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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 9142

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TOKYO 001170 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 03/06/06-2 
 
Index: 
 
11)  Iwakuni referendum, announced yesterday, to query populace 
  on accepting carrier-jets from Atsugi 
12)  Though government is watching Iwakuni referendum, results 
may not affect the USFJ realignment process 
13)  New radar at Aomori base designed to deal with North Korean 
ballistic missiles 
 
Foreign policy issues: 
14)  Aiming at checking China, Japan forging security ties with 
  India, starting with joint drill in Indian Ocean 
15)  Former chief cabinet secretary Fukuda calls for repairing 
ties with China and South Korea 
16)  Japan's UN reform proposal would make Russia, China pay a 
fair share of UN budget 
 
17)  Poll shows record 65% favoring constitutional revision 
 
18)  New Komeito readying for Upper House election by sweeping 
  change of top party posts 
 
Minshuto in turmoil: 
19)  New Minshuto Diet affairs chair Watanabe sets off storm of 
  denials by suggesting early election of party president 
20)  As Minshuto mulls early election of party head, names of 
Hatoyama, Ozawa being floated already as Maehara replacement 
 
Articles: 
 
11) Iwakuni announces referendum on transfer of US carrier-borne 
aircraft 
 
ASAHI (Page 2) (Full) 
March 6, 2006 
 
Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, announced yesterday that a 
referendum will take place on March 12 to query local residents 
as to whether they would accept a plan to relocate US carrier- 
borne aircraft to a US military base in the city. Iwakuni will be 
the first city to hold a vote on the planned realignment of US 
forces in Japan. If a majority of citizens oppose the plan, it 
would have an impact on coordination work between the central 
government and host communities prior to Japan-US work to issue a 
final report at the end of March. If turnout is under 50%, the 
poll will become invalid and there will be no vote-counting. 
 
Iwakuni Mayor Katsusuke Ihara said in a press conference 
yesterday: "On the premise that a majority of citizens would 
support the plan, I will ask (the central government) to 
alleviate noise pollution. If a majority oppose, I will seek the 
relocation plan be withdrawn." The US and Japan included in their 
interim report on US forces realignment out last October a plan 
to transfer 57 US carrier-borne planes from the Atsugi base in 
Kanagawa Prefecture to the Iwakuni base. 
 
According to Iwakuni, the number of eligible voters is 84,823 (as 
of March 4), including 59 foreigners with permanent residence 
status. 
 
12) Government watching moves in Iwakuni carefully prior to 
referendum but determined to implement plan regardless of outcome 
 
TOKYO 00001170  002 OF 007 
 
 
 
ASAHI (Page 2) (Full) 
March 6, 2006 
 
The city of Iwakuni will hold a referendum on March 12 to ask 
citizens whether they will accept a plan to relocate US carrier- 
borne aircraft to a US military base in the city. The central 
government has said that the outcome will not affect the ongoing 
talks on the realignment of US forces in Japan, but it will watch 
the results carefully. Japan and the US have agreed to issue a 
final report at the end of March. Prior to this, the government 
hopes to settle the thorniest issue of relocating the US Marine 
Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture and also to 
accelerate negotiations with other relevant local communities. 
But no prospects are in sight for an end to the impasse on 
Futenma due to opposition from local communities. Given the 
situation, the government wants to avoid highlighting more local 
objections. 
 
The interim report on realignment adopted by the Japanese and US 
governments last October proposed such measures as strengthened 
collaboration between headquarters and joint use of military 
bases as part of efforts to improve the capability of the Japan- 
US alliance. 
 
Japan and the US have already come up with plans (1) to transfer 
Futenma Air Station from Ginowan City to a coastal area of Nago 
City; and (2) to set up a joint operations headquarters to be 
formed by reorganizing the US Army 1st Corps Headquarters and a 
GSDF quick reaction unit headquarters at Camp Zama, Kanagawa 
Prefecture. The planned relocation of carrier-borne aircraft now 
stationed at the US Atsugi base to Iwakuni reportedly is intended 
to secure the forward deployment of the US forces over the long 
run. 
 
Regarding the planned referendum, Defense Agency Director-General 
Nukaga said in a press conference on March 3: "We will watch the 
response of the citizens to the realignment plan." 
 
As Nukaga said: "We must do what must be done." However, the 
government is determined to realize the relocation plan 
regardless of the results of the referendum. Chief Cabinet 
Secretary Abe indicated in a press briefing on March 3 that the 
 
SIPDIS 
government would continue efforts to persuade local communities 
to accept the plan, saying: "We would like to make efforts to 
persuade them to endorse the plan in accordance with the 
agreement reached between Japan and the US." 
 
