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DE RUEHKO #0215/01 0280827
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 280827Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1276
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/USDOJ WASHDC PRIORITY
RULSDMK/USDOT WASHDC PRIORITY
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5//
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMHBA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI
RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA//
RHMFIUU/USFJ //J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/CTF 72
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 8127
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 5731
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 9398
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 4380
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 6339
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1329
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 7398
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 8037

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 14 TOKYO 000215 
 
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 01/28/08 
 
INDEX: 
 
(1) "Japan's gasoline is not expensive," Prime Minister Fukuda says, 
seeking to maintain provisional tax rate (Yomiuri) 
 
(2) Ruling bloc to submit possibly on Jan. 29 stopgap bill aimed at 
extending the deadline for provisional tax rate (Nikkei) 
 
(3) FY2007 supplementary budget bill to clear Lower House on Jan. 29 
(Nikkei) 
 
(4) Lower House by-election to be held in April because of LDP 
member throwing hat into Iwakuni mayoral race election; Fukuda 
government to receive judgment of the people (Sankei) 
 
(5) Local voices on security policy: Iwakuni mayoral election near 
at hand over acceptance of carrier-borne air wing (Asahi) 
 
(6) Chief cabinet secretary emphasizes no change in Futenma 
relocation plan, without being affected by U.S. court's judgment on 
effect on dugongs (Okinawa Times) 
 
(7) U.S. military to remove PCB-laden materials next month (Okinawa 
Times) 
 
(8) Editorial: International cooperation essential for restoring 
international trust (Sankei) 
 
(9) Japan to work together with Southeast Asia on diplomatic and 
security fronts, with ulterior motive of forestalling China's move 
to increase its influence in region (Nikkei) 
 
(10) Threat of "econ terrorist:" Radical anti-whaling group, backed 
by Australia, New Zealand, targeting Japanese whaling ships 
(Sankei) 
 
(11) Japanese companies to employ large number of Asian engineers: 
Nissan to hire 4,000, Toyo Engineering already hired 1,000 to make 
up for labor shortage in Japan (Nikkei) 
 
ARTICLES: 
 
(1) "Japan's gasoline is not expensive," Prime Minister Fukuda says, 
seeking to maintain provisional tax rate 
 
YOMIURI ONLINE NEWS 
January 28, 2008, 13:20 p.m. 
 
At a session this morning of the Lower House Budget Committee, Prime 
Minister Fukuda noted, "Our country's gasoline price ranks 25th 
among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 
(OECD) member nations, and the price is very low. In Europe, the 
gasoline tax has been hiked out of environmental considerations, but 
Japan's gasoline price remains the same." "We must definitely 
maintain that tax (provisional tax rate for gasoline). This tax 
should be taken as a part of environment-related taxation in a broad 
sense of the term," Fukuda added and sought understanding for 
keeping that tax rate. 
 
As for a bill revising the Special Taxation Measures Law, including 
maintaining the provisional tax rate for gasoline, Fukuda stressed: 
"It is a key source of revenue. If the bill is not approved (by the 
 
TOKYO 00000215  002 OF 014 
 
 
end of this fiscal year), there would be an immeasurable impact on 
the public's livelihood. I earnestly hope the bill will be enacted 
by the end of this fiscal year. I also have asked for cooperation 
from the opposition parties." 
 
When asked about his recent attendance at the annual meeting of the 
World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Fukuda said: "I 
demonstrated Japan's attitude of doing what we can (in dealing with 
the environmental problems). I think this has been understood by 
other countries." 
 
When asked about how to address the reduction of greenhouse gas 
emissions at the upcoming G8 summit in July, Fukuda declared, "I 
will continue efforts to persuade other industrialized countries 
while taking pragmatic measures step by step. I will ask for the 
public's cooperation." Fukuda also emphasized the need for the 
country as a whole to tackle climate change. Fukuda was replying to 
questions posed by Hiroyuki Sonoda, a member of the ruling Liberal 
Democratic Party (LDP), and by junior coalition partner New 
Komeito's Secretary General Kitagawa. 
 
(2) Ruling bloc to submit possibly on Jan. 29 stopgap bill aimed at 
extending the deadline for provisional tax rate 
 
NIKKEI ONLINE NEWS 
January 28, 2008, 13:47 p.m. 
 
The ruling bloc this morning launched an effort to submit a stopgap 
bill aimed at extending the deadline for the provisional tax rate 
for gasoline, which is to expire at the end of March, for another 
two months until the end of May. The stopgap bill will be created in 
the form of legislation sponsored by lawmakers. The purpose of the 
bill is to avoid any confusion stemming from the expiration of the 
existing law. The ruling parties intend to get the bill clear the 
Lower House by Jan. 31. Meanwhile, the opposition bloc, which 
insists on scrapping the provisional tax rate, is gearing up to 
unanimously oppose the submission of the bill. This matter will be 
discussed at a session this afternoon of secretaries general from 
both the ruling and opposition parties, but negotiations are likely 
to face hard going. 
 
