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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 12 TOKYO 001689 
 
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 04/18/07 
 
 
1) Top headlines 
2) Editorials 
3) Prime Minister's daily schedule 
 
4) Prime Minister Abe extends condolences for Virginia shootings in 
letter to President Bush 
 
5) Prime Minister Abe's schedule for Golden Week overseas trip is 
set 
 
China relations: 
6) China criticizes LDP's policy chief Shoichi Nakagawa for recent 
remark 
7) LDP foreign affairs committees critical of recent visit by 
Chinese Premier Wen as "words only" 
 
8) Japan, Russia confirm cooperation on resolving North Korea 
nuclear issue 
 
Nagasaki shooting: 
9) Nagasaki mayor shot and seriously wounded by rightist 
10) Politicians fear Nagasaki election-campaign shooting may be a 
threat to democracy 
11) Ruling and opposition camps angry about shooting of Nagasaki 
mayor 
12) Defense Minister Kyuma wants substitute candidate system in case 
main candidate suddenly indisposed 
 
Political agenda: 
13) Election for local mayors and assemblies proclaimed 
14) Farm ministry's quarantine inspectors wined and dined abroad by 
local agricultural associations 
15) Ruling and opposition camps clash in Diet over three education 
reform bills 
 
16) Seamen involved in Aegis information leak lied about not having 
personal computers at home 
 
Environment: 
17) Japan, US to increase cooperation on global warming 
countermeasures 
18) METI, Environment Ministry at odds over introducing an 
environment tax 
 
19) In final speech, IBM executive who is stepping down as head of 
Keizai Doyukai promotes continued regulatory reform 
 
Articles: 
 
1) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi, Mainichi, Yomiuri, Sankei, Tokyo Shimbun & Akahata: 
Nagasaki mayor shot twice by mobster in front of his office and in 
grave condition; Mobster arrested 
 
Nihon Keizai: 
Major companies to make good use of workers age 60 or above with 
Fanuc raising the retirement age to 65 and Toyota beginning a 
less-than-five-day work week system 
 
2) EDITORIALS 
 
 
TOKYO 00001689  002 OF 012 
 
 
Asahi: 
(1) Nagasaki mayor shot: Deplorable terrorism 
(2) Gun rampage in US: Stricter gun control needed 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) Nagasaki mayor shot: Violence unforgivable 
(2) Random shooting at US university: Fresh approach needed for gun 
control 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) Shooting of Nagasaki mayor: Terrorism during election campaign 
(2) Slush fund scandal involving Senshu University's Kitakami Senior 
High School: Japan Senior High School Baseball Federation 
responsible 
 
Nihon Keizai: 
(1) Full-fledged debate needed for realization of comprehensive 
exchange 
(2) Reform the IMF and World Bank 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Shooting of Nagasaki mayor: Terrorism unforgivable 
(2) Slush fund scandal involving Senshu University's Kitakami Senior 
High School: Need to review the Student Baseball Charter 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) Job-placement office: Who is responsible for safety net? 
(2) High school baseball: Don't turn away from the scandals 
 
Akahata: 
Nagasaki mayor shot: We denounce terrorism that occurred amid policy 
debates 
 
3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, April 17 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 18, 2007 
 
08:20 
Met Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shimomura at Kantei. 
 
09:02 
Attended a cabinet meeting. Foreign Minister Aso stayed on. Met 
afterward Finance Minister Omi. 
 
10:04 
Met at Kantei with Ambassador to the US Kato, followed by Deputy 
Foreign Minister Kono. 
 
11:04 
Met Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki, followed by Education Minister 
Ibuki and others. 
 
12:01 
Met Shimomura. 
 
13:15 
Attended a Lower House plenary session. 
 
16:58 
 
TOKYO 00001689  003 OF 012 
 
 
Gave an interview at Kantei to Newsweek, followed by The Wall Street 
Journal. 
 
17:57 
Attended a Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy meeting. Japan 
Business Federation Chairman Mitarai stayed on. 
 
19:37 
Returned to his official residence. 
 
4) Prime Minister Abe sends a letter of sympathy to US President 
Bush over gun rampage 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) 
April 18, 2007 
 
Prime Minister Abe yesterday sent a letter of sympathy to President 
Bush over the gun rampage at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Abe 
told reporters: "I offered my sincere prayer for the many innocent 
young victims. I feel strong indignation when I consider the sorrow 
of the relatives of the victims." 
 
