DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 02/01/10

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 13 TOKYO 000201

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR E, P, EB, EAP/J, EAP/P, EAP/PD, PA;
WHITE HOUSE/NSC/NEC; JUSTICE FOR STU CHEMTOB IN ANTI-TRUST DIVISION;
TREASURY/OASIA/IMI/JAPAN; DEPT PASS USTR/PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE;
SECDEF FOR JCS-J-5/JAPAN,
DASD/ISA/EAPR/JAPAN; DEPT PASS ELECTRONICALLY TO USDA
FAS/ITP FOR SCHROETER; PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR;
CINCPAC FLT/PA/ COMNAVFORJAPAN/PA.

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA

SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 02/01/10

INDEX:

(1) U.S. Ambassador: Existing plan on Futenma relocation is the best
option (Nikkei)
(2) Ambassador Roos: Presence of Okinawa bases becoming "more
important" (Mainichi)
(3) Ambassador Roos says current Futenma relocation plan is "best
option" (Okinawa Times)
(4) Japan, U.S. to hold talks on deepening bilateral alliance on
Feb. 2 in Tokyo (Nikkei)
(5) Foreign Minister Okada in foreign policy speech underscores
determination to exercise leadership for nuclear disarmament (Asahi)

(6) Expert panel to admit existence of three Japan-U.S. secret pacts
(Tokyo Shimbun)
(7) Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Takino to head new Okinawa
Liaison Office (Jiji Press)
(8) Okinawa in turmoil for 13 years over Futenma-linked economic
measures, remains dependent on military bases (Nikkei)
(9) Editorial: Japan as a sovereign nation must revise SOFA (Ryukyu
Shimpo)
(10) Editorial: Obama's State of the Union address -- Credibility of
statements to be tested (Tokyo Shimbun)
(11) DPJ Secretary General Ozawa questioned again by prosecutors on
land deal on January 31 (Mainichi)
(12) First Ainu policy meeting held on Jan. 29 (Mainichi) 10
(13) Parents and children after divorce; (Part 2): Husband took son
away to his home country (Yomiuri)
(14) Parents and children after divorce, (Part 3): Rumors widespread
in U.S. and European countries that Japan is a country that does not
allow the parent living apart from the child to see the child after
divorce (Yomiuri)

ARTICLES:

(1) U.S. Ambassador: Existing plan on Futenma relocation is the best
option

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
January 30, 2010

In a speech at Waseda University yesterday, U.S. Ambassador to Japan
John Roos said in reference to the relocation of the U.S. Marine
Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa: "The Marine Corps is a rapid
reaction force that is capable of mobilizing its troops more quickly
than any other units in times of emergency. If Marines are moved out
of Japan, the mobility and effectiveness of the U.S. forces will be
significantly undermined." He said that the current plan to relocate
the Futenma facility to a coastal area in the Henoko district in
Nago City is "the result of a discussion that lasted over more than
ten years and is the best option for enabling the Futenma base to be
closed in the shortest period of time."

The Ambassador went on to say: "All countries in the region are
paying close attention to moves by U.S. forces in Japan. Showing
troops engaged in military exercises in Japan that are close to
actual battle conditions must act as a deterrent," stressing the
importance of the presence of U.S. forces in Japan.

With respect to Japan's host nation support (HNS) (the so-called
omoiyari yosan, or "sympathy budget") for U.S. forces in Japan, the
Ambassador pointed out: "Frankly speaking, I don't think it is

TOKYO 00000201 002 OF 013


appropriate to call host nation support a sympathy budget," adding:
"HNS is a way for Japan and the U.S. to share the costs of
maintaining in Japan the world's most expensive military
capabilities."

(2) Ambassador Roos: Presence of Okinawa bases becoming "more
important"

MAINICHI (Page 8) (Full)
January 30, 2010

Delivering a speech in Tokyo yesterday, U.S. Ambassador to Japan
John Roos reiterated the need for the continued presence of U.S.
military bases in Okinawa. He said: "Although the Cold War has
ended, Okinawa is becoming not less but more important in view of
strategy due to regional security circumstances (such as North
Korea's nuclear development and China's military modernization)."

He further said: "Okinawa has the potential to become a 'bridge'
between Japan, Asia and the U.S." and then proposed the concept of
the Japanese and U.S. governments' establishing a global-level
science and technology research institute in Okinawa with the aim of
developing industry through technological development.

