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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 12 TOKYO 000056 
 
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 01/09/08 
 
 
Index: 
 
1) Top headlines 
2) Editorials 
3) Prime Minister's daily schedule (Nikkei) 
 
Security and defense agenda: 
4) With antiterrorist bill about the pass Diet, Prime Minister 
Fukuda in speech expressed determination to restart MSDF refueling 
service in Indian Ocean  (Mainichi) 
5) Storm in the Upper House as three opposition parties balk at 
supporting DPJ's proposed continuing deliberation of antiterrorism 
bill next Diet session  (Nikkei) 
6) Upper House now deliberating Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ) 
own antiterrorism bill that counters the government's version 
(Mainichi) 
7) DPJ: "Currently not possible" for SDF dispatch to Afghanistan 
under its antiterrorism bill  (Yomiuri) 
8) New Komeito cautious about enacting a permanent SDF dispatch law, 
but DPJ is positive about the concept  (Mainichi) 
9) Weapons-use standard is focal issue of a permanent SDF dispatch 
law now being considered  (Yomiuri) 
10) Akiyama testifies in Upper House as unsworn witness, but 
opposition camp, not satisfied with his responses, wants him to 
return as sworn witness  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
11) Foreign Ministry to speed up investigation into Akiyama's 
Japan-U.S. Peace and Cultural Exchange Association  (Yomiuri) 
12) Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura tells press that the high cost 
of building Marine housing in Guam for their relocation needs 
reconsideration  (Sankei) 
13) Government considering deploying PAC3 missiles as part of 
antiterrorist security blanket for the upcoming G8 Summit  (Sankei) 
 
14) Prime Minister Fukuda, DPJ President Ozawa to finally have their 
one-on-one debate in the Diet  (Mainichi) 
 
15) Congressman Mike Honda, now visiting Tokyo, calls on prime 
minister to take lead in making formal apology to former comfort 
women  (Asahi) 
 
16) Government making efforts to up attendance of senior dignitaries 
in upcoming Africa development conference, now at 36 countries with 
70 PERCENT  of leaders coming  (Nikkei) 
 
Global warming: 
17) METI plans Indonesia initiative that would apply trade insurance 
to greenhouse-gas reduction project in Indonesia  (Yomiuri) 
18) Government predicts that by the end of this century, average 
temperature in Japan will rise 4.7 degrees Centigrade turning 
country tropical  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
 
19) Survey of personal savings in Japan finds a drop in a decade to 
one-third of what it was before  (Mainichi) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi: 
Government officials' direct contacts with lawmakers to be banned in 
principle 
 
 
TOKYO 00000056  002 OF 012 
 
 
Mainichi: 
Fire-resistant building material by 40 makers found inappropriate 
 
Yomiuri: 
New antiterrorism law to be enacted within this week 
 
Nikkei: 
Cabinet Office to toughen measures to tackle illegal business 
practices to protect consumers 
 
Sankei: 
Correction of pension records may reduce pension benefits in some 
cases 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
Average temperature in Japan to rise by up to 4.7 C by century's 
end 
 
Akahata: 
Akiyama testifies that Ishiba was present at Mitsubishi party; 
Kyuma, Nukaga also mentioned 
 
2) EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) Akiyama testimony: Darkness surrounding defense interests 
deepens 
(2) Drunk driving deserves harsher penalty 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) DPJ's response to new antiterrorism legislation hard to 
understand 
(2) Drunk driving needs harsher punishment 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) Global chain reaction of market plunges; U.S. must stop vicious 
cycle 
(2) Fukuoka case illustrates complexities of law 
 
Nikkei: 
(1) Tasks for Japanese corporations eying growth under adversity 
(2) Shed light on suspicions surrounding Japan-U.S. Center for Peace 
and Cultural Exchange 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Penalty for dangerous driving must be reviewed 
(2) Tokyo taxis ban smoking 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) Decision on Fukuoka drunk driving case points to need for clear 
penalty criteria 
(2) Akiyama must tell truth before Diet to convince public 
 
Akahata: 
(1) Agricultural policy must be shifted starting in 2008 
 
3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, January 8 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
January 9, 2008 
 
TOKYO 00000056  003 OF 012 
 
 
 
09:01 
Attended a cabinet meeting at the Kantei. Met Internal Affairs 
Minister Masuda and Vice Minister Takino. 
 