5) Prime minister to make tour of US, Middle East during Golden Week 
holidays, including visit to air base in Kuwait to encourage ASDF 
troops 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
April 18, 2007 
 
The government announced yesterday the itinerary for Prime Minister 
Shinzo Abe's planned trip to the United States and the Middle East. 
 
The prime minister will leave Haneda Airport by a government plane 
on the morning of April 26. On the night of the 27th, Japan time, he 
will meet with President Bush at Camp David outside Washington. The 
two leaders are expected to confirm the importance of strengthening 
the Japan-US alliance and to discuss North Korea's nuclear and 
abduction issues, the situation in the Middle East, and other 
issues. 
 
The prime minister will leave the US on the morning of April 28, 
Japan time, for five Middle Eastern countries. He will discuss the 
Middle East peace process and engage in summit diplomacy focusing on 
oil resources. 
 
Prime Minister Abe will meet King Abdullah early on April 29 in 
Riyad, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and President Khalifa that night 
in Abud Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. On the 
afternoon of the 30th, he will meet with Prime Minister Muhammad in 
Dubai. That night, he will meet Prime Minister Nasir and others in 
Kuwait. 
 
On the afternoon of May 1, the prime minister will visit the air 
base in which about 200 Air Self-Defense Force troops have been 
stationed on an Iraq reconstruction mission to encourage them. 
Later, he will leave for Doha, the capital of Qatar to meet 
President Hamad. On the night of the 2nd, he will meet President 
Mubarak in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. He is scheduled to return 
home on the afternoon of the 3rd. 
 
6) China rebuts Nakagawa 
 
 
TOKYO 00001689  004 OF 012 
 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 18, 2007 
 
In reaction to Liberal Democratic Party Policy Research Council 
Chairman Shoichi Nakagawa's description of Chinese Premier Wen 
Jiabao's visit to Japan as "senseless," Chinese Foreign Ministry 
press officer Liu Chienchao said in a press conference yesterday: 
"Both Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Premier Wen are top leaders of 
the two governments. (Wen's visit to Japan) was appropriate in view 
of diplomatic protocol." 
 
7) LDP lawmakers criticize China's words as lip service 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 18, 2007 
 
The Liberal Democratic Party held foreign affairs joint conference 
yesterday in which the agreement reached earlier between Prime 
Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was criticized, 
many raising questions about substance behind those words. 
 
 
For instance, Katsuei Hirasawa said: "Premier Wen said China will 
cooperate on the abduction issue, but how would they do so 
specifically? That might be just his lip service." Yoshiaki Harada 
criticized China's moves regarding the development of gas fields in 
the East China Sea, saying: "Can we really afford to feel happy that 
the ice has melted?" Another attendant noted: "We must also push 
ahead with our test drilling to counter China." 
 
8) Japanese and Russian chief negotiators on six-party talks confirm 
cooperation 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
April 18, 2007 
 
Foreign Ministry Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director General 
Kenichiro Sasae, Japan's chief envoy to the six-party talks on North 
Korea's nuclear programs, met yesterday with visiting Russian Deputy 
Foreign Minister Losyukov. In the meeting, they agreed that to urge 
North Korea to implement the first steps to abandon its nuclear 
weapons as early as possible. After the meeting, Losyukov told 
reporters: "What is important is not a timetable for future talks, 
but how we push forward with the situation. Setting a new target 
date for the implementation is not constructive." 
 
9) Nagasaki mayor shot twice in front of election campaign office, 
now in critical condition; Gangster held 
 
ASAHI (Top play) (Excerpts) 
April 18, 2007 
 
Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito, 61, was shot twice at around 7:50 p.m. 
yesterday from the back by an ambushed gunman in front of his 
election campaign office in Daikokucho in the city near JR Nagasaki 
Station. Immediately after being shot, Ito was taken to the Nagasaki 
University Hospital of Medicine and Dentistry to be placed intensive 
care. But he was in cardiorespiratory arrest and in a critical 
condition, according to hospital sources. 
 
Commentary 
 
 
TOKYO 00001689  005 OF 012 
 
 
Ito was attacked in front of his office in the midst of election 
campaigning. He was deprived of his freedom of speech, a basic 
democratic right, by physical violence before the voters made their 
decision. The incident is a threat to Japanese politics. 
 
Although many politicians have been attacked in the postwar period, 
an attack on a candidate in election campaigning has been extremely 
rare. In 1960, Inejiro Asanuma, chairman of the then Japan Socialist 
Party, was stabbed to death while delivering a speech before 
election campaigning kicked off. The attack on Ito is as shocking as 
the Asanuma incident. 
 
