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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TOKYO 006795 
 
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 12/01/06 
 
 
Index: 
 
1) Prime Minister's daily schedule 
 
North Korea problem: 
2) Government-wide view is that restarting six-party talks on North 
Korea will be difficult this year 
3) US, Japan agree that concrete results needed once six-party talks 
are resumed 
4) US, Japan, ROK to seek during six-party talks North Korea's 
closing of nuclear testing facility 
5) Foreign Minister Aso expects IAEA to play important role in 
denuclearizing North Korea 
 
6) Foreign Minister Aso in JIIA speech outlines new diplomatic 
strategy centered on universal concepts of "freedom and prosperity" 
 
 
Defense and security agenda: 
7) Bill raising JDA to ministry status clears the Lower House 
8) Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) breaks with the opposition 
pack to vote in favor of bill creating defense ministry 
9) V-shaped runway to be built on shores of Camp Schwab will be 
capable of emergency landings in either direction, with aircraft 
flying over local housing 
 
Political agenda: 
10) National referendum on constitutional reform procedures will let 
18 year olds vote 
11) Minshuto engaged in intensive discussion now on whether to 
approve draft basic policies 
12) Criticism erupts in Minshuto about some of the key parts of 
draft set of basic policies 
13) Scandal over misuse of funds results in resignations of New 
Komeito members of Tokyo assembly 
 
Articles: 
 
1) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, Nov. 30 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2)  (Full) 
December 1, 2006 
 
08:05 
Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Suzuki at Kantei. 
 
09:00 
Attended a meeting of the Upper House Special Committee on the Basic 
Education Law. 
 
12:16 
Arrived at Kantei. 
 
13:30 
Met with the government's Tax Research Council Chairman Honma, 
joined by Cabinet Office Vice Minister Uchida and others. 
 
13:45 
Attended the Lower House plenary session. 
 
 
TOKYO 00006795  002 OF 009 
 
 
14:28 
Met with OK Wave President Kaneto Kanemoto and Chiiki Ishin Group 
Representative Noriko Kondo at LDP headquarters. Afterwards, joined 
a round-table discussion with them for the New Year issue of  the 
LDP organ paper "Liberal & Democratic." 
 
15:35 
Met with Nihon Keizai Shimbun Operating Officer Teruto Akiyama. 
 
16:10 
Met with Cabinet Intelligence Director Mitani at Kantei. Later, met 
with Shiseido Honorary Chairman Yoshiharu Fukuhara, a member of the 
Japan-France Club. 
 
17:21 
Met with State Minister in Charge of Economic and Fiscal Policy 
Hiroko Ota, and then attended a meeting of the Council on Economic 
and Fiscal Policy. 
 
19:30 
Met with Special Advisor Seko. 
 
19:32 
Returned to residence in Kantei. 
 
2) Many government officials now believe resumption of six-party 
talks within this year is difficult 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
December 1, 2006 
 
United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and 
Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill met his counterpart, Kenichiro 
Sasae, at Narita Airport. Hill briefed Sasae on his recent talks in 
Beijing with the chief delegates of North Korea and China. Hill 
quoted the North Korean representative as saying in response to his 
call on North Korea to scrap its nuclear ambitions, "I will bring 
the proposal back to my home country and look into it." Focusing on 
the fact that no date has been set for the next round, though 
mid-December was eyed for the talks, a number of government 
officials have begun to take the view that it might be difficult to 
resume the six-party talks by the end of the year. 
 
3) Japan, US confirm need to produce "concrete results in resumed 
six-party talks" 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) 
December 1, 2006 
 
The Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau 
Director-General Kenichiro Sasae, the chief delegate to the 
six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue, yesterday met at 
Narita Airport with his US counterpart in the six-party talks, 
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, who stopped over here 
in Japan on his way back to the United States from Beijing, where he 
had had trilateral talks with China and North Korea. According to 
Hill, the US demanded that North Korea come up with a concrete 
program for the dismantlement of its nuclear programs, and in 
response, the North Korean negotiators said, "We will take home your 
request and discuss it." 
 
