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| Identifier | Subject | Date | Office | Classification | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06OSAKAKOBE153 |
JAPANESE TARGET THE GLOBAL PLASMA DISPLAY MARKET [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (MEI) expects th --------------------------------------------- ------------ Outlook for the Global Plasma Display Panel Market: Strong Growth --------------------------------------------- ------------ 2. (SBU) According to an internal mark [...] |
2006-03-24 07:30:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EIND KS JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE238 |
CHOSEN SOREN'S 5-YEAR PLAN: FROM BAD TO WORSE [...] (C) SUMMARY: The surprise raid in March by Japanese National Police on the Osaka office of the North Korean Association Chosen Soren stunned its members. The raid and its aftermath highlights the gradual decline in ideological, financial and operational relevance of the organization in th [...] |
2006-05-02 08:12:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN PGOV PINR PREL JA KN |
| 06OSAKAKOBE332 |
DIET MEMBER CHUMA ON LDP ELECTION: RACE IS OPEN [...] (C) SUMMARY: Cabinet Minister Koki Chuma described several scenarios for the upcoming LDP Presidential election, including one in which local LDP city and prefectural assemblymen play a deciding role in who will succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Chuma claimed that front-runners Abe and [...] |
2006-06-23 07:58:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE351 |
LIANCOURT SURVEY: ANOTHER FLASHPOINT IN THE JAPAN SEA [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: Observers in western Japan are making an unfortunate public linkage between the ROKG maritime survey in the disputed EEZ of the Liancourt Rocks and the DPRK's missile launches of July 5, local time. Whether or not the DPRK deliberately timed the launches to coincide with the ROK [...] |
2006-07-07 06:38:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EWWT PBST PHSA PREL KS JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE366 |
WELCOME FOR USS JOHN S. MCCAIN, JULY 18-JULY [...] (U) CONSULATE GENERAL OSAKA-KOBE WELCOMES THE VISIT OF THE USS JOHN S. MCCAIN SCHEDULED FOR JULY 18 TO JULY 21. WE LOOK FORWARD TO ASSISTING YOU IN ANY WAY WE CAN TO MAKE THIS VISIT SUCCESSFUL AND ENJOYABLE FOR ALL INVOLVED. --------------------------------------------- ---------- SECURI [...] |
2006-07-20 07:18:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | MARR PREL JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE454 |
LDP KINKI BLOCK CONVENTION A NON-EVENT [...] (U) LDP Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe's American- style political roadshow, the LDP convention, came to Osaka August 5 for its first Kinki Block performance before an audience of 1200 from the six-prefecture region centered around Osaka and Kyoto. 2. (U) Disappointingly, only Takebe atte [...] |
2006-08-18 03:49:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE470 |
WELCOME FOR USS JOHN S. MCCAIN, AUGUST 24th-AUGUST 28th [...] (U) Consulate General Osaka-Kobe welcomes the visit of the USS John S. McCain, scheduled for August 24 to August 28. We look forward to assisting the McCain again in any way we can to make this visit successful and enjoyable for all involved. ------------------------------- Security Backgro [...] |
2006-08-23 07:33:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | MARR PREL JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE496 |
POLITICS SHAPE SHIP VISITS TO HIMEJI AND [...] (SBU) Recent visits to Sakaiminato and Himeji by the USS John S. McCain (JSM) in July and August demonstrate the impact of the local political climate on the success and ease of planning of U.S. Navy ship visits in our district. The July 5th launches of ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japa [...] |
2006-09-07 05:42:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | MARR PREL JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE526 |
NORTH KOREAN SUPERNOTES SEIZED IN WESTERN [...] (SBU) On September 23, Kobe Customs officials and Tottori Prefectural Police raided the DPRK-flagged Kum Gang 1 freighter, which had entered the port of Sakaiminato in Tottori on the Japan Sea coast on September 19. The Japanese authorities took this unusual measure after two counterfeit sup [...] |
2006-09-25 07:47:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD EFIN EFIS PREL KN JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE576 |
