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FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
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RUEAWJA/USDOJ WASHDC PRIORITY
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RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
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RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA//
RHMFIUU/USFJ //J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/CTF 72
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RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 6316
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 7082

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TOKYO 005324 
 
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 11/26/07 
 
 
Index: 
 
Diet agenda: 
1) Coordination occurring to re-extend the current Diet session 
until Jan. 16 in order to pass the new antiterrorism bill and 
starting next session on the 18th (Sankei) 
2) Maneuvering to start Upper House deliberations on antiterrorism 
bill, but DPJ's Ozawa wants session to clear up charges of collusive 
defense ties first (Nikkei) 
3) Despite his repeated denials, former defense chief Nukaga 
continues to be pursued by Democratic Party of Japan for allegedly 
being wined and dined (Tokyo Shimbun) 
 
Defense scandals: 
4) Defense Minister Ishiba intends to prosecute Yamada Corp. for 
padding defense procurement bills and other violations (Asahi) 
5) Former Vice Defense Minister Moriya started backing Nihon Mirise 
Co. for CX engine contract even before selection process began 
(Asahi) 
6) Moriya told defense contractor two months before contract awarded 
that he had decided who would be get it (Tokyo Shimbun) 
7) Moriya may have suppressed report on CX engine procurement 
process (Sankei) 
8) Moriya may have offered his good services to broker components 
for next generation destroyer (Nikkei) 
 
Defense issues: 
9) Yokosuka City to receive 584 million yen in subsidies for 
accepting USFJ realignment plan (Mainichi) 
10) Okinawa development package to be unfrozen in order to promote 
compromise on Futenma relocation plan, now stalled (Tokyo Shimbun) 
11) Government panel picked by former Prime Minister Abe to shelve 
report on collective self-defense due to cautious stance of Prime 
Minister Fukuda (Tokyo Shimbun) 
 
12) Government to provide China with technology to combat pollution 
and protect environment (Sankei) 
13) Most prefectures now view blanket cattle inspections for BSE 
detection as a waste of time and money (Mainichi) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) Government, ruling coalition coordinating plan to convene regular 
Diet session on Jan. 18 
 
SANKEI (Page 1) (Slightly abridged) 
November 26, 2007 
 
The government and ruling parties launched yesterday coordination to 
extend again the current extraordinary Diets session until Jan. 16 
and to convene the next regular session on the 18th. The aim is to 
enact a new antiterrorism special measures bill during the extra 
Diet session, as well as to pass bills related to a state budget for 
next fiscal year through the Diet by the end of March so that there 
will be no hindrance to processing the FY 2008 budget. The 
opposition camp will likely oppose the idea, however. 
 
According to several government and ruling camp sources, the 
government and ruling coalition have determined that it would be 
difficult to enact the new antiterrorism bill during the ongoing 
session since Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) President 
Ichiro Ozawa expressed again his opposition to the legislation in a 
 
TOKYO 00005324  002 OF 010 
 
 
one-on-one meeting on Nov. 22 with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. 
 
The government and ruling parties started coordination yesterday to 
readopt the bill with a two-thirds majority vote in the House of 
Representatives, based on Article 59 of the Constitution, which 
stipulates that the Lower House can take a second vote on a bill 
rejected by the Upper House within 60 days after the Upper House 
receives it. 
 
Jan. 11 will be 60 days since the Upper House received the bill from 
the Lower House. Therefore, chances are that the Lower House will 
take a vote again after the current extra session is re-extended 
until 16 as Jan. 14 is a national holiday. The government and ruling 
camp began looking for a possibility of convening the regular Diet 
session on the 18th, since the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 
is expected to hold a convention on the 17th. 
 
The reason for the government and ruling bloc hurrying to open the 
regular session is there are many state budget-related bills that 
must be passed by the end of March. Most of such bills provide the 
government's annual revenue. In case they are not be approved by the 
Diet, the state budget for next fiscal year could not be 
implemented. If they are rejected by the Upper House, they will have 
to be readopted by a two-thirds majority vote in the Lower House. 
 
