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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TOKYO 004108 
 
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 09/05/07 
 
 
Index: 
 
Machimura diplomacy: 
1) Foreign Minister Machimura, Australian counterpart agree in 
meeting in Sydney to speed up efforts to sign an EPA 
2) Japan, Australia will draft bilateral security guidelines 
3) Australia's Foreign Minister Downer, others in Sydney meetings 
with Foreign Minister Machimura urge Japan to extend anti-terror law 
 
 
Defense and security affairs: 
4) Defense Minister Komura confirms that government planning to 
deploy missile-intercepting PAC-3s in parks in Tokyo region 
5) Government, ruling camp considering submitting new anti-terrorism 
bill to the Diet 
6) Aim of the government in considering a new anti-terror is to 
somehow keep the SDF dispatch alive 
7) DPJ readies its lawmakers to fight the Anti-Terrorism Special 
Measures Law in the Diet 
 
Political agenda: 
8) Extra Diet session that opens Sept 10 will see major clashes 
between ruling and opposition camps on LDP's "politics and money" 
scandals 
9) Resignation of LDP lawmaker Kobayashi another blow for the Abe 
administration: triple punch of three resignations in three days 
10) Environment Minister Kamoshita's political fund organization 
cannot account for 8 million yen in incoming funds 
11) Postal rebel Hiranuma to be restored to the LDP 
12) Strategy of the DPJ will be to put veteran lawmakers on the 
front line to clash with ruling camp in the Diet, while junior 
lawmakers will focus on general election 
13) New Party Japan's Tanaka to form joint Diet group with DPJ 
 
Articles: 
 
1) Machimura, Downer agree to accelerate EPA talks; APEC cabinet 
ministerial to open today 
 
NIKKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
September 5, 2007 
 
Kotaro Hidaka, Sydney 
 
Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura held talks with his Australian 
counterpart Alexander Downer on September 4 ahead of the Asia 
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum slated to open on the 5th. 
The two leaders agreed to accelerate the bilateral talks on an 
economic partnership agreement (EPA) that started in late April. 
They also confirmed the need for major powers, including developing 
countries, such as China, to make serious efforts to reduce 
greenhouse gases as part of an international effort to combat global 
warming, which is certain to take center stage in the APEC forum. 
 
Downer played up high public support for a Japan-Australia EPA. 
Machimura underlined the importance of further discussion toward 
next year, while citing difficulties, such as opening the Japanese 
farm market. 
 
About global warming, Downer emphasized the need for both 
industrialized and developing nations to take appropriate measures. 
In response, Machimura said: "It would be meaningless if China and 
 
TOKYO 00004108  002 OF 010 
 
 
India are not included in the effort." A joint statement to be 
released at the end of the September 5-6 cabinet ministerial is 
expected to mention each country's effort to set energy-saving 
targets and cooperation in securing food and product safety. 
 
2) Japan, Australia to concur on security cooperation guidelines 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
September 5, 2007 
 
SYDNEY-Foreign Minister Machimura, now visiting Australia, met with 
Australian Foreign Minister Downer yesterday and the two basically 
agreed on an action plan that will serve as guidelines for bilateral 
security cooperation. The two countries are expected to reach a 
final agreement when their leaders meet this week. On global warming 
countermeasures, Machimura and Downer agreed that Japan and 
Australia will cooperate to create a framework involving advanced 
and developing countries. 
 
According to a briefing by Japanese officials, the action plan will 
be worked out on the basis of a bilateral joint security declaration 
released in March this year. The action will be a roadmap for Japan 
and Australia to cooperate in the area of security in a broad sense, 
including peacekeeping operations, disaster relief activities, and 
border security. 
 
"Both Japan and Australia are advanced countries, creditor powers, 
and US allies," Downer said. He added that Australia would like to 
cooperate closely with Japan in the security area. Machimura also 
said he was pleased to see the plan being shaped. 
 
Japan has been backing up the antiterror drive in Afghanistan under 
the Antiterrorism Special Measures Law. On the issue of extending 
this antiterror law beyond its Nov. 1 expiry, Machimura said he 
would like to make efforts to get Diet approval for a legislative 
measure to extend the antiterror law. With this, Machimura asked 
Downer to stand behind him for the legislation. After his meeting 
with Downer, Machimura told reporters that he actually felt public 
opinion in the international community appreciates Japan for its 
Maritime Self-Defense Force's seaborne assistance activities in the 
Indian Ocean. "I want the opposition parties to listen more 
sincerely to international public opinion," Machimura told 
reporters. He criticized Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto) 
President Ichiro Ozawa and other opposition leaders for opposing the 
government's plan to extend the antiterror law. 
 
