JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 02/05/10

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E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 02/05/10 INDEX: 1) Top headlines 2) Editorials Futenma: 3) PM: I'm determined to make a decision by May (Sankei) Foreign relations: 4) Okada asks New Zealand to investigate Sea Shepherd's harassment of research whaling ship (Yomiuri) Defense & security: 5) LDP submits bill for resumption of MSDF refueling mission (Nikkei) 6) "Yuai boat" to set sail in May (Tokyo Shimbun) Politics: 7) Ozawa not indicted (Asahi) 8) DPJ should use Ozawa affair as a chance to make a clean start (Asahi) 9) DPJ members voice opposition to allotments for children of foreign workers (Nikkei) 10) Diet debate (Yomiuri) 11) Yamasaki: I won't quit LDP (Tokyo Shimbun) Economy: 12) BOJ sees protracted deflation (Asahi) 13) METI expands eco subsidy to include 43 models (Mainichi) 14) PM wants quick response to accelerator trouble in order to regain trust (Tokyo Shimbun) Articles: 1) TOP HEADLINES Asahi: Ozawa not to be indicted, will not resign as secretary general Mainichi: Asashoryu retires over assault incident Yomiuri: Ozawa not to be indicted; Diet member Ishikawa, two others indicted Nikkei: Toyota's Prius to be recalled in Japan, U.S. Sankei: Yokozuna Asashoryu retires over assault incident Tokyo Shimbun: Ozawa not to be indicted; Diet member Ishikawa, two others indicted Akahata: Three close aides of Ozawa indicted; Ozawa not indicted for "insufficient evidence" 2) EDITORIALS Asahi: (1) Non-indictment of Ozawa: He can't possibly keep his job TOKYO 00000232 002 OF 008 Mainichi: (1) Non-indictment of Ozawa: He cannot evade political responsibility (2) Asashoryu's retirement: Sumo Association, his stable master must do serious soul-searching Yomiuri: (1) Non-indictment of Ozawa: He cannot evade serious political responsibility ; Nikkei: (1) Ozawa has very grave responsibility even if not indicted (2) Prosecutors should give "rigorous and fair" explanation Sankei: (1) Non-indictment of Secretary General Ozawa: We question his political responsibility Tokyo Shimbun: (1) Non-indictment of Ozawa over Rikuzan-kai affair: The people's suspicions have not been dispelled Akahata: (1) Non-indictment of Ozawa: Critical stage for Diet to find out the truth 3) Hatoyama: Understand my determination for Futenma relocation SANKEI (Page 5) (Abridged) February 5, 2010 The House of Councillors Audit Committee met yesterday for interpellations over government reports on the settlement of accounts for fiscal 2008, with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and all his cabinet ministers attending. In a question-and-answer session, Hatoyama was asked about the pending issue of relocating the U.S. military's Futenma airfield facility from its current location in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture. In his reply, Hatoyama reiterated his determination to pick a relocation site, saying: "If I don't make a decision by the end of May, it would mean that I'm unable to make a decision as a politician. I would like you to understand my determination to do so." "I thought that I should reach a conclusion before the election for the House of Councillors in July or August," Hatoyama explained when asked why he made up his mind to reach a conclusion at the end of May. "It's not a solution to leave the Futenma facility intact at its current location," he added, "and there's no need to think about what to do if and when it's impossible to relocate the Futenma facility." Hatoyama thus ruled out the option of continuing to use the Futenma airfield. 4) Foreign minister asks for cooperation in investigation into act of obstruction to research whaling YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) February 5, 2010 Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada on Feb. 4 met with New Zealand Minister of Trade and Minister Responsible for International Climate Change Negotiations Tim Groser at the Foreign Ministry. Okada during the meeting asked for cooperation in Japan's investigation into a TOKYO 00000232 003 OF 008 case in which a small high-speed vessel belonging to Sea Shepherd, a U.S. anti-whaling group, collided with Japan's patrol ship in an attempt to obstruct its research whaling fleet. Groser replied, "I am against violent protest activities. I would like to cooperate in the investigation." 5) LDP submits bill for resumption of MSDF refueling mission NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) February 5, 2010 The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Renaissance Party yesterday jointly submitted to the House of Councillors a bill that would resume the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. The bill sets the period of the mission at two years and endorses an extension of the mission. 