10:14 
Met Cabinet Affairs Office Director General Chishiro. 
 
13:02 
Attended a Lower House plenary session. 
 
14:40 
Met International Judicial Court Judge Owada. 
 
15:08 
Posed for a government publicity photo. Met Deputy Chief Cabinet 
Secretary Futahashi. Followed by Masuda and Regional Revitalization 
 
SIPDIS 
Office Head Yamamoto, with Assistant Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary 
Saka present. 
 
16:01 
Met Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura. Later, met Assistant Deputy 
Chief Cabinet Secretaries Saka and Ando, Finance Ministry Budget 
Bureau Director General Sugimoto, and others. Followed by Machimura, 
Assistant Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries Ando and Yanagisawa, and 
Cabinet Intelligence Director Mitani. 
 
17:19 
Attended a new year's meeting sponsored by Jiji Press, the Research 
Institute of Japan, and other organizations at the Teikoku Hotel. 
 
17:39 
Arrived at the Kantei. 
 
19:42 
Returned to his private residence. 
 
4) Fukuda expresses eagerness in speech for resuming MSDF refueling 
operation 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
January 9, 2008 
 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda delivered a speech at a New Year party 
held by Jiji Press Co. at a Tokyo hotel yesterday, in which he said: 
"Through my visits to foreign countries, I realized that they have 
strong trust in Japan and have high opinions about Japan. In view of 
such international circumstances It is vital that we move ahead 
steadily." The prime minister expressed his intention thus to push 
ahead with international cooperation, having in mind such efforts as 
the resumption of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling 
operations in the Indian Ocean. 
 
Fukuda added: "Politics alone always seems to be blamed, so at such 
a point, I always hold myself accountable." 
 
5) Lack of unity displayed in opposition camp over new antiterror 
bill in final stage 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
January 9, 2008 
 
 
TOKYO 00000056  004 OF 012 
 
 
A lack of unity has been displayed in the opposition camp in the 
final stage of deliberations on the government's new antiterrorism 
bill to resume the Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the 
Indian Ocean. The cause of the disarray is a proposal presented by 
the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) with the aim of carrying the 
bill over to the ordinary Diet session. The main opposition party 
anticipated that if a vote on the bill was put off, the ruling camp 
would pass the bill by a two-third House of Representatives 
overriding vote without fail and that eventually, the ruling camp 
would come under heavy fire. Other opposition parties, however, 
unanimously opposed the DPJ proposal. 
 
DPJ House of Councillors Chairman Azuma Koshiishi made this proposal 
in an executive meeting held on the night of Jan. 7. The opposition 
camp planned to reject the bill in a meeting of the Upper House 
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on the 10th and in an Upper 
House plenary session on the 11th. Even if a decision is made to 
carry the bill over to the next regular Diet session, the ruling 
camp will be able to bring back the bill into the Lower House for a 
revote on the 12th - 60 days after the bill was sent to the Upper 
House. The aim of the proposal was to underscore the ruling camp's 
high-handedness. 
 
For a continued discussion on the bill, it will be necessary to take 
a vote at both the committee meeting and the executive meeting. 
Since the DPJ does not hold a single-party majority in the Upper 
House, Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka called on his 
counterparts of other opposition parties in their meeting yesterday 
to render cooperation, remarking: "If the ruling bloc uses Lower 
House revote, its high-handed manner will be made clear." 
 
But the Japanese Communist party, the Social Democratic Party, and 
the People's New Party expressed opposition to a continued 
discussion, based on the initial policy that they should vote it 
down in order to demonstrate the intention of the Upper House. 
 
Meeting with DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa in the Diet building, SDP 
President Mizuho Fukushima: "We are against both the government's 
new antiterrorism bill and the DPJ counterproposal. We cannot agree 
on a continued discussion, either." Ozawa just said: "We must kill 
the bill," giving no clear-cut explanation about the party's 
proposal. 
 
6) Upper House launches deliberations on DPJ antiterror 
counterproposal 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
January 9, 2008 
 
The House of Councillors' Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee 
carried out its first deliberations yesterday on the Democratic 
Party of Japan's (DPJ) counterproposal to the government's new 
antiterrorism bill that would enable the Maritime Self-Defense Force 
to resume its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. 
 
