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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 7513

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TOKYO 005627 
 
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:  DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 12/20/07 
 
 
Index: 
 
(1) Poll: 23 PERCENT  support grand coalition idea; 21 PERCENT 
support DPJ-centered coalition (Mainichi) 
 
(2) Ozawa to play up confrontational stand in party-head debate on 
Jan. 9; Some doubtful that debate will even take place, considering 
pitched battle between ruling and opposition camps over new 
antiterrorism legislation (Yomiuri) 
 
(3) Calls for cabinet shuffle appearing in ruling camp (Mainichi) 
 
(4) Koike, the fighting lawmaker, voices dissatisfaction with 
government (Yomiuri) 
 
(5) Establishing connections with Japanese politicians a task for 
South Korean president-elect Lee (Nikkei) 
 
(6) I Corps command established at Zama (Tokyo Shimbun) 
 
(7) Draft basic maritime plan calls for strengthened measures 
against suspicious boats (Yomiuri) 
 
(8) TOP HEADLINES 
 
(9) EDITORIALS 
 
(10) Prime Minister's schedule, December 19 (Nikkei) 
 
ARTICLES: 
 
(1) Poll: 23 PERCENT  support grand coalition idea; 21 PERCENT 
support DPJ-centered coalition 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
December 20, 2007 
 
The Mainichi Shimbun found from its poll conducted on Dec. 15-16 
that the public has a certain level of understanding toward a grand 
coalition of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the main 
opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) -- a notion 
which was discussed by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and DPJ President 
Ichiro Ozawa. The outcome of the poll clearly showed that many LDP 
supporters were positive about the idea, while many DPJ supporters 
were negative about it. The newspaper questioned those polled about 
the form of government that they thought desirable, presenting six 
options. As a result, 1) 23 PERCENT  considered a grand LDP-DPJ 
coalition the most desirable; 21 PERCENT  thought a DPJ-centered 
coalition would be the best choice; 17 PERCENT  said the current 
LDP-New Komeito coalition would be the best; 11 PERCENT  deemed a 
DPJ government the best option; 10 PERCENT  considered a LDP 
government desirable; 6 PERCENT  wanted a government-led by one 
party, but neither the LDP nor the DPJ. 
 
Among the LDP supporters, 35 PERCENT  favored a grand coalition of 
the LDP and DPJ, 34 PERCENT  supported keeping the LDP-New Komeito 
coalition; and 23 PERCENT  wanted an LDP government. 
 
Many LDP supporters seem to have favored a grand LDP-DPJ coalition 
due to a sense of alarm about the now divided Diet, in which the 
Upper House is controlled by the opposition camp. 
 
 
TOKYO 00005627  002 OF 007 
 
 
Meantime, 45 PERCENT  of the DPJ supporters wanted a DPJ-centered 
government and only 16 PERCENT  hoped for a grand coalition with the 
LDP, followed by 25 PERCENT  wanted to see a DPJ government. This is 
one of the reasons the DPJ turned down Ozawa's grand coalition 
proposal. 
 
Fifty-five percent of the New Komeito supporters favored maintaining 
the present LDP-New Komeito coalition, while 15 PERCENT  supported a 
grand coalition. 
 
(2) Ozawa to play up confrontational stand in party-head debate on 
Jan. 9; Some doubtful that debate will even take place, considering 
pitched battle between ruling and opposition camps over new 
antiterrorism legislation 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Abridged slightly) 
December 20, 2007 
 
The ruling and opposition camps reached an agreement yesterday to 
conduct a party-head debate on Jan. 9 between Prime Minister Yasuo 
Fukuda and Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) President 
Ichiro Ozawa. It will be Prime Minister Fukuda's first one-on-one 
party-head debate since taking office. But because hard bargaining 
between the ruling and opposition blocs over the new antiterrorism 
special measures bill is expected to climax early next year, some 
observers are doubtful that the debate will take place as planned. 
 
A party-head debate has always been held during a Diet session, 
except for short-term sessions that usually follow national 
elections or other important events. In the current session, 
however, a party-head debate has not taken place due to the recent 
Fukuda-Ozawa talks and other reasons. A record 200 days have passed 
since the last party-head debate. 
 