The ruling bloc already submitted to the Diet a bill revising the 
Special Taxation Measures Law. The bill contains a package of 
actions to extend the duration of various tax system-related 
measures, including the provisional tax rate for gasoline. If this 
revision bill fails to be adopted by the end of March because of 
intransigence from the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and other 
opposition parties, the gasoline price would drastically fluctuate 
with the expiration of the provisional tax rate for gasoline, and 
ending the preferential taxation system for firms would throw the 
daily lives of people into confusion, the ruling bloc insists. The 
stopgap bill the ruling parties plan to submit to the Diet is to 
avoid such confusion. 
 
The ruling bloc's executives this morning gathered at a Tokyo hotel 
and discussed how to deal with the opposition bloc. They agreed that 
they will persuade the opposition parties to cooperate to get the 
revision bill enacted before the end of this fiscal year, but that 
if negotiations with the opposition bloc broke down, they would 
submit the stopgap bill. 
 
(3) FY2007 supplementary budget bill to clear Lower House on Jan. 
 
TOKYO 00000215  003 OF 014 
 
 
29 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
January 25, 2008 
 
In a House of Representatives Budget Committee session, Finance 
Minister Fukushiro Nukaga will explain today the reason for the 
government submitting a bill on the supplementary budget for fiscal 
2007, which features measures for disaster relief. The expectation 
is that the bill will be passed by the House of Representatives on 
Jan. 29 and it will then clear the House of Councillors by Feb. 1. 
The possibility is that passage by the Lower House of a bill 
revising the Special Taxation Measures Law, which includes an 
extension of the provisional gasoline tax, will be then delayed to 
February. 
 
Azuma Koshiishi, chairman of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or 
Minshuto) caucus in the Upper House, revealed yesterday that his 
party was considering an option of approving a bill revising the Tax 
Allocation to Local Government Law to cover deficits of local 
governments, one of the bills related to the FY 2007 supplementary 
budget. He stated in a press conference: "The problem will not be 
resolved by just attacking the government's responsibility. We are 
now mulling as to whether we should approve of some parts of the 
whole." 
 
Another senior member took the view that it would be difficult to 
oppose the supplementary budget-related bills. He noted: "It is 
extremely difficult to show voters the problematical points during a 
short debate. There will be left the impression that the DPJ is 
being rough on rural areas." 
 
The DPJ had initially determined to oppose the bills. But prior to 
the "gasoline battle," regional organizations rebutted the party's 
policy of abolishing the provisional gasoline tax. Diet Affairs 
Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka is taking a flexible response, 
saying: "I will have the party look into specific measures giving 
priority to rural areas and the public." 
 
The DPJ has, however, stressed is opposition toward the ruling 
camp's bill revising the Special Taxation Measures Law. The party 
issued on Jan. 23 a notice to its regional chapters across, calling 
for refraining from taking part in gatherings opposing the party's 
policy. 
 
The ruling camp, too, has yet to get its act together. Meeting 
yesterday in his office with Upper House LDP Caucus Chairman 
Hidehisa Otsuji, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda asked him to enact the 
special taxation revision bill before the end of this fiscal year 
(March), but he did not give any specific instructions. The 
expectation is that a Lower House committee will start deliberations 
on the revision bill on Jan. 24 or later after the supplementary 
budget bill is enacted, and it will be passed by the Lower House in 
mid-February at the earliest. Otsuji expressed dissatisfaction, 
telling his aides: "I don't understand at all the strategy of Prime 
Minister's Official Residence." One idea in the LDP is to draft a 
bill extending the provisional tax rates, which expire on March 31, 
until July. In the meeting with Otsuji, Fukuda did not deny the 
possibility of extending the law, telling Otsuji: "As to legislation 
by house members, the cabinet can't say anything." But many in the 
ruling coalition are cautious about such an idea. 
 
 
TOKYO 00000215  004 OF 014 
 
 
LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Tadamori Oshima yesterday 
proposed to the DPJ that a meeting of Diet committee chiefs from the 
ruling and opposition parties be held to discuss the handling of the 
special taxation law revision bill. The DPJ's Yamaoka, however, 
rejected the proposal, arguing: "It is too early to do so." The 
Machimura faction in the LDP, to which Fukuda used to belong, 
compiled yesterday a set of proposals for reviewing the rules for 
managing Diet affairs. However, chances are slim that it will lead 
to breaking the impasse. 
 
Fukuda, as if to say to himself, told Seiken Sugiura, who brought 
the set of proposals to him: "Even the DPJ will understand that we 
should not hinder the daily lives of people." 
 