Masayoshi Hamada, a New Komeito member, said: "Why was (a 
counterproposal) presented in the final phase (of the current Diet 
session)? Is it (the DPJ) going to stall the deliberations?" 
Kiichiro Asao, the DPJ member who submitted the counterproposal, was 
hounded for an explanation: "Different from the position of being 
the government or the ruling camp, we took considerable time to draw 
it out." 
 
TOKYO 00000056  005 OF 012 
 
 
 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura critically commented: 
"The counterproposal specifies that no measures will be taken for 
the time being. What is the point in discussing a bill proposing no 
specific measures?" In response, Asao asserted: "We will work to 
help reform the security area and stop the strife (by armed groups 
in Afghanistan)." 
 
7) SDF dispatch impossible for time being: DPJ 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
January 9, 2008 
 
The House of Councillors Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee met 
yesterday afternoon for its first debate on a counterproposal of the 
leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto) to a 
government-introduced antiterrorism bill resuming the Maritime 
Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. The 
DPJ's counterproposal says Japan may send SDF troops to Afghanistan 
if there is a deal between disputed parties to stop their conflict. 
"There is still no such accord in Afghanistan," Keiichiro Asao, 
defense minister in the DPJ's shadow cabinet, stated before the 
committee. With this, he indicated that Japan cannot send SDF 
personnel to Afghanistan for the time being even if the DPJ's 
counterproposal is legislated. 
 
8) Discussion of permanent SDF-dispatch legislation risks escalating 
into realm of political realignment: DPJ more eager for legislation 
than New Komeito 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Excerpts) 
January 9, 2008 
 
The government decided yesterday to earnestly begin working on 
establishing a permanent law that would set conditions for 
dispatching the Self-Defense Forces on overseas missions. The 
government's move comes from its desire to avoid Diet deliberations 
being stalled every time the envisaged new antiterrorism special 
measures legislation, a time-limited law, is to be extended. The 
major opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) is more 
eager to enact a permanent law than the New Komeito, the LDP's 
coalition partner, which is cautious about it. As such, the question 
of a permanent law that concerns the foundation of security involves 
the risk of escalating into the realm of possible political 
realignment. 
 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura in yesterday's House of 
Councillors Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee session said: 
"Under the current Diet situation, we would like to study ways to 
enact a permanent law early upon obtaining the DPJ's consent." He 
thus revealed a plan to ask for the DPJ's cooperation after 
conducting discussions in the ruling camp. 
 
An agreement was reached on the establishment of a permanent law 
when Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda held party-head talks with DPJ 
President Ichiro Ozawa last November. The DPJ also released late 
last year its counterproposal to the government's antiterrorism bill 
that mentioned the need for enacting basic legislation pertaining to 
security rules. 
 
Enacting the new antiterrorism legislation has been hard-going in 
the ongoing extraordinary Diet session. The view that extending such 
 
TOKYO 00000056  006 OF 012 
 
 
legislation every year is not pragmatic is gaining ground and is 
behind the government and ruling parties' move to conduct 
full-fledged discussions on a permanent law. The LDP's defense 
policy subcommittee chaired by Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba 
released in 2006 a draft of an international peace cooperation bill. 
The government and ruling parties will conduct discussions based on 
this bill. 
 
9) Weapons-use standards the focal issue in planned permanent 
SDF-dispatch legislation 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Abridged) 
January 9, 2008 
 
The government yesterday entered into coordination to establish a 
permanent law for Japan to send the Self-Defense Forces on overseas 
missions. A government-introduced antiterrorism bill, which is 
intended to resume the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling 
activities in the Indian Ocean, is now expected to be enacted into 
law within the week. "We're now ready to discuss the pending issue 
of establishing a permanent law," a government official said. 
 
The government used to create a time-limited ad hoc law in order for 
Japan to send SDF troops for each overseas event. The planned 
permanent law is intended to quicken Japan's response to 
international peace cooperation activities. 
 
The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito 
will set up a project team this month to create a permanent law, 
based on an international peace cooperation bill worked out in 
August 2006 by an LDP subcommittee. 
 
The focus will be on the advisability of easing Japan's standards 
for the SDF's use of weapons. 
 
The LDP subcommittee's draft bill substantially eases the current 
weapons use standards. It allows SDF personnel on overseas missions 
to use weapons to protect civilians and foreign troops when they are 
attacked within the area of SDF activities. In addition, it also 
allows SDF personnel to use weapons in order for them to carry out 
their missions. Within New Komeito, however, there are cautious 
views about easing the standards. Meanwhile, one New Komeito 
lawmaker admits the need for SDF personnel to use weapons to protect 
civilians and foreign troops. "Otherwise," this lawmaker added, "it 
will be difficult to work together with civilians." 
 