The Ambassador, who used to work as a lawyer in Silicon Valley,
might have in mind some ideas for contributing to the Okinawan
economy.

The Ambassador said that the existing agreements on the relocation
of the Futenma airfield and other U.S. force realignment plans were
reached between Japan and the U.S. "as a result of the efforts to
achieve a balance between consideration for Okinawan people's
concerns and its strategic importance." In reference to the presence
of U.S. Marines in Okinawa, he pointed out: "The Marine Corps has
the capability to quickly convey its combat and support troops by
helicopter to any place on the archipelago connecting Northeast Asia
and Southeast Asia. In cases of strategies that require heavy
equipment or cover a long period of time, the Marines can be
redeployed to any location within several days, with support from
the U.S. Navy base in Sasebo." He pointed out that the Marines were
mobilized to provide emergency humanitarian aid in response to 12
disasters over the past five years, including the 2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake.

The Ambassador further stated: "Although we should make utmost
efforts to achieve U.S. President Barack Obama's vision of ridding
the world of nuclear weapons, for the sake of the U.S., Japan and
other allies the U.S. remains firmly resolved to maintain its
deterrence capability until the goal is attained."

The Ambassador cited North Korea as "the biggest cause for concern"
in the Asia-Pacific region. He emphasized that "there is growing
concern" over "the possible collapse of the regime led by leader Kim
Jong Il" in the context of a leadership succession, in addition to
concern over its nuclear and missile development programs. On China,
he expressed apprehension about China's military modernization in
the areas of "cyber warfare and strategic weapons, such as
anti-satellite-weapons and nuclear-powered submarines."

(3) Ambassador Roos says current Futenma relocation plan is "best
option"


TOKYO 00000201 003 OF 013


OKINAWA TIMES (Page 26) (Full)
January 30, 2010

Tokyo - U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos gave a speech at Waseda
University on Jan. 29, in which he pointed out that the current plan
to relocate the U.S. forces' Futenma Air Station to Henoko in Nago
City is the "best option." Regarding the role of U.S. Forces Japan
(USFJ),including U.S. forces in Okinawa, Roos emphasized the
importance of the USFJ's presence, saying: "They not only ensure
rapid response, but also serve as a visible deterrent." On the
Japanese government's share in the USFJ's expenditures, he explained
that "this is an important measure to share the cost of maintaining
in Japan the U.S.'s most advanced military capability." He argued
that "it is inappropriate to call this omoiyari yosan (sympathy
budget)."

The Ambassador said that the significance of the USFJ's continuing
to conduct exercises in Japan lies "not only in ensuring rapid
response to any situation but also in serving as a visible
deterrent."

(4) Japan, U.S. to hold talks on deepening bilateral alliance on
Feb. 2 in Tokyo

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
January 31, 2010

The governments of Japan and the United States will hold on Feb. 2
in Tokyo a Security Subcommittee (SSC) meeting of director-general
level foreign and defense officials, aiming to move talks on
deepening the bilateral alliance into full gear, coinciding with the
50th anniversary of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. The Japanese
government will propose strengthening cooperation on the expanded
deterrence policy, including a missile defense system, space
strategy, and the U.S.'s nuclear umbrella, based on changes in the
security environment of the Asia-Pacific region.

The SSC analyzes the environment of the Japan-U.S. security
arrangements, which are gradually changing, with an eye on China's
rise in the economic and military spheres, as well as North Korea's
nuclear ambitions. In addition to a missile defense system, the SSC
will systematically discuss a collaborative framework on cyber
attacks and relief operations. The Japanese side is expected to
request that the SSC review the SOFA and Japan's host-nation support
(the so-called sympathy budget) for the U.S. forces in Japan.

The two governments agreed at a meeting of their foreign ministers
on Jan. 12 in Hawaii to initiate talks on deepening the bilateral
alliance even before the Futenma issue is resolved. For the
Japan-U.S. relationship, which has been strained over the Futenma
issue, the talks on deepening the alliance will play the ironic role
of preventing the two countries from moving away from each other.