TESTING ABE: BY-ELECTION IN OSAKA 9TH DISTRICT [...] (SBU) Fast on the heels of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Presidential election that launched the Abe Cabinet on September 26, Osaka is host to the first skirmish in a long Japanese political season leading to unified local elections next April and culminating in next July's Diet Upper Ho [...] |
2006-10-16 02:00:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE588 |
BID RIGGING IN JAPAN: A FEATURE, NOT A BUG [...] (SBU) Bid rigging (dango in Japanese) is a common form of corruption in Japan, in which firms restrict open competition by coordinating their bids on procurement or public contracts. Although not unique to the Kansai area surrounding Osaka in western Japan, recently one example of bid rigging [...] |
2006-10-16 10:40:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD ECON EINV ELAB JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE607 |
TESTING ABE: LOOKING LIKE LDP WIN IN OSAKA 9TH [...] (SBU) The LDP/Komeito coalition candidate, Kenji Harada, has surged ahead of his DPJ opponent Nobumori Otani and will likely win the Osaka 9th District Lower House by-election on October 22 (see reftel for why this election matters), based on discussions with politicians and political parties [...] |
2006-10-20 09:32:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE633 |
WAKAYAMA GOVERNOR RESIGNS OVER BID RIGGING [...] (U) On November 6, the unfolding public works bid rigging case in Wakayama finally claimed the political career of its most prominent target: Governor Yoshiki Kimura. The final straw for Governor Kimura, who until his surprise announcement insisted he would not step down over the widening pro [...] |
2006-11-07 07:38:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD ECON PGOV JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE646 |
HYOGO PREFECTURE NUMBER ONE IN ATTRACTING NEW [...] (SBU) In the fierce competition over business promotion subsidies among Japanese prefectures, the gap between successful and unsuccessful prefectures is growing in western Japan's six prefecture Kansai district. Hyogo Prefecture got 57 new business cases, which is the largest number in the fi [...] |
2006-11-09 05:34:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EINV EIND JA |
| 06OSAKAKOBE88 |
TAKESHIMA DAY: THE VIEW FROM SHIMANE PREFECTURE [...] (SBU) February 22 was the first time Shimane Prefecture celebrated Takeshima Day after enacting a controversial ordinance in 2005. A contact confided that the prefectural assembly made a gross miscalculation about the Takeshima Day ordinance. Meant more as a means of exerting pressure on the [...] |
2006-02-23 06:21:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIS PGOV PREL JA KS |
| 07OSAKAKOBE12 |
KOMEITO ROLLS OUT ELECTION THEMES IN OSAKA [...] At the Osaka Chapter Komeito New Year event, Party President Akihiro Ohta and other Komeito heavyweights made energetic calls to the party faithful to get out the vote in this year's upcoming "critical" elections locally in April and in the Upper House in July. They also clearly framed junior [...] |
2007-01-17 07:45:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV JA |
| 07OSAKAKOBE187 |
UPPER HOUSE ELECTIONS: A VOTER REVOLT IN [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: Voters in western Japan lashed out at the ruling LDP coalition in last weekend's Upper House elections. This anger stems from several factors, including resentment of the LDP's tax policies, especially a number of governmental blunders that increased the tax burden of traditio [...] |
2007-07-31 01:20:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV ECON JA |
| 07OSAKAKOBE268 |
HIROSHIMA MAYOR ON IWAKUNI CASE: QDOOR OPEN TO [...] (SBU) Summary: Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba telephoned Consul General on December 5 to discuss the October 14 incident involving Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni personnel and a woman in nearby Hiroshima City, now that the criminal investigation has been dropped by Japanese prosecut [...] |
2007-12-06 04:50:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | MARR PGOV ASEC JA |
| 07OSAKAKOBE36 |
KANSAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KIX) UPBEAT ON [...] (SBU) Summary: Speaking with Embassy Economic Counselor and econoff in Kyoto ahead of the first U.S.- Japan bilateral aviation talks in three years, President Murayama and Executive Vice President Hirano of the Kansai International Airport Company (KIAC) said that MLIT was prepared to allow " [...] |
2007-02-20 00:48:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAIR ECON JA |
| 07OSAKAKOBE56 |
PRO-NORTH KOREAN DEMONSTRATION IN KOBE - HIGH TURNOUT BUT [...] (SBU) About 3,300 members and supporters of the pro-DPRK General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chosen Soren) held a noisy but peaceful outdoor demonstration in the Higashi Yuenchi area in Kobe on Saturday, March 3. The demonstration was billed as the "Kinki District Convention of [...] |
