prime minister holds the right on Lower House dissolution." Kawamura's comment drew a mixed reaction from the New Komeito. One New Komeito member said: "I think it is a message that the Lower House dissolution and the Tokyo election will not be close together. A senior member, however, expressed unhappiness with the fact that Kawamura described the party's request as 'a warning," noting: "His comment sounds like our party was threatening the LDP." Secretary General Kazuo Kitagawa said: "The right to dissolve the Lower House is a sole prerogative of the prime minister. I don't remember giving any warning." Meanwhile, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama at a gathering yesterday in Yokohama said: "The chief cabinet secretary giving consideration to the New Komeito means that he is pursuing party interests. The Lower House should be dissolved as quickly as possible." 12) LDP's Ishihara: Consumption tax hike in 2011 should be included in manifesto for Lower House election SANKEI (Page 5) (full) April 23, 2009 Nobuteru Ishihara, senior deputy secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),revealed yesterday his outlook that the LDP would include in its manifesto (set of campaign pledges) for the next House of Representatives election a pledge to increase the consumption tax, probably in fiscal 2011. He gave this outlook in a round-table discussion in Tokyo held by the People's Council to Create a New Japan, which is made up of experts. Ishihara stated there: "I think that measures to make up for the deficit will be included , such as a consumption tax hike in fiscal 2011 after the economy recovers." Referring to the fact that the distribution of the copies of the manifesto is limited to such certain places as venues to deliver speeches, Ishihara stressed that conditions should be eased further, saying: "It is only natural that an environment should be created so TOKYO 00000942 009 OF 009 that voters can refer to the manifesto." 13) DPJ's Okada: A change will be in government impossible unless Ozawa accounts for donation scandal SANKEI (Page 5) (Excerpts) April 23, 2009 With his secretary having received illegal donations from Nishimatsu Construction Co., the question of whether Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Ichiro Ozawa will step down from his post has continued to smolder in the main opposition party. DPJ Vice President Katsuya Okada, whom many DPJ lawmakers anticipate will become the next party head, has taken a wait-and-see approach, although he is beginning to make more specific remarks about Ozawa. There is a view in the party that in order to wipe away the negative image of Ozawa, Okada, who has a clean image, is most suitable to become the next party leader. Meanwhile, some DPJ members are alarmed about his political stance, which is described as a kind of fundamentalism. Okada's judgment is that now is not the right time to take action to remove Ozawa from his post. Okada delivered a speech yesterday in a Tokyo Hotel, in which he strongly urged Ozawa to give a sufficient explanation about the donation scandal involving Nishimatsu. He said: "Under the situation where 60 to 70 percent of the public thinks they cannot fully understand (Ozawa's) explanation, it is impossible to bring about a change in government." He also said: "The DPJ is now being tested. We must deal calmly with the matter." He suggested that all party members unite to overcome the negative impact of the scandal. Okada's comment reflects a sense of crisis in the DPJ that if Ozawa resigns as party head, the chance for the party to take power will slip away. This feeling lies behind the mood in the party favoring Okada as the one to replace Ozawa. A mid-level lawmaker said: "Junior members in the House of Representatives are looking forward to Okada's becoming the party head. Lawmakers coming from the former Japan Socialist Party also favor Okada." Okada has yet to actively campaign to succeed Ozawa because he does not have his own group and has not used his personal influence on the party. Okada's prediction is that if he becomes the LDP president, he would be at a disadvantage, dependent on what actions Deputy President Naoto Kan and Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama would take. However, there are also many in the DPJ who are strongly alarmed about Okada stepping into the presidency. ZUMWALT