The DPJ wants to use the series of scandals involving the Defense 
Ministry and the deadlocked efforts to identify a large number of 
pension accounts to its own advantage as ammunition to attack the 
government and ruling coalition. The DPJ intends to vote down the 
new antiterrorism legislation in the House of Councillors by Jan. 
¶11. "President Ozawa will send out a signal we are going on the 
offensive in the party-head debate ahead of our taking a vote (in 
the Upper House)," a person close to Ozawa said. 
 
Amid growing criticism of the government's response to the pension 
record issue, a senior LDP member, too, expressed an upbeat view, 
saying, "It will be a good opportunity for the prime minister and 
others to offer explanations." 
 
Prime Minister Fukuda said last night: "Since it will be my first 
party-head debate, I want to conduct it in a way that is easy to 
understand." DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama also commented: 
"It is important for the party heads to discuss matters frankly." 
 
At the same time, the ruling and opposition camps are in agreement 
not to conduct a debate between party leaders during the week when 
the prime minister is attending a committee meeting. Chances are 
high that the prime minister will attend an Upper House Foreign 
Affairs and Defense Committee meeting around Jan. 9 when the 
antiterrorism legislation is expected to be at a critical juncture. 
If that is the case, the fate of the planned party-head debate would 
become uncertain. 
 
 
TOKYO 00005627  003 OF 007 
 
 
(3) Calls for cabinet shuffle appearing in ruling camp 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
December 20, 2007 
 
Calls for a cabinet shuffle early next year are now becoming 
stronger in the ruling camp. One reason is that Prime Minister Yasuo 
Fukuda kept on most of the ministers appointed by his predecessor 
Shinzo Abe, and another is that some believe a cabinet shuffle could 
halt the Fukuda administration's plummeting approval ratings and 
turn the political situation around. However, a senior Liberal 
Democratic Party (LDP) member noted: "It would be difficult to set 
the schedule" since the new antiterrorism special measures bill is 
expected to be put to a vote at the beginning of the New Year. 
Fukuda has hinted at such a possibility, but he will likely be 
forced to make a tough decision. 
 
"Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appointed (the present cabinet), 
but he and Mr. Fukuda have quite different ideas," said former Prime 
Minister Yoshiro Mori on a TBS talk show. He indicated that he 
expected an early shuffle of the cabinet in an attempt to stop the 
plunge in cabinet support rates in the polls. Fukuda retained 13 of 
the 17 cabinet ministers whom Abe had picked. Foreign Minister 
Nobutaka Machimura was moved laterally to the chief cabinet 
secretary's post and Defense Minister Masahiko Koumura moved to the 
 
SIPDIS 
foreign minister's post. He appointed only two new members: Shigeru 
Ishiba as defense minister; and Kisaburo Tokai as minister of 
education, culture, sports, and science and technology. A senior 
member of the Machimura faction to which Fukuda belonged said: "It 
is only natural for Fukuda to want to display his own political 
identity by forming his own cabinet." 
 
The New Komeito also has indicated it expects to see an early 
cabinet shuffle, since Tetsuzo Fuyushiba has now been serving as 
minister of land, infrastructure, and transport for 15 months. 
 
Fukuda, who wants to keep on top of the situation with an eye on the 
upcoming regular Diet session, has strongly denied the possibility 
of his dissolving the Lower House to call a snap election, but he 
has left some room for a cabinet shuffle. In an interview on Dec. 14 
by the Mainichi Shimbun, he stated: "It is a matter on which I must 
soon decide." An aide said: "If he wanted to shuffle his cabinet, it 
will only take him two days to do so." However, the current Diet 
session is expected to be under a tense situation until Jan. 15, 
when it will close once the Lower House overrides the Upper House's 
rejection of the new antiterrorism bill and the opposition in turn 
lodges a censure motion against the prime minister. Since the 
government and ruling coalition plan to convene a regular session on 
Jan. 18, there would not be enough time for Fukuda to shuffle his 
cabinet during the recess. 
 
Moreover, many lawmakers think that it ill advised to change the 
cabinet ministers who had compiled the state budget for fiscal 2008 
immediately before starting deliberations on the budget bill. In the 
past, however, there were a few cases of a cabinet shuffle and the 
inauguration of a new cabinet conducted almost simultaneously, such 
as the Obuchi cabinet shuffle on Jan. 14, 1999, after the 
compilation of the state budget; the Nakasone cabinet reshuffle on 
Dec. 28, 1985; and the Kaifu cabinet reshuffle on Dec. 29, 1990. 
 
