VZCZCXRO1117
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #4152/01 2070239
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 260239Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4661
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/USDOJ WASHDC PRIORITY
RULSDMK/USDOT WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5//
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMHBA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI
RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA//
RHMFIUU/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA//J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/COMPATWING ONE KAMI SEYA JA
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 9957
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 7370
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 0673
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 7226
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 8498
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3458
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 9600
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1329

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TOKYO 004152 
 
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 07/26/06 
Part-2 
Index: 
11) Minshuto President Ozawa criticizes Koizumi on Yasukuni issue 
 
 
12) Head of bereaved family association of war dead Makoto Koga 
taking the released words of the Showa Emperor very seriously 
 
13) Bereaved family association of war dead may split over issue of 
removing the souls of Class-A war criminals from Yasukuni Shrine 
 
14) On question of separation of souls once enshrined, Yasukuni 
Shrine says it is "impossible" 
 
15) ASEAN ARF meeting of foreign ministers: Will Foreign Minister 
Aso be able to press his agenda forward? 
 
16) Meeting tomorrow between Japan, South Korea on Takeshima (Dokdo) 
island dispute 
 
17) US asks Japan to once more extend SDF fueling service in the 
Indian Ocean 
 
18) JDA plans exchanges of uniformed officers and civilian 
bureaucrats at senior levels 
 
19) Foreign Ministry, National Police Agency receive poor marks on 
computer data management to ensure security 
 
20) WTO Doha Round: Collapse of talks brings out fear of 
protectionism, bilateralism, with Japan bemoaning lost change for 
lower tariffs 
 
21) Everything looks set for US beef imports to restart this week 
 
Articles: 
11) Minshuto head Ozawa criticizes Koizumi remarks on memo on 
Emperor Showa's feelings on Yasukuni 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
July 25, 2006 
 
In a press conference yesterday, Minshuto (Democratic Party of 
Japan) President Ichiro Ozawa denounced Prime Minister Junichiro 
Koizumi for his remarks indicating that the memorandum recently 
revealed and showing Emperor Showa's (Hirohito) displeasure at the 
enshrinement of Class-A war criminals at Yasukuni Shrine will not 
affect his visit there, calling it "a matter of the heart." Ozawa 
assailed: "He does not understand the essence of the issue." 
 
Following the revelation of the memorandum, an increasing number of 
Liberal Democratic Party members have begun to take a cautious view 
about the prime minister's visit to the shrine. Asked about this 
trend, Ozawa expressed displeasure, saying: 
 
"I have the impression that they have no definite policy and began 
to say it would be better for the prime minister to stop visiting 
the shrine just because of reactions from China and South Korea. I 
have given a clear reason for (my opposition to the enshrinement of 
the war criminals at Yasukuni). I am unhappy to see the issue being 
discussed from a vague point of view." 
 
12) LDP lawmaker Koga poised to urge Yasukuni Shine to remove 
Class-A war criminals 
 
TOKYO 00004152  002 OF 008 
 
 
 
ASAHI (Page 2) (Full) 
July 26, 2006 
 
In a speech yesterday in Tokyo, former Liberal Democratic Party 
(LDP) Secretary General Makoto Koga, chairman of the Japan 
War-Bereaved Association, mentioned the recently disclosed memo of 
the late Emperor Showa's (Hirohito) remarks indicating displeasure 
at the enshrinement of Class-A war criminals at Yasukuni Shrine 
together with the war dead, and he again expressed his determination 
to urge the shrine to remove the Class-A war criminals on its own 
judgment. Koga then stated: "The remarks nearly brought me to tears. 
I think we in the association should give the highest priority to 
that feeling (of the late emperor) and take it most seriously." 
 
In the speech, Koga stated: "Once the Class-A war criminals, who 
were not killed in the war, were enshrined, the imperial family 
stopped visiting Yasukuni. This collective enshrinement has made 
things worse between Japan and China. We must take action that will 
give careful consideration to the spirits of the war dead and 
consider what should be done so that the public as well as the 
imperial family can visit the shrine without reserve." 
 
In addition, Koga said the Yasukuni issue is not "something for 
politicians to interfere in," adding, "If I am to be criticized for 
trying to have it both ways as a politician, I will as chairman of 
the Japan War-Bereaved Association consider what action the 
association should take." 
 
13) LDP lawmaker Koga's separate enshrinement argument may split 
Japan War-Bereaved Association; Gap not yet narrowed between 
war-bereaved families of professional soldiers and those of drafted 
ones 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Excerpts) 
July 26, 2006 
 
Former Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Makoto Koga, 
chairman of the Japan War-Bereaved Association, again yesterday 
indicated his strong enthusiasm about the separate enshrinement of 
Class-A war criminals currently honored at Yasukuni Shrine together 
with other war dead, but a senior member of the association voiced 
concern: "If this separation argument is promoted, our organization 
could divide over it." Behind this concern lies the gap of views 
between the war-bereaved families of professional soldiers and those 
of drafted soldiers regarding Class-A war criminals. 
 
