VZCZCXRO2347
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #4183/01 2080328
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 270328Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4700
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 9968
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 7383
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 0688
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 7236
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 8508
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3467
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 9610
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1338

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TOKYO 004183 
 
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 07/27/06 
 
 
Index: 
 
1) Top headlines 
2) Editorials 
3) Prime Minister's daily schedule 
 
US beef is coming back: 
4) Final GOJ decision today on resumption of US beef imports should 
see products in store cases next month 
5) Yoshinoya ready to put US beef on its beef-bowl menu in September 
 
 
6) Mainichi poll: 55% would of Prime Minister Koizumi's supporter go 
along with another Yasukuni visit by him, but 60% want a new 
war-memorial facility 
 
Aso diplomacy: 
7) Foreign Minister Aso trying to strengthen diplomatic credentials 
at ASEAN ARF ministerial by focusing on sideline meetings 
8) Japan, US, China meet at ASEAN ARF in order to kick-start 
six-party talks with North Korea 
9) Japan, China meeting in the public toilet? 
10) Japan, China, North Korea all at the same hotel for ARF meeting 
 
 
Yamasaki diplomacy in Washington: 
11) LDP's Taku Yamasaki in Washington expresses concern about Shinzo 
Abe 
12) Abe rebuts Yamasaki remark about him in Washington 
 
Political agenda: 
13) TBS television show smears Abe by putting his photo on Unit 731 
flier 
14) Abe calls the TBS gaffe "fearsome" 
15) LDP's Kyuma not enthusiastic about a Nukaga candidacy for LDP 
president 
 
Defense issues: 
16) ASDF widening its scope of operations in Iraq 
17) Alleged SDF missile launches in Japan Sea that set off local 
fishermen turns out to have been simple flares 
18) State will not challenge court decision requiring 4 billion yen 
compensation for noise pollution by Atsugi base aircraft 
 
Articles: 
 
1) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi: 
50% of corporate websites have holes resulting in data leaks 
 
Mainichi: 
Lockheed scandal deposition: Prime Minister Tanaka's secretary 
Enomoto handed 20 million yen each to 26 candidates running in 1974 
Upper House election 
 
Yomiuri: 
Mizutani Kensetsu concealed 3 billion yen in income in August 2003 
term, evading 900 million yen in taxes 
 
Nihon Keizai: 
Business hours growing for major, local banks; Weekends, nighttime 
 
TOKYO 00004183  002 OF 010 
 
 
also open 
 
Sankei: 
Corruption of Japanese language evident 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
Government to formally decide on resumption of US beef imports 
today 
 
Akahata: 
JCP examines flood-hit Kagoshima; Flexible governmental steps 
necessary 
 
2) EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) Koizumi administration in final stage: Sound countermeasures 
necessary 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) Abe's departure from Mori faction: Factions anachronistic 
(2) Arrested Nikkei employee harmed public trust in entire newspaper 
industry 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) System not to blame for shortage of doctors 
(2) Honorifics must be used correctly 
 
Nihon Keizai: 
(1) Sound housing insurance system essential to deal with defective 
houses 
(2) Local governments must adopt market-testing system 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Member countries must have sense of crisis over failed WTO 
talks 
(2) Be on high alert against avian flu even in summertime 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) Immediate ceasefire top priority for Lebanon crisis 
(2) Use Japanese language correctly 
 
Akahata: 
(1) Government to blame for corrupt welfare system 
 
3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, July 26 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2)  (Full) 
July 27, 2006 
 
10:04 
Attended at Kantei a meeting of the Central Council for the 
Promotion of Measures for Disabled Persons. Met afterwards with 
Administrative Vice Foreign Minister Yachi. 
 
11:33 
Attended award ceremony for persons involved in forestry promotion. 
Took commemorative photograph with award winners. 
 
15:00 
 
TOKYO 00004183  003 OF 010 
 
 
Met with Science and Technology Policy Minister Matsuda and lawmaker 
Hiroyuki Abe of the Council for Science and Technology Policy. Met 
later with Toshiba Chairman Okamura and Yotaro Kobayashi, supreme 
advisor to Fuji Xerox. 
 