But no progress has been made in the work to solicit agreement 
from base-hosting local governments across the nation. The 
government takes the view that a settlement of the Futenma 
relocation issue will give an impetus to negotiations with other 
local communities. But local opposition remains strong. 
 
The government does not want to see a majority of Iwakuni 
citizens vote against the plan. It is paying attention to moves 
in the city. 
 
13) New radar at Aomori base designed to deal with North Korean 
ballistic missiles, governor informed 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Abridged) 
 
TOKYO 00001170  003 OF 007 
 
 
March 4, 2006 
 
A senior official of the Defense Facilities Administration Agency 
(DFAA) on March 3 met with Aomori Governor Shingo Mimura at the 
prefectural headquarters and informed him that the Japanese and 
United States governments had agreed to the deployment of the US 
military's state-of-the-art X-Band radar to the Air Self-Defense 
Force's (ASDF) Shariki Detachment base in Tsugaru City in Aomori 
Prefecture. The two governments are coordinating a possible 
deployment of the radar in FY2006, when Japan's missile defense 
(MD) system is introduced. However, Governor Mimura stated, "I 
cannot go along with anything that strengthens the base's 
functions. We would like to respond to the move cautiously and 
deliberately." 
 
The X-Band radar is the US' latest type, developed for use in 
intercepting ballistic missiles by sending out X-band radio- 
waves, which can detect the difference between armed ballistic 
missiles and decoy missiles.  Since the Shariki base faces the 
Japan Sea, the target of the new radar system would be incoming 
missiles from North Korea. 
 
14) Japan to establish closer ties with India on security front, 
envisioning joint military drills in Indian Ocean, aims to 
counter China 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
March 6, 2006 
 
The government yesterday decided to step up cooperation with 
India in the security area ahead of Defense Minister Mukherjee's 
visit to Japan slated for March 20. This decision is also 
intended to counter the increasing military power of China by 
strengthening political and security cooperation between Japan 
and India in addition to their economic cooperation, where the 
two nations have been actively engaged in negotiations on 
concluding an economic partnership agreement (EPA). 
 
Defense Minister Mukherjee will make his first visit to Japan. 
During his stay in Japan, he will meet and exchange views with 
Japanese leaders, including Foreign Minister Taro Aso and Defense 
Agency Director-General Fukushiro Nukaga. 
 
Japan and India have already set in motion a reciprocal visit 
program involving defense and coast guard senior working-level 
officials and are advancing cooperation in such areas as 
combating piracy and search and rescue efforts. In the Japan- 
India security dialogue in February, the two nations agreed to 
enhance political exchanges, given "the need to drastically 
strengthen security and defense exchanges," according to a source 
involved in negotiations. 
 
Japan has focused its efforts on leading India to participate in 
the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), which is aimed at 
preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. 
India is reportedly considering participating in the PSI as an 
observer. During the series of talks, Japan intends to urge India 
to swiftly take part. If India participates, Japan will be able 
to conduct, for instance, joint maritime drills in the Indian 
Ocean, through which the sea-lanes linking Japan to the Middle 
East pass. India's participation would be of significance in 
terms of energy security, as well. 
 
TOKYO 00001170  004 OF 007 
 
 
 
With the United States improving its ties with India, as 
evidenced by the recent visit to India by President Bush, Japan 
is now aiming to counter China by emphasizing the strengthened 
ties among Japan, the US, and India in the areas of politics, the 
economy, security, and defense. 
 
15) Fukuda: Repairing relations with China, South Korea important 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
March 6, 2006 
 
Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda of the Liberal 
Democratic Party late yesterday delivered a speech in Date City, 
Fukushima Prefecture, in which he indicated that improving 
relations with other nations, including China and South Korea, is 
important, saying: "East Asia will continue to grow. Exchanges 
with Asian nations will become the source of Japan's economic 
growth, won't they?" 
 
Speaking of the bill to revise the Imperial House Law, the 
submission of which the government has decided to delay, Fukuda 
stated: "Quick action is necessary, otherwise the continuity of 
the imperial family could be in jeopardy. The bill may be 
introduced (in the Diet) earlier than expected." 
 
16) Share of UN expenses; Japan to propose floor for permanent 
members; Increase in Chinese, Russian shares eyed 
 
MAINICHI (Page 1) (Full) 
March 1, 2006 
 
The government yesterday decided to propose a floor for the 
shares of permanent UN Security Council (UNSC) members during 
upcoming talks to review their contributions to the UN regular 
budget (administrative expenses). The aim is to constrain Japan's 
share by adopting a system that takes into account the position 
and responsibility of permanent UNSC members, as well as their 
economic potential, in assessing dues. However, such a proposal 
will most likely incur opposition from China and Russia, whose 
share will likely rise as a result. Coordination of views will 
likely be difficult. 
 