That is because Ito was attacked during his election campaigning, a 
period any candidate's political activities to publicize his or her 
policies and political beliefs must be guaranteed to the maximum. In 
1990, then Nagasaki Mayor Hitoshi Motoshima was also shot due to his 
political standpoint. Although this time, the gunman did not mean to 
attack Ito's political standpoint per se, what he did is undoubtedly 
regarded as a threat to political campaigning that must be 
guaranteed under any circumstances. 
 
This is the second time the Nagasaki mayor has been attacked. The 
rise of a trend to give in to violence, such as people's reluctance 
to run in mayoral races, would be a failure of democracy. In order 
to prevent such a trend from arising, lawmakers and the public must 
take resolute stances. 
 
The attack on Ito is not a mere attempted murder. How are the 
political parties and lawmakers going to behave by taking this 
incident as a threat to democracy? We, voters, must keep a close 
watch on them. 
 
10) Nagasaki mayor shot: Gangland syndicates hunting for local 
stakes 
 
YOMIURI (Page 3) (Abridged) 
April 18, 2007 
 
Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Itoh, 61, was shot by a gangster. The incident 
has rocked the government. The hitman was a high-ranking gangster, 
so the National Police Agency, which has been focusing on measures 
against organized crimes, directed the Nagasaki Prefectural Police 
Headquarters to investigate the shooting in a thoroughgoing way. 
However, experts are calling for new legislation against the 
underworld. 
 
Democracy undermined 
 
The attack seriously shocked government officials and lawmakers in 
the ruling and opposition parties. "It's an act that undermines 
democracy," one of them said. In the past, there have been terrorist 
incidents that targeted politicians. In the incident this time, 
however, a candidate campaigning for a mayoral election was 
attacked. All the more because of how unusual it was, politicians 
were also greatly shocked. 
 
Prime Minister Abe received a report from his secretary last evening 
on the shooting and said he wanted investigative authorities to 
conduct a strict investigation. Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki 
also said violence against public officials was absolutely 
impermissible. 
 
 
TOKYO 00001689  006 OF 012 
 
 
In the past, there have been terrorist incidents that targeted 
politicians. In 1960, Inejiro Asanuma, the then chairman of the 
Japan Socialist Party, was stabbed to death. In 1990, Hitoshi 
Motojima, the then mayor of Nagasaki City, was shot. In 1992, a 
right-wing group member fired a gun at Shin Kanemaru, the then vice 
president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. 
 
Among recent cases, the home of former LDP Secretary General Koichi 
Kato's parents was burned down by a member of a right-wing group. 
Prosecutors stated that the rightist committed the crime after 
reading Kato's remarks about Japan-China relations and Yasukuni 
Shrine. "The mayor was shot in the midst of political activities," 
Kato said yesterday, adding: "This kind of incident must not happen 
ever again. We must not have a world in which we abstain from 
engaging in political activities or refraining from saying things." 
 
The mayor was shot when he was campaigning for the mayoral election. 
LDP Secretary General Nakagawa commented: "There must not be any 
attempts to assassinate someone who holds different political 
position. We will resolutely defend the freedom of political thought 
and oppose such violence." 
 
Defense Minister Kyuma, who is elected from Nagasaki, told 
reporters: "It's totally unfathomable that a terrorist incident 
would occur in the midst of election campaigning. It's really 
tragic." 
 
11) "Challenge to democracy," senior members of ruling and 
opposition parties say with anger 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
April 18, 2007 
 
Former Secretary General Koichi Kato of the ruling Liberal 
Democratic Party (LDP), whose office in his hometown was torched by 
a right-wing group member last August, yesterday spoke to reporters 
in the Diet about the shooting of Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito: "It is a 
dark incident. We must not allow any cases of politicians in the 
midst of campaigning being unable to express their views due to such 
violence." Based on his experience, Kato expressed concern: "This 
case must not lead to people refraining from speaking in the wake of 
this incident. The people need to share the perception that the 
threat of violence should not stop them from speaking out; otherwise 
this kind of incident will continue." 
 
"We defend our political credo" 
 
The shooting incident involving the Nagasaki mayor greatly shocked 
political circles. Leaders of the ruling and opposition parties 
expressed anger, taking the incident as a crisis in a democratic 
society with a politician being shot in the midst of campaigning. 
 
Late yesterday at 8:03 p.m., Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was informed 
by his secretary of the incident. Afterwards, he issued this 
statement: "I hope authorities will rigorously investigate this 
case, and that the truth will be made clear." Chief Cabinet 
Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki made this comment: "Whatever reasons 
 
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there may be, it's a cowardly act to use violence toward a person in 
public office. We simply can't tolerate it." 
 