Therefore, the government and ruling coalition is considering 
enacting these bills at the end of March with a two-thirds majority 
vote based on (Article 59 of the Constitution) the Lower House 
should take a second vote on a bill rejected by the Upper House 
within 60 days after it sent it to the upper chamber, even if the 
opposition camp delays deliberations. 
 
2) Fierce battle to develop over new refueling bill in Upper House 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
November 26, 2007 
 
A tug-of-war between the ruling and opposition camps will intensify 
starting today in the Diet over when to start deliberations on a 
bill to resume the Self-Defense Force's refueling activities in the 
Indian Ocean. The ruling coalition will request adopting of the bill 
by the end of the current Diet session, which will run until Dec. 
15, after holding speedy deliberations at the House of Councillors 
Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense. The opposition camp, 
however, will first seek testimony by Finance Minister Fukushiro 
Nukaga as a condition for starting deliberations on the bill, 
placing priority on the shedding of light on allegations of 
relations between Nukaga and the defense equipment trading house 
Yamada Corp. 
 
Ichiro Ozawa, president of the main opposition Democratic Party of 
Japan (DPJ or Minshuto), when asked by reporters about how his party 
would respond to the new refueling bill at a press conference 
yesterday in the city of Otsu, stressed: "I think the public wants 
to know first the truth about a series of scandals involving the 
Defense Ministry." 
 
The ruling and opposition camps have agreed to take a vote on a 
DPJ-sponsored bill to abolish the Iraq Reconstruction Support 
Special Measures Law at the Upper House committee tomorrow and to 
hold on the 28th in a Upper House plenary session for the government 
to explain its new refueling bill. Although the ruling bloc has 
 
TOKYO 00005324  003 OF 010 
 
 
sought the starting of deliberations on the new refueling bill on 
the 29th, the opposition has insisted that a question-and-answer 
session should not be held until Dec. 4 or after, since there is 
another bill that takes precedence. 
 
3) Nukaga problem to impact adversely on deliberations on new 
refueling bill in Upper House 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
November 26, 2007 
 
The Diet will hold on Wednesday a plenary meeting of the House of 
Councillors, in which the government will explain the purpose of a 
new antiterrorism special measures bill, and submit to a 
question-and-answer session. The government and ruling parties, with 
an eye on the Dec. 12 current Diet session end, hope to continue 
deliberations on the bill as much as possible, but Finance Minister 
Fukushiro Nukaga is now taking the brunt of the opposition camp's 
pursuit over his relationship with the defense equipment trading 
house Yamada Corp. The Nukaga problem is having a negative effect on 
progress in deliberation on the bill. 
 
The government and ruling coalition aim to hold a 
question-and-answer on the new antiterrorism bill at the session the 
Upper House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense immediately 
after the plenary meeting. 
 
However, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto), the 
largest party in the Upper House, will unlikely agree to their plan, 
with a senior DPJ Upper House member saying, "The Foreign Affairs 
and Defense Committee should prioritize pursuit of Mr. Nukaga rather 
than deliberations on the new bill." The DPJ has been steadily 
paving the way for pursuing Nukaga in cooperation with other 
committees. 
 
The largest opposition party relentlessly pursued a series of 
defense scandals at three meetings of the Upper house last week with 
Nukaga present. The party tried to stress the seriousness of the 
issue by pointing to the fact that the Yamada Corp. had regularly 
purchased Nukaga's fund-raising party tickets. 
 
At a Upper House Financial Affairs Committee session on Nov. 22, the 
DPJ stepped up its pursuit of Nukaga, citing as the reason that it 
had obtained testimony from another person who had joined a dinner 
hosted by Motonobu Miyazaki, a former Yamada Corp. executive, who is 
now under arrest. The allegation was that Nukaga had attended the 
dinner together with former Administrative Vice Defense Minister 
Takemasa Moriya, who has testified under oath that Nukaga was at the 
dinner. 
 
Nukaga, however, rebutted: "I never attended that dinner." The DPJ 
then continued: "If Moriya's testimony is untrue, we want the two to 
testify together." The party will call today for unsworn testimony 
by Moriya. A senor Diet Affairs Committee member said: "Nukaga will 
have to testify before the Diet" since the DPJ holds the chairman's 
posts of the Upper House committees on the foreign affairs and 
defense, as well as financial affairs. 
 