The LDP subcommittee's draft bill also allows the government to send 
SDF troops overseas at its own discretion without a United Nations 
resolution or an international request. This point is also expected 
to be in focus for coordination. 
 
10) Akiyama testifies in Diet as unsworn witness over 
defense-related scandals; Growing calls for putting end to issue in 
ruling coalition; Opposition camp calling for sworn testimony 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) 
January 9, 2008 
 
Naoki Akiyama, executive director of the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace 
and Cultural Exchange, yesterday testified as an unsworn witness 
before a Diet panel (in connection with allegations that the center 
received money from the scandal-tainted defense equipment trading 
 
TOKYO 00000056  007 OF 012 
 
 
firm Yamada Corp). A senior member of the ruling Liberal Democratic 
Party, however, said: "No problematical facts came up." Therefore, 
many in the LDP-New Komeito ruling coalition now think the 
opposition's pursuit ended in failure and expect that the curtain 
will be closed on the matter. 
 
A former cabinet member from the LDP stressed: "Since there was no 
allegation against politicians, the issue will be settled." A 
veteran LDP lawmaker emphasized: "The Diet has its limits. Justice 
should shed light on the allegations." 
 
A senior New Komeito member also said: 
 
"The LDP seemed to have been worried. Since the allegations did not 
involve any cabinet ministers, there was thankfully no effect on the 
new antiterrorism special measures bill." 
 
However, main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 
Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka said: "Our doubts have 
deepened." The DPJ intends to call for sworn testimony by Akiyama at 
the ordinary Diet session. 
 
Yamaoka told reporters yesterday: "Unless sworn testimony is 
conducted, the truth will not be cleared up. We want to do our best 
to drain the puss from the Defense Ministry in the ordinary session 
as well." 
 
Japanese Communist Party Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Keiichi 
Kokuta stated: "It is necessary to shed light on the allegations 
through sworn testimony." 
 
With Akiyama's denial that his center received funds from Yamada in 
mind, Social Democratic Party Chairperson Mizuho Fukushima pointed 
out: "The suspicions have deepened. We should take a scalpel to the 
allegations." 
 
People's New Party Secretary General Hisaoki Kamei expressed the 
view that further pursuit would be needed, saying: "We are most 
interested in relations between Akiyama and politicians, and it has 
not been fully cleared up in the testimony." 
 
11) MOFA decides to conduct in February inspection of Japan-U.S. 
Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange ahead of schedule 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
January 9, 2008 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday decided to conduct 
in February a periodical on-the-spot inspection initially slated for 
this summer of the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural 
Exchange, which was recently raided by prosecutors from the Tokyo 
District Public Prosecutors Office in connection with the defense 
scandal involving the defense contractor Yamada Corp. Behind this 
decision is MOFA's judgment that as a government office responsible 
for the Japan-U.S. Center, MOFA needs to shed light on the alleged 
money scandal involving the organization because its Executive 
Director Naoki Akiyama's relations with Yamada Corp. are questioned 
in the Diet. 
 
The on-the-spot inspection is carried out in accordance with civil 
code and by mutual consent made at a cabinet ministerial meeting in 
¶2001. MOFA will notify the Japan-U.S. Center of the date for the 
 
TOKYO 00000056  008 OF 012 
 
 
inspection by the end of the month and conduct the inspection. 
 
In its previous inspection carried out from April through May of 
2005, MOFA recognized the facts that the Japan-U.S. Center had been 
lax in its way of accounting, and that it had engaged in businesses 
not mentioned in its articles of incorporation. In September of that 
year, MOFA in the name of its minister instructed the Japan-U.S. 
Center to improve all these matters. 
 
12) Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura: Need for a review of 
construction costs for U.S. military housing to be built in Guam 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
January 9, 2008 
 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura at a press conference 
yesterday responded to the observation that the U.S. government's 
estimated construction amount of about 70 million yen per housing 
unit to be built in Guam for U.S. Marines being relocated from 
Okinawa is too expensive. He stated: 
 
"We still need to boil down the issue. If we tap the private 
sector's vitality, the cost would be reduced. We should review fully 
how far we will be able to cut costs through competitive bidding." 
 