Both Sasae and Hill confirmed the need to produce concrete results, 
 
TOKYO 00006795  003 OF 009 
 
 
such as Pyongyang's freezing its nuclear-weapons-related facilities 
and accepting inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency 
(IAEA) once the six-party talks are resumed. Later in the day, a 
Japanese government official commented, "America has made quite a 
tough demand," and revealed that the US and North Korea in their 
recent dialogues had not set a deadline for Pyongyang to come up 
with a reply. 
 
After the meeting with Hill, Sasae told reporters: "I hear the North 
Koreans have now deepened their understanding toward the common 
position taken by the US and Japan. We hope to see a constructive 
response from the North Koreans." When asked about whether the 
six-party talks will be restarted before the end of the year," Sasae 
stressed: "That possibility has not been ruled out." 
 
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abe, when asked yesterday about some media 
reporting that North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan 
remarked, "Japan is not qualified to join (the six-party talks), 
made this comment in a firm tone: "It's useless to react to each 
remark. We must use the six-party talks as the first step to push 
North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons programs." 
 
4) US requests include the closing of DPRK's nuclear testing ground 
 
ASAHI (Page 3) (Full) 
December 1, 2006 
 
Tadahisa Takatsuki, Seoul 
 
The details of America's requests made to North Korea during the 
recent trilateral talks in Beijing among the chief delegates from 
the United States, North Korea, and China were revealed. The talks 
were held in Beijing until Nov. 29 with the aim of reopening the now 
stalled six-party talks. According to several sources familiar with 
the talks, the US called on the North to freeze or close its nuclear 
development-related facilities, such as the graphite reactor at 
Yongbyon and to close the testing ground in Hamgyongbuk-do's 
Punggyeri, where the recent nuclear test was conducted. These are a 
part of a priority list of requests indicated by the US to the 
North. 
 
The priority list consists of four items. One is that the North 
return to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and again 
accept IAEA inspections. The other is that the North report on all 
of its nuclear development plans and its nuclear facilities. 
 
Ahead of the resumption of the six-party talks, the US took the lead 
in forming this list, insisting that the talks cannot go ahead under 
the same conditions that were applied before the nuclear test. 
Reportedly, the list was approved during such meetings as the one 
held in Hanoi among the chief delegates from Japan, the US, and 
South Korea, members of the six-party talks. According to US 
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, North Korean Vice 
Foreign Minister Kim Gye Gwan said, "I will take it home and discuss 
it." 
 
Meanwhile, in the US-South Korea summit talks held in Hanoi on Nov. 
18, President Bush conveyed to the South Korean president that the 
United States is ready to sign a document declaring an end to the 
Korean War, where there is currently only a cease-fire, according to 
a South Korean government official. 
 
 
TOKYO 00006795  004 OF 009 
 
 
5) Foreign Minister Aso meets with IAEA director-general, expresses 
hope for IAEA role in leading DPRK to drop its nuclear programs 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) 
December 1, 2006 
 
Foreign Minister Taro Aso late yesterday met with International 
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohammed ElBaradei at 
his ministry's Iikura Guest House and on the issue of how to 
dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons programs, he stated: "I hope 
to see the IAEA play a vital role in this context at an appropriate 
time in the future." ElBaradei, analyzing the reason why the North 
is intent to possess nuclear weapons, stated: "Presumably, that 
country is trying to go nuclear simply for the survival of the 
nation, not to exercise influence in the region." 
 
6) Aso unveils "arc of freedom and prosperity" initiative to support 
development of Asia, East Europe 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) 
December 1, 2006 
 
In a lecture meeting held yesterday at a Tokyo hotel by the Japan 
Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), Foreign Minister Taro Aso 
unveiled a new foreign policy called "an arc of freedom and 
prosperity" to support the efforts of Southeast Asia, Central Asia, 
and East Europe for democracy and economic development. The aim is 
to clarify Japan's global contributions and realize national 
interests by, for instance, securing natural resources. The 
government intends to define it as the Abe administration's key 
diplomatic strategy along with the Japan-US alliance and neighboring 
diplomacy. 
 