4) Ishiba considering filing complaint against Yamada and examining 
contracts with other firms as well 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Full) 
 
TOKYO 00005324  004 OF 010 
 
 
November 26, 2007 
 
Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba on a TV-Asahi talk show yesterday 
indicated that the ministry would shortly file a criminal complaint 
against defense equipment trading house Yamada Corp. for padding 
bills for defense equipment, saying, "If the facts are confirmed, we 
must file a complaint against the company." 
 
Ishiba said: "Written estimates have been forged. It's basically 
fraud. Tax money has totally been squandered. Not only Yamada but 
other matters must be examined." He thus indicated that the ministry 
would closely examine equipment contracts concluded with firms other 
than Yamada, as well. 
 
Yamada has admitted that it had padded bills by 3.7 million yen for 
two contracts on equipment of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, in 
addition to a contract on helicopter equipment, in which the 
involvement of former Administrative Vice-Defense Minister Takemasa 
Moriya was pointed out. 
 
5) Moriya defended Mirise this spring before "discretionary 
contract" comment 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Excerpts) 
November 26, 2007 
 
In connection with the procurement of the engines for the CX 
next-generation transport aircraft for the Air Self-Defense Force, 
former Administrative Vice-Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya, 63, 
this past spring repeatedly made remarks defending Nihon Mirise 
Corp., a defense equipment trading house founded by former Yamada 
Corp. executive Motonobu Miyazaki, who is under arrest on suspicion 
of corporate embezzlement and other charges, sources familiar with 
the case said. It has already become clear that Moriya had made 
comments in June urging the ministry to conclude a discretionary 
contract with Mirise. Moriya himself explained the matter in his 
sworn testimony. It has now apparent that prior to June, Moriya had 
repeatedly made statements promoting the CX engine on behalf of 
Miyazaki's firm. 
 
Miyazaki left Yamada in June 2006 and founded Mirise in September 
that year. Mirise and Yamada were in a fierce business battle over 
becoming the Japanese agent for the CX engine. 
 
According to the sources, the Defense Ministry this April received a 
notice from General Electric Co., the CX engine's producer in the 
United States, stating that it would designate Mirise as the 
Japanese agent for its engines. It also became a problem in March 
that a representative of Mirise, which was not then a GE agent, had 
attended the ministry's engine procurement meeting in January. 
According to the sources, Moriya around that time pointed out that 
Yamada employees responsible for the matter had left the company 
following Miyazaki's departure from it. His comments are now taken 
as defending Mirise regarding the shipment of GE engines. 
 
6) Moriya insisted on a private contract with NMC for over 2 months 
 
TOKYO (Top play) (Abridged) 
November 26, 2007 
 
Former Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya 
persisted for over two months in calling for a private or 
 
TOKYO 00005324  005 OF 010 
 
 
discretionary contract (zuii-keiyaku) with Nihon Mirise Corporation 
(NMC) in the bidding for the Air Self-Defense Force's follow-on 
cargo aircraft (CX) engine, sources revealed. NMC was established by 
Motonobu Miyazaki, 69, a former managing director of Yamada 
Corporation, a trading firm dealing mainly in defense-related 
hardware supplies for the Self-Defense Forces. Yamada Corp. and NMC 
struggled to become an agent for the CX engine. Miyazaki has now 
been arrested for embezzlement and on other charges. Moriya gave the 
advantage to Miyazaki and his company in the bidding for the CX 
engine, according to the sources. The Tokyo District Public 
Prosecutors Office noted the fact that Moriya had long insisted on a 
discretionary contract (not open to public bidding). A task force of 
prosecutors from the office is believed to be investigating whether 
Moriya intended to favor Miyazaki. 
 
The task force will today reinforce its investigative setup for a 
total of more than 30 prosecutors, including those from other 
district public prosecutors offices. Moriya used to play golf with 
Miyazaki, and he was allegedly wined and dined by Miyazaki. The task 
force will investigate the allegations full scale, with an eye to 
pressing charges for taking bribes. 
 