LDP Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa denounced the shooting: "I 
was shocked. An act of gunning down the person with a different 
 
TOKYO 00001689  007 OF 012 
 
 
political stance must not occur. We must defend freedom of political 
belief and oppose this kind of violence. 
 
The junior coalition New Komeito's Policy Research Council Chairman 
Tetsuo Saito said in a press interview: "I was shocked. We don't 
know what the shooter was trying to say by using violence, but his 
act was no more than a challenge to democracy. It was an 
impermissible act of violence." 
 
The opposition Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ or Minshuto) 
Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama said: "I have no words to express 
 
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my feelings about it. We simply can't allow any act of violence, 
particularly using a gun. We must not allow Japan to become a 
country where people casually carry guns. It's politicians' 
responsibility to take every possible measure in order to eliminate 
this kind of incident." 
 
The opposition Japanese Communist Party's (JCP) Chairman Kazuo Shii 
stressed the need to take preventive measures, noting: "I'm in a 
furious rage at the person who took such a violent act. This 
cowardly act of terror is taken as a most ferocious attack against 
our country's freedom and democracy. We simply can't allow it." 
 
12) Defense Minister Kyuma refers to fielding new candidate in 
Nagasaki mayoral election, saying, "We must be prepared for the 
worst" 
 
ASAHI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
April 18, 2007 
 
Hearing the news that Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito was shot last night, 
Defense Minister Kyuma (Lower House member elected in Nagasaki No. 2 
constituency), who is on good terms with Ito, told reporters, "I am 
very worried about his condition." He added: 
 
"We must be prepared for the worst, but there seem to be defects in 
the relevant law. If a candidate should die three days before the 
voting date, fielding a new candidate is possible, but after that, 
we cannot do that. In such a case, since the election will be a 
one-on-one fight between the candidate endorsed by the Japanese 
Communist Party (JCP) and other two independent candidates, the 
JCP-backed candidate will undoubtedly be elected. The government 
must prepare thorough legal measures." 
 
Though Kyuma pointed out legal problems, his remark is likely to be 
criticized as imprudent. 
 
In the Nagasaki mayoral election on April 22, three other candidates 
- two independents and one from the JCP, apart from Ito - are 
running. 
 
According to the election department of the Internal Affairs and 
Communications Ministry, under the Public Office Election Law, if 
one of more than two candidates in a mayoral election shall die 
within three days before the election date, the political party 
concerned is allowed to field a new candidate, with no limit on the 
number of candidates. In a case where one of only two candidates 
shall die, the voting date is deferred by five days and the party 
concerned is allowed to field new candidates up to three days before 
the reset voting date. 
 
13) Campaigning starts for 156 mayoral elections, as well as for 
 
TOKYO 00001689  008 OF 012 
 
 
assembly elections in 448 towns and villages 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 18, 2007 
 
The official campaigning for mayoral elections in 156 towns and 
villages and assembly elections in 448 towns and villages kicked off 
yesterday. A total of 270 persons filed their candidacies for the 
mayoral elections. In the 156 towns and villages, 60 new 
unchallenged mayors were elected without going through voting. The 
percentage of the uncontested elections was 38%, a drop of 13 points 
from the 2003 unified regional elections. Only four women filed 
candidacies in the 156 mayoral races. The elections will take place 
on April 22 along with city mayoral and assembly elections. In some 
wards and cities, the counting of votes will be conducted on April 
¶23. 
 
The number of mayoral elections is about 30% of that of the previous 
unified local elections and the number of assembly elections is 
about 40% of the 2003 unified regional races. The reason for the 
drops in the numbers of elections is the reduction in the number of 
posts through municipal mergers. 
 
It is now definite that the mayoral election in Toyo Town, Kochi 
Prefecture, which applied for the first time across the nation to be 
the candidate site for the construction of a high-level radioactive 
waste disposal facility, is going to be a fierce fight between the 
former town mayor, who made the decision to apply, and a new-face 
candidate, who opposes it. 
 
A total of 6,544 candidates are running for the 5,627 seats in the 
448 assemblies. Of the 6,544, 732 candidates were elected 
unopposed. 
 
14) MAFF plant protection officers received excessive entertainment 
from Australian farm group 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 1) (Excerpts) 
April 18, 2007 
 
It was found yesterday that the plant protection officers dispatched 
by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to 
check to see if proper measures have been taken to exterminate 
insects received excessive entertainment from a local farm group. 
The revelation may undermine the confidence of Japan's plant 
quarantine. 
 