2007-03-07 08:00:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL JA KN |
| 07OSAKAKOBE70 |
JAPANESE CONSERVATIVES: USING THE NUCLEAR CARD [...] (C) Former Cabinet Security Chief Atsuyuki Sassa, an influential member of the conservative Japanese establishment, in remarks to a large gathering in Osaka called for Japan to periodically use its potential "nuclear weapons card" to shore up security assurances from the United States and to i [...] |
2007-03-23 05:41:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN | PGOV PARM PREL KN JA |
| 07OSAKAKOBE87 |
NORTH KOREAN SANCTIONS VIOLATION: STAINLESS [...] (U) On March 29, the Hyogo Prefectural Police Department, after receiving a tipoff from Kobe Customs, launched an investigation into two firms in Western Japan for alleged violations of Japanese sanctions prohibiting all imports from the DPRK. The sanctions were enacted in response to last ye [...] |
2007-04-04 07:02:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD EFIN EFIS PREL KN JA |
| 08OSAKAKOBE10 |
OTSU MAYORAL ELECTION: LDP & KOMEITO DEFEAT [...] (SBU) LDP Incumbent Makoto Mekata won the Otsu mayoral election after a close race with Kimiko Kise, in the largest victory for the ruling coalition in Shiga Prefecture in several years, and a disappointment for the independent governor, Yukiko Kada. Mekata beat Kise by only 3,600 votes, a [...] |
2008-01-24 22:55:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV JA |
| 08OSAKAKOBE110 |
KANSAI ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: CONCERNS OF FLAGGING [...] (SBU) Summary. The impact of rising commodity prices on consumer sentiment is the biggest threat facing the Kansai economy, according to a top official at the Osaka branch of the Bank of Japan. Meeting with EMIN May 23, BOJ Osaka Branch Deputy Director Kunio Matsuda said his greatest anxiety [...] |
2008-05-30 04:29:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN PGOV JA |
| 08OSAKAKOBE128 |
JAPAN'S OPPOSITION DPJ USES RECRUITING SYSTEM [...] (SBU) Summary. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is tapping young candidates recruited through its national headquarters to run against entrenched ruling- party lawmakers in the next parliamentary election. The process is sometimes a source of friction with local party chapters, which compla [...] |
2008-06-24 03:54:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV JA |
| 08OSAKAKOBE13 |
AN UNCONVENTIONAL LDP CAMPAIGN TO WIN OSAKA GUBERNATORIAL [...] (SBU) In the Osaka gubernatorial election to be held on Sunday, January 27, political observers and the media are unanimous in predicting a win for the LDP candidate, Toru Hashimoto (38), a lawyer and TV personality. The LDP, after suffering a string of defeats last year culminating with the [...] |
2008-01-25 10:21:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV JA |
| 08OSAKAKOBE14 |
AN UNCONVENTIONAL LDP CAMPAIGN TO WIN OSAKA [...] (SBU) In the Osaka gubernatorial election to be held on Sunday, January 27, political observers and the media are unanimous in predicting a win for the LDP candidate, Toru Hashimoto (38), a lawyer and TV personality. The LDP, after suffering a string of defeats last year culminating with the [...] |
2008-01-25 10:22:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV JA |
| 08OSAKAKOBE33 |
GREEN PASSPORTS, RED HEARTS? KOREANS IN JAPAN [...] (SBU) Summary. Ethnic Korean permanent residents in Japan are increasingly switching from GOJ-issued travel documents to ROK passports. The ease with which ethnic Koreans can change nationality makes it difficult to assess ties to the DPRK and apply visa clearance requirements. As this tren [...] |
2008-02-12 07:27:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | CVIS PREL KN KS JA |
| 09OSAKAKOBE102 |
Kyocera Solar - Kyoto's Tech Edge [...] (SBU) Summary: Kyocera, manufacturer of solar panels with among the highest efficiency for converting sunlight into electricity, believes that new incentives for solar power by the Japanese government will boost the company's domestic sales. Until recently, Kyocera has focused on installing [...] |
2009-06-25 02:09:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | BEXP EINV ENRG ECON JA |
| 09OSAKAKOBE135 |
Of Madonnas and Manifestos: Kansai Braces for [...] (SBU) Summary: Voters in western Japan are poised to hand a historic victory to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in legislative elections, tracking developments nationwide in a race highlighted by negative campaigning by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a debate dominated by issue [...] |