In August last year, the Defense Ministry received a notice from the 
finance minister. At that time, the Defense Ministry reviewed all of 
its private contracts for its procurement of equipment and decided 
basically to hold open competitive bidding for its procurement in 
conformity with the finance minister's notification. However, the CX 
engine's manufacturer was expected to switch its agent from Yamada 
Corp. to NMC this summer. NMC was the only agent. In the Defense 
Ministry's rating of contractors, however, NMC was ranked at "D," 
making it ineligible to participate in competitive bidding. The 
Defense Ministry therefore held discussions in and after April this 
year on what to do about NMC. 
 
According to informed sources, Defense Ministry officials explained 
to Moriya around that month that the Defense Ministry would first 
hold open competitive bidding. If there were no participants in the 
bidding, the Defense Ministry would then have entered into a private 
contract with NMC. 
 
7) CX engine: Screening process report banned, Moriya possibly 
behind the scenes 
 
SANKEI (Top play) (Abridged) 
November 26, 2007 
 
The Defense Agency, now the Defense Ministry, decided to select an 
engine made by a US manufacturer, General Electric Co. (GE), for the 
Air Self-Defense Force's follow-on cargo aircraft (CX). In that 
process, CX engine screening members were prohibited from reporting 
the progress of their screening to the ASDF Air Staff Office. It is 
unusual for the Defense Ministry to give no explanation to the Air 
Staff Office in the process of screening hardware for the ASDF. 
Former Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya, 63, is 
suspected of having taken part in that murky process of selecting 
the CX engine. A task force of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors 
Office is apparently talking to screening members in the process of 
conducting an investigation. 
 
Moriya used to play golf with Motonobu Miyazaki, 69, a former 
managing director of Yamada Corporation, a defense-related trading 
firm that was an agent of GE at that time. Moreover, Moriya was also 
 
TOKYO 00005324  006 OF 010 
 
 
allegedly wined and dined by Miyazaki, who has now been arrested for 
embezzlement and on other charges. The task force suspects that 
Moriya, in return for the treatment he received from Miyazaki, 
favored Miyazaki's trading company in selecting a GE engine and in 
performing several other functions. The task force seems to be about 
to enter the final stage of investigations, with an eye to charging 
Moriya with accepting bribes. 
 
The Defense Agency at that time set up a CX engine screening 
committee consisting of Technical Research and Development Institute 
(TRDI) and ASDF division directors. This committee created a draft 
plan, which was discussed in an equipment review panel chaired by 
Moriya. In August 2003, the agency decided to use a GE engine. In 
fact, however, the plan was created by an evaluation team that was 
set up under the screening board. It was reviewed by senior 
officials from the TRDI and officials from ASO divisions in charge. 
 
8) Moriya possibly favored NMC in selecting engine for follow-on 
destroyer 
 
NIKKEI (Page 43) (Abridged) 
November 26, 2007 
 
Former Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya, 63, 
sought to have a US engine model selected for the Maritime 
Self-Defense Force's next-generation destroyer, sources revealed 
yesterday. A Defense Ministry section had informally decided to 
introduce an engine model from a British manufacturer competing with 
its US rival, General Electric Co. (GE). In February this year, 
however, Moriya told the section through his subordinates to 
reconsider the decision. GE had a consultancy agreement with Nihon 
Mirise Corporation (NMC), a trading firm established by Motonobu 
Miyazaki, 69, a former managing director of Yamada Corporation. 
Moriya is suspected of having used his influence on behalf of NMC, 
according to the sources. 
 
A task force of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office 
strongly suspects that Moriya favored Miyazaki and his company. 
Moriya used to play golf with Miyazaki, and he was also wined and 
dined by Miyazaki for years. The task force also seems to be 
investigating other procurement contracts, with an eye to 
indictments for bribery. 
 
The next-generation destroyer will be introduced as an escort for 
Aegis-equipped vessels. The Defense Ministry earmarked 75 billion 
yen for a new destroyer in its budget for the current fiscal year. 
The ministry is expected to screen and select manufacturers within 
the current fiscal year for the engine and other equipment items. 
 