3) Antiterrorism Law: Foreign Minister Machimura seeks support for 
extension in talks with Australian foreign minister 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
September 5, 2007 
 
Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, now visiting Sydney to take 
part in an APEC ministerial meeting, yesterday met with Australian 
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Singapore Foreign Minister 
George Young-Boon Yeo. Referring to the Antiterrorism Special 
Measures Law, which expires on Nov. 1, Machimura during those talks 
sought support for the Japanese government's effort to extend it. He 
did so partly with the aim of checking the opposition camp, 
including the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto), which is 
opposing an extension. 
 
 
TOKYO 00004108  003 OF 010 
 
 
During his talks with Downer, Machimura said, "Whether it is 
possible to extend the law is beyond prediction, since it will be 
hard for the ruling camp to steer the Diet." He then said, "I would 
like Australia to support the Japanese government's effort." Downer 
replied, "I would like to offer assistance." Yeo also expressed his 
support. 
 
4) PAC-3 anti-missile system: Defense Ministry considering public 
parks as deployment sites 
 
ASAHI (Page 2) (Full) 
September 5, 2007 
 
Defense Minister Komura on September 4 acknowledged that the his 
ministry is looking into the possibility of using parks, as well as 
the Self-Defense Forces' garrisons, as future deployment sites for 
the Patriot PAC-3 surface-to-air missile system now deployed at the 
Air Self-Defense Force's Iruma Base in Saitama Prefecture. He noted, 
"In order to defend key facilities and equipment in the center of 
the capital, the system must be deployed to a greater extent. There 
should be cases in which public land is used." He made this comment 
in response to an interview to the Asahi Shimbun and other dailies. 
 
The Defense Ministry is considering several sites, including the 
Ground Self-Defense Force's (GSDF) Ichigaya Garrison in Shinjuku, 
Tokyo, and Nerima Garrison in Nerima, Yoyogi Park and Harumi Futo 
Park, as candidate sites for deploying the PAC-3 system. 
 
Regarding talks with local communities that control candidate sites, 
Komura stopped short of making any categorical comment, only noting, 
"I cannot go any further regarding the present stage of the matter, 
because if I do so, I might cause trouble for the concerned 
municipalities, as talks with them have yet to take place." 
 
5) New antiterror legislation eyed 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) 
September 5, 2007 
 
The Diet will shortly convene an extraordinary session this fall, 
during which the Antiterrorism Special Measures Law will become the 
top point at issue. The current law being time limited, the 
government and the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party 
and New Komeito yesterday began to give consideration to introducing 
a legislative measure that would create a new law stipulating 
Japan's role, including the Maritime Self-Defense Force's activities 
in the Indian Ocean. In order to extend the MSDF's assistance 
activities in the Indian Ocean, the government has so far planned to 
present a bill simply amending the existing law. However, the 
government and the ruling parties are now mulling whether to give up 
the idea of presenting that bill. In addition, the government and 
the ruling coalition would indicate their willingness to introduce 
the standpoints of the leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan 
(Minshuto) in the process of drafting the new legislative measure. 
They hope in this way to obtain the DPJ's support as much as 
possible. 
 
The antiterror law is due to expire Nov. 1. After its expiry, the 
MSDF will not be allowed to continue its assistance activities. 
Moreover, the law will no longer be in effect. If that is the case, 
the Diet can no longer continue deliberations on that law. 
 
 
TOKYO 00004108  004 OF 010 
 
 
The government and the ruling parties deem it extremely difficult to 
amend the anti-terror law before its expiry as long as the DPJ, 
which controls the House of Councillors, is opposed to extending it. 
As it stands, the government and the ruling coalition deem it 
important to at least continue Diet deliberations on anti-terror 
legislation even after recalling MSDF vessels on Nov. 1. 
 
According to government sources, the newly planned legislation will 
stipulate the MSDF's refueling activities in the Indian Ocean. 
Meanwhile, the DPJ has been calling on the government to disclose 
information about the MSDF's refueling activities and to require the 
Diet's prior approval for the MSDF's overseas activities. The 
government and the ruling coalition are thinking of incorporating 
these points in the new legislation. The DPJ is now working out its 
own plan to implement humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to 
Afghanistan. In consideration of this, the government and the ruling 
coalition will consider incorporating such additional activities in 
the new legislation. 
 