"My father was pulled on to a battlefield by a red postcard calling 
him up and then killed." In a speech yesterday, Koga mentioned his 
father this way and explained that when he was two years old, his 
father got drafted and two years later killed in a battle on Leyte 
Island in the Philippines. Speaking of the International Military 
Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo Trial), Koga stated, "Some may 
argue that the court ruling is unacceptable on the part of Japan, 
and Japan had reasons for the war," but he firmly said, "What do the 
spirits of the war dead want us to do? I think it's important to 
give due consideration to that point." He thus indicated his 
enthusiasm to bring about a separate enshrinement. 
 
 
TOKYO 00004152  003 OF 008 
 
 
Yet, the Japan War-Bereaved Association has been divided over the 
question of the separate enshrinement. 
 
During a board of directors meeting of the association held in late 
May, some directors gave support to the separate enshrinement, 
saying, "We favor the chairman's view." But according to an informed 
source in the association, most of those so inclined are the 
bereaved families of drafted soldiers. 
 
On the other hand, most of the bereaved families of professional 
soldiers reportedly do not think the enshrinement of Class-A war 
criminals at Yasukuni Shrine together with other war dead is a 
problem. They seem to have accepted the shrine's argument that the 
separate enshrinement is impossible in view of the basic principles 
of the religious rituals. 
 
Koga has said he takes the late Emperor Showa's (Hirohito) 
recently-disclosed memo "seriously," but there is a subtle 
difference in responses to the memo among the war-bereaved 
families. 
 
14) Yasukuni Shrine: Class-A war criminals cannot be separately 
enshrined 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) 
July 26, 2006 
 
Q: What's the separate enshrinement of Class-A war criminals? 
 
A: In 1978, a total of 14 Class-A war criminals in the Tokyo Trials, 
including former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, were enshrined at 
Yasukuni Shrine. Their separate enshrinement would mean removing 
their spirits from Yasukuni Shrine. In 1985, Prime Minister Yasuhiro 
Nakasone paid homage at Yasukuni Shrine. At that time, China and 
South Korea opposed it. Nakasone then worked on the bereaved 
facilities of those war criminals to allow their un-enshrinement 
from Yasukuni Shrine and a separate enshrinement at another shrine. 
 
Q: What did Yasukuni Shrine think about it? 
 
A: Yasukuni Shrine has refused to do so, explaining that one's soul, 
once enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine, cannot be separately enshrined or 
unenshrined based on Shinto beliefs. Yasukuni Shrine says the souls 
of those Class-A war criminals, even if their souls are moved to 
another shrine, would still remain at Yasukuni Shrine. 
 
Q: Will separate enshrinement resolve the problem? 
 
A: China and South Korea differentiate Class-A war criminals from 
Class-B and Class-C war criminals. Both China and South Korea regard 
the Class-A war criminals as "war criminals." The two countries have 
criticized Japanese prime ministers for their visits to Yasukuni 
Shrine as "glorifying the war of aggression." If the Class-A war 
criminals are separated off from Yasukuni Shrine and enshrined at 
another shrine, they can be differentiated from those who died in 
the war. This separate enshrinement is expected to ease the 
sensitivities of China and South Korea. 
 
Q: Is it possible? 
 
TOKYO 00004152  004 OF 008 
 
 
 
A: The late Emperor Showa (Hirohito) was displeased with the 
enshrinement of Class-A war criminals at Yasukuni Shrine, according 
to his narratives recently discovered. This could invigorate those 
who advocate separately enshrining the Class-A war criminals. 
However, their bereaved families have disagreed. They say if they 
agree to do so, that means to recognize the Class-A war criminals as 
war criminals. Yasukuni Shrine is a religious institution, so the 
government cannot compel the shrine to separate the Class-A war 
criminals. It's not easy. 
 
15) Can Foreign Minister Aso enhance his presence at ARF, his last 
international conference as foreign minister? 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) 
July 26, 2006 
 
Takayoshi Goto, Kuala Lumpur 
 
Foreign Minister Taro Aso, currently on a tour of Asia, will be 
visiting Malaysia July 26-28 to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum 
(ARF) and other meetings. The ARF is likely to be the last 
international conference for Aso as foreign minister in the Koizumi 
administration. Presumably, he wants to strengthen his presence 
ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election 
slated for this fall. 
 