13) PAC-3 deployment eyed for summit security 
 
SANKEI (Page 1) (Slightly abridged) 
January 9, 2008 
 
Japan will host a summit meeting of the Group of Eight (G-8) nations 
in July this year at Toyako (Lake Toya) in Hokkaido. On that 
occasion, the Self-Defense Forces will be tasked with security 
against terrorism and other eventualities. The Defense Ministry is 
planning to ready the SDF for a security setup going beyond that at 
the time of the Kyushu-Okinawa summit in 2000, sources revealed 
yesterday. The SDF will be readied to deploy airborne warning and 
control system (AWACS) aircraft. In addition, the SDF will also 
ready Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) ground-to-air guided 
missiles and step up its readiness to scramble interceptor fighters, 
according to the sources. 
 
The Defense Ministry is going to gather information from other G-8 
member nations about their security setups. At the same time, the 
ministry will also set up a G-8 summit taskforce in the Joint Staff 
Office of the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces. The 
ministry is "studying every possibility," according to one of its 
senior officials. 
 
The GSDF will be tasked with heliborne airlifts for G-8 leaders. In 
addition, the GSDF will also station its guards of honor upon their 
arrival. Learning a lesson from the Aum Shinrikyo 1995 sarin attack 
on the Tokyo subway system, the GSDF sent a chemical protective 
taskforce for the Kyushu-Okinawa summit. This time, the GSDF will 
ready a chemical protective taskforce from its Higashichitose 
garrison in Hokkaido. The GSDF is also planning to send the 
taskforce as needed to its Horobetsu garrison in the city of 
Noboribetsu, which is situated close to the G-8 summit venue. 
 
Russian and Chinese leaders will also participate in the G-8 Lake 
Toya summit, so the Defense Ministry deems that the possibility of a 
ballistic missile attack is extremely low. Even so, the ministry 
 
TOKYO 00000056  009 OF 012 
 
 
will give first consideration to airborne warning, according to one 
of its senior officials. The ASDF currently deploys PAC-3 missiles 
at its Iruma base in Saitama Prefecture and at the GSDF's Narashino 
garrison in Chiba Prefecture. The ministry plans to have ASDF PAC-3 
batteries sealifted to Hokkaido on MSDF transports for deployment to 
GSDF garrisons near Lake Toya. 
 
The MSDF is also planning to task its squadrons with warning 
activities at sea as it did at the time of the Kyushu-Okinawa 
summit. The MSDF has plans to send missile boats and helicopter 
destroyers to Uchiura Bay near Lake Toya and to stage Aegis-equipped 
ships in the Sea of Japan and in the Pacific Ocean. 
 
14) Fukuda, Ozawa finally to face off in debate today 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Slightly abridged) 
January 9, 2008 
 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) 
President Ichiro Ozawa will finally face off in a Diet debate today. 
The two leaders discussed a permanent law governing the dispatch of 
the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) overseas in their meeting in November. 
This issue will also take center stage in the debate today. 
 
This will be the first debate between the ruling and opposition 
party leaders since the one between former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 
and Ozawa in the ordinary Diet session last May. After the Fukuda 
administration was inaugurated, a debate between Fukuda and Ozawa 
was planned for Oct. 31, but since they held a one-on-one meeting, 
the debate was cancelled. Even afterwards, both sides planned a 
party-head debate for Nov. 7 and Dec. 12, but these were also 
dropped in the aftermath of political turmoil -- the first was due 
to Ozawa's announcement of resigning as the top leader of his party 
and the second because of a showdown between the ruling and 
opposition camps over whether to extend the extraordinary Diet 
session. A senior DPJ member said: "Since the grand coalition 
concept that was taken up in the party-head talks drew much 
attention, we judged it desirable to take time until the dispute 
over this issue quieted down." Ozawa intends to devote most of the 
time allocated to him to the pension record-keeping fiasco, which 
significantly brought down the rate of public support for Prime 
Minister Fukuda. Ozawa also told in a TV program on Jan. 7: "(In the 
party-head debate,) I will bring up the pension issue to draw out 
(clear-cut) replies. The government and the ruling camp have made 
inconsistent statements and are quite irresponsible." He also plans 
to insist that the current provision tariff on the special resources 
for road construction should be abolished. 
 