6) Defense Ministry to dispatch MSDF transport ship in May on humanitarian assistance mission under "Yuai boat" program TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) February 5, 2010 In a press conference yesterday, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa announced that the ministry will send a Maritime Self-Defense Force's (MSDF) transport ship in late May to join the "Pacific Partnership" U.S. Pacific Fleet humanitarian civic assistance mission in the Asia-Pacific region. This dispatch will be the first step in the "Yuai boat" program advocated by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to make use of SDF vessels to provide aid for victims of natural disasters. The team will visit Vietnam and Cambodia for about two months from May 23 through July 15. 7) Ozawa not indicted, will not resign as DPJ secretary general ASAHI (Top play) (Abridged) February 5, 2010 The Special Investigation Division of the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office indicted on Feb. 4 House of Representatives member Tomohiro Ishikawa, 36, and two others in connection with a land deal involving Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa's fund management organization, Rikuzan-kai on charges of violation of the Political Funds Control Law (false reporting). Ozawa was not indicted due to insufficient evidence of his involvement with this affair. He announced on the evening of the same day his intention to continue to serve as secretary general but said that he "feels responsible" for the indictment of Ishikawa and the two others. The other two suspects are Ozawa's government-funded first secretary and former bookkeeper Takanori Okubo, 48, and former secretary Mitsutomo Ikeda, 32. 8) Commentary on non-indictment of DPJ Secretary General Ozawa over land deal scandal: Make this an opportunity for a fresh start for the government ASAHI (Page 1) (Full) February 5, 2010 TOKYO 00000232 004 OF 008 Katsuyuki Yakushiji, political editor The decision not to indict Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa must have come as a surprise to many people. The newspapers and TV stations reported prominently on Ozawa's political funds day in and day out, so there had been keen interest in the progress of the investigations of the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office's Special Investigation Division. The reason Ozawa was not indicted is insufficient evidence. While legally, this case has been settled, it leaves a sense that something is not quite right. First, the indictment of three former secretaries of Ozawa is unusual. This clearly reflects the character of Ozawa's office and cannot be explained away by claiming "I left everything in the hands of the secretaries." Our investigations have also shown that there are other inexplicable facts. Why is it that Ozawa's fund management organizations own more than 10 properties? What happened to the funds of the Liberal Party headed by Ozawa after it was dissolved? Such questions have remained unanswered. Japan cannot claim to be a normal democratic country if a politician involved with enormous amounts of mysterious funds serves as the secretary general of the ruling party and controls its national administration. An even more serious problem is that the DPJ has betrayed the people's expectations on the change of administration in such a short time. Both Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Ozawa are plagued by money scandals. The political leadership is frantically dealing with scandals and has not been able to tackle important domestic and foreign policy issues. Policy debate has been sidetracked in the Diet. Such unproductive politics have dominated the scene for a long time. The people's hopes have turned into despair and anguish. Next they may well become resentment, distrust, and apathy if this situation remains unchanged. The Prime Minister has said that he wants "Mr. Ozawa to take charge of the House of Councillors election." Does he intend to let his party continue to be incapable of cleansing itself or speaking up? What is needed now is to reset the administration. The DPJ achieved a change of administration thanks to Ozawa's power. However, what the people want is transparent and just politics; not politics controlled by Ozawa, who is following in the footsteps of the Liberal Democratic Party. The DPJ should not betray the people any longer. 9) Objections to foreign workers receiving child allowances NIKKEI (Page 5) (Abridged) February 5, 2010 TOKYO 00000232 005 OF 008 Objections have been raised in the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) with regard to who should receive child allowances. The bill approved by the cabinet stipulates that allowances will be paid to all residents in Japan, so they will be paid even to foreigners working in nursing homes and other foreign workers who do not have Japanese citizenship. