VZCZCXRO1224
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #1420/01 0920356
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 020356Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2245
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//
RUALSFJ/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA//J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/COMPATWING ONE KAMI SEYA JA
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 2951
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 0492
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 4007
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 9831
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 1436
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6409
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 2485
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3783

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TOKYO 001420 
 
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 04/02/07-1 
 
 
1) Top headlines 
2) Editorials 
3) Prime Minister's daily schedule 
 
Historical issues: 
4) Interview with Rep. Mike Honda on comfort-women resolution before 
the House: Japan "not sincere" on comfort-women issue; vote to come 
after Abe visit 
5) In unusual move, Senator Inoue sends letter to House sponsors of 
comfort women resolution warning it would have bad effect on 
US-Japan relations 
6) Scholars, researchers, activists meet in Washington for symposium 
on comfort-women 
7) Screeners excise all mention from school textbooks of military 
coercion, involvement in Okinawa mass suicide prior to US invasion 
at end of war 
 
Diplomatic issues: 
8) Prime Minister Abe: Japan's support of launching of Iraq war was 
unavoidable 
9) Abe meets visiting former Secretary of State Kissinger 
10) Officials deny alleged existence of secret pact between Japan, 
ROK at time of normalization on disposition of disputed Takeshima 
(Dokto) isles 
Articles: 
 
1) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi: 
Health Ministry research team sets metabolic syndrome standards for 
children 
 
Mainichi: Tokyo Shimbun: 
Ishihara ahead of Asano in Tokyo; Matsuzawa ahead in Kanagawa 
 
Yomiuri: 
MLIT to use manual to nurture career-track bureaucrats into 
full-fledged officials in three to four years after entry 
 
Nihon Keizai: 
Low-cost 29-year housing loan to be put on market, possibly in 
summer: Japan Housing Finance Agency to expand tie-up loan products 
 
Sankei: 
University of the Sacred Heart, Waseda University professors found 
to have gotten PhDs from diploma mills; Research committee to be 
established 
 
Akahata: 
First half of unified local elections: Fierce campaign battle seen 
across nation 
 
2) EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) New human resources bank just a way to keep amakurari in place 
(2) Olympic bid: Decision time approaching 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) Equal Employment Opportunity Law: Eliminate sex discrimination 
from workplace 
(2) Rise in land prices: Revitalizing local economies urgent 
 
TOKYO 00001420  002 OF 008 
 
 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) Anonymous posting online: Lawless slander unacceptable 
(2) US-ROK alliance: Will measures against North Korea remain firm? 
 
Nihon Keizai: 
(1) Market testing not going smoothly: Is the government to blame? 
(2) New employees, sharpen yourselves 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Bullying subcontractors: Rampancy will undermine 
competitiveness 
(2) Law to prevent secret recording of movies: Harsh punishment 
appropriate to prevent piracy 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) High school history textbook screening will distort historical 
facts 
(2) Leather handcuffs: Make what is going on in prisons transparent 
 
Akahata: 
(1) School textbook screening: Denying coercion by military 
government glorifies war 
 
3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, March 30 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2)  (Full) 
March 31, 2007 
 
09:02 
Attended a cabinet meeting at Kantei. Later, met Health, Labor and 
Welfare Minister Yanagisawa, Health Bureau Director General 
Sotoguchi, and Pharmaceutical and Food Affairs Bureau Director 
General Takahashi. 
 
10:14 
Met incoming UN Deputy Secretary General Kiyotaka Akasaka. Then, 
posed for photos with members of the International Traditional 
Artists Association. 
 
11:00 
Met Defense Vice Minister Moriya and Defense Intelligence 
Headquarters Chief Mukunoki. Moriya stayed behind. 
 
12:27 
Met Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki and Deputy Chief Cabinet 
Secretary Matoba. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
12:43 
Attended a special social gathering for discussion of the Fuji 
Sankei Group at the Hotel Okura. 
 
14:43 
Met Matoba at the Kantei. 
 
15:05 
Met Comprehensive Science and Technology Conference member Ichiro 
Kanazawa. Later attended its meeting. 
 