(5) Foreign Minister Okada in foreign policy speech underscores
determination to exercise leadership for nuclear disarmament

ASAHI (Page 5) (Full)
January 30, 2010

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada delivered a foreign policy speech on
Jan. 29 at the plenary session of all lawmakers from both chambers
of the Diet for the first time since the change of government. In

TOKYO 00000201 004 OF 013


his policy speech, Okada stressed that he will exercise his
leadership in dealing with such global issues as nuclear arms
reduction, saying, "Japan is called upon to act proactively and
respond to international expectations." In connection with
Japan-U.S. relations, he expressed his determination to tackle the
issues of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and
Japan's contribution to the cost of stationing the U.S. forces in
Japan.

With regard to the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air
Station (in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture),Okada said, "The
government on its part will make a decision by the end of May." He
also stated that he wishes to deepen public understanding for the
presence of the U.S. forces in Japan, while deepening the Japan-U.S.
alliance. On North Korea, he said Japan will seek to normalize
relations by resolving issues such as the abductions of Japanese
nationals by North Korea and the nuclear issue, as well as by
settling the unfortunate past. In connection with Japan-China ties,
he stated that Japan will enhance and give shape to the strategic
reciprocal relationship.

Demonstrating the basic perception that the international community
has embarked on a new era of cooperation, with the inauguration of
U.S. President Barack Obama as a catalyst, Okada expressed his
determination to deepen discussions with relevant nations on the
issues of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.

(6) Expert panel to admit existence of three Japan-U.S. secret
pacts

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 3) (Full)
January 30, 2010

An expert panel tasked with examining documents related to alleged
secret accords between Japan and the U.S. has decided to admit the
existence of three pacts in its final report to be compiled by the
end of March, according to informed sources. The Foreign Ministry's
panel, chaired by Tokyo University Professor Shinichi Kitaoka, plans
to admit the existence of: (1) a pact allowing the U.S. military to
bring nuclear weapons into Japan in 1960, when the Japan-U.S.
Security Treaty was revised; (2) a pact on combat action by the U.S.
military in times of emergency on the Korean Peninsula; and (3) a
pact allowing the U.S. military to reintroduce nuclear weapons into
Okinawa in the event of a contingency made at the time of the
reversion of Okinawa from U.S. control to Japanese sovereignty.

In response to this development, the government will change its
conventional position of denying the existence of any secret accords
with the U.S. The government has already prepared to start
behind-the-scenes coordination with the U.S. to confirm the contents
of the secret accords. On the secret accord designed to tacitly
allow U.S. military vessels carrying nuclear weapons to make
stopovers in Japan or pass through Japanese territory and the accord
to allow the U.S. to bring nuclear weapons into Okinawa, the focus
of discussion is on their compatibility with the nation's three
non-nuclear principles. The U.S. side has expressed concern about
(Japan's investigation's) possible impact on its nuclear policy.
There might be some effect on the talks designed to deepen the
Japan-U.S. alliance, which is being rocked over the issue of
relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station.

The texts or drafts of the three accords in question have already

TOKYO 00000201 005 OF 013


been discovered, according to informed sources. In addition,
successive senior Foreign Ministry officials have testified on the
pacts. However, the panel has yet to discover any documents related
to the remaining accord concerning Japan's payment of fees for
restoring the land used by the U.S. military to its original state,
so the investigation on this accord will be continued.

(7) Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Takino to head new Okinawa
Liaison Office

JIJI.COM (Full)
12:43, February 1, 2010

At a news conference on the morning of Feb. 1, Chief Cabinet
Secretary Hirofumi Hirano announced that Deputy Chief Cabinet
Secretary Kinya Takino has been appointed as the head of the new
Okinawa Liaison Office created under the Cabinet Secretariat to take
charge of coordination with Okinawa on base issues and economic
development measures. The appointment took effect on Jan. 29.

Takino will head a staff of seven in the new office. The liaison
office will open a branch at the Okinawa General Bureau of the
Cabinet Office (in Naha). Masaaki Takezawa, head of the Okinawa
General Bureau, and five other officials have been appointed to
serve in the branch office.