(4) Lower House by-election to be held in April because of LDP 
member throwing hat into Iwakuni mayoral race election; Fukuda 
government to receive judgment of the people 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
January 28, 2008 
 
Along with yesterday's Osaka gubernatorial election, the Feb. 10 
mayoral race in Iwakuni City in Yamaguchi Prefecture is likely 
becoming another cause for concern for the government of Prime 
Minister Yasuo Fukuda. The official campaign period for the Iwakuni 
mayoralty starts Feb. 3. The main campaign issue is likely to be the 
city's response to the central government's plan to transfer 
carrier-borne aircraft to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni 
from the U.S. Naval Air Facility Atsugi, one of the main features of 
the realignment of U.S. based in Japan. Since a House of 
Representatives member belonging to the ruling Liberal Democratic 
Party (LDP) has filed as a candidate in the race, a by-election for 
the Yamaguchi No. 2 district to fill the vacated Lower House seat 
will be held in April, becoming the first national election the 
Fukuda government will experience. All the more because the outcome 
of the Iwakuni mayoral race will affect the Lower House by-election, 
all eyes are focused on the local election. 
 
With the popular Korean drama "Winter Sonata" in mind, former Mayor 
Katsusuke Ihara, 57, appeared in a gathering on Jan. 24, wearing a 
yellow scarf, which has become his campaign trademark. Middle-aged 
women are enthusiastically supporting Ihara, who quit the mayoral 
post late last year over his opposition to the transfer of the U.S. 
aircraft to a base in the city. 
 
In the gathering, Ihara criticized Yoshihiko Fukuda, former Lower 
House member of the LDP, his rival candidate, saying: 
 
"The primary issue for the upcoming election is how to deal with the 
U.S. base issue. The other candidate is trying to shift the campaign 
issue by fueling fears of the city's financial collapse and of tax 
hikes." 
 
The other candidate, Fukuda (37), who resigned his Diet seat on Jan. 
22, has not brought the base issue into his campaign. Although he 
favors the transfer of carrier-borne aircraft to Iwakuni, he is 
calling for the need for putting an end to the city's financial 
difficulties created by Ihara during his 9-year tenure as mayor, 
rather than bringing up the base issue. 
 
Ihara also has mixed feelings. At a press conference on Jan. 4 
announcing his candidacy, Ihara categorically stated: "The campaign 
 
TOKYO 00000215  005 OF 014 
 
 
issues do not just mean the realignment of U.S. bases in Japan." 
Both candidates are well aware of the city's circumstances. 
 
At a wholesale market in the early morning of Jan. 24, one worker 
gave words of encouragement to Fukuda: "The carrier-borne aircraft 
is not the only issue. Since you are young, you should make even 
more efforts." Many residents in Iwakuni have expressed concern 
about Ihara, who has taken an even stronger adversarial stance 
toward the central government, set off by the carrier-born aircraft 
transfer issue. 
 
Those supporting Fukuda, who announced his candidacy on Jan. 5, are 
conservative city assembly members and business leaders who are 
concerned about the present municipal administration. Many shops in 
the downtown streets have closed. Even U.S. military personnel go to 
the downtown areas of Hiroshima and other cities. 
 
Anti-Ihara movements escalated in the city assembly and local 
business circles in March 2006 when Ihara held a referendum on the 
carrier-born aircraft transfer issue. Backed by nearly 90 PERCENT 
of the public who voted against the transfer, he did not accept the 
government's plan and the government then suspended subsidies 
totaling 3.5 billion yen for the construction of a new city hall. 
The municipal assembly, many members of which favor the government's 
transfer plan, last year rejected four times a budget bill submitted 
by then Mayor Ihara bill to cover the 3.5 billion yen by other 
fiscal resources. The city assembly finally approved the bill in 
return for Ihara's resignation last December. 
 
Supporters for the candidate Fukuda are alarmed that the municipal 
administration led by Ihara, who has adamantly refused to accept the 
government's plan, has created an economic standstill. Ihara, 
however, said: 
 
"I neither call for the removal of the base nor do I reject 
discussions. The problem is the government's arrogant way of 
unilaterally pushing ahead with its plan by resorting to a 
carrot-and-stick policy." 
 
A senior member of Fukuda's election task force predicts that if 
Ihara is elected, he will take a tougher stance, backed by the 
public will. 
 
The Lower House by-election (on April 27) for the Yamaguchi No. 2 
district to fill Yoshihiko Fukuda's seat will be the first national 
election for the Fukuda government. Since the election will be 
conducted after a fierce battle between the ruling and opposition 
camps over the provisional gasoline tax rate ends, the by-election 
will likely have the air of a judgment by the people. 
 