According to MAFF, Mediterranean fruit flies and other harmful 
insects are prevalent in Australia. To prevent such insects from 
being brought into Japan, the government has banned the import of 
oranges, kiwis, apples, and other fruits from Australia in 
principle. But it has made exceptions and permitted imports if it 
finds measures to kill insects at a low temperature have been 
properly taken. The ministry has sent several plant protection 
officials to Queensland during the season of shipment time for 
fruits every year. 
 
According to accounting data of a local agricultural group and 
informed sources, two officials who were dispatched for six months 
starting last June were flooded with invitations, including tours of 
Ayers Rock and Tasmania, as well as wining and dining at Japanese 
restaurants in Melbourne on weekends. The local farm group 
 
TOKYO 00001689  009 OF 012 
 
 
reportedly spent about 580,000 for wining and dining and about 
580,000 yen for trips for the two officials. 
 
15) Full-scale debate begins on three education-related bills 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
April 18, 2007 
 
With the attendance of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a 
question-and-answer session took place yesterday in a plenary 
session of the House of Representatives on three government-proposed 
bills related to education reform, which Abe regards as key pieces 
of legislation, and a debate on the bills began. Meanwhile, the 
largest opposition party, Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan), 
yesterday submitted its own legislation to the Diet. The 
government-drafted bills are aimed at a review of the school 
management system in response to bullying, while the 
Minshuto-proposed bill calls for decentralization and budget 
expansion. With an eye on the summer's House of Councillors 
election, the ruling and opposition camps will engage in an 
education debate. 
 
In the question-and-answer session, Abe expressed his enthusiasm for 
education reform based on the revised Basic Education Law. He 
stated: "We will make clear in law standard awareness, public 
mindedness, and love of one's hometown and country so that specific 
measures will be come up with after revising the curriculum 
guidelines." 
 
One of the contentious points is the establishment of a system for 
renewal of teaching licenses, which the bills presented by the 
government and Minshuto include. The government's legislation calls 
for 10-year-validity of teaching licenses, as well as for teachers 
to attend 30 hours of lectures. In order to "strictly deal with 
inappropriate teachers" as Abe said, the bill also stipulates 
implementation of special training and punishments, including 
dismissal in cases where no improvement is seen. 
 
Minshuto's bill calls for teachers to attend 100 hours of lectures 
and to obtain a master's degree that includes practice teaching for 
one year. The purpose of the stricter requirements for a teaching 
license is to avoid criticism that the party is favoring the 
teachers' union. Takeshi Nishioka, former education minister, said, 
"Improvement in the development of teachers is more important than 
renewing teaching licenses." 
 
16) Aegis info leak: 2 seamen lied to in-house inquiry about their 
own PCs 
 
YOMIURI (Page 34) (Full) 
April 18, 2007 
 
In the recently exposed case of Aegis vessel data leakage, two 
senior officers of the Maritime Self-Defense Force have made a false 
statement of personal computers in their possession when the MSDF 
conducted an in-house inquiry in the spring of last year, sources 
have revealed. In this information leakage case, a 33-year-old petty 
officer second class assigned to the MSDF's Escort Flotilla 1, 
headquartered in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, is alleged to have 
taken out Aegis vessel data given by a 30-year-old petty officer 
third class. The two petty officers said to the inquiry that they 
did not have any personal computers. At that time, the MSDF checked 
 
TOKYO 00001689  010 OF 012 
 
 
personal computers privately owned by all its members to see what 
was contained in their hardware. However, the two MSDF seamen made a 
false statement to get around the PC check. Kanagawa prefectural 
police and the MSDF's shore police command is looking closely into 
the case, surmising that the two might have falsified the facts 
about their own PCs so that their concealing of classified 
information would not be brought to light. 
 
In February last year, confidential information about an MSDF 
destroyer based at Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture was found to have 
leaked on the Internet from a crewman's privately owned computer. 
The Defense Ministry thereafter issued a notification to its 
personnel in the name of its vice minister in order to sweep away 
their PCs from workplaces and delete official data saved in their 
PCs. 
 
In addition, the MSDF took further information security steps 
inquiring of all its members whether they had a PC for their private 
use. Those who owned a PC were subject to PC inspections. Their 
respective officers in charge directly went over to their homes or 
elsewhere to check saved data with their consent. In that check, the 
MSDF had them delete all official data. 
 