(8) Okinawa in turmoil for 13 years over Futenma-linked economic
measures, remains dependent on military bases

NIKKEI (Page 27) (Full)
February 1, 2010

One week has passed since an opponent to accepting the relocation of
the U.S. forces' Futenma Air Station won the Nago City mayoral
election in Okinawa. Over the 13 years since the government sounded
out the city about Futenma's relocation to Henoko in Nago, Okinawa
has been at the mercy of Tokyo's policies. Base-related money spent
on Okinawa and the economic measures have shackled the local
governments, aggravating their dependence on the bases. Will Okinawa
be able to break the spell?

Anxiety over subsidies

A brand new building with a red tiled roof stands out when one
enters the Henoko district on the east coast of Nago City. This is
the "Henoko communication plaza" built in 2007. Approximately 90
percent of the 900 million yen used to build this civic hall that
has an auditorium capable of accommodating several hundred people, a
fitness center, a computer room, and other facilities was paid out
of the Ministry of Defense's budget. The building is conspicuously
plush. A housewife, 54, living nearby says: "I visit the library for
lectures or go there for a massage at least three times a week."

100 billion yen in 10 years

Since Nago declared its willingness to accept Futenma relocation in
1999, the government has doled out as much as 100 billion yen in 10
years for economic development projects in northern Okinawa and
various other forms of subsidies. Over 60 billion yen has been spent
on Nago City, which has a population of 60,000. The G-8
Kyushu-Okinawa Summit was held here in 2000 and a national technical
college was founded. At its peak, nearly 30 percent of the city's

TOKYO 00000201 006 OF 013


revenues were related to the U.S. bases.

A restaurant owner in his 70s laments that, "Still, this is no match
for the Vietnam War period, when the entertainment district catering
to the American soldiers thrived." Although the population of Henoko
has increased from 1,500 10 years ago to 2,000, the economic
spinoffs have been less than what was expected. Most of the faculty
members and employees of the technical college and the employees of
the companies invited to northern Okinawa commute from the urban
center on the west coast, so there are no economic benefits for
Henoko.

The Toyohara district next to Henoko was designated as a special
information technology zone and the only special financial zone in
the country in 2002. Buildings including a "multimedia hall" were
built, and 935 people work for 27 companies there. Over 70 percent
of them were reportedly hired from northern Okinawa. Dealers of a
branch office of Gaitame.com, a foreign currency margin trading
company, process buy or sell orders in a glassed-in dealing room.
Takahiko Yasunaga, 39, deputy chief of the secretariat of the Nago
Development Authority, reveals that, "Right now, only one company
has been designated as eligible to receive preferential treatment.
It will be difficult for us to become self-reliant immediately." He
is worried that with the election of an opponent to accepting the
military base as mayor, economic assistance from the national
government may decrease.

The seven-story Nago business assistance center housing the city's
business organization and tourism association overlooks the Nago
intersection at the center of the city, and across the street,
construction work on the city government's housing project is in
progress. This makes it look as if the city is full of vitality.
Yet, there are so many shops that are closed or have "for rent"
signs posted in the shopping district. Nago citizens all agree that,
"We don't feel that life has become any better."

As the government proceeds with these economic development projects,
it is becoming increasingly frustrated with the stalemate in the
relocation process. It has created a new "U.S. Forces Japan
realignment subsidy" system, which is a carrot-and-stick scheme
aimed at pressuring the local communities by paying out subsidies to
local governments depending on the degree of their cooperation and
freezing such subsidies for localities opposing relocation plans.

Former Mayor Katsusuke Ihara, 59, of Iwakuni City in Yamaguchi
Prefecture, who clashed with the government over the stationing of
aircraft carrier-based planes, points out: "The government's method
of forcing bases on the local communities with money has reached its
limits. The citizens of Nago probably feel keenly that military
bases do not contribute to economic development."

Eighty-three percent of the land area of the town of Kadena is
occupied by the Kadena Air Base (KAB),the largest U.S. military
base in the Far East. Last year, the statues of three men were
erected in the new building built next to the town hall as part of a
redevelopment project, namely: the late Seiroku Kajiyama (former
chief cabinet secretary),Yukio Okamoto (former prime minister's
adviser),and Haruo Shimada (president of Chiba University of
Commerce).

The trio are regarded as "benefactors" who contributed to the town's
development through the special projects for the economic

TOKYO 00000201 007 OF 013


revitalization of municipalities hosting U.S. military bases in
Okinawa (commonly referred to as the Shimada Commission projects),
and the statues were donated by the construction companies in
Kadena.