6) Commentary: New antiterror legislation aimed at continuing SDF's 
overseas activities 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
September 5, 2007 
 
The government and the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic 
Party and New Komeito began yesterday to mull a new legislative 
measure to create a new law instead of extending the Antiterrorism 
Special Measures Law. This new legislation is aimed primarily at 
continuing the Self-Defense Forces' overseas activities, with 
cooperation obtained from the leading opposition Democratic Party of 
Japan (Minshuto), even after Nov. 1 when the Antiterrorism Special 
Measures Law is to expire. To that end, the government and the 
ruling coalition will have the DPJ's standpoint reflected in the new 
legislation as much as possible. 
 
The Antiterrorism Special Measures Law stipulates that the Diet is 
to give its "ex post facto approval" to the government for its 
overseas dispatch of SDF personnel. In the Diet's past deliberations 
on this special antiterror legislation, however, the DPJ insisted 
that the government should ask the Diet for its "prior approval." In 
addition, the DPJ has also sought to unveil facts about the MSDF's 
refueling activities in the Indian Ocean. The government and the 
ruling coalition are therefore thinking to have the newly planned 
legislation stipulate prior approval and information disclosure on 
the MSDF's refueling activities. 
 
The LDP-led government is now likely to give up from the start on 
presenting a bill revising the antiterror law. "If we introduce the 
new legislation in the first place," a Cabinet Secretariat official 
says, "it will be possible to secure much more time to discuss the 
new legislation." Also, the current antiterror law allows the SDF to 
engage in transportation as well as repair and maintenance services, 
in addition to refueling activities and other underway replenishment 
services. However, there is also an idea that limits the SDF's 
overseas assistance activities to underway replenishment only. This 
is intended to emphasize the importance of refueling activities and 
is also aimed at obtaining the DPJ's understanding for the SDF's 
continued activities. 
 
However, the DPJ has recently been asserting that the SDF's overseas 
activities that are not based on any United Nations resolution are 
 
TOKYO 00004108  005 OF 010 
 
 
unacceptable. Given this assertion, the new legislation may also 
fail to get the DPJ's agreement. 
 
In Diet deliberations, the opposition-controlled House of 
Councillors may vote down the legislation or may not act on it 
within 60 days. The Constitution, however, stipulates that a bill 
which is passed by the House of Representatives, and upon which the 
House of Councillors makes a decision different from that of the 
House of Representatives, becomes a law when passed a second time by 
the House of Representatives by a majority of two-thirds or more of 
the members present. Based on this constitutional stipulation, a 
senior official of the Defense Ministry says, "Even after the SDF 
pulls out, there is another way, and that is to enact a new law in 
an ordinary session of the Diet next year and send the SDF again." 
 
7) Scope column: DPJ taking steady steps to oppose extending the 
antiterrorism law 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) 
September 5, 2007 
 
Yoichi Takeuchi 
 
The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) is 
steadily taking strategic steps to oppose extending the 
Antiterrorism Special Measures Law, an issue that is certain to take 
center stage at an upcoming extraordinary session of the Diet, which 
is to be convened on Sept. 10. The DPJ takes no notice of the 
desperate moves by the government and the ruling bloc to somehow 
bring it into discussion so as to elicit concessions from it over an 
extension of that law. We probed the strategy of the DPJ, which 
appears to be on the road to scrapping the law. 
 
Meeting the press on Sept. 3 in Karuizawa Town, Nagano Prefecture, 
DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa swept aside an idea of creating new 
legislation intended for continuing the Maritime Self-Defense 
Force's (MSDF) refueling operations, which has been floated in the 
government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Ozawa told 
reporters: "We can't allow Japan to take part in any peacekeeping 
operations that are not clearly authorized by the United Nations." 
 
When Ozawa met with US Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer in 
August, he indicated his intention to oppose an extension of the law 
directly to the ambassador, who had expressed hope for the 
extension. Ozawa's tough stance toward this extension issue is 
particularly noticeable. 
 
Even at a meeting yesterday of Diet policy chiefs from opposition 
parties, the DPJ, the Japanese Communist Party, the Social 
Democratic Party (SDP), and the People's New Party (PNP) confirmed 
the policy of not allowing any extension of the antiterrorism law. 
 