Yamaguchi Prefecture is known for having such conservative lawmakers 
as former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (representing the No. 4 
district) and Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura (No. 1 district). 
The No. 2 district, however, is an exception. Yoshihiko Fukuda won 
by a narrow margin in the 2005 Lower House election by taking 
advantage of the Koizumi boom. In the two previous elections, Hideo 
Hiraoka of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or 
Minshuto) won the No. 2 district seat, defeating Shinji Sato, son of 
former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato. 
 
On hearing the announcement of the Lower House by-election, Hiraoka 
on Jan. 5 expressed his intention to run in the race. He said: "The 
 
TOKYO 00000215  006 OF 014 
 
 
outcome of the mayoral election will affect the Lower House 
by-election more or less." He predicts that if Ihara wins the 
mayoral election, the wind will blow favorably for him in the Lower 
House by-election. It is said in the LDP that Upper House member 
Yoshimasa Hayashi has strong interest in the Lower House 
by-election. However, Hayashi will likely make a decision after 
seeing the result of the mayoral election. 
 
(5) Local voices on security policy: Iwakuni mayoral election near 
at hand over acceptance of carrier-borne air wing 
 
ASAHI (Page 3) (Excerpts) 
January 26, 2008 
 
The official campaign for the mayoral race of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi 
Prefecture, will kick off on February 3 for the election on February 
¶10. At issue is the relocation of a carrier-based air wing to the 
Iwakuni base as part of U.S. force realignment. The Ministry of 
Defense (MOD) has frozen subsidies to the city led by former mayor 
Katsutoshi Ihara who had been elected on the back of a referendum in 
which nearly 90 PERCENT  of the citizens opposed the plan to 
relocate U.S. fighter jets. Is a municipality allowed to say 'no' to 
foreign and defense policies under the jurisdiction of the central 
government? 
 
Nago -- Futenma relocation 
 
The Okinawa prefectural government has been at odds over the last 10 
years with the Nago municipal government over the planned relocation 
of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station that sits in densely 
populated residential areas. 
 
Waters off Henoko Cape in Nago came to the fore in 1997 as a 
relocation site for Futenma Air Station. The city held a referendum, 
in which a majority opposed the relocation. Despite that, then Nago 
Mayor Tetsuya Higa announced that the city would accept the 
relocation, and he stepped down. 
 
What is distinct from Iwakuni is that Tateo Kishimoto, who was 
backed by pro-relocation groups, won the mayoral race after the 
referendum, in which the majority said 'no' to the relocation. 
 
After many twists and turns, the government and affected 
municipalities reached an accord on the offshore plan, but it did 
not materialize due to stiff resistance from local residents. In 
2006, MOD reached an agreement with Kishimoto's successor, Yoshikazu 
Shimabukuro, to build a V-shaped pair of runways so that the 
envisioned flight path would not pass over residential areas. But 
then Governor Keiichi Inamine reacted negatively to the V-shape 
plan, saying it was worked out behind the back of the prefectural 
government. Shimabukuro subsequently presented a plan to move the 
V-shaped runways further offshore, but Tokyo balked at it. With 
Governor Hirokazu Nakaima, who replaced Inamine, siding with Nago, 
relocation talks remain stalled. 
 
Why can the central government not steamroller the relocation plan 
irrespective of Okinawa's wishes? The reason is because the governor 
has the power to authorize landfill work for building the facility. 
The government plans to begin an environmental assessment in 
February to complete it by the summer of 2009. "(The governor) might 
say 'no' thereafter," Vice Governor Zenki Nakazato noted. 
 
 
TOKYO 00000215  007 OF 014 
 
 
Iwakuni cannot expect Yamaguchi Governor Sekinari Nii to exercise 
such power, for he is tolerant of the relocation. 
 
The government once studied ways to shift the power to authorize the 
use of the surface of public waters from prefectural governors to 
the central government. 
 
In 1995, then Okinawa Governor Masahide Ota refused to sign 
documents as a proxy for the antiwar landlords who were unwilling to 
renew their leases with the U.S. military. The government eventually 
revised the law and shifted such authority to the central 
government. 
 
Zushi -- Ikego housing project 
 
In 1982, a plan emerged to build U.S. military housing in a wooded 
area in Ikego in the city of Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, which was 
previously used as an ammunition dept. Then Mayor Torayoshi Mishima 
announced to accept the housing plan, saying it was beyond a local 
government's authority. In reaction, anti-housing residents demanded 
Mishima's recall and he was eventually ousted. The city installed 
Kiichiro Tomino as its new mayor. 
 
The anti-housing group also won the following three mayoral races. 
As is Iwakuni's case, the mayor was at odds with the city assembly 
that was controlled by members tolerant of the housing project, who 
voted down the supplementary budget. The mayor eventually dissolved 
the assembly. The anti-housing group won a majority four years 
later. 
 
Still, the government pushed ahead with the housing plan, saying 
opposition was not overwhelming. Tomino's successor, Mitsuyo Sawa, 
accepted the plan in the end, but she also extracted a promise from 
the government to preserve the remaining woods. 
 