15:59 
Met with Assistant Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Saka, followed by 
Public Security Intelligence Agency chief Oizumi. 
 
17:02 
Attended a meeting of the Council for Science and Technology 
Policy. 
 
18:58 
Returned to his official residence. 
 
4) Government to decide to resume US beef imports today, following 
LDP approval; Shipments to arrive as early as next month 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top Play) (Full) 
July 27, 2006 
 
In a bid to resume US beef imports, the Ministry of Health, Labor, 
and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and 
Fisheries (MAFF) conducted prior inspections of US meatpackers to 
check their BSE preventive measures. As a result, they yesterday 
decided to resume imports from 34 of 35 authorized facilities. They 
consulted with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and obtained its 
approval. The decision will be formally adopted today, and shipments 
will arrive in Japan as early as mid-August. 
 
Meat processed prior to authorization found in distribution channel 
 
The government has decided to resume US beef imports six months 
after the second ban was imposed following the discovery of 
vertebral columns, a specified risk material, in a shipment on 
January 20 this year. However, since Japanese consumers are 
distrustful of the safety of US beef, distribution will likely be 
limited at first. 
 
Both ministries inspected 35 US meatpackers authorized to export 
products to Japan over a one-month period starting on June 24 to 
check whether their facilities meet Japan-bound export conditions. 
The inspections found that one plant of the 35 needed to change its 
processing manuals due to a planned corporate merger. 
 
For this reason, this plant will not be eligible to export products 
to Japan until it prepares new manuals and the Japanese side 
examines them. 
 
Inspectors also found that when Japan resumed imports last December, 
one meatpacker exported beef from cattle slaughtered before it 
obtained authorization from the US government. MAFF and the MHLW 
allowed this company to resume exports to Japan on the condition 
that the US government intensively monitors it for two months. Now 
that beef imported from this company has already been distributed in 
the domestic market, criticism will likely arise. 
 
Regarding the products that have not cleared customs and are being 
held in storage at warehouses at domestic ports, the government has 
changed its plans to approve the import of this meat immediately 
after it formally decides to resume US beef. This meat will be 
 
TOKYO 00004183  004 OF 010 
 
 
allowed in only if it has been confirmed that there have been no 
problems three months after the resumption of imports. 
 
MAFF and the MHLW will make a formal decision today and relay the 
decision to the US after reporting it to the Cabinet Office's Food 
Safety Commission. They will hold briefings in Tokyo and Osaka to 
explain the decision to resume US beef imports to consumers and 
representatives of the food industry. 
 
5) Yoshinoya chain to put beef-bowl back on its menu, possibly in 
late September 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 3) (Full) 
July 27, 2006 
 
Following the government decision today to lift a ban on US beef 
imports, restaurant chains and retailers will begin full 
preparations to sell beef products. Yoshinoya D&C will carry out its 
own inspections of US meat processing plants with the aim of putting 
its popular beef bowls back on the menu at its restaurants, starting 
in late September. Some barbecue restaurant chains have also started 
looking into the possibility of using US beef. However, since some 
consumers still remain distrustful of the safety of US beef, many 
companies are taking a wait-and-see attitude. 
 
Yoshinoya will mount posters at its 1,000 stores noting, "It will 
take at least two months until we can serve beef bowls again to our 
patrons." The company will dispatch a survey group to some of the 
meatpackers, which the Japanese government has inspected recently, 
to see whether cattle are processed properly. 
 
Yoshinoya expects that it could secure 1,000 tons of beef per month 
- about 40% of the pre-ban level. Chances are, however, it may not 
be able to find even this amount. In that case, it will likely serve 
beef bowls only on a limited number of days. If it can procure 1,000 
tons a month on a stable basis, it would put beef bowls on a lunch 
menu, instead of on designated days. If it can procure more beef, it 
will then serve the dish on a regular basis. The price of a 
medium-size beef bowl will be around 400 yen. The pre-ban price was 
280 yen. 
 