According to informed sources, the Defense Ministry's Weapons and 
Warships Division, which is in charge of the engine for the 
next-generation destroyer, and the MSDF's Logistics Department 
decided informally by February this year to introduce a Rolls Royce 
engine model for all of the four engines to be mounted on a new 
destroyer. The plan was reported to Moriya, according to the 
sources. 
 
In the same month, Moriya, after receiving the report, voiced his 
dissatisfaction to his subordinates and told them to urge the 
Weapons and Warships Division and the Logistics Department to 
reconsider the plan, the sources said. 
 
 
TOKYO 00005324  007 OF 010 
 
 
9) Defense Ministry to award 584 million yen in USFJ realignment 
subsidy to Yokosuka 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
November 23, 2007 
 
The Defense Ministry yesterday notified the local governments 
involved in plans for US force realignment of the informally 
determined amounts of subsidies given as compensation for accepting 
US force bases or training for this fiscal year - the initial year 
of the subsidization policy. The largest amount is 584 million yen 
to Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, for accepting Yokosuka US Navy 
base. A total of 4.569 billion yen will be awarded to the 
governments of 33 communities located near 12 US military bases 
across the nation, including Machida Air Station in Tokyo. 
 
The first designation was announced late last month. The Defense 
Ministry intends to offer approximately 60 billion yen to the 33 
local governments over the next 10 years or so. 
 
Three more municipalities have been added to the subsidization list, 
including Kin Town, Okinawa, which made a policy switch to accept a 
plan to use Camp Hansen for Ground Self-Defense Force training. The 
amounts of subsidies for these three will be announced later. 
 
The amounts, calculated based on the area of a facility, the number 
of troops, and the contents of training, will be changed every 
fiscal year according to the degree of progress in realignment. 
 
Four local governments that have declined the government's 
realignment plan, including Nago City and Ginoza-son, will not be 
subsidized. Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Iwakuni City, 
Yamaguchi Prefecture, have also been excluded from the incentive 
list. 
 
10) Government to shortly unfreeze Okinawa economic package to find 
breakthrough in deadlocked Futenma plan 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 1) (Excerpts) 
November 25, 2007 
 
The government decided yesterday to implement shortly the now frozen 
Okinawa northern area economic package totaling nearly 10 billion 
yen for FY2007, the aim being to find a breakthrough in the stalled 
plan of relocating the US Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station 
(Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture) to the coastal area of Camp Schwab 
(Nago in the prefecture). The government also plans to continue its 
economic package for the area by appropriating another 10 billion 
yen in its FY2008 budget. 
 
The Fukuda administration wants to elicit compromises from the 
affected areas by holding a second Futenma consultative council 
meeting in mid-December with the northern area incentive package as 
the leverage, according to sources familiar with the government. 
 
The Okinawa prefectural government and 12 municipalities are the 
enterprising bodies of the northern area economic package, which 
covers a ten-year period starting in fiscal 2000 and totals 100 
billion yen. Although the package is nominally for correcting 
regional disparities, it is strongly tinged with an aspect of being 
a reward for accepting the bases. Following a final Japan-US 
agreement on US force realignment, the government had decided at a 
 
TOKYO 00005324  008 OF 010 
 
 
cabinet meeting in late May last year to abolish the package, but it 
now has decided to continue it, with the aim of smooth 
implementation of the base relocation plan. 
 
Disbursement of 10 billion yen in the fiscal 2007 budget has been 
frozen due to the stalled relocation talks. But now that the 
consultative council has met for the first time in ten months, Tokyo 
has recognized the need to dissolve the obstacles standing between 
the central government and affected municipalities. 
 
11) Government experts panel to postpone producing report on 
collective defense in line with prime minister's cautious posture 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top play) (Excerpts) 
November 25, 2007 
 
The Council for Rebuilding the Legal Foundation for National 
Defense, a panel established by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and 
chaired by Shunji Yanai to study specific collective self-defense 
cases that are prohibited under the government's interpretation of 
the Constitution, decided on Nov. 24 to forgo producing a report 
before the end of the year, changing its original plan to complete 
such by this fall. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is cautious about 
hastily reviewing the constitutional interpretation. The panel also 
took into consideration possible effects on Diet deliberations of a 
new antiterrorism legislation for resuming the Maritime Self-Defense 
Force's refueling operation in the Indian Ocean. 
 