The proposed permanent antiterror legislation was regarded in the 
party-head talks as one of the major themes to be taken up in policy 
talks on forming a grand coalition. The government has also decided 
to study legislation with the aim of enacting a related bill in 
fiscal 2008. Given these circumstances, attention is paid to what 
approach Ozawa will take on this issue. 
 
Prime Minister Fukuda told reporters yesterday: "I will stand my 
ground. I am willing to make replies in a sincere manner." 
 
15) US Congressman Honda: Prime Minister Fukuda should take 
initiative in offering apology to wartime comfort women 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
 
TOKYO 00000056  010 OF 012 
 
 
January 9, 2008 
 
U.S. Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA), who took the leadership last 
year in adopting a comfort women resolution in the House of 
Representatives, held a press conference yesterday in Tokyo. The 
resolution called on Japan to offer a formal apology to comfort 
women, the Japanese euphemism for foreign women who were forced into 
sexual slavery to the Japanese Imperial Army. He stated: 
 
"The Japanese government should admit the fact and offer a clear 
apology. To that end, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will take the 
leadership so that the Diet will support a decision by the 
government for historical responsibility." 
 
Honda also stated: "The Japanese general public does not have enough 
information (about past history) like the U.S. public. I want them 
to get information and determine what they should do." Honda 
reportedly visited Japan to boost exchanges with Japanese and South 
Korean lawmakers. 
 
16) Top leaders of 36 African countries, 70 PERCENT  of total, 
expected to attend TICAD 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
January 9, 2008 
 
The government will host the fourth Tokyo International Conference 
on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama in May. Some 36 countries 
- 70 PERCENT  of all nations on the African continent - have told 
the Japanese government that their top leaders will attend, sources 
revealed. The figure is 1.5 times the number of the participants in 
the previous conference. The government will continue its efforts to 
further encourage African countries to send their top leaders to the 
upcoming TICAD and increase the number of participants. Japan wants 
to boost its presence in Africa by hosting TICAD, as China is now on 
a diplomatic offensive toward Africa. 
 
TICAD was launched in 1993 under Japan's initiative in order to help 
develop Africa, and it is held in Japan every five years. Just 
recently Tanzania, Algeria, South Africa, and Mali decided to send 
their top leaders to the 4th TICAD. Last week Foreign Minister 
Masahiko Koumura visited Tanzania as the first incumbent foreign 
minister in 29 years and asked for President Kikwete's cooperation 
so that as many as African countries as possible would send their 
top leaders to the 4th TICAD. 
 
China is expanding its aid-oriented diplomacy toward Africa with the 
aim of securing rare metals and oil resources. In September 2007 
China hosted a foreign ministerial session of representatives from 
48 African countries in the United Nations Headquarters. With an eye 
on China's moves, Japan is stepping up its aid to Africa. 
 
17) METI to apply trade insurance to project aimed at reducing 
emissions of greenhouse gases 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
January 9, 2008 
 
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) yesterday 
revealed its plan to apply the trade insurance system to a project 
the trading house Sumitomo Corporation plans to implement in 
Indonesia with the aim of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. 
 
TOKYO 00000056  011 OF 012 
 
 
This will be the first Japanese firm's overseas project intended for 
the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases to which trade 
insurance will be applied. The purpose is to lessen the risk firms 
that address environmental businesses abroad may suffer and boost 
their efforts to implement measures against climate change. 
 
Sumitomo Corp. has taken part in a 13-million-dollar (1.4 billion 
yen) project aimed at collecting methane gas an Indonesian starch 
company emits in the process of manufacturing starch and using that 
methane gas as a fuel for private power generation. Sumitomo Corp. 
finances the projects. 
 
Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI), an independent 
administration agency under METI's jurisdiction, will apply 
"overseas project loan credit insurance" to Sumitomo's financing. 
This insurance will cover the losses Japanese firms will suffer from 
uncollectable loans after financing foreign firms. The insurance 
will cover 97.5 PERCENT  of the loan amount. The duration of the 
insurance to be applied to Sumitomo is three or so years. 
 
The Kyoto Protocol, which obligates every nation to reduce emissions 
of greenhouse gases, has the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). If 
under the CDM, firms in industrialized countries implement projects 
aimed at cutting emissions of greenhouse gases in developing 
countries, those firms can get emission quotas. If firms sell their 
emission quotas to their government, those quotas will help the 
government to cut emissions of greenhouse gases. 
 
18) Global warming to become serious in Japan by end of this 
century