Negotiating card necessary

The government spent 83.6 billion yen for the Shimada Commission
projects from FY97-99, and Kadena received over 20 billion yen.
Mayor Tokujitsu Miyagi, 73, claims, "While other municipalities were
stunned by the sudden availability of subsidies, we made calculated
moves to obtain the budget." He further invited the Okinawa Defense
Bureau in Naha (with a staff of approximately 440) to a building in
the town's redevelopment project, thereby earning income from its
rent and expanding consumption in the town.


However, even Kadena, which has handled its dealings with Tokyo
shrewdly, has become increasingly dependent on the bases, with its
base-related income surpassing tax revenues. Yet, there is no
guarantee that this arrangement will continue forever.

The special measures law for Okinawa's development and the Okinawa
economic development program are due to expire in FY2011. While a
total of some 9 trillion yen has been spent on Okinawa's development
since its reversion to Japanese administration in 1972, such
spending has been declining due to the government's fiscal
difficulties. Okinawa still has the worst unemployment rate in the
whole country. Therefore, there is a persistent opinion among
Okinawans that "the bases are necessary as a negotiating card to
obtain assistance from the government."

Okinawa has been at the mercy of base-related money for 13 years.
Will the same turmoil be repeated at the new relocation site to be
selected by the government in May, at the earliest?

No feasible relocation site; growing local demand for relocation out
of Okinawa

The Futenma base sits in the center of Ginowan carved out of the
city like the hole in a doughnut. After the election of an opponent
to Futenma relocation won the Nago mayoral election, Mayor Yoichi
Iha, 58, argued, "Relocation within Okinawa or the construction of a
new military base is no longer possible. It is fully possible to
relocate (the Futenma base) to Guam."

There had also been no progress at all in the relocation process
when a U.S. military helicopter crashed into the Okinawa
International University in 2004. There is now hope that "the
Hatoyama administration will not negotiate with the U.S. on the
assumption that a replacement facility will be built."

The three ruling parties inspected Camp Fuji (in Shizuoka
Prefecture),the Iwakuni base (in Yamaguchi Prefecture),the
Maritime Self-Defense Force's Omura base, and other locations since
late 2009, but the local leaders all refused to accept Futenma's
relocation. Proposals to integrate Futenma with KAB or to relocate
to the islands of Shimojishima or Iejima have reemerged in Okinawa.
Kadena Mayor Miyagi told an executive meeting of the national
association of municipalities on Jan. 28 that, "Okinawa cannot
accept any more bases. The whole country should be ready to share
the burden imposed by the bases."

TOKYO 00000201 008 OF 013



Will the Futenma base remain where it is because a new relocation
site cannot be found? Repair work on the runway in Futenma began in
January in anticipation of the continued use of this base. A man
living just outside the base fence, 75, laments, "I have been
looking forward to the return of the base for 13 years, but it
probably won't happen during my lifetime."

Former Governor Keiichi Inamine, 76, who accepted Futenma relocation
in 1999, says: "The Hatoyama administration has opened Pandora's
Box. The magma of the Okinawan people's discontent will never stop
flowing now."

(9) Editorial: Japan as a sovereign nation must revise SOFA

RYUKYU SHIMPO (Page 2) (Full)
January 29, 2010.

If a country under the rule of law were to allow criminals to
escape, it would collapse from the ground up. The barrier of the
Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA for short, threatens
the daily lives of people in Okinawa Prefecture to the extent that
judicial authorities have expressed a sense of crisis.

On Jan. 27, the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office indicted a
staff sergeant attached to the U.S. Army's Special Forces in Okinawa
on the additional charge of involvement in a fatal hit-and-run
incident in the village of Yomitan.

The prosecutors took a long time, about three months after the
incident occurred, to indict the U.S. serviceman on hit-and-run
charges. This is ascribable to SOFA provisions that block the
pre-indictment turnover of suspects.

The victim was killed, and there were no eyewitnesses. The U.S.
serviceman suspect, the key to grasping the circumstances
surrounding the incident, has denied the allegations and refused to
comply with the local police's request for voluntary questioning.

The United States, hiding behind the SOFA, remained negative about
handing over the suspect to local investigative authorities, only to
protract local police investigations.