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW),even if the children of these foreigners do not live in Japan, allowances will basically be paid for each of the children if they have registries or other documents from their home country showing the number of children. The DPJ received a briefing from the MHLW at an informal meeting on Feb. 4. Diet members who participated in the meeting voiced the following objections: "Paying out allowances to foreigners living in Japan who are unlikely to contribute to Japan's social security in the future runs counter to the purpose of the bill" and "This will merely result in the outflow of tax money overseas." The MHLW explained, "Under the existing child benefits law, on which the child allowance bill is based, benefits are paid to foreign workers in Japan." This was refuted by the Diet members, who argued that the purpose of the child allowance bill, which is "to support the healthy growth of children who will be responsible for society in the next generation," is fundamentally different from the child benefits law. 10) Question and answers from Feb. 4 House of Councillors Audit Committee session YOMIURI (Page 10) (Full) February 5, 2010 The following is the gist of major questions and answers exchanged in an Upper House Audit Committee session on Feb. 4. Questioners were Mitsuyoshi Yanagisawa, Masayoshi Nataniya, and Shinkun Haku (all Democratic Party of Japan members); Kazuya Maruyama, Junzo Yamamoto, and Nobuo Kishi (all Liberal Democratic Party members); Kiyohiro Araki and Masayoshi Hamada (both New Komeito members); Sohei Nihi (Japanese Communist Party); and Seiji Mataichi (Social Democratic Party). & Rikuzan-kai scandal Maruyama: DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa should take responsibility (over the scandal involving his fund management organization, Rikuzan-kai). Prime Minister Hatoyama: I believe what Secretary General Ozawa says, and I will watch developments calmly for now. That is natural both as a peer and as a human. Maruyama: Can't you urge Mr. Ozawa to decide to resign? Prime Minister: Media (organizations) seem to be trying to create a certain image between Secretary General Ozawa and myself. I say things firmly to Mr. Ozawa when I need to. The image (that I cannot say things to Mr. Ozawa) is false. I will monitor things calmly. Yamamoto: You said, "I want Mr. Ozawa to be in charge of in the coming Upper House election." That could be taken as pressure on the prosecutors. TOKYO 00000232 006 OF 008 Prime Minister: As DPJ president, I haven't announced my intention to make any changes to the party leadership, including Secretary General Ozawa. Mr. Ozawa is currently serving as secretary general, and I simply said, "I am planning to go ahead with the Upper House election under the current situation." It's not pressure on the prosecutors or anything of the sort. & Futenma relocation issue Yamamoto: Foreign Minister Okada, your have referred to the possibility of the continued use of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station. Foreign Minister Okada: I made that statement based on the belief that (Futenma Air Station) must not remain in its current location. We will put all the options on the table, including the Japan-U.S. agreement (to relocate the base to Nago, Okinawa Prefecture),and discuss the possibilities. Yamamoto: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirano, you said, "There is no reason to take the results of the Nago mayoral election into account." Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirano: The phase "take into account" has been used often lately. The misunderstanding can be cleared up if the media properly reports on what I said before and after that sentence. We are aware of course that the results of the mayoral election reflect the popular will. Kishi: The Prime Minister should also comment on the results of the Nago mayoral election. Prime Minister: The Nago mayoral election reflects the popular will, and it was also the popular will that elected Mr. Nakaima as governor. LDP candidates were defeated by DPJ, People's New Party, and SDP candidates in the House of Representatives election last summer. That was also the popular will. Needless to say, we must lend our ears to the popular will. I will take responsibility in the end. & Abduction issue Haku: I want to hear about your determination to resolve the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea. Prime Minister: The government will make utmost efforts to bring all the victims back to Japan. Collecting information and cooperation with the countries concerned are essential. Haku: Is it possible that there were accomplices