(4) Koike, the fighting lawmaker, voices dissatisfaction with 
government 
 
TOKYO 00005627  004 OF 007 
 
 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
December 20, 2007 
 
LDP lawmaker and a former defense minister Yuriko Koike delivered a 
speech in the city of Fukuoka yesterday. In it, touching on the 13th 
session of the Conference of the Parties to United Nations Framework 
Convention on Climate Change (COP13) held in Indonesia, Koike 
criticized the government, which is reluctant to further reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions, saying: "If I were environment minister, I 
would have supported setting numerical targets. I watched the 
conference with frustration, thinking that Japan should come up with 
more proactive measures" In regard to attendance at COP13 by 
Environment Minister Ichiro Kamoshita, Koike cynically said: "Japan 
is regarded as an easy target (by other countries)." 
 
During her tenure as environment minister under the former Koizumi 
administration, Koike spread the Cool Biz casual business dress code 
across the country. Under the former Abe administration, Koike as 
the country's first female defense minister locked horns with then 
Vice-Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya over personnel appointments 
and forced him to resign. In the speech yesterday, Koike said: "An 
election will occur sometime next year. I will say what I have to 
say and work hard as a common foot soldier." 
 
In the House of Representatives election in 2005, she won a seat, 
running in the Tokyo No. 10 constituency as an "assassin" against a 
postal rebel. This time around, the major opposition Democratic 
Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) has decided to field a female 
candidate, former University of Tokyo associate professor, as an 
"assassin" against Koike. 
 
Is Koike, who has a strong image of being a fighting lawmaker, going 
to take a defensive stand? A verbal battle has kicked off already in 
preparation for the not-so-distant Lower House election. 
 
(5) Establishing connections with Japanese politicians a task for 
South Korean president-elect Lee 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
December 20, 2007 
 
In the South Korean presidential election campaign, Lee Myung Bak 
expressed eagerness to improve relations with Japan, emphasizing: "I 
am determined to open up an age of Asia diplomacy." But many 
observers see that when he was a businessman and even after he 
entered the political world, "Lee did not establish a wide network 
of contacts with Japanese," according to a member of the Grand 
National Party. Establishing connections with the Japanese political 
world is a major task for the new administration. 
 
Lee was the president of Hyundai Construction, so a person concerned 
said: "He can hold a conversation in basic Japanese." 
 
When Lee came to Japan in November last year, he held meetings with 
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa 
Shiozaki, New Komeito President Akihiro Ota, and other government 
officials. He met former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General 
Hidenao Nakagawa at the Davos Forum last year. He also is acquainted 
with former Democratic Party of Japan President Katsuya Okada. But 
he has met no other major Japanese politicians than those listed 
above. 
 
TOKYO 00005627  005 OF 007 
 
 
 
In his election campaign speeches, Lee hardly referred to Japan, 
probably out of consideration to the anti-Japanese sentiment in the 
nation. A brain-trust foreign policy adviser stated: "He places 
importance on relations with Japan, but if trouble breaks out over 
Japan's views of history, he would find it difficult to hold down 
reactions in South Korea." 
 
The Grand National Party, to which Lee belongs, and the LDP once 
actively exchanged members. During the election campaign this time, 
former Prime Minister Kim Jong Pil, who was on friendly terms with 
former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, joined the party. Even so, 
veteran party members who speak Japanese have mostly retired to 
private life during the decade when the party was in the opposition 
camp. 
 
In the Grand National Party, there are such junior or medium-ranking 
members as Kwon Chol-hyon, secretary general of the South 
Korea-Japan Friendship Parliamentarian Group, and Lee Song-kwon, who 
served as a secretary to LDP House of Representatives member Taro 
Kono, but the party's present ties with Japan are weak. 
 
(6) I Corps command established at Zama 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) 
December 20, 2007 
 
A U.S. Army 1st Corps command was officially launched at Camp Zama 
in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, yesterday. The U.S. Army in 
Japan will be upgraded from a rear support unit to a forward command 
responsible for the security of the whole Asia-Pacific region. 
 
This is the first stationing of a U.S. Army combat-force command 
since the 9th army corps was disbanded in 1995, following the end of 
the Cold War. The Ground Self-Defense Force's Central Readiness 
Command will also be relocated to Zama by fiscal 2012. Such 
reorganization is regarded as a "symbol" of closer bilateral 
cooperation between Japan and the U.S. 
 