Following the rape of a schoolgirl in 1995, the Japanese and U.S.
governments announced "improvements in SOFA implementation." The
U.S. government promised "sympathetic consideration" for Japanese
police requests for the pre-indictment handover of criminal suspects
in the case of serious crimes.

In the case of this hit-and-run incident, however, there was no
sympathetic consideration from the United States.

In spite of the SOFA-erected barriers to the investigation, the
local prosecutors could go ahead with indictment. This is because
there was physical evidence, such as the vehicle involved in the
incident and the victim's body, and there was objective evidence for
determining the vehicle's speed and the circumstances of the
collision.

In the case of heinous crimes such as murder and rape with little
physical evidence, police would certainly face hurdles to
investigation. Investigators could end up in a blind alley, with the

TOKYO 00000201 009 OF 013


investigations protracted and evidence destroyed. Judicial
authorities have also expressed a sense of crisis.

The incident occurred in Japan. Even though the suspect is a U.S.
serviceman, his crime was committed in Japan, so Japanese law was
applicable, and the suspect should be tried in Japan and punished.
This is clearly stipulated in SOFA Article 17. This stipulation,
however, has, in fact, become a dead letter.

A sovereign nation is synonymous with an independent nation that can
completely exercise its sovereignty. Dictionaries define a sovereign
nation as a nation that can exercise its sovereignty and judiciary
power in cases in which foreign nationals committed crimes within
its borders.

Even though Japanese nationals fall victim to crimes committed by
foreign nationals, Japan depends on a foreign nation's sympathetic
consideration to conduct investigations and arrest criminals. Such a
country can't be called a sovereign country or an independent
country.

In the first place, U.S. troops are stationed here for the security
of the Far East and the defense of Japan. They are not stationed
here to take the lives of Japanese people.

U.S. soldiers threaten the Japanese people they should protect. The
Japanese government signed, without revising, the SOFA, under which
vicious U.S. servicemen can't be tried, endangering the lives of the
Japanese people. The Japanese public should not forgive such a
government and its bureaucracy.

(10) Editorial: Obama's State of the Union address -- Credibility of
statements to be tested

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 5) (Full)
January 29, 2010

U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a State of the Union address
for the first time since assuming office. Amid declining public
support ratings, Obama said, "I will forge ahead even with unpopular
polices," expressing his sense of historical mission. In his second
year in office, the credibility of his words will be tested.

Obama delivered his first State of the Union address while facing a
headwind.

The timing of Obama's State of the Union address was ironic because
he delivered the speech immediately after the Democratic candidate
had been defeated in the election to fill the Massachusetts Senate
seat and because his expectations for boosting his administration's
popularity through the expected passage of the health care reform
bill, which is the most pressing domestic issue, have come up
short.

It is reasonable for Obama to spend time on internal affairs, in
particular on employment policy. "One year ago, I took office amid
two wars, an economy rocked by a severe recession, a financial
system on the verge of collapse, and a government deeply in debt,"
said Obama.

It is normal for a new government that has carried out a change of
administration to underscore the negative legacy it has inherited

TOKYO 00000201 010 OF 013


from the previous government and stress its burgeoning
accomplishments. Obama sought understanding for his administration's
achievements in overcoming a financial crisis comparable to the
Great Depression with aggressive fiscal spending, as well as for
public assistance for major financial institutions, which is an
unpopular policy. He said, "Our policy prevented 2 million people
from losing their jobs. We diverted 30 billion dollars from Wall
Street to small and medium-sized companies."

Citing data on employment achieved in such industries as
construction and energy services by economic stimulus measures,
Obama explained his medium and long-term plans to expand job
opportunities. Amid a jobless rate of over 10 percent, it will
probably be a race against time for the economic measures to produce
positive results for the public, which has grown increasingly angry
and anxious.

The campaign for the fall mid-term congressional elections has
already begun. The Republican Party, too, is desperate to draw on
its victory i.
Q[L[Qzzation of nuclear weapons, has been set
for April. The Obama government will withdraw its troops from Iraq
in August. If Islamic extremists sense a lack of the unity in the
international community, they will attack immediately. Whether the
nuclear security summit can produce specific results remains
unclear.

During his speech that lasted more than one hour, a tense silence
prevailed in the chamber every now and then. Recalling the hardships
of history of the foundation of America, the people listened
intently and respectfully to his words of inspiration. The people
are desperately hoping for the President to exercise his ability to
implement them in his second year in office.