6) Poll: 55% of LDP supporters favor Aug. 15 visit to Yasukuni 
Shrine 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Abridged) 
July 27, 2006 
 
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's supporters are in favor of 
prime ministerial visits to Yasukuni Shrine, the Mainichi Shimbun 
found from its analysis of answers to questions in its July 22-23 
nationwide public opinion survey. Among LDP supporters, however, 
more than 60% are in favor of separately enshrining the Class-A war 
criminals or building a new national secular memorial for the war 
dead as a potential solution to the Yasukuni issue. This tendency is 
generally similar to the trend of all respondents. This shows the 
mixed feelings of LDP supporters who favor prime ministerial visits 
to Yasukuni Shrine but want the Yasukuni issue to be settled in some 
way or other. 
 
In the latest survey, the Mainichi Shimbun asked respondents if they 
thought Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi should visit Yasukuni 
Shrine on Aug. 15. In response to this question, "yes" accounted for 
 
TOKYO 00004183  005 OF 010 
 
 
36% , with "no" at 54% . Among LDP supporters, "yes" accounted for 
55% and "no" at 38% . When it comes to other political parties' 
respective supporters, more than half of each political party's 
supporters opposed Koizumi's Aug. 15 visit to Yasukuni Shrine. In 
their breakdown, "no" accounted for 71% among those who support the 
leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto), 64% among 
the New Komeito party's supporters, 82% among the Japanese Communist 
Party's supporters, and 76% among the Social Democratic Party's 
supporters. 
 
Respondents were also asked whether they wanted the next prime 
minister to visit Yasukuni, with 33% of respondents answering "yes" 
and 54% saying "no." In their breakdowns, "yes" accounted for 48% 
and "no" 40% among LDP supporters. Among DPJ, Komeito, JCP, and SDP 
supporters, more than two-thirds were opposed. As seen from these 
figures, LDP supporters appear to favor the next prime minister 
visiting Yasukuni as well. 
 
7) Aso to play up diplomatic credentials through separate talks 
 
SANKEI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
July 27, 2006 
 
Jiro Otani, Kuala Lumpur 
 
Foreign Minister Taro Aso, now visiting Malaysia, plans to hold 
bilateral talks with his counterparts of China, South Korea, and 
others countries, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) 
cabinet meeting that will be held on July 28. The bilateral sessions 
are the result of a meeting of minds of Aso, who wants to boost his 
diplomatic profile as he prepares for running in the LDP 
presidential election in September, and the Foreign Ministry, which 
want to focus on Asia diplomacy after the LDP presidential race. 
 
"The ARF meeting provides a good opportunity to strengthen 
communication channels to Asian leaders at the cabinet level," a 
Foreign Ministry official said. In fact, Aso's itinerary is tightly 
packed. 
 
On July 26, he met with the foreign ministers of Vietnam and other 
countries. On July 27, he is scheduled to have talks with the South 
Korean and Chinese counterparts. Those events will be followed by 
bilateral talks with the foreign ministers of other participating 
countries, such as Russia and Malaysia. Time permitting, Aso intends 
to have even "chats" with leaders of other countries, according to 
an official traveling with him. 
 
The Foreign Ministry's enthusiasm for bilateral talks reflects its 
concern over China's rapidly growing influence over ASEAN members. 
 
8) Japan, US, China looking for ways to bring North Korea back to 
six-party talks 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
July 27, 2006 
 
Toyofumi Amano, Kuala Lumpur 
 
Prior to the start of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) ministerial 
session, an effort was launched yesterday to bring North Korea back 
to the six-party talks. Some countries have begun looking for ways 
to hold informal multilateral talks in which nonmembers of the 
 
TOKYO 00004183  006 OF 010 
 
 
six-party talks can take part, as China has been unwilling to take 
part in a five-party foreign ministerial meeting as called for 
mainly by Japan and the United States if North Korea does not 
participate. 
 
In the ASEAN+3 foreign ministerial session yesterday, Foreign 
Minister Taro Aso insisted: "North Korea should take the message 
from the international community seriously and return to the 
six-party talks immediately and unconditionally." 
 