ASEAN-related meetings will be also joined by US Secretary of State 
Rice, North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun, Chinese Foreign 
Minister Li Zhaoxing, South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade 
Minister Ban Ki Moon, and other officials. Aso will meet with his 
South Korean counterpart tomorrow, and he is also planned to meet 
separately with the US secretary of state and the Chinese foreign 
minister. 
 
An idea now being considered is to hold a six-party foreign 
ministerial to discuss North Korea's test-firing of ballistic 
missiles and other issues, and assuming that North Korea may reject 
that idea, another plan is also being floated to hold a five-party 
meeting. 
 
For Aso, who remains unable to increase support for his bid for the 
LDP presidency, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda's declaration 
a few days ago that he would not run in the LDP presidential race 
has come as a welcome opportunity. Aso would like to score points by 
stepping up pressure on North Korea and improving relations with 
China and South Korea. 
 
16) Japanese, South Korean foreign ministers to meet tomorrow on 
Takeshima issue 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
July 26, 2006 
 
Foreign Minister Taro Aso and South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade 
Minister Ban Ki-moon will meet on the morning of July 27 on the 
sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 
Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 
 
 
TOKYO 00004152  005 OF 008 
 
 
They are expected to exchange views on countermeasures to North 
Korea's missile launches, maritime surveys in waters near the 
Takeshima Islands (Dokdo), over which both Japan and South Korea 
have claimed sovereignty, and other issues. 
 
17) US Assistant Secretary of Defense asks Japan to extend MSDF 
fueling operations in Indian Ocean 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
July 26, 2006 
 
Former Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Taku Yamasaki met 
with United States Assistant Secretary of Defense Rodman yesterday. 
Rodman requested that the government extend the ongoing fueling 
operations by the Marine Self-Defense Force (MSDF) beyond their 
November deadline. The operations are based on the Antiterrorism 
Special Measures Law, which is to expire in November. Yamasaki 
indicated a cautious view about the proposal, saying: "An extension 
will require considerable energy." 
 
18) Defense Agency, SDF to exchange personnel 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Abridged) 
July 26, 2006 
 
Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga decided yesterday 
to exchange senior-level personnel between the Defense Agency and 
the Self-Defense Forces. This summer, SDF officers will be appointed 
to division director posts in the agency. In the meantime, senior 
agency officials are also expected to become division directors in 
the staff offices of the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense 
Forces. The agency will revise its ordinances as necessary along 
with this summer's personnel changes. 
 
The Defense Agency's internal bureaus and the SDF's three branches 
have had a strong tendency to think of themselves as independent 
organizations. "They're working against each other when they should 
think of the Defense Agency on the whole," a top-level official of 
the agency said. For this reason, the agency will exchange 
senior-level personnel with the GSDF, MSDF, and ASDF staff offices 
so that they can gain a broad overview of the Defense Agency. 
 
The SDF is thinking of exchanging GSDF and ASDF colonels and MSDF 
captains with the Defense Agency's internal bureaus for division 
director posts. In the past, SDF officers used to be assigned to the 
Public Information Division or the Defense Policy Division at the 
agency. However, they were temporarily seconded to these sections as 
SDF staff officers. No personnel exchanges have been allowed for 
posts above the division director level. 
 
19) Info security: Foreign Ministry, National Police Agency at 
lowest level 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Abridged) 
July 26, 2006 
 
The information security of computers for government personnel's 
official use is low and inadequate, according to the results of a 
fact-finding survey conducted by the National Information Security 
 
TOKYO 00004152  006 OF 008 
 
 
Center (NISC), a government body set up under the Cabinet 
Secretariat. In an NISC report released yesterday, six government 
 
SIPDIS 
agencies, which handle critical information, are evaluated at "D," 
the lowest level of four-rank information security. The six agencies 
include the Foreign Ministry, the Justice Ministry, and the National 
Police Agency. Meanwhile, no government agencies are evaluated at 
"A" in the report. The government held an information security 
policy meeting yesterday at the prime minister's office, during 
which Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe ordered officials to improve the 
information security of government-owned computers immediately. 
 
The NISC looked into the information security of about 460,000 
government-owned computers for official use in late March this year 
to check nine points, including antivirus software installation, 
data encryption, and theft countermeasures. 
 
As a result, none of those surveyed government ministries and 
agencies is evaluated at "A," the highest level of information 
security with all computers completely done with safeguards and 
other adequate countermeasures. Three government offices are 
evaluated with the "B" rating, a level with 80 percent or more 
computers adequately secured. The "C" rating, a level with less than 
80 percent secured, was given to 10 government agencies, including 
the Cabinet Office. The "D" rating, a level below 60 percent, was 
for six government offices. 
 