(11) DPJ Secretary General Ozawa questioned again by prosecutors on
land deal on January 31

MAINICHI (Page 1) (Abridged)
Evening, February 1, 2010

It appears that the Special Investigation Division of the Tokyo
District Prosecutors Office has questioned Democratic Party of Japan
(DPJ) Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa again on the land deal
involving his fund management organization, the Rikuzan-kai, in
Tokyo on Jan. 31. Ozawa's statements at his regular secretary
general's news conference on the afternoon of Feb. 1 will be the
focus of keen interest.

Although the Special Investigation Division questioned Ozawa once on
Jan. 23 on the facts relating to the land deal, it is believed that
the prosecutors sought further explanation from Ozawa at a hotel in
Tokyo on the afternoon of Jan. 31 on the questionable points from
the first session. The second session was apparently an extension of
the first one. It appears that Ozawa's testimony was recorded in a
formal statement.

(12) First Ainu policy meeting held on Jan. 29


TOKYO 00000201 011 OF 013


MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full)
January 30, 2010

The government Ainu policy promotion panel, headed by Chief Cabinet
Secretary Hirofumi Hirano, held its first meeting on Jan. 29 at the
Prime Minister's Official Residence. On the basis of a report
compiled by an expert panel set up in the previous coalition
government of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, the
government Ainu policy promotion panel will look into conducting a
fact-finding survey of the actual conditions of the lives of Ainu
people living in Hokkaido. (The Ainu are an indigenous ethnic group
of Japan.)

(13) Parents and children after divorce; (Part 2): Husband took son
away to his home country

YOMIURI (Page 17) (Full)
January 27, 2010

Kayoko Yamada, 41, a nurse from Yamagata City, Gifu Prefecture,
stood last December on a street in Tokyo's Shinjuku district passing
out flyers reading "My son was suddenly taken away from Japan in
August 2009" seeking cooperation in her effort to get her son back.

Her Czech husband, who she had been living with in Gifu, has not
returned to Japan after leaving the country with their son, 5. Her
husband got into the car with their son on the morning of Aug. 23 to
"put gasoline in the car." "See you Mom. Dad is going to buy me a
toy," were the last words her son said to her.

Evening came, but they did not return. Late that night, Yamada
received an e-mail saying, "We're going on a trip." She hurriedly
notified the police of the situation late that night and rushed to
the airport first thing in the morning. She could not find her
husband and her son there. After returning to the police station to
file a search request, she received a telephone call from her
husband. "We are in Frankfurt (in Germany)," her husband said and he
hung up." Yamada cried out at the police station.

After being told by the police that they were unable to handle
marriage problems, she sought the cooperation of the Foreign
Ministry, the Czech embassy in Japan, and the Japanese embassy in
Prague. But there has been no progress on the matter.

There is a strong possibility that her son is in Prague where her
husband's parents' home is located, according to Yamada. "I want to
travel to the Czech Republic right away to take my child back,"
Yamada said. "But I might end up facing charges of abduction as a
result of trying to bring him back to Japan. If I'm caught, will the
Japanese government help me?"

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child
Abduction exists to deal with cross-border child abduction. Japan is
not a signatory to the convention. "The Czech Republic is a
signatory to the convention, so if Japan was a signatory, Japan
might have been able to find some clues to resolving Ms. Yamada's
case," said a lawyer well-versed in international marriage.

The United States and many European countries are signatories to the
Hague Convention. If the parent from whom the child was taken files
a complaint with his or her home government, the government of
another parent is required under the convention to extend

TOKYO 00000201 012 OF 013


cooperation, such as searching for the whereabouts of the child, to
return the child to his or her habitual country or residence.

There are also cases in which parents living outside Japan cannot
see their children after they are taken to Japan from the United
States and other Hague Convention signatory countries in Europe.

Robert Smith, 40, an American company employee, is having a hard
time finding a way to reclaim his child. His former Japanese wife
took his son, en elementary school student, to Japan two years ago,
and they have not come back to the United States since. He received
e-mails via his ex-wife's lawyer saying, "You cannot see my son,"
and "As the mother of the child, I deserve the custody of our son."