Why has the DPJ assumed such a hard-line stance? The reason is 
perhaps because if it easily compromises with the ruling bloc at the 
upcoming extraordinary Diet session, which is likely to draw the 
public's attention all the more for the reversal of the positions in 
the Upper House between the ruling and opposition parties, the DPJ 
will lose the public's support. Despite repeated proposals made by 
the government and the ruling bloc for talks between the ruling and 
opposition parties, the DPJ has shown no sign of responding to 
them. 
 
 
TOKYO 00004108  006 OF 010 
 
 
Some specific ideas for scrapping the antiterrorism law have been 
floated. 
 
One is to kill the bill by taking time for thorough discussion. 
Discussion of a bill extending the Antiterrorism Special Measures 
Law is likely to begin in early October if things go smoothly. By 
using the right to investigate state affairs, which is now available 
to the DPJ in the Upper House, the DPJ can pursue the government and 
the ruling parties over, for instance, details of the MSDF's 
refueling activities, their effects, and details of operations of US 
troops who received refueling and thereby can delay a vote until 
Nov. 1, when the law expires. 
 
In the meantime, DPJ Policy Research Council Chairman Masayuki 
Naoshima has mentioned the possibility of submitting a bill aimed at 
repealing the antiterrorism law in order to withdraw the MSDF from 
the Indian Ocean. If a bill repealing the law is approved first in 
the Upper House before the Lower House, even if a bill extending the 
antiterrorism law is sent to the Upper House from the Lower House, 
the DPJ can kill the extension bill in line with the principle of 
the "prohibition against double jeopardy," which means that bills of 
the same kind are not put to a vote again. 
 
Additionally, an idea of compiling a set of measures for civilian 
assistance in the nonmilitary area, for instance, medical treatment 
and food aid, has been floated. If the DPJ raises opposition for the 
sake of opposition, its ability to hold the reins of government will 
be questioned. 
 
Also, a council intended to examine problems concerning an extension 
of the antiterrorism law has been established in the DPJ. The 
council consists mainly of mid-level and junior lawmakers. The 
reason the council was established is that if the DPJ further 
prepares itself against a theoretical dispute, it can influence 
public opinion, and thereby may affect even conservative lawmakers 
in the party. Those lawmakers may easily turn around to oppose the 
bill extending the antiterrorism law. 
 
Yet, some in the LDP echoed a mid-level lawmaker's view that "Given 
relations with the United States, the DPJ can more demonstrate its 
ability to hold the reins of government by holding discussion of 
revisions to the bill extending the antiterrorism law and putting 
into the bill a way for the MSDF to withdraw and then supporting the 
bill." 
 
8) Fierce battle to occur over politics and money in coming Diet 
session 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
September 5, 2007 
 
Ahead of the extraordinary Diet session to be convened on Sept. 10, 
the ruling and opposition camps yesterday started preparations for a 
fierce tug-of-war in the extra session by holding meetings of their 
Diet Affairs Committee chairmen. The ruling coalition will give top 
priority to the issue of extending the Antiterrorism Special 
Measures Law, while the opposition bloc intends to concentrate on 
the issue of "politics and money." 
 
LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Tadamori Oshima conveyed 
yesterday to New Komeito Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Yoshio 
Urushibara the LDP's plan that the extra session will last for 62 
 
TOKYO 00004108  007 OF 010 
 
 
days from Sept. 10 until Nov. 10. He also said: "I have heard that 
the government will submit about 10 new bills. The extension of the 
Antiterrorism Law is the most important issue." 
 
Meanwhile, four opposition parties -- the Democratic Party of Japan 
(DPJ), Japanese Communist Party (JCP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) 
and People's New Party (PNP) -- agreed in a meeting of their Diet 
Affairs Committee chairmen to pursue the issue of wasting tax money 
by using the right of a Diet member to investigate state affairs, 
following the resignation of Agriculture Minister Takehiko Endo in 
connection with an agricultural mutual aid association that he 
headed which had improperly received government subsidies. The 
opposition will ask for intensive deliberations on the 
politics-money issue at the budget committees of the two houses. 
 
The opposition camp also has decided to make a list of lawmakers who 
serve as executives of entities that receive government subsidies. 
 
In the Upper House, the LDP and DPJ held last evening a meeting of 
their Diet Affairs Committee chairmen to discuss the allotment of 
Standing Committee chairmen. Coordination ended in failure, as both 
parties sought the Budget Committee chairman's post. So they will 
again discuss the matter today. 
 