China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing implied the need for the US and 
North Korea to meet halfway, noting: "North Korea's missile launches 
this time came because of the prolonged hostility between the 
concerned countries and the serious level of mutual distrust." This 
foreign ministerial meeting issued a chairman's statement expressing 
hopes for six-party discussions on the sidelines of ARF. 
 
Prior to the foreign ministerial session, the chief Japanese and US 
negotiators to the six-party talks, Kenichiro Sasae, 
director-general at the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian 
Affairs Bureau, and Christopher Hill, US assistant secretary of 
state, shared the perception that it is of significance to hold a 
multilateral foreign ministerial meeting by utilizing the 
opportunity ARF presents. After the meeting, Sasae told reporters, 
"There are a number of possibilities regarding the form it should 
take." Hill made this comment: "A multilateral solution is 
necessary. We'd like to work together with our partners and 
allies." 
 
9) Japan-China talks in the bathroom? 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) 
July 27, 2006 
 
In the middle of the ASEAN+3 foreign ministerial session yesterday, 
Foreign Minister Taro Aso and Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing 
bumped into each other in the bathroom. 
 
When participants were saying that ASEAN frequently holds dialogue 
while Northeast Asia is different, Aso left for 10 minutes. Upon 
returning, he stated: "I ran into Foreign Minister Li in the 
bathroom, and we discussed how to advance the six-party talks. It 
was productive." Ahead of the foreign ministerial session slated for 
July 27, Aso thus expressed a mood of friendship. 
 
10) Japanese, Chinese, North Korean foreign ministers attending ARF 
share the same hotel 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
July 27, 2006 
 
Tomoko Onuki, Kuala Lumpur 
 
The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) cabinet meeting on July 28 will also 
bring together the foreign ministers of the six-party talks on the 
North Korean nuclear issue. In Kuala Lumpur, Foreign Minister Taro 
Aso will be staying at the same hotel with his counterparts from 
North Korea, China, and Russia supposedly for security reasons. It 
is extremely rare for leaders of Japan, China, and North to share 
the same hotel. Attention is focused on the hotel, speculating that 
Japan and North Korea will come in contact with each other. 
 
 
TOKYO 00004183  007 OF 010 
 
 
Aso arrived in Kuala Lumpur on July 26. North Korean Foreign 
Minister Paek Nam Sun is scheduled to arrive there on July 27. The 
Chinese and South Korean foreign ministers are expected to urge 
Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks in the talks with their 
North Korean counterpart. Talks between Japan and North Korea are 
not scheduled, however. If realized, Aso is expected to press the 
North to comply with the latest UN Security Council resolution on 
North Korea, protesting Pyongyang's missile launches. 
 
11) LDP's Taku Yamasaki in Washington indirectly critical of Shinzo 
Abe: Difficulty to call for enemy-base strike capability (under 
current Constitutional restriction) 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
July 27, 2006 
 
By Hideya Yamamoto in Washington 
 
Former Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Vice President Taku Yamasaki, 
who is now visiting the United States, gave a speech in Washington 
on July 25 at the influential think-tank Heritage Foundation, in 
which he called North Korea's launching of ballistic missiles at 
American a "love call." He indicated that there should be leniency 
in the response to the launches. In addition, he warned that there 
would be "tragic results" coming from moves to impose sanctions on 
North Korea, and he urged the US to respond to the North by direct 
talks within the framework of the six-party talks. 
 
In the speech, Yamasaki proposed that the US, taking the missile 
launches as a "love call," should change to a flexible stance, with 
both tough and soft features, toward North Korea. On the argument 
that has floated up after the North Korea missile launches for Japan 
to have a capability to strike enemy bases, Yamasaki pointed out: 
"It is difficult at this point for Japan to have such a capability 
based on constitutional interpretation." Although he did not name 
any names, he said, "One by one, gallant statements from Japanese 
politicians that can be taken as based on nationalism are coming out 
one after the other." He was criticizing Defense Agency Director 
General Nukaga and Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe for their remarks. 
 