Talks to reevaluate UN members' shares for the period from fiscal 
2007 through fiscal 2009 are scheduled to resume at the fifth 
committee of the UN General Assembly and be adopted by the end of 
this year. Japan is the second largest contributor, paying for 
19.5% of the budget. It intends to claim that it is unfair that 
its share exceeds the combined 15.3% paid by four UNSC member 
nations - Britain, France, China, and Russia. Japan hopes to add 
as criteria in making the calculations the position and 
responsibility of permanent UNSC members, along with their 
current economic potential, based on gross national income (GNI). 
 
The current ceiling of 22% is applied only to the US, and the 
floor of 0.001% is applied to 49 developing countries with a weak 
economy. Japan intends to propose adopting a floor for permanent 
UNSC members at a meeting of the 5th Committee starting on Mar. 3 
with the argument being that "in view of the fact that permanent 
members are in the position of making decisions on key issues, 
they should bear a due fiscal burden," as a senior Foreign 
Ministry official put it. 
 
TOKYO 00001170  005 OF 007 
 
 
 
A specific floor would be determined later, but the level is 
bound to exceed China's 2.1% and Russia's 1.1 % . Whether the 
Japanese plan can be adopted is not clear, but the senior MOFA 
official noted, "It is important for Japan to make its position 
clear." 
17) Poll: Record 65% favor constitutional revision, 27% against 
 
MAINICHI (Top play) (Abridged) 
March 5, 2006 
 
The Mainichi Shimbun found from its recent nationwide public 
opinion survey that 65% of the Japanese public are in favor of 
revising Japan's postwar constitution, with 27% opposing 
constitutional revision. In the survey, a total of 80% took a 
positive view of its role, saying it has helped Japan maintain 
its postwar peace and improve its public lives. 
 
The survey this time was conducted Feb. 10-11 by telephone. In 
the past, the Mainichi Shimbun has also asked similar questions 
in its face-to-face surveys, as well as telephone-based surveys, 
with a set of "yes" and "no" options plus "I don't know." The 
proportion of those in favor of constitutional revision was 20% 
to 40% in surveys conducted from 1982 to 2004. In the following 
three surveys from April 2004, respondents were asked to pick 
"yes" or "no" only. In those surveys, "yes" accounted for about 
60%. The results of previous polls and the one taken this time 
cannot be simply compared due to different polling methodologies. 
In the latest survey, however, the pro-revision figure marked an 
all-time high. 
 
Among male respondents, "yes" accounted for 67%, with "no" at 
26%, and among female respondents, "yes" reached 64%, with "no" 
at 27%. In the breakdown of respondents into age brackets, "yes" 
was comparatively high, ranging from 67% to 72%, among those in 
their 20s to 40s; over 60% among those in their 50s and 60s; and 
47% among those aged 70 and over. Broken down into political 
party supporters, "yes" accounted for about 80% among those in 
support of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and among those in 
support of the New Komeito party, a coalition partner of the LDP, 
with about 60% among those in support of the leading opposition 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto). However, "no" topped 
50% among those in support of the Japanese Communist Party and 
the Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto). 
 
In the survey this time, respondents were also asked if they 
thought Japan's postwar constitution has helped with Japan's 
maintenance of its postwar peace and with Japan's improvement of 
its people's livelihood. In response to this question, "yes" 
totaled 80%, broken down into "very much" at 26% and "somewhat" 
at 54%. In the breakdown of negative answers, "not very much" 
accounted for 14%, with "not at all" at only 2%. Positive answers 
accounted for 83% among LDP supporters, with 75% among DPJ 
supporters. 
 
18) New Komeito to reshuffle top party lineup; Kanzaki-Fuyushiba 
management structure to end in October 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
March 5, 2006 
 
The expectation is that New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki, 62, 
 
TOKYO 00001170  006 OF 007 
 
 
will not run in the party presidential race in October and that 
Secretary General Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, 69, will step down from his 
 
SIPDIS 
post. The current leadership, which has formed a coalition with 
the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has gained influence over the 
party by supporting the LDP in elections. At the same time, 
however, they produced little positive results, since the party's 
political presence decreased as the LDP made great strides in the 
elections. With an eye on the upcoming House of Councillors 
election slated for next summer, the New Komeito will engage in 
full-scale coordination on a plan to put together a new 
leadership lineup, while dealing with such difficult problems as 
expanding the party's strength and playing up its own political 
identity. 
 