The council met five times between May and August this year in which 
a majority of members called for reviewing the government's 
conventional interpretation that the four types of cases for 
discussion constituted exercising the right to collective 
self-defense. For this reason, the panel intended to incorporate the 
call in the envisaged report. 
 
But Prime Minister Abe abruptly resigned from the post in September. 
His successor, Prime Minister Fukuda has repeatedly indicated at the 
Diet that the question of reviewing of the constitutional 
interpretation must be handled carefully. 
 
In addition, an argument on establishing a permanent law governing 
the overseas dispatch of the SDF has surfaced in the process of 
discussing the new antiterrorism legislation. With the permanent 
legislation argument partially overlapping with the four cases, such 
as relaxing the weapons use regulations, a view was gaining ground 
in the government that the council must not hastily reach a 
conclusion. 
 
12) Japan to provide technology for environmental protection in 
China 
 
SANKEI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
November 26, 2007 
 
The government announced yesterday that it would implement a 
co-benefits project aimed at preventing environmental destruction 
and combating global warming in China. Environment Minister Ichiro 
Kamoshita will reach an agreement with his Chinese counterpart on a 
framework of the project and how to promote it during high-level 
economic talks to be held in Beijing next month by relevant cabinet 
ministers from the two countries. Japan will help China prevent 
environmental destruction by providing energy-conservation and other 
 
TOKYO 00005324  009 OF 010 
 
 
technologies and know-how and also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
This will be the first project for Japan to offer cooperation to a 
developing country in the co-benefits area. 
 
Kamoshita will visit China for the high-level economic talks on Dec. 
1-2. In a meeting with his Chinese counterpart to be held on the 
sidelines, Kamoshita expects to reach an agreement on a framework 
for environmental cooperation. They are likely to work out measures 
to deal with (1) air pollution; (2) water contamination; and (3) 
waste disposal. Selecting model districts and business types subject 
to the project, the Japanese and Chinese environment ministers are 
expected to determine the specific time for implementation and other 
details. 
 
In generating power, China depends on coal. Given this, Japan 
intends to provide technology to reduce such contaminants as 
sulfuric oxide and nitrogen oxide as measures to prevent air 
pollution. In addition, Japan will look into installing 
desulfurization equipment and transferring technology to keep the 
temperature in boilers at a proper level. Japan also plans to set up 
sewage treatment facilities. 
 
Developing countries tend to put off measures to protect the 
environment as a result of giving priority to developing their 
economies. According to the National Institute for Environmental 
Studies, nitrogen oxide emissions from China are up more than four 
times what they were 23 years ago and are expected to double from 
the current level in 2020. By providing its energy-conservation 
technology, Japan aims to help China protect the environment while 
pursuing economic growth. 
 
13) Dominant view in prefectural working-level meeting on BSE: 
Continuing blanket testing "scientifically meaningless" 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
November 23, 2007 
 
The nationwide network conference of local governments on food 
safety held a meeting in Tokyo yesterday. Asked whether Japan should 
continue to mandate blanket testing to prevent BSE, most 
participants said that continuing such inspections is "meaningless." 
The conference confirmed the necessity to inform consumers of the 
scientific meaning of blanket testing. 
 
The meeting brought together 68 representatives from 42 
municipalities and one government ordinance city. Discussion was 
conducted on the necessity of the current requirement of inspecting 
all cattle and the propriety of its continuation. 
 
After the meeting, Kunihisa Ozawa, chief of the Gunma Prefecture 
Food Safety Conference Secretariat, explained in a press 
conference: 
 
"All participants except for those from several prefectures pointed 
out no need to continue testing cattle 20 months of age or younger, 
which is meaningless from a scientific perspective. ... A wide gap 
was found to exist between the scientific judgment of working-level 
officials and the policy judgment of giving consideration to public 
opinion." 
 
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare intends to end subsidies 
at the end of July next year for BSE testing of cattle 20 months of 
 
TOKYO 00005324  010 OF 010 
 
 
age or younger. But Hokkaido and other prefectures to which large 
amounts have been awarded are calling for continuing the 
subsidization. 
 
DONOVAN