A new U.S. military housing project is underway in the woods on the 
Yokohama side. "If it were not for the preservation movement, there 
wouldn't have any trees left there," Sawa recalled. 
 
Iwakuni's Ihara is eying a victory under the banner of "new popular 
will." 
 
Ihara also envisages dissolving the city assembly that is now 
controlled by proponents of the relocation plan. 
 
When Tomino became Zushi mayor, the city's rate of independent 
revenue sources stood at 80 PERCENT . "The city did not have to rely 
on government subsidies," Tomino recalled. Meanwhile, Iwakuni's 
independent revenue rate in fiscal 2006 was only 40 PERCENT . It is 
not easy for Iwakuni to continue enduring the government's financial 
squeeze. 
 
The government's carrot-and-stick policy breaks solidarity among 
local governments 
 
In order to counter the central government, local governments must 
remain united. But ever since the central government adopted last 
year a U.S. force realignment subsidy system that can be used as a 
carrot or stick, schisms have appeared among local governments. 
 
In 2006, Yoshiro Iriyama was elected mayor of the city of Otake, 
Hiroshima Prefecture, pledging to oppose the carrier-borne air 
 
TOKYO 00000215  008 OF 014 
 
 
wing's relocation to the Iwakuni base. Six months later, he reversed 
his position and announced to support the plan, saying cooperating 
with the central government would serve the interests of the 
citizens. Subsidies reportedly total 4 billion yen are appealing. 
The city of Otake, which hosts no base, was irritated that it had no 
tool to fight back. 
 
At one point, municipalities, including Otake, that sit in the 
western part of Hiroshima adjacent to Iwakuni, joined efforts in 
seeking anti-relocation resolutions of the Hiroshima and Yamaguchi 
prefectural assemblies. Those days are over. 
 
Comment by Yamaguchi University Professor Atsushi Koketsu: A shift 
is occurring from centralization to decentralization. It is natural 
for local heads to make requests to the central government on behalf 
of local residents. At the same time, there is a need to produce a 
level playing field for both the anti- and pro-relocation groups by 
presenting a mid-range vision, including ways to make local 
economies independent of bases and subsidies. As long as 
municipalities are swayed between accepting and rejecting relocation 
plans, neither the central government nor local governments will 
lend an ear to them. 
 
(6) Chief cabinet secretary emphasizes no change in Futenma 
relocation plan, without being affected by U.S. court's judgment on 
effect on dugongs 
 
OKINAWA TIMES (Page 2) (Full) 
January 26, 2008 
 
(Tokyo) 
 
The U.S. District Court in San Francisco handed down a judgment that 
ordered the Department of Defense to give consideration so that the 
planned construction of a new facility to take over the functions of 
the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station will have no impact on 
the dugongs. Following this announcement, Chief Cabinet Secretary 
Nobutaka Machimura emphasized in a press conference yesterday that 
the government will not change the Futenma relocation plan agreed on 
between Japan and the U.S. 
 
Machimura indicated that the planned construction of a V-shaped pair 
of runways will have only a light influence on the environment, 
remarking: "Both side worked out the plan as a result of giving 
consideration to minimize the impact on coral, seagrasses, and 
dugongs." Machimura added: 
 
"(The government) is assessing what impact the construction plan 
will have on the environment. Japan's main policy is that while 
fully giving consideration to natural conservation, the government 
will push ahead with the construction work as soon as possible, in 
order to reduce its burden and maintain its deterrence capability." 
 
Keeping in mind a request in the U.S. District Court's ruling for a 
report on the environmental impact assessment to be submitted within 
90 days to the court, Machimura stated: "The issue is still under 
dispute. A judgment on the propriety of the construction plan has 
yet to be made and remains on hold." 
 
The Defense Ministry, which has jurisdiction over the relocation 
work, has taken the U.S. court's judgment coolly. Spokesman Katashi 
Toyota commented in a regular press conference yesterday: "We will 
 
TOKYO 00000215  009 OF 014 
 
 
continue to closely watch the course of the trial." Adding: "We will 
proceed with the work without making a fuss," he indicated that the 
ministry will take a wait-and-see attitude. 
 
(7) U.S. military to remove PCB-laden materials next month 
 
OKINAWA TIMES (Page 1) (Full) 
January 26, 2008 
 
TOKYO-U.S. Forces Japan has told the Japanese government that the 
U.S. military would ship its base storage of Japanese-made materials 
containing polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) to the U.S. mainland from 
Honshu late this month and from Okinawa in February, sources said 
yesterday. 
 
The U.S. military will ship approximately 50 tons of PCB-laden 
materials from Honshu, according to the Foreign Ministry. When it 
comes to Okinawa, however, USFJ has not revealed anything in detail 
about how much and when to ship. The U.S. military does not comment 
on any specifics for security and other reasons, Foreign Ministry 
sources say. 
 