In the recent Aegis data leakage case, however, a hard disk drive 
seized from the petty officer second class' home was discovered to 
have contained files, including data about Aegis vessels. The police 
and MSDF authorities therefore looked into the case. As a result, 
the two petty officers were found to have falsified their 
statements, saying they did not have any PCs. The investigative 
authorities are looking closely into the case as they suspect that 
the two petty officers made such false statements because they were 
aware of having Aegis data files and other confidential information 
that should not be in their hands. 
 
17) Japan, US to confirm cooperation on global warming preventive 
measures during summit later in the month 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 3) (Full) 
April 18, 2007 
 
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is to visit the US on Apr. 26-27, and 
President Bush will likely confirm cooperation on energy security 
and measures to prevent global warming during a bilateral summit 
meeting, a senior US government official revealed. Both countries 
are expected to urge China and India, major greenhouse gas emitters, 
to fulfill their roles in the creation of an international framework 
for global warming preventive measures replacing the Kyoto 
Protocol. 
 
The two leaders will also likely reach a common perception on the 
efficacy of the role of nuclear power generation in fighting global 
warming. The same official stressed that it is extremely important 
for the leaders of Japan and the US to agree on their determination 
to bring a successful end to the multilateral trade talks (Doha 
Round) under the World Trade Organization. The US plans to bring up 
liberalization of Japan's financial capital market in pursuit of 
fair treatment of US companies following postal privatization. 
Expansion of US beef trade has also surfaced as a matter of concern 
for the US. 
 
18) METI, Environment Ministry at odds over environment tax at 
meeting of joint deliberation council to discuss global warming 
 
TOKYO 00001689  011 OF 012 
 
 
measures 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 5) (Full) 
April 18, 2007 
 
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the 
Environment Ministry yesterday held joint deliberations to discuss 
how to address Japan's target of cutting global warming gas 
emissions set under the Kyoto Protocol. Additional measures were 
released during the meeting. Additional proposals included 
strengthening measures targeting the household sector and the 
services sector, whose carbon emissions are on the increase. Council 
members who took part in the deliberations supported the proposals. 
However, the views of the two ministries remained apart on each 
measure, including the ideas of asking the services sector to 
independently set a reduction target and introducing an environment 
tax. 
 
The government will invite public opinions on those proposals to 
reflect them in an outline of a set of global warming preventive 
measures. 
 
The coordination of views will mostly likely encounter difficulties 
on independent action programs, under which each industry sector, 
including the manufacturing sector, independently sets its own 
carbon emissions target. The proposal calls for expanding the types 
of industry subject to this system. However, participants were 
skeptical about the efficacy of such a system, with one noting, 
"Since the system has no legal binding power, the proposal will have 
no effect" and another saying, "There is no alternative plan in the 
event of such a program fails." 
 
Council members are also at odds over the environment tax issue. A 
participant from the industrial sector insisted, "The idea is out of 
the question, because it is against the trend of moving services 
from government to the private sector." Another participant 
rebutted, "It is necessary to look into the possibility of 
introducing an environment tax as a motivation for energy 
conservation as European countries do." A participant from the 
Environment Ministry called for establishing a deliberation forum 
for each ministry instead of holding joint deliberations. 
 
19) Keizai Doyukai representative director Kitashiro holds his last 
regular press conference: "I have consistently supported structural 
reforms" 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 5) (Full) 
April 18, 2007 
 
Recalling his four-year tenure, Japan Association of Corporate 
Executives (Keizai Doyukai) Representative Director Kakutaro 
Kitashiro, chairman of IBM Japan, during his last regular conference 
yesterday noted, "It was good that I have consistently expressed my 
support for structural reforms and that the economy has recovered as 
a result of efforts by private companies and the government." 
 
As the most impressive event, he cited that when the government was 
discussing postal privatization, he contained the argument calling 
for putting off privatization, saying, "The building of a temporary 
computer system following the spin-off of Japan Post into four 
entities can be completed well in time." He said he has regrets 
about the slow progress in a revision of the "angel tax system," 
 
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aimed at nurturing venture capital firms, a leader of technical 
innovation. 
 
Kitashiro took office as representative director in April 2003. He 
has actively supported the structural reform policy of former Prime 
Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who called for moving services from 
government to the private sector. He said he wants to focus on the 
education issue and the nurturing of venture capital firms, his 
lifework, after retirement. 
 
Keizai Doyukai will select Masamitsu Sakurai, chairman of Rikoh as a 
new representative director. 
 
SCHIEFFER