16:19 
 
TOKYO 00001420  003 OF 008 
 
 
Met with former Secretary of State Kissinger. 
 
17:28 
Met Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shimomura. Followed by Cabinet 
Intelligence Director Mitani. 
 
18:50 
Attended a reception for upgraded Defense Ministry at the Hotel 
Grand Hill Ichigaya. 
 
19:15 
Dined with the political department heads of press companies at a 
Chinese restaurant at Kudan-kita. 
 
22:06 
Returned to his official residence. 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, March 31 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2)  (Full) 
 
April 1, 2007 
 
Morning 
Stayed at his official residence. 
 
16:27 
Attended wedding of eldest daughter of Financial Services Minister 
Yamamoto at a hotel. 
 
20:45 
Arrived at his private residence in Tomigaya. 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, April 1 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2)  (Full) 
 
April 2, 2007 
 
Morning 
Stayed at his private residence in Tomigaya. 
 
14:00 
Went to fitness club in the Grand Hyatt Tokyo in Roppongi. 
 
17:25 
Arrived at his private residence. 
 
4) Interview with US House of Representatives Congressman Honda: 
Japan has not been sincere about comfort-women issue; We aim to 
adopt House resolution after Prime Minister Abe's US visit 
 
ASAHI (Page 2) (Full) 
March 31, 2007 
 
By Yoichi Kato in Washington 
 
Rep. Mike Honda of the US House of Representatives (Democratic 
Party, California's 15 district), who has presented a resolution 
before the House calling on the Japanese government to "officially 
apologize" for the wartime comfort-women issue, responded on March 
29 to a telephone interview with this newspaper. Although there is 
 
TOKYO 00001420  004 OF 008 
 
 
no change in his thinking of seeking an official apology, the voting 
on the resolution by the full House will not be held until after 
Shinzo Abe visits the US in late April, as a courtesy to the 
visiting prime minister. 
 
The following are the main exchanges in the interview. 
 
-- Why have you presented the resolution? 
 
"I believe this is the third time for a resolution of this sort for 
the same purpose has been presented to the House. This time, as a 
result of the midterm election last fall, the leadership of the 
committee switched to the Democratic Party, and it has become a lot 
easier to bring the resolution to the floor." 
 
-- Why is the resolution important for the US? 
 
"Rather than for the US, it is more important for the victims who 
were forced to serve as comfort women. The 20th Century saw a series 
of wars; the 21st Century, in my view, should be a time of 
reconciliation. Although many peace treaties have been signed, there 
are still unresolved issues. This is one of them." 
 
-- The Japanese government has pointed out that your resolution is 
based on erroneous facts. 
 
"I know that the Japanese embassy has been saying that there are 
factual mistakes and that Japan has already apologized. But if I am 
mistaken, then many other countries are mistaken, as well. I am 
prepared at any time to go to Japan and debate the prime minister." 
 
-- Is there any change in your thinking of seeking an apology from 
Japan? 
 
"I'm only thinking about the treatment that the comfort women should 
have received. I know that a number of prime ministers have issued 
their personal apologies and expressed their sentiments, but such 
were neither recognized by the government nor the Diet." 
 
-- Do you think the so-called Kono Statement is insufficient, even 
though it recognized the government's and the military's involvement 
and apologized for it? 
 
"I would like to ask you whether it was ever adopted by the cabinet 
or by the Diet. At the time of its apology, Japan was very 
selective. It would be issued by the prime minister and approved by 
the Diet." 
 
-- Will the House vote on the resolution after Prime Minister Abe 
visits the US? 
 
"We will constrain all our moves until after the prime minister 
visits the US, out of courtesy for his position. Otherwise, I fear 
it would have an impact on his influence. I would like the prime 
minister to try to gain an understanding of the American people. By 
delaying the adoption of the resolution, we are giving him a chance 
to the do so. The voting on it will be in May." 
 
-- What is the outlook? 
 