The U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act restricts the United States 
from importing foreign-made PCB-containing materials. However, the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established an exceptional 
period to allow such imports from Jan. 7 this year through Jan. 9 
next year, according to the Foreign Ministry's Status of U.S. Forces 
Agreement Division. 
 
In Japan, facilities that are capable of processing PCB-containing 
materials are limited. The U.S. military will therefore send them to 
the United States within this period. The period lasts until next 
year, so the U.S. military will likely ship PCB-containing materials 
in and after February. 
 
USFJ has told the Japanese government that the U.S. military would 
take appropriate environmental measures when storing and shipping 
PCB-containing materials. The Foreign Ministry's Status of U.S. 
Forces Agreement Division repeatedly requested USFJ to consider 
safety. After that, the Foreign Ministry informed Okinawa Prefecture 
and other local governments yesterday evening of the U.S. military's 
report. 
 
In the past, the U.S. military shipped PCB-containing materials 
twice from Okinawa Prefecture. The first shipping was on Aug. 15, 
2003 and the second shipping on July 10, 2004, according to the 
Foreign Ministry. 
 
(8) Editorial: International cooperation essential for restoring 
international trust 
 
SANKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
January 25, 2008 
 
The Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Murasame left the Yokosuka 
base yesterday in order to rejoin the international antiterrorism 
operation in the Indian Ocean. The supply ship Oumi will leave the 
Sasebo base today to join the Murasame in order to resume the 
refueling operation in mid-February. 
 
Japan dropped out of the international operation last November. In 
his send-off speech, Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said: "I want 
 
TOKYO 00000215  010 OF 014 
 
 
each of you to accomplish a perfect mission with high morale." In 
order to restore international trust in Japan, we would like to see 
the MSDF troops devote themselves to refueling vessels of the 
U.S.-led coalition forces. 
 
Multinational naval activities include more than the maritime 
interdiction operations to block the shipping of drugs and weapons 
by Al Qaeda members. They are ensuring the security of sea lanes 
that are vital for Japan, which depends on the Middle East for more 
than 90 PERCENT  of its crude oil imports. A chemical tanker owned 
by a Tokyo shipping firm was seajacked by pirates last October. 
However, multinational naval forces chased the pirates and rescued 
the tanker. 
 
The MSDF withdrawal has significantly reduced the activity time of 
the multinational forces. The MSDF's dropout for domestic reasons 
has generated the impression that Japan will not work together with 
other countries. 
 
Such a situation must not be repeated. The new Antiterrorism Special 
Measures Law, which provides the legal basis for the refueling 
operation, expires next January. 
 
The focus is, after all, on the enactment of permanent legislation 
governing the overseas dispatch of the SDF. In his policy speech, 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda indicated that he would study a general 
law with the aim of conducting international peace cooperation 
activities swiftly and effectively. 
 
In the previous extra Diet session, the major opposition Democratic 
Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) submitted Afghanistan special 
measures legislation specifying the need for a permanent law. 
Although the legislation has been carried over to the current 
session, it could serve as the basis for a permanent law. 
 
What deserves attention is a draft plan for international peace 
cooperation legislation, compiled by Ishiba when he was chair of the 
LDP defense policy subcommittee. This Ishiba plan preconditions the 
SDF's overseas dispatch on a UN resolution. In addition, it also 
says Japan will send SDF troops to a foreign country at that 
country's request or if the government recognizes the need to do 
so. 
 
In contrast, DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa's argument on SDF dispatch 
is based only on a UN resolution. It might end up leaving Japan's 
sovereignty to China and Russia that have veto power at the UN 
Security Council and eventually damaging Japan's national 
interests. 
 
Seiji Saeki, commander of MSDF Escort Division 1 who commands the 
two MSDF vessels bound for the Indian Ocean, said at the send-off 
ceremony: "Although some said we are violating the Constitution, we 
have pride and dignity." This shows that Japan needs to send the 
MSDF troops. 
 
(9) Japan to work together with Southeast Asia on diplomatic and 
security fronts, with ulterior motive of forestalling China's move 
to increase its influence in region 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
January 28, 2008 
 
 
TOKYO 00000215  011 OF 014 
 
 
The government has launched an effort to strengthen ties with 
Southeast Asian countries in the areas of foreign and security 
affairs. Japan wants to obtain cooperation from those countries to 
deal with such diplomatic challenges as the North Korea issue and 
the reform of the United Nations. Japan also wants to keep its 
shipping lanes secure from a long-term perspective. In addition, 
Japan seems to have been motivated by a desire to forestall China, 
which is rapidly expanding its influence in Southeast Asia. Against 
this background, the heated rivalry between the two countries is 
likely to pick up momentum down the road. 
 