2009-08-28 09:09:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV JA |
| 09OSAKAKOBE24 |
Japanese Solar Powers Pin Hopes on Obama "Green [...] (U) Executives from the solar power divisions at Sharp Corporation and Sanyo Electric Company have told us that they plan to accelerate U.S. bound solar technology investments, tie-ups with U.S. firms, and sales under a presumed Obama administration policy emphasizing alternative energy and e [...] |
2009-01-28 00:56:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | BEXP EINV ENRG JA |
| 09OSAKAKOBE34 |
Kaneka Seeks FIT to be Tied to Green New Deal [...] (SBU) Summary: Kaneka Corporation, a leading innovator in thin-film solar cell production remains focused on the European market and has no immediate plans to make green energy investments in the United States. While its much larger Japanese solar rivals such as Sharp and Panasonic/Sanyo are [...] |
2009-02-17 02:22:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | BEXP EINV ENRG JA |
| 09OSAKAKOBE37 |
Paradigm Shift: Kansai Enterprises Contemplate a [...] (SBU) Summary: "Paradigm shift" was the catchphrase of choice during the annual meeting of Kansai area economic groups, global companies, high tech firms, and other major enterprises. With major stakes in manufacturing for export, many participants bemoaned the gloomy prospects for dealing w [...] |
2009-02-25 22:37:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EINV ETRD ENRG PGOV JA |
| 09OSAKAKOBE38 |
Smart Ideas from Smart People: Kansai Japanese [...] (SBU) Summary: Many people in the Kansai region of Japan not only wish the Obama administration well but have provided practical suggestions to help restore health to America and the global economy as a whole. These suggestions -- many based on Japanese best practices -- include: strengtheni [...] |
2009-02-26 03:15:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ENRG ECON PREL JA |
| 09OSAKAKOBE45 |
KANSAI ECONOMIC RECOVERY OUTLOOK [...] (SBU) Summary. Kansai-based business people and experts are generally optimistic on the mid to long term outlook for Kansai's economic recovery. In the short term, they cite lack of economic confidence and the uncertainty over Japan's leadership and political outlook are the biggest obstacl [...] |
2009-03-16 23:13:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN PGOV JA |
| 09OSAKAKOBE49 |
RECYCLING ELECTRONIC WASTE - PANASONIC'S [...] (SBU) Summary and Comment. With the onset of digital television broadcasting, Panasonic, Sharp, and Toshiba launched a joint U.S. based Manufacturers Recycling Management Company (MRM) in 2007 to deal with the anticipated wave of electronic waste from recycled televisions. MRM's purpose is [...] |
2009-03-19 01:27:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON SENV BEXP EIND PGOV ELAB JA |
| 09OSAKAKOBE76 |
GS Yuasa: Economic Downturn Assault on Lithium [...] (SBU) Summary: Tucked into a corner of Japan's cultural center of Kyoto is GS Yuasa Corporation (GSYC), a cutting edge producer of new greener battery technologies for use in hybrid and electric vehicles. GSYC's research ventures and projects with widely known companies such as Honda, Mitsubi [...] |
2009-05-07 02:37:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | BEXP EINV ENRG ECON JA |
| 09OSAKAKOBE84 |
Kansai Wind Power: A Breath of Fresh Innovation [...] (SBU) Summary: Unlike the GOJ's recently announced feed-in-tariff (FIT) policy favoring solar power (reftel) and aggressive goals to raise Japan's solar power production capacity forty-fold by 2030, Japanese officials have established much more modest goals for increasing wind power productio [...] |
2009-05-14 04:03:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | BEXP EINV ENRG ECON JA |
| 09OSAKAKOBE92 |
Sharp Doubles Down, Heavily Invests in Solar [...] (SBU) Summary: In follow up to a meeting earlier this year (Ref A), we toured Sharp Corporation's state-of-the- art 160mw capacity photovoltaic (PV) plant in Katsuragi, Nara with Embassy's Energy Attach and discussed with senior executives from Sharp's Solar Group, the company's short and mid [...] |
2009-05-27 03:21:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | BEXP EINV ENRG ECON JA |
| 09OSAKAKOBE93 |
H1N1 Kansai Economic Bell Begins to Toll [...] (SBU) Summary: As the spread of H1N1 and official countermeasures to the flu outbreak in Kansai continue to evolve, it is too early to calculate the full impact of the H1N1 flu virus on the Kansai economy, but as local governments and business organizations struggle to sweep away the percepti [...] |
2009-05-27 03:22:00 | Consulate Osaka Kobe | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON ETRD KFLU SOCI TBIO PINR JA |