"There are already 75 co-sponsors of the resolution. These are not 
just Democrats but Republicans, as well. There are not just liberals 
 
TOKYO 00001420  005 OF 008 
 
 
supporting it; there are conservatives lined up, as well. House 
Speaker Pelosi also backs it. Out target is 120. (The total count in 
House is 435). 
 
5) US Senator sends letter to House of Representatives stating 
opposition to comfort-women resolution: "It will have an ill effect 
on US relations with Japan" 
 
SANKEI (Page 2) (Excerpt) 
April 1, 2007 
 
By Takashi Arimoto in Washington 
 
This newspaper learned on March 30 that Senator Daniel Inouye 
(elected from Hawaii), a member of the Democratic Party with 
Japanese ancestry, has sent letters to Democratic Rep. Tom Lantos, 
who heads the House Foreign Relations Committee, and other members 
of the House urging them not to adopt a resolution submitted to the 
House that denounces Japan on the comfort-women issue. He stated: 
"It is not only unnecessary, it also would have an ill-effect on US 
relations with Japan." 
 
It is rare for a Senator to come out with a objection to a 
resolution before the House of Representatives. The resolution was 
presented to the House by another member of Congress of Japanese 
ancestry, Mike Honda (Democrat), but the opposition statement by 
Inoue, who is a senior member of the Democratic Party, is likely to 
have an effect on the course of the resolution as it makes its way 
through the House. 
 
6) Japanese, US researchers participate in symposium on Japan's war 
of aggression, including "wartime comfort women" issue, held in 
Washington 
 
AKAHATA (Page 6) (Full) 
April 2, 2007 
 
Yumi Kamazuka, Washington 
 
A symposium to discuss Japan's past colonial rule and war of 
aggression and relations with Asian countries today was held in 
Washington on March 30. The conference was hosted by the 
Washington-based US Institute of Peace (USIP). Japanese researchers 
and civic activists were invited to the meeting, and joining the 
meeting were some 50 American researchers. 
 
In the session, lawyer Hiroshi Oyama introduced the so-called 
"Ienaga" textbook suit and suits filed by Chinese victims of the war 
and pointed out that in this series of lawsuits, "facts of Japan's 
aggression were acknowledged in detail." 
 
Shinichi Arai, professor emeritus at Ibaraki University and 
Surugadai University, based on his experience as an army soldier at 
the time of the end of WWII, told about how the military of the time 
destroyed evidence, saying, "I was ordered to burn all documents." 
He asserted that the lack of "definite documentation" has allowed 
"assumptions and irresponsible arguments" denying historical facts 
to "spread." 
 
Tokushi Kasahara, professor at Tsuru University, based on his survey 
of Japanese and Chinese students, explained about the gap in 
historical perceptions between the two countries. Touching on 
 
TOKYO 00001420  006 OF 008 
 
 
Japan's political situation, Kasahara said politicians have 
obstructed inclusions of descriptions of such matters as the Nanjing 
Massacre in school textbooks and mentioned their series of "attacks 
against textbooks." 
 
USIP's Deputy Director of Education Program Helsing, who presided 
over the meeting, lauded reports from Japanese participants as "one 
move of Japan that is not reported by mass media." Rumiko Nishino, 
director of the Women's Active Museum on War and Peace (WAM), 
referred to the role played by a civilian court, the "Women's 
International War Crimes Trial," which tried the case of the former 
Imperial Japanese Army's sexual slavery in 2000 and explained that 
the WAM is trying to make clear the responsibilities of the 
assailant country. 
 
Hidemaru Kin, who served as chief of the secretariat at the "Kusa no 
Ne" (Grassroots) Peace Memorial Hall in Kochi City, reported that a 
Japan-South Korea joint civic group investigated the remains of 
Korean victims of forced labor in Hokkaido during WWII. 
 
Summing up the conference, Prof. Mike Mochizuki at George Washington 
University, stated that when it came to America's involvement in the 
process of Japan and East Asian countries resolving the historical 
issues as "judge and mediator," "The US was not clean either, so I 
can't assure what the US did was good." Mochizuki suggested 
"supporting an effort to build a institutional foundation for 
holding discussions at each society level." 
 