Their divorce was granted in the United States. They reached an
agreement in which out of two weeks, the son would spend six days
with his father and eight days with his mother. The son was dividing
his time between his parents who were living in the same state. "My
ex-wife said that she was just taking our son to Japan to visit her
hometown, so I never imagined that they wouldn't come back," Smith
said, slumping down in disappointment.

The Foreign Ministry has received 177 cases from the United States,
Canada, UK, and France in which one parent had taken a child to
Japan without the consent of the other parent. Last fall, an
American was arrested on suspicion of abducting a minor as he tried
to reclaim his son from his former Japanese wife in Japan in an
effort to take him back to the United States. With the aim of
avoiding such a situation, signatories to the Hague Convention are
calling for Japan to accede to the convention.

(14) Parents and children after divorce, (Part 3): Rumors widespread
in U.S. and European countries that Japan is a country that does not
allow the parent living apart from the child to see the child after
divorce

YOMIURI (Page 17) (Full)
January 28, 2010

Rumors are widespread in the United States and European countries
that Japan is a country that does now allow the parent who lives
apart from the child to see the child after divorce. Those rumors
have given rise to new conflicts regarding parents and children.

The grade-school son of a woman we will call "Ms. U," 46, a company
employee in the Tokai region, went to see his father in the United
States a year and a half ago, and he has not returned to Japan
since. The couple decided to live separately five years ago. They
jointly raised their son, making him divide his time between Japan
and the United States in accordance with the letters of consent they
exchanged. But in the summer of 2008, her son did not come back to
Japan on the scheduled day, and Ms. U was not able to contact him.

Ms. U then hired a lawyer in the United States and had her lawyer
press her husband to return her son to Japan. It took a year and a
half for her husband to accept her request for talks. But in talks,
her husband fiercely refused to let his son travel to Japan, saying,
"If I let him go to Japan, which is not a signatory to the Hague
Convention, he might not come back to the United States."

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child
Abduction is designed to insure the prompt return of a child who has

TOKYO 00000201 013 OF 013


been abducted by one parent without the consent of another parent to
the child's country of habitual residence.

"I have strictly abided by the visitation agreement, so why has he
abruptly decided to keep my son from me?" Ms. U said, biting her
lip. A while later she received from her husband some photographs of
her son, now grown big. "Is this really my son?" she was surprised.
"I could really feel that I had not been able to see my son for a
year and a half."

"The United States and other Hague Convention member countries in
Europe take a stern view of Japan, which has not joined the
convention," said Mikiko Otani, a lawyer well-versed in
international marriage. There are many cases in which the father and
mother live in different countries, like Ms. U, and one parent
living outside Japan does not allow the child to travel to the other
parent's country.

It is also said that there are cases in which a Japanese parent is
not allowed to sit at the negotiating table with the concerned party
from a Hague Convention member country. "The reason is that Japan is
regarded as a country that does not allow the parent living
separately to see the child and it is as though that there is no
room for talks," Otani explained. "If this situation persists,
Japanese spouses might be placed in an extremely disadvantageous
position."

In fact, a Japanese woman during a divorce trial asked her husband
to let her and her daughter return to Japan because her father was
sick. But her husband turned down her request. The trial dragged on,
and the woman eventually returned to Japan with her daughter without
obtaining the consent of her husband. "If Japan were a signatory to
the Hague Convention, my request would have been accepted, and there
was no need to return to Japan without the consent of my husband,"
the woman said looking back on those days.

Questions have been raised about Japan's non-Hague Convention status
chiefly by foreign spouses from whom children were taken, saying
they cannot take their children back to their countries. The United
States and European countries are urging the Japanese government to
accede to the convention. It has now become a diplomatic issue.

Japanese spouses are often put at a disadvantage, and there is an
active movement in Japan calling for Tokyo to sign the convention.

Given the situation, the Foreign Ministry set up late last year an
office to handle international child custody issues. At the same
time, a cautious stance still prevails in the government because of
cases in which Japanese spouses have to bring their children back to
Japan from abroad due to such circumstances as child abuse.

In 2008, there were about 37,000 international marriages, and some
19,000 international marriages ended in divorce, almost twice the
number marked ten years earlier. Caught in different systems and
values, the parties concerned are continuing exploring ways to build
family relationships after divorce in an age of
internationalization.

ROOS