LDP Upper House Budget Committee Chairman Seiji Suzuki stressed: 
"Since the DPJ has the post of Steering Committee chairman, the post 
of the Budget Committee chairman goes to the LDP. This is a 
gentlemen's agreement." DPJ Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Susumu 
Yanase, however, did not accept Suzuki's assertion. 
 
There are 17 standing committee chairman posts in the Upper House. 
In the August extra Diet session, the agreement was reached that the 
DPJ would hold the Diet Steering Committee chairman's post, but the 
distribution of the remaining 16 posts is undecided. 
 
9) LDP lawmaker Kobayashi quits, dealing another blow to Abe 
administration: Third blow in two days 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) 
September 5, 2007 
 
The resignation of Upper House member Yutaka Kobayashi of the 
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) due to violation of the election law 
has dealt another blow to the Abe administration, which is faltering 
from the resignation of Agriculture Minister Takehiko Endo. 
 
Concerning the resignation of Kobayashi, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 
on Sept. 4 told reporters at the Prime Minister's Office (Kantei), 
"I would like to fulfill my responsibility by doing my best to 
prevent a recurrence of such an incident." The Abe administration 
suffered three setbacks Sept. 3-4, including the resignation of Endo 
and former Agriculture Minister Tokuichiro Tamazawa's departure from 
the party. 
 
There is a strong possibility of Kobayashi's election being 
nullified, if a trial of defendants involved in the violation of the 
election law proceeds. 
 
Kobayashi found himself in a difficult situation, in which he was 
urged to make a decision before that happened, as a senior Upper 
House member put it. 
 
 
TOKYO 00004108  008 OF 010 
 
 
If Kobayashi remained a lawmaker, the opposition camp would have 
taken advantage of it in attacking the ruling camp. Even if 
Kobayashi quits, the number of the ruling camp's seats will remain 
unchanged, because the seat will be given to Akira Matsu of the New 
Komeito, who ended up as runner up. As such, the prevalent view in 
the ruling camp has been that it would be desirable for Kobayashi to 
quit before the extraordinary Diet session is convened." 
 
10) Environment Minister Kamoshita's funds management body fails to 
explain 8 million yen in borrowing; Sloppy funds reports 
 
YOMIURI (Top play) (Excerpts) 
September 5, 2007 
 
The funds management body of Environment Minister Ichiro Kamoshita, 
58, elected from the Lower House Tokyo No. 13 constituency, recorded 
only 2 million yen as borrowings in its income and expenditure 
report for the year the borrowing occurred, although the body has 
declared 10 million yen as borrowing for eight years in its 
political funds report, the Yomiuri Shimbun has found. A Kamoshita 
office source simply said about the 8 million yen difference: "There 
are no documents today that can prove the exact amount of borrowing, 
so we don't know it." Kamoshita noted: "Some might call it sloppy, 
and I must bear such criticism." 
 
Under the Political Funds Control Law, politicians' funds management 
organizations are required to declare not only their incomes and 
expenditures but also their real estate holdings and liabilities in 
order to secure the transparency of political funds and to keep 
political activities' verifiable. Borrowings must be entered into 
the income column in the income and expenditure report for the year 
the borrowing occurred, and the balance in excess of 1 million yen 
and the date of borrowing must be entered in the assets column. 
Repaid money must be entered into the expenditures column. 
 
The assets in the 1998-2005 funds reports prepared by Kamoshita's 
funds management organization included 10 million yen each year 
allegedly borrowed from Kamoshita in August 1996. But the income in 
the 1996 funds report declared only 2 million yen as a borrowing. 
 
The Kamoshita office initially indicated to the Yomiuri Shimbun that 
there was a high likelihood that the organization had borrowed 10 
million yen in 1996. But there is no mention in the 1996 funds 
report of the 8 million yen difference, as well as the dates when 
the money were spent or how it was spent. 
 
11) LDP begins coordination to reinstate Hiranuma into party 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
September 5, 2007 
 
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership launched yesterday 
coordination to allow former trade minister Takeo Hiranuma, who had 
left the LDP due to his opposition to the government's postal 
privatization drive, to rejoin it. Hiranuma represents the Lower 
House Okayama No. 3 electoral district. The party leadership does 
not intend to ask him to submit a written pledge to support the 
postal-privatization program, which the LDP had sought him as a 
condition for his return. Coordination of candidates for the Okayama 
No. 3 constituency will be a future challenge. 
 