Vice Defense Minister Kohei Masuda visited Malaysia on Jan. 22-23 
for talks with officials about how to step up defense exchanges with 
members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 
 
In last November, Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean of Singapore, the 
host country of ASEAN at the time, visited Japan. He and Defense 
Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed to strengthen ties between Japan and 
ASEAN. 
 
In the late 1990s, a full defense exchange began between Japan and 
ASEAN countries. Japan established defense talks at the 
bureau-director or vice-minister level, starting with Singapore in 
1997, followed by Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the 
Philippines in succession. 
 
In most ASEAN countries, the military holds power as seen in 
Indonesia and Vietnam. In order to build contacts with the central 
authority in each country, "Japan will need to strengthen relations 
with national defense authorities," a Ministry of Defense (MOD) 
official said. 
 
Japan's recent move is increasingly taking on an aspect of 
countering the Chinese military, which have been continuing arms 
buildup. In last September, Japan for the first time took part in 
the joint multinational Malabar exercises with the United States, 
Australia, India, and Singapore in the sea area near the Bay of 
Bengal. This participation would help Japan to reinforce team 
efforts with the U.S. and coastal countries along the Indian Ocean 
and to contain the Chinese military's move toward advancing 
southward. 
 
A next step being discussed in MOD to strengthen cooperation with 
ASEAN is to hold ministerial talks on a periodical basis. MOD 
intends to go into action to realize Japan's participation in 2010 
in ASEAN's Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM), a panel launched in 
2006 by ASEAN. If this were realized, ADMM will be the first 
ministerial framework for Japan and ASEAN. 
 
ADMM held its first session in Kuala Lumpur in May 2006. What was 
discussed there included marine security, for instance, the Strait 
of Malacca, measures to deal with terrorism, and the Korean 
Peninsula situation. The ASEAN region sits on an important part of 
Japan's sea lanes as a senior MOD official noted: "Continuing 
security dialogue and building confidence with ASEAN will serve 
national interests." 
 
On the diplomatic front, Japan hosted the first round of 
Japan-Mekong Foreign Ministers' meeting in Tokyo on this past Jan. 
16 with five Southeast Asian countries in the Mekong River area, 
such as Vietnam and Laos. The objective is to try to enhance 
contacts with countries in the area, to which China is intensifying 
 
TOKYO 00000215  012 OF 014 
 
 
its diplomatic offensive, by using economic assistance as a 
diplomatic tool. 
 
As the first step in this regard, Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura 
declared Japan will provide a total of 40 million dollars (or 4.3 
billion yen) in grant aid as measures to deal with poverty. Koumura 
also promised to accept 10,000 or so students and trainees from 
countries in the region for five years starting in 2008. Many 
Southeast Asian countries have established diplomatic ties with 
North Korea, so the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed hopes that 
building up a network of connections in each country is of great 
help for Japan to resolve the abduction issue and advance the reform 
of the U.N. 
 
(10) Threat of "econ terrorist:" Radical anti-whaling group, backed 
by Australia, New Zealand, targeting Japanese whaling ships 
 
SANKEI (Top Play) (Excerpts) 
January 28, 2008/01/28 
 
Moves by a Japanese whaling ship, which is operating in the Southern 
Ocean to research the ecology of whales, have been reported across 
the world almost every day. Two environment-protection groups 
chasing the Japanese ship have posted on the Internet videos showing 
their activities aimed to obstruct the ship's operations, in an 
effort to appeal their objections to whaling and Japan's whaling 
culture. This development has negatively affected Japan's relations 
with Australia and New Zealand, both of which are anti-whaling 
countries. A new cause for anxiety is dogging security for the Lake 
Toya Summit in Hokkaido this year. 
 
On Jan. 15, two Sea Shepherd anti-whaling activities boarded the 
Japanese whaling ship Yushin Maru No.2. The two threw a bottle of 
smelly fluid on deck and attempted to tie a rope around the ship's 
propeller. 
 
When they were detained, the two even demanded for tempura, or 
Japanese deep-fried food, and the crew responded to this. SS Captain 
Paul Watson called the Japanese whaling vessel "a group of 
terrorists who took hostage." Later, it was found that the captain 
had aimed to keep the two on board the ship and to halt its whaling 
operation. 
 
He posted on the Internet his statement reading: "It is our goal to 
escalate the collision. The Japanese were quite taken in. We were 
able to underscore the illegality of Japan's whaling operations to 
the international community." 
 
Sea Shepherd has carried out radical activities across the world. 
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation labels it as "eco 
terrorist." 
 
Why has Sea Shepherd resorted to violence? To this question, 
Research Department Deputy Head Ishikawa of the Institute of 
Cetacean Research, which has dispatched Japan's whaling research 
ships, gave these replied: (1) On the high seas, there is no 
possibility that its activists will be arrested by Japanese police; 
(2) its activities have been supported by New Zealand and Australia, 
both of which take tough anti-whaling policy measures; and (3) the 
group has collected donations from people and companies in the two 
countries. 
 