20) Suspension of WTO talks; Mounting concern over rising 
protectionism; Bilateral trade talks expected to gain momentum 
 
ASAHI (Page 9) (Excerpts) 
July 26, 2006 
 
The multilateral trade liberalization talks (Doha Round), which have 
continued for five years under the World Trade Organization (WTO), 
have been suspended and are now facing the prospect of failing. The 
multilateral free trade system, under which 149 economies have 
endeavored to open their markets based on common rules, is now at an 
impasse. The collapse of the Doha Round talks, which have aimed to 
enhance the global economy through expanded trade, including with 
developing countries, is bound to give momentum to a protectionist 
trend still deep-rooted in the world, leading to an even wider gap 
between affluent and poor countries. 
 
Tariff reductions unlikely; Industrial circles disappointed; Farm 
policy clique overjoyed 
 
Prospects for cutting trade tariffs, including those in developing 
countries, have further dimmed. Japanese industrial circles are 
disappointed at the collapse of the global trade talks, with a 
spokesperson for Hitachi noting, "Over the long term, high tariffs 
imposed by emerging economies are problematic." A spokesperson for 
Sony said, "We wanted the WTO to correct the 14 percent tariff the 
EU imposes on electrical appliances, such as TVs, video monitors, 
and DVD recorders." 
 
While the average tariff on mined and manufactures products is low 
in industrialized countries - 2.3 percent in Japan - India's rate is 
34.3 percent and Brazil's 30.8 percent. Discussions were underway at 
the Doha Round to cap the tariffs developing countries impose on 
 
TOKYO 00004152  007 OF 008 
 
 
mined and manufactured products at 15 percent. Since Japan is 
lagging behind other major industrialized countries in its effort to 
sign free trade agreements (FTA), the collapse of the WTO talks is a 
serious blow. 
 
Japan has also put a lot of work into the creation of rules to 
prevent the abuse of antidumping measures designed to place high 
tariffs on items that have been identified as being dumped. The US 
and the EU, major importers of Japanese products, frequently impose 
such measures. Industrial circles had hoped that rules on this 
practice would be established. 
 
In the meantime, MAFF, agricultural organizations, and related Diet 
members are hailing the suspension of the multilateral talks. In FTA 
talks many trade items can be treated as exceptions, unlike 
agreements signed under the WTO, which obligate all members to open 
their markets. 
 
In FTA talks with Thailand, rice was allowed a 778 percent tariff 
and sugar a 325 percent tariff as exceptions at Japan's insistence. 
The government and the ruling camp intend to make such key products 
as rice, sugar, starch, and dairy products exceptions to tariff cuts 
in future FTA talks. It will thus continue a policy of protecting 
domestic farmers by blocking imports of farm produce with high 
tariffs, a practice unusual among industrialized countries. 
 
21) Government to formally decide to resume US beef imports 
tomorrow, following completion of inspections of processing 
facilities in US 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 5) (Full) 
July 26, 2006 
 
The government intends to formally decide on the resumption of US 
beef imports tomorrow. A Japanese survey mission has inspected 35 
meat-processing facilities in the US as of last weekend. The 
inspections found no serious problems that would lead to the 
postponement of imports, with the exception of two facilities. The 
government will convey its decision to lift the embargo to the 
Liberal Democratic Party on July 27, once it undertakes internal 
coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and 
Fisheries (MAFF) and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare 
(MHLW). It will also convey the policy to the Food Safety 
Commission. The domestic distribution of US beef will start within 
this month at the earliest. 
 
Tokyo and Washington last month agreed to reinstate beef trade 
subject to conditions including Tokyo implementing prior inspections 
of meat packers authorized to export products to Japan. The 
month-long inspections of US beef processing plants found problems 
at two facilities, according to a senior MHLW official. The 
government has, however, judged that it would not affect the 
resumption of imports as a whole since the inspections found the 
remaining plants either proper or only slightly deficient. Regarding 
the two plants that did not pass the inspection, the government will 
confer on measures to improve the situation with the US and consider 
whether to grant export authorization to them or not. 
 
About 1,000 tons of US beef, which was shipped to Japan but did not 
 
TOKYO 00004152  008 OF 008 
 
 
undergo customs clearance procedures due to the imposition of the 
second embargo this January, are still held in storage. The 
government intends to approve the distribution of this meat after 
checking all cartons. Chances are that this meat will be put on the 
market first, once the import ban is lifted. 
 
Following Tokyo's decision to resume imports, US meatpackers will 
begin shipping products to Japan at the order of Japanese importers. 
However, some Japanese consumers are still distrustful of the safety 
of US beef, and many restaurant chains are cautious about serving US 
beef. Quarantine procedures are expected to take time because of the 
toughed water's edge operations by Japan. As such, the first batch 
of imports will unlikely be distributed before August. 
 
SCHIEFFER