Secretary General Taro Aso stated at a press conference yesterday: 
 
SIPDIS 
 
TOKYO 00004108  009 OF 010 
 
 
"I think there are various views in the LDP Okayama prefectural 
chapter, but we (the leadership) have no objection to Mr. Hiranuma's 
rejoining the party. We have no intention to ask him for a written 
pledge." Aso later telephoned Hiranuma to convey the party 
leadership's view. Hiranuma then told Aso that he would make a 
decision after consulting with his support group. 
 
Hiranuma submitted last November to the LDP a letter requesting the 
party to allow him to return to it. However, since then Secretary 
General Hidenao Nakagawa conditioned to present a written pledge 
stipulating his support for postal-privatization, Hiranuma refused 
to do so. Other 11 postal rebels who had submitted their written 
pledges were reinstated. Hiranuma won as an independent in the 2005 
Lower House election, defeating Toshiko Abe, a candidate backed the 
LDP. Abe, however, won a Lower House seat in the proportional 
representation segment. 
 
12) DPJ to staff its frontline with veterans to face off with ruling 
parties; Junior members encouraged to make preparations for next 
general election 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Excerpts) 
September 5, 2007 
 
Ichiro Ozawa, president of the major opposition Democratic Party of 
Japan, decided yesterday to appoint vice presidents and former party 
executives as directors of such organizations as the Lower House 
Rules and Administration Committee and the Budget Committee where 
the ruling and opposition blocs are expected to lock horns in the 
upcoming extraordinary Diet session. Ozawa also plans to launch the 
Lower House's next cabinet made up in principle of lawmakers who are 
now serving in their fourth term or more in order to face off with 
the embattled Abe administration. This means to encourage junior 
members to make preparations for the next election. Ozawa apparently 
aims to apply pressure on the government and ruling coalition by 
using veteran members to pave the way for Lower House dissolution 
and a snap general election that will follow. 
 
Yoshio Hachiro, a former election campaign chief who is now serving 
in his sixth term, has already been informally named as the foreign 
minister responsible for the question of extending the Antiterrorism 
Special Measures Law in the next cabinet to be announced today. The 
lineup of executive posts, which used to be dominated by policy 
specialists serving in their two to three terms, is also likely to 
change significantly. The party in principle will not give committee 
directors posts to junior members so that they can visit their home 
turfs frequently. 
 
13) Yasuo Tanaka of New Party Nippon to form joint parliamentary 
group with DPJ 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Full) 
September 5, 2007 
 
Yasuo Tanaka, representative of the New Party Nippon (NPN), elected 
for the first time to the Diet in the July House of Councillors 
election, and Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Ichiro Ozawa 
agreed yesterday to form a joint parliamentary group at the upcoming 
extraordinary Diet session. Ozawa and Tanaka will announce the plan 
in a joint press conference as early as today. Although Tanaka is 
the only member of the NPN, the DPJ has hopes for Tanaka's 
popularity and assertiveness, as his party won 1.77 million votes in 
 
TOKYO 00004108  010 OF 010 
 
 
the July election. The DPJ intends to take advantage of Tanaka in 
Diet battles at the extra session. 
 
After the Upper House race, Tanaka has worked on coordination to 
form a parliamentary group, secretly contacting Ozawa and Secretary 
General Yukio Hatoyama. Tanaka reportedly will hold a regular 
meeting once a month with Ozawa and Hatoyama to exchange views. 
 
Tanaka now serves on the Upper House Committee on Land, 
Infrastructure and Transport. After forming the parliamentary group 
with the DPJ, he will be able to attend other committee sessions and 
gain question time. He will be also allowed to debate Prime Minister 
Shinzo Abe at the Budget Committee and plenary sessions, which will 
be broadcast on television. The DPJ side also will be able to 
increase its assertiveness. 
 
Tanaka since he was governor of Nagano Prefecture has deepened a 
friendship with Ozawa. In the 2003 House of Representatives 
election, Tanaka's name was on a list of the DPJ's "cabinet 
members." Some in the DPJ are cautious about the idea from the 
position of questioning Tanaka's political methods during his tenure 
as Nagano governor. Tanaka, however, said: "We have many common 
interests. I would like to work with the DPJ to carry out President 
Ozawa's reform drive." 
 
Ozawa, meanwhile, has looked at the possibility of forming a 
parliamentary group with the People's New Party (PNP). The DPJ and 
PNP submitted a bill to freeze the postal-privatization program to 
the previous extraordinary Diet session. Ozawa was in contact with 
PNP President Tamisuke Watanuki several times, but he failed to 
coordinate views since some in the PNP were cautious. 
 
DONOVAN