The inaugural ceremony held at Camp Zama yesterday brought together 
about 200 participants, including new command members and Defense 
Ministry officers. First Commanding General Lt. Gen. Jacoby told 
participants in the ceremony: "It is an honor to be able to 
strengthen the bilateral alliance between the U.S. and Japan." 
 
Meanwhile, citizens opposed to the launch of the command held a 
protest gathering in front of the base. Kanagawa Governor Matsuzawa 
and the mayors of seven neighboring cities, including Sagamihara 
City, did not attend the ceremony. 
 
(7) Draft basic maritime plan calls for strengthened measures 
against suspicious boats 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
December 20, 2007 
 
The comprehensive maritime policy council, headed by Prime Minister 
Fukuda, which is to craft the country's maritime policy, held an 
experts' meeting (chaired by Keio University Professor Emeritus 
Tadao Kuribayashi) at the Prime Minister's Official Residence 
(Kantei) yesterday. The council presented a draft basic maritime 
plan incorporating priority policies for the next five years, such 
 
TOKYO 00005627  006 OF 007 
 
 
as undersea resources surveys and enhanced measures against 
suspicious boats. 
 
The draft plan lists 12 policy areas. In the area of maritime 
security, the plan highlights the need to establish a system that 
can monitor and crack down on mysterious boats and spy ships more 
effectively. It also lists the conservation of the marine 
environment and promotion of the development of the exclusive 
economic zone. 
 
The comprehensive maritime policy council plans to come up with a 
basic plan in February next year for a cabinet decision. 
 
(8) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi, Mainichi, Yomiuri, Nikkei, Sankei, and Tokyo Shimbun: 
Lee Myung Bak wins South Korean presidential election; Conservative 
administration to be established for first time in 10 years 
 
Akahata: 
New U.S. Army headquarters opens in Zama 
 
(9) EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) ROK presidential election: Closer cooperation in East Asia 
expected to follow 
(2) Can social security council bear fruit without opposition 
parties? 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) UN resolution abolishing capital punishment requires thorough 
discussion 
(2) South Korea chooses pragmatist as new president to deal with 
North Korea 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) How will North Korea policy change under new ROK president? 
(2) Putin diplomacy points to path back to superpower status 
 
Nikkei: 
(1) High hopes for South Korea's new CEO-type president 
(2) Adequate wage increase necessary next spring 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Mature foreign and domestic policies hoped for of ROK 
president-elect 
(2) Law must be revised against drunk driving 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) Change of administration in ROK: People chose practical gain 
(2) Reform of independent administrative corporations must not be 
postponed 
 
Akahata: 
Proper working conditions essential 
 
(10) Prime Minister's schedule, December 19 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
December 20, 2007 
 
 
TOKYO 00005627  007 OF 007 
 
 
08:45 
Attended a ministerial meeting on economic measures at the Kantei. 
 
09:01 
Attended an extraordinary cabinet meeting. Health, Labor and Welfare 
Minister Masuzoe stayed behind. Handed an official appointment for 
National Public Safety Committee (NPSC) membership to former 
Hiroshima High Court Chief Kenjiro Tao, with NPSC Chairman Izumi 
present. 
 
09:23 
Met Internal Affairs Minister Masuda, Vice Minister Takino, Local 
Public Finance Bureau Director General Kubo. Followed by Deputy 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Futahashi. 
 
10:03 
Met Antimonopoly Law Research Council Chairman Horiuchi. Later met 
National Police Agency Security Bureau Director General Ikeda. 
 
11:06 
Met Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura. 
 
11:59 
Met New Komeito President Ota and mid-ranking members. Ota stayed 
behind. 
 
15:17 
Met Defense Ministry's Defense Policy Bureau Director General 
Kanazawa and Assistant Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yanagisawa. 
Followed by Cabinet Office's Policy Planning Director General 
Shibata. Then met Reform Implementation Headquarters Chief Takebe. 
 
16:04 
Met Finance Minister Nukaga, Vice Minister Tsuda, and Budget Bureau 
Director General Sugimoto. Followed by ambassadors to Latin American 
countries, including Ambassador to Mexico Ono. 
 
17:35 
Met former Secretary General Kato. 
 
18:25 
Met Masuzoe and Machimura. 
 
19:55 
Met Futahashi. 
 
20:59 
Dined with Futahashi and others at a Japanese restaurant in the 
Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka. 
 
22:34 
Returned to his private residence in Nozawa. 
 
SCHIEFFER