In his speech, Aso said: "We are going to add a new key element to 
the country's foreign policy of enhancing the Japan-US alliance and 
relations with neighboring countries, such as China, South Korea, 
and Russia." He then explained that Japan will: (1) develop 
"diplomacy of values" putting high priority on such universal values 
as democracy, freedom, human rights, and rule of law; and (2) play 
an active role in creating an "arc of freedom and prosperity" 
connecting emerging democracies around the Eurasian Continent. 
 
Specifically, Japan's support to that region would include continued 
support for Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam; assistance to the 
independent development of Central Asia and the stability of 
Afghanistan; and the stability of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and 
Moldova. Japan intends to establish a framework of dialogues with 
various countries, while pursuing cooperation with the EU and NATO. 
The government also plans to work closely with firms and NGOs 
actively conducting activities in those areas. 
 
7) Defense ministry bill clears Lower House 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) 
December 1, 2006 
 
A set of bills to upgrade the Defense Agency (JDA) to a ministry 
were adopted at yesterday's Lower House plenary session getting the 
approval of the ruling parties - the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 
and the New Komeito - the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or 
Minshuto), and the People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto), and 
was sent to the Upper House. The Japanese Communist Party and the 
 
TOKYO 00006795  005 OF 009 
 
 
Social Democratic Party voted against the bills. The bills will be 
enacted in mid-December. A defense ministry is expected to come into 
existence next January. 
 
The set of bills is intended to upgrade the JDA, currently the 
Cabinet Office's external organ, to an independent ministry and turn 
the JDA director general into a defense minister. The Self-Defense 
Forces' duties, such as international peacekeeping operations, 
transportation of Japanese nationals abroad in the event of 
emergency and providing logistical support in situations in areas 
surrounding Japan, will also be upgraded from additional duties to 
mainstay duties. Integration of the Defense Facilities 
Administration Agency (DFAA) into the defense ministry in fiscal 
2007 has also been incorporated. 
 
If the JDA becomes a defense ministry, the defense minister will be 
empowered to directly make proposals at cabinet meetings or file 
budgetary requests with the finance minister, over which the prime 
minister, the head of the Cabinet Office, currently has authority. 
 
The DPJ approved the bills, but Takahiro Yokomichi, Lower House vice 
speaker (temporarily left the party to serve in the post), opposed 
them. 
 
The Lower House Security Committee met prior to the plenary session 
and adopted an additional resolution calling on the government to 
exercise civilian control in a far-reaching manner and investigate 
wrongdoings involving government officials, such as the bid-rigging 
incident involving the DFAA. 
 
8) Minshuto, keeping in mind "ability to take power," approves 
defense ministry legislation, causing cracks in joint opposition 
front 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Excerpts) 
December 1, 2006 
 
Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) yesterday approved bills to 
upgrade the Defense Agency (JDA) to ministry status, changing its 
conventional confrontational stance against the government and the 
ruling camp. The policy switch reflects growing concern among 
conservative members that unless the party makes a realistic 
response regarding security issues, its ability to hold the reins of 
government might be questioned. Now that the coalition among 
Minshuto, the Japanese Communist Party, and the Social Democratic 
Party has collapsed, some effects are likely to appear in the 
management of the final stage of the current Diet session. 
 
In Minshuto, many members reportedly have favored the bills. Party 
head Ichiro Ozawa was also calling for elevating the JDA before his 
Liberal Party merged with Minshuto. Prior to the Okinawa 
gubernatorial election on Nov. 19, though, the main opposition party 
expressed opposition to taking a vote on the bills. The party wanted 
to avert a fissure in the opposition coalition, as well as a 
negative impact from appearing on the election outcome as a result 
of taking time in unifying views. 
 
Following Minshuto's defeat in the election, criticism erupted 
against Ozawa's confrontational stance against the ruling camp. In 
response, the executive finally launched an effort to unify views. 
Some voiced opposition to a measure to upgrade peacekeeping 
operations overseas to a main duty, one assailing: "The initial role 
 
TOKYO 00006795  006 OF 009 
 
 
of the SDF is to engage in operations based on the exclusively 
defense-oriented policy. No public agreement has been obtained for 
its overseas activities." But such voices were pushed out by views 
in favor of the bills held mainly by conservative members. 
 