12) Abe rebuts remark by Yamasaki in Washington 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
July 27, 2006 
 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe in his press conference on July 
26 rebutted the criticism about him made by Liberal Democratic Party 
(LDP) former Vice President Taku Yamasaki who said in a speech in 
the US that the argument for Japan possessing a strike capability 
was difficult under the current interpretation of the Constitution. 
Abe retorted: "If he is going to criticize my statements, then I 
would like him to read well (the contents) of my press conferences. 
Everyone knows I was discussing the topic in the context of sole 
self-defense." 
 
Abe also rebutted Yamasaki's referring to North Korea's missile 
launch at America as a "love call" that sought a dialogue. "It is 
not even worth my commenting on it," he snapped. A senior government 
official yesterday expressed displeasure at the remark, saying, "No 
one in the US should be taking such a remark seriously." 
 
13) Photo of Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe appears on TV program 
 
TOKYO 00004183  008 OF 010 
 
 
featuring Unit 731; TBS apologizes 
 
SANKEI (Page 3) (Full) 
July 27, 2006 
 
It was learned yesterday that a photo of Chief Cabinet Secretary 
Shino Abe had been shown during a story on the former Imperial 
Japanese Army on the "Evening Five" TV program on Tokyo Broadcasting 
System (TBS). TBS on the same program apologized, saying that it had 
not deliberately included the photo and that it apologized to Abe. 
The footage might have given the audience a false impression. The 
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is now investigating 
the TV program. 
 
The TV program in question, broadcast on July 21, said that the 
chief of Unit 731 planned to unleash germ warfare on the US military 
immediately after the end of World War II. A photo of Abe appeared 
for several seconds when a TBS reporter was filmed conducting a 
phone interview. A spokesperson for TBS said, "In order to film the 
reporter on the phone in a small room, the cameraman moved from a 
prop storage room, and stage props and other materials happened to 
be shown." 
 
According to the broadcaster, there was no intention to link the 
story to Abe. 
 
14) Abe: "It's appalling" 
 
SANKEI (Page 3) (Full) 
July 27, 2006 
 
Referring in a press conference on July 26 to a Tokyo Broadcasting 
System program in which his photo appeared though there was no 
connection to the story, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said: 
 
"I was quite surprised to see it. If it was intentionally done, it's 
appalling, and if it was intended to damage my political career, 
it's a grave problem. I want to believe that it was not 
intentional." 
 
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has started 
investigating the TV program as to whether it was done intentionally 
or not. Abe said: "I would like to wait for the results of the 
investigation." With the Liberal Democratic Party presidential 
election approaching, persons closed to Abe have expressed 
displeasure, with one person saying, "The way that image was used 
was extremely forced." 
 
15) LDP's Kyuma reluctant to field Nukaga in party presidential 
race 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
July 27, 2006 
 
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) General Council Chairman Fumio Kyuma 
delivered a speech yesterday in Fukuoka, in which he touched on the 
September party presidential election: 
 
"Some say that one should be nominated as a presidential candidate, 
but I cannot accept such a view. Unlike the Olympics, just fielding 
someone in the presidential race is not good enough. We must win the 
election." 
 
TOKYO 00004183  009 OF 010 
 
 
 
He did not mention the name but he was apparently negative about a 
view calling for fielding Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro 
Nukaga in the race. The view is being floated in the Tsushima 
faction, to which Kyuma belongs. 
 
A senior faction member from the House of Councillors told reporters 
yesterday, "If Mr. Nukaga runs in the election, he will be defeated 
honorably." 
 
Faction head Yuji Tsushima stressed in a meeting yesterday, "We will 
prevent our faction Upper and Lower members from splitting." So 
saying, he called on his faction to unite, keeping in mind what 
happed in the 2003 general election. 
 
16) ASDF to broaden assistance to Iraq 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) 
July 27, 2006 
 
The government plans to modify the basic plan worked out under the 
Special Measures Law on Reconstruction Assistance to Iraq and get 
approval of a modified plan in early August. A draft modified plan 
was revealed yesterday. According to the revised plan, Arbil in 
northern Iraq and Taril in southern Iraq will be added to the areas 
for the Air Self-Defense Force's (ASDF) assistance. The revised plan 
will be submitted to a cabinet meeting soon after being approved at 
a joint session on Aug. 1 of the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) 
Cabinet Office Division, National Defense Division, and the Foreign 
Affairs Division. 
 