In a meeting on March 3 of its House of Representatives members, 
Kanzaki suddenly stated: "The LDP's presidential race and other 
matters will soon be talked about. The personnel changes of our 
party also will be the subject of much conversation in various 
circles." 
 
The Kanzaki-Fuyushiba leadership will celebrate its eighth 
anniversary in the fall. The two leaders have made efforts to 
expand relations with the LDP since the New Komeito joined the 
government of Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi in October 1999. 
However, out of strong concern about the result of next summer's 
Upper House election, they have decided to put an end to the 
present executive lineup. 
 
The LDP won a landslide victory in last September's Lower House 
election, in which Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi asked voters 
their views on his postal-privatization bills. The New Komeito, 
however, lost three seats even though it gained some votes. The 
party was unable to secure 10 million votes, the party's target. 
The party has the solid voting support of the religious sect Soka 
Gakkai, New Komeito's backer. However unless it broadens its 
support to attract other voters, it cannot expect to boost its 
strength, particularly since there are moves toward a two-party 
system. 
 
The LDP increased its number of seats in last year's Lower House 
election. As a result, the political presence of the New Komeito 
has rapidly declined. The LDP has asserted its views over the 
Komeito's in many negotiations between the two parties. 
 
19) Minshuto's Maehara, Hatoyama deny Watanabe's prospect for 
early party presidential race 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) 
March 6, 2006 
 
Appearing on a Fuji TV program yesterday, Kozo Watanabe, the new 
Diet Affairs Committee chairman of the main opposition party 
Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) speculated that the party's 
leadership election, now planned for September, could be carried 
out earlier than the planned. "Depending on the situation, it 
might be carried out sometime after the regular Diet session 
ends," he said. 
 
However, Minshuto President Seiji Maehara told reporters in the 
city of Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, "I would like to do my best 
until September when my term of office expires." He denied the 
possibility of quitting his job before September. Secretary 
 
TOKYO 00001170  007 OF 007 
 
 
General Yukio Hatoyama also said in a speech in the city of 
Mombetsu, Hokkaido, "We will not move up the planned schedule. We 
will hold the presidential election in September." 
 
Asked reporters about his real intention on a possible early 
Minshuto leadership race, Watanabe responded: 
 
"Since Minshuto is on the verge of collapse, I don't want to see 
unnecessary competition in the party. Basically, Mr. Maehara has 
to serve in the post (until September). During the ongoing 
regular Diet session, we will fulfill the responsibility of the 
largest opposition party under the leadership of Mr. Maehara." 
 
20) Minshuto leadership race: Watanabe says, "Mr. Hatoyama is 
most likely;" "It's time for Mr. Ozawa," Hatoyama says 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
March 6, 2006 
 
Top officials of the largest opposition party Minshuto 
(Democratic Party of Japan) yesterday made remarks about 
prospective candidates in the party's presidential election. Diet 
Affairs Committee Chairman Kozo Watanabe said on a TV program 
that Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama would be the "most likely" 
candidate. Hatoyama, however, stated, "Former Vice President 
Ichiro Ozawa is one of the likely candidates." 
 
Referring to requirements for a presidential candidate, Watanabe 
pointed out: "We will absolutely not pick those maneuvering for 
the presidential post. We will pick a person cooperating for the 
reconstruction of the party." As to the possibility of reelection 
of Maehara, he said, "There is a possibility. The question is 
whether he will make an effort or not." Regarding Ozawa, "If he 
remains calm and does not plot to remove Maehara from the post, 
party members might call on Mr. Ozawa to serve in the 
presidential post," Watanabe said. Asked about the possibility of 
former party head Naoto Kan, "If he took the Diet affair chief 
post (replacing Yoshihiko Noda), Mr. Kan will certainly be able 
to become the next president. But (the possibility is low)." He 
said there was no possibility of he himself becoming president. 
 
Yukio Hatoyama said in a speech in the city of Mombetsu, 
Hokkaido, "The time for Mr. Ozawa to become party head is 
gradually approaching." In a press meeting after the speech, 
Hatoyama stated, "It is good that three candidates will run for 
the leadership race. I have heard that (Mr. Ozawa) denied (any 
desire for the post)." 
 
Asked about whether he would run in the election, Hatoyama 
responded, "I have no intention to do so. I am perplexed with 
(Watanabe's prospect that Hatoyama is the most likely 
candidate)." 
 
SCHIEFFER