9) Government to allow US aircraft to pass over residential areas to 
land at Nago V-shaped runways in both directions in emergency 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top play) (Abridged slightly) 
December 1, 2006 
 
The government decided yesterday to allow US military aircraft to 
use the V-shaped pair of runways to be constructed on the coastline 
of Camp Schwab in Nago - the controversial relocation site for 
Futenma Air Station - in both directions strictly in emergency 
situations in compliance with a US request. The government intends 
to formally convey its decision to the US side at a meeting of 
senior foreign and defense officials of the two countries on Dec. 
¶4. 
 
If two-way traffic is allowed, US aircraft would fly over 
residential areas. The government's decision is bound to draw fire 
from affected local municipalities that have accepted the V-shaped 
plan, believing flight paths would avoid residential zones. 
 
An agreement was reached in April this year between the government 
and affected municipalities, including Nago, to allow US aircraft to 
use the northern runway for landings and the southern runway for 
takeoffs in the event of north wind and vice versa in south wind. 
 
They decided not to allow two-way traffic in order to reduce 
accidents and noise by limiting flight paths to areas over the 
ocean. This agreement was designed to allow US aircraft to land only 
from the south in the event of north wind and from the north in a 
south wind. 
 
But in bilateral talks in October, the US asked Japan to allow 
two-way traffic in emergency situations regardless of wind 
direction. Japan has been studying the US request. 
 
As a result, the Defense Agency has concluded that the runways 
should be used in two directions strictly in emergency situations, 
such as a life-or-death situation concerning crewmembers or a lack 
of fuel. 
 
10) LDP to accept idea of lowering age of eligible voters for 
national referendum to 18 years 
 
SANKEI (Top Play) (Excerpts) 
December 1, 2006 
 
Concerning the national referendum bill needed for procedures to 
revise the Constitution, Hajime Funada, director of the Liberal 
Democratic Party Constitutional Research Special Committee, 
yesterday proposed at the Committee's examination task force meeting 
a plan to lower the age of voters eligible for a national referendum 
to 18 after a period of about three years. The Democratic Party of 
Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) is welcoming the proposal. With this 
proposal, the bill has taken a big step forward to passage during 
next year's regular Diet session, setting aside passage during the 
current session, which will come to a close soon. If civil law and 
other laws are revised in conjunction with this, the age of majority 
 
TOKYO 00006795  007 OF 009 
 
 
in Japan will become 18 in the near future. This will likely have a 
major impact on various aspects of the social system. 
 
Citing reasons for lowering the voting age, Funada noted during 
deliberations at the examination panel: "Many young people aged 18 
or 19 are active and discuss the issue very well. People aged 18 and 
over have the right to vote in many foreign countries. Main rules 
under the national referendum law should set the voting age at 18 
and over." He then said: "A supplementary provision will stipulate a 
three-year-or-so provisional measure and set that civil law and the 
Public Office Election Law, which stipulate the age of majority, and 
criminal law and procedures, which separates minors and adults, 
should be revised. During the period of the adoption of the 
provisional measure, the voting age will remain 20 and over." 
 
The ruling camp's original plan set the age of voters eligible for a 
national referendum at 20, the same as the age set under the Public 
Office Election Law. The proposal this time is apparently a 
compromise with the DPJ proposal. The DPJ has insisted that the 
voting age should be 18 and over. 
 
Yukio Edano, chairman of the DPJ Constitutional Research Council, 
during the panel meeting gave high marks to the proposal: "If the 
cabinet secures revisions to civil law and other related laws, we 
will take the proposal positively." 
 
11) Minshuto beefing up efforts to unify views on basic policies 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
December 1, 2006 
 
In a meeting of its Policy Research Council joined by all members at 
party headquarters yesterday, Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) 
launched an effort to unify views on its basic policies, which the 
party aims to finalize by year's end. Their draft includes measures 
to: (1) approve limited use of collective self-defense; and (2) keep 
the consumption tax at 5% and use all revenues to finance pension 
payments. 
 