 
TOKYO 00000215  013 OF 014 
 
 
Special precautions for G-8 summit 
 
The protest boats of Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are expected to 
soon leave the Yushin Maru No.2 because of running out of fuel, and 
the two-week-long battle in the Southern Sea is now likely to calm 
down. 
 
For Japan, though, there is a new cause for apprehension, that is, 
security for the upcoming G-8 Summit in Japan this year. 
 
In recent summits, environment-protection groups calling for 
anti-globalism collided with police units, carrying out violent 
sabotage. Japan is a perfect place for those against whaling to 
underscore their stance to the world. Given this, there is fear that 
protest activities may intensified on the occasion of the G-8 Summit 
here. 
 
The National Police Agency reportedly is collecting information of 
activists across the nation, in preparation for the Lake Toya 
Summit. The Hyogo Prefectural Police Headquarters, which will engage 
in guarding the venue for the environment ministerial conference in 
Kobe in late May, has paid attention to the subversive activities 
against the whaling research ship this time. A person responsible 
for guarding commented: "We must keep guard against Sea Shepherd 
from the comprehensive point of view - from land, sea and air - on 
the alert for protest from the sea." 
 
(11) Japanese companies to employ large number of Asian engineers: 
Nissan to hire 4,000, Toyo Engineering already hired 1,000 to make 
up for labor shortage in Japan 
 
NIKKEI (Top Play) (Full) 
January 28, 2008 
 
Auto and machinery manufacturers plan to employ a large number of 
engineers in newly emerging Asian countries. Nissan Motors plans to 
hire 4,000 in India and Vietnam over the next three years, doubling 
the ratio of foreign engineers to approximately 40 PERCENT . Toyo 
Engineering has increased engineering designers by 1,000 in India. 
Their aim is to cope with the domestic shortage of engineers caused 
by the retirement of baby-boomers and the declining birthrate and to 
utilize abundant human resources available in newly emerging 
countries not only for the manufacturing sector but also for 
brainwork. 
 
Nissan at the moment employs about 20,000 engineers, of whom about 
20 PERCENT  are foreigners employed mainly in Europe and the U.S. It 
plans to secure approximately 300 engineers in February in India and 
launch its first development center in that nation. The center will 
be responsible for developing auto bodies and parts used and sold 
locally. Part of software development will also be transferred from 
Japan. It wants to increase local hires to 2,000 to 3,000 by the 
early 2010s. 
 
In Vietnam, Nissan wants to increase engineers from the current 600 
to 2,000 over three years. In Mexico, it plans to increase engineers 
from the current 300 or so to around 1,000. Locally hired engineers 
will be responsible for developing software and computer-assisted 
design. 
 
The IT sector, which has chronically suffered from a shortage of 
software developers, has led the way in employing engineers in India 
 
TOKYO 00000215  014 OF 014 
 
 
and China. This trend has now begun spreading into the manufacturing 
industry. 
 
Toyo Engineering had about 800 plant design engineers at its Indian 
plant, but it boosted the number to about 1,800 by the end of last 
year. IHI has already established a ship design company in Vietnam 
for the first time abroad. It will transfer part of its design 
section for commercial ships to be build in Japan. Miyazu Global 
Press Die Co., located in Oizumi Town, Gunma Prefecture, will 
increase engineers at its Indian engineering design company to about 
50, 2.5 times the present number, within five years. About 50 
PERCENT  of the company's design operations will be carried out at 
its Indian company. 
 
Those companies are rushing to secure engineers because baby 
boomers, who have been out in the forefront of technical 
development, began to hit retirement age last year. In addition, it 
has become difficult to secure new graduates in Japan because 
students are moving away from science and technology. They are 
positive about employing locals in countries with a high education 
level and where wages are less than 50 PERCENT thos of Japan's. They 
are aiming at improving development of strategic products targeting 
growing markets, centered on newly emerging countries. Their 
Japanese plants will specialize in the development of core 
technologies for the division of labor between domestic and overseas 
plants. 
 
According to a survey carried out by the Ministry of Economy, Trade 
and Industry, Japanese manufacturers employed approximately 1.3 
million personnel abroad at the end of 1996. They have hired more 
than 3.2 million personnel abroad as of the end of 2007, of whom 
those hired in Asia account for about 70 PERCENT . Foreign personnel 
have thus far been hired mainly through local plants. Japanese 
companies' Asian strategies will enter a new state, as they are now 
beginning to employ foreign people for development, as well. 
 
With leading U.S. and European companies also trying to employ 
engineers in developing countries, the talent war will likely become 
fierce. Chances are that Japanese companies might be unable to 
secure personnel as planned or that the cost of employing locals and 
training them may rise. 
 
SCHIEFFER