The Japanese participants plan to hold a series of symposiums to 
pursue war responsibility in Asia and Europe this year marking the 
70th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre. They regard the conference 
in Washington this time as the first round of that series. 
 
7) Screeners of high-school textbooks revise passages on Battle of 
Okinawa to remove "military coercion" of civilians to commit mass 
suicide 
 
ASAHI (Top play) (Excerpts) 
March 31, 2007 
 
In the process of screening geography, history, and civics 
textbooks, the Education Ministry asked textbook publishers for the 
first time ever to remove the description "the former Imperial 
Japanese Army forced civilians" to commit mass suicide in passages 
describing the Battle of Okinawa, the Asahi Shimbun has learned. 
This change reflects a shift in the ministry previous judgment on 
the grounds of documents and testimonies denying military coercion. 
Regarding issues relating to foreign and political affairs, such as 
the Iraq war and the prime minister's visits to Yasukuni Shrine, 
textbook publishers have continued to be asked over the past several 
years to follow the government's views in textbook descriptions. 
 
The textbooks subject to the screening this time were the ones for 
high school students (mainly sophomores and juniors). A total of 222 
out of 224 textbooks were approved. The two not approved were both 
biology textbooks. Among the category of geography, history, and 
civics textbooks, seven history textbooks that stated that in the 
Battle of Okinawa, "the former Imperial Japanese Army forced 
civilians to commit suicide," were told by the ministry: "It is not 
possible to conclude that the military ordered civilians to commit 
mass suicide. The description may cause a misunderstanding." As a 
result, the publishers of these seven textbooks revised the 
 
TOKYO 00001420  007 OF 008 
 
 
description in question to read: "Civilians were driven to commit 
suicide." This sort of suggestion was not given in the process of 
screening history textbooks last year. 
 
The ministry explained the reasons for the shift from its previous 
judgment: (1) there are two kinds of documents, those asserting 
there were "military orders" and others denying there were orders; 
(2) the former military personnel who were alleged to have ordered 
civilians to commit mass suicide on Kerama islands and the bereaved 
families (of those who had died) filed libel suits; (3) recent 
studies have placed more importance on civilians' mental condition 
than whether there were orders or not. The ministry will inform 
publishers whose textbooks were approved in the screening last year 
of its current judgment, but it will not ask them to revise their 
textbooks immediately. 
 
8) Prime Minister Abe: Japan had no choice but to support start of 
Iraq war 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
March 31, 2007 
 
Asked by reporters about Japan having supported the US decision to 
launch the Iraq war, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on March 30 
responded: 
 
"At that time there was a rational reason for Japan to back the US 
armed attacks. Although the United Nations Security Council 
repeatedly warned Iraq, that country ignored UNSC resolutions. Japan 
had no choice but to support the war, even though there was no proof 
that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction." 
 
9) Prime minister meets with Kissinger 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
March 31, 2007 
 
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met on March 30 with former US Secretary 
of State Henry Kissinger, who is now visiting Japan, at the Prime 
Minister's Official Residence (Kantei). Kissinger expressed 
understanding for Japan's position regarding the issue of North 
Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals. Abe and Kissinger shared 
the perception that it is important for Japan and the United States 
to strengthen cooperation in order to resolve the abduction issue, 
as well as to have North Korea abandon all its nuclear weapons 
programs. Kissinger also met later with Foreign Minister Taro Aso. 
 
10) Japan, South Korea have no secret agreement on Takeshima/Dokdo 
islets 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
March 31, 2007 
 
The government adopted in a cabinet meeting on March 30 a response 
letter denying media reports that there was a secret agreement that 
Japan and South Korea would not raise objections to the other's 
territorial claims over the Takeshima/Dokdo islets. The letter says 
that Japan cannot accept South Korea's illegal occupation of the 
islets and that an agreement between the two countries made in 
secret cannot be permitted. The cabinet decision was made to respond 
 
SIPDIS 
to a question by House of Representatives member Mineo Suzuki of the 
New Party Taichi. 
 
TOKYO 00001420  008 OF 008 
 
 
 
SCHIEFFER