In the meeting, former head Seiji Maehara criticized the party's 
decision of limiting the use of collective self-defense only to a 
case in which (Japan) is attacked suddenly and illegally. He 
claimed: "There will be no case that meets the condition. This is an 
ambiguous and ideological concept." Maehara also denounced the call 
for keeping the current consumption tax rate, saying, "The measure 
might be taken as an election ploy." 
 
By accelerating the process of formulating the party's basic 
policies, Minshuto aims to erase the criticism that the party is not 
united on policy and to be ready to devote itself to campaigning for 
the House of Councillors election next summer. On the defense 
ministry legislation and other security issues, however, the party 
is still divided. Things are unlikely to proceed as anticipated by 
the executive. 
 
12) Minshuto's "administrative policies" draw criticisms 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged) 
December 1, 2006 
 
The major opposition Munshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) yesterday 
kicked off full-scale discussions on its draft set of basic policies 
 
TOKYO 00006795  008 OF 009 
 
 
for running the government. The plan to finance the pension programs 
totally with consumption tax revenues while keeping the rate at 5% 
drew fierce objections. 
 
Attended by some 100 Minshuto lawmakers of the two houses of the 
Diet, the meeting pointed out problems associated with the plans 
drafted by President Ichiro Ozawa. 
 
Former President Katsuya Okada and others urged the party to 
continue upholding the plan to raise the consumption tax by 3 
points, as was mentioned in the party's campaign pledges for the 
Lower House election last year. 
 
Maehara also criticized the draft plan partially allowing the 
country to exercise the right to collective self-defense without 
dwelling on the history of discussions on whether it is individual 
or collective self-defense as ambiguous and ideological. 
 
The party plans to produce a final plan before the end of the year 
after holding several meetings. 
 
13) Meguro Ward Assembly: Six New Komeito members, assembly chairman 
quit 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 29) (Excerpts) 
December 1, 2006 
 
The Tokyo Meguro Ward Assembly at yesterday's plenary session 
formally accepted letters of resignation submitted by all six 
Assembly members who belong to the New Komeito to take 
responsibility for the improper use of administrative affairs 
investigation expenses. Chairman Nobuo Miyazawa of the Liberal 
Democratic Party (LDP) also resigned to take responsibility for the 
unusual situation in which all members of the second largest group 
resigned. 
 
The six New Komeito members whose resignation was accepted are 
Takayoshi Shimazaki, Ichiro Tawara, Kunio Kobayashi, Yoshio 
Terashima, Eriko Kawasaki and Yoji Nakajima. 
 
The 36-seat Assembly will have eight vacancies, but there will be no 
by-elections. Nearly one-fourth of the seats will remain vacant 
until next spring's unified local elections. 
 
The six New Komeito members who submitted letters of resignation did 
not attend the plenary session. 
 
Miyazawa also allegedly spent funds in an inappropriate manner, as 
the financial audit carried out in response to a filed by ward 
residents unveiled his purchase of a cushion with the fund. However, 
when he announced his resignation as chairman at the plenary 
session, he did not touch on that at all. 
 
The ruling party at the plenary session adopted a censure motion 
against opposition party members who have pursued the series of 
improper uses of the funds. The opposition camp submitted a 
resolution urging Miyazawa, who stepped down as chairman, to resign. 
The uproar during the plenary session continued into the night. 
 
Checks by chairman did not function at all 
 
The Meguro Ward Assembly has an agreement on the criteria of usage 
 
TOKYO 00006795  009 OF 009 
 
 
of funds for administrative affairs investigation. Under the 
agreement, Assembly members submit spending reports to the chairman, 
and the assembly secretariat checks the propriety of the reports at 
the request of the chairman. However, the agreement is a so-called 
gentleman's agreement with no legal power. The chairman himself was 
found to have spent funds in an improper way, revealing that the 
checking function did not work at all. 
 
SCHIEFFER