in Japan? National Public Safety Commission Chairman Nakai: My view is that there is such a possibility. I cannot say whether individual cases have been investigated. Haku: Japan should take in persecuted North Korean defectors flexibly. Nakai: The North Korea human rights law is designed to help Japanese nationals and their descendents among the North Korean defectors. I want to eliminate this framework in cooperation with other government agencies. TOKYO 00000232 007 OF 008 & Nuclear abolition Hamada: I want to see Japan spearhead the drive to eliminate nuclear weapons. Prime Minister: (Before the UN General Assembly last September),I announced my determination to take the initiative in the campaign to eliminate nuclear weapons on behalf of Japan, the only country to have been attacked with atomic bombs, driven by our moral responsibility. That determination has not changed. 11) Taku Yamasaki decides to stay in LDP TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) February 5, 2010 Former vice president Taku Yamasaki, 73, of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had suggested that he would leave the party if the party refused to endorse him as a party candidate for the proportional representation segment in this summer's House of Councillors election. But he revealed yesterday he would stay in the LDP, remarking: "LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki asked me to cooperate in reconstructing the party based on my experience. I took his words seriously." Tanigaki has offered Yamasaki such posts as director of the Forward Policy Study Unit. Yamasaki is expected to accept this offer. 12) BOJ Policy Board member thinks deflationary trend will continue ASAHI (Page 11) (Full) February 5, 2010 Seiji Nakamura, a member of the Policy Board of the Bank of Japan, gave in Fukuoka City on Feb 4 a speech in which he expressed the view that the current deflationary trend could become protracted. He said: "With the outlook that the economic turnaround will continue to be slow, demand, which is poor compared with supply, will not recover soon. As such, it is difficult to think that the downward pressure on prices will abate in the short term." Referring to the government's deteriorating fiscal position, Nakamura at a press conference held on the same day said: "A rise in interest rates owing to the risk premium on government bonds would be a serious matter. Unless the government addresses (fiscal reconstruction) before the market reacts, the situation will become messy." In reference to the "medium-term fiscal frame" now being drafted by the government, Nakamura said: "Unless such issues as what to do for the future of Japan, including a welfare policy, are taken into account, the public will not accept the initiative." 13) List of vehicles eligible for subsidy program expanded to include 43 imported models MAINICHI (Page 4) (Full) February 5, 2010 The Ministry of Trade, Economy and Industry (METI) released the names of 43 models from 15 brands of imported cars that have been added to the list of vehicles eligible for the program, following a review of the subsidy system for purchases of eco-friendly cars. The TOKYO 00000232 008 OF 008 U.S. government and Congress had been asking for the inclusion of more U.S. vehicles in the list. However, only eight U.S. models from five brands, such as Cadillac and Hummer, will qualify for the program. The remaining 35 were all European vehicles. The U.S. is not satisfied with the outcome. However, METI Minister Masayuki Naoshima on the 4th announced that the government has no intention of further increasing the number of vehicles eligible for the program. Following the Japanese government's announcement, U.S. Trade Representative Kirk released a statement, which read, "I am disappointed at Japan's announcement that limits the number of vehicle models." He is determined to work on the Japanese government to take a second look at the application of the program. 14) Hatoyama calls for Toyota's prompt action to regain trust TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 9) (Full) February 5, 2010 Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Masayuki Naoshima called on Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama at the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) yesterday and reported on the issue of Toyota Motor Corp's massive recall over defective accelerator pedals. According to Naoshima, he visited the Kantei at the request of Hatoyama and reported on the details of the explanation Toyota Vice President Shinichi Sasaki provided to him on the 3rd. In response, Hatoyama said: "I hope the company will take prompt action to regain and secure the users' trust," based on the awareness that it took too long for Toyota decide on the recall, according to Naoshima. ROOS