The expansion of the ASDF's activities is intended to demonstrate to 
the United States Japan's contributions after the Ground 
Self-Defense Force pullout from Iraq's southern city of Samawah. 
 
With the GSDF withdrawal, the provision relating to humanitarian 
assistance activities will be removed from the basic plan. Added to 
the GSDF evacuation unit's duties will be, for instance, 
maintenance, cleaning, and packing in Kuwait. 
 
17) Hyogo governor protests to Defense Agency against missile test 
 
SANKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
July 27, 2006 
 
Hyogo Prefecture's Governor Toshizo Ido yesterday lodged a protest 
with the Defense Agency and the Fisheries Agency over a missile test 
conducted in the Sea of Japan. "The Defense Agency carried out a 
missile performance test in the Sea of Japan off Hyogo Prefecture 
without prior notification," Ido said. "Local fishing boats had to 
evacuate the waters there," he added. No one was injured. 
 
According to the Hyogo prefectural government, a 19-ton fishing boat 
with six crewmen on board was recovering its fishing gear in the Sea 
of Japan about 130 kilometers off the prefecture's coastal town of 
Kasumi at around 3:55 p.m. on July 25 when the fishing boat's crew 
saw something like a column of water arising from the sea several 
kilometers ahead after an airplane turned in the sky. 
 
The sea area is designated by the Defense Agency for live-fire 
training. "The Defense Agency told us through the Fisheries Agency 
that they would conduct training," a Hyogo prefectural government 
 
TOKYO 00004183  010 OF 010 
 
 
official said. "But," the official added, "we didn't think they had 
planned a missile performance test that would cause a column of 
water to arise." Live-fire training is to be conducted with prior 
notification and no vessels nearby. 
 
There were a total of at least 10 fishing boats in the training 
range when the test was going on. For this reason, the Hyogo 
prefectural government claimed in writing to the Defense Agency 
director general that the incident this time could have led to a 
fatal eventuality. In the letter, the governor strongly protests to 
the Defense Agency against the test, requesting the agency to avoid 
conducting anything like this time. 
 
According to the Defense Agency's account, F-4 fighter planes were 
training for missile attacks on a destroyer. The destroyer fired 10 
flare bombs to avert air-to-ship missiles. However, the fighter jets 
fired no missiles, the agency said. The agency also explained that 
the fishing boat was off the training range. The fishing boat's crew 
saw something like "a column of water" arising from the sea, 
according to the prefectural government. The agency admitted to the 
destroyer's firing of flare bombs. However, the agency also 
recounted that a column of water would not arise when a flare bomb 
falls into the sea. "They might have mistaken the smoke of flare 
bombs for a column of water," an agency official said. However, 
Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga told reporters 
yesterday evening that he had ordered agency officials to find out 
if it was a column of water, while taking it that the training 
troubled local fishermen. 
 
18) GOJ defeat finalized over Atsugi noise 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 26) (Abridged) 
July 27, 2006 
 
The Defense Facilities Administration Agency decided yesterday not 
to make a final appeal to the Supreme Court and to accept the Tokyo 
High Court's ruling on a class action lawsuit over aircraft noise 
from the US Navy's Atsugi base, which is located in Kanagawa 
Prefecture and is currently jointly used with the Maritime 
Self-Defense Force. The Tokyo High Court in its ruling ordered the 
government to pay about 4.04 billion yen in damages to the roughly 
4,900 plaintiffs who reside near the base. The case will not go to 
the Supreme Court. The government's defeat will now be finalized. 
The Tokyo High Court, in its ruling handed down on July 13, upheld 
an October 2002 Yokohama District Court ruling that ordered the 
government to pay damages. The high court rejected the government's 
appeal, saying that there has been no substantial improvement of the 
situation. At the same time, the court also rejected the plaintiffs' 
demand for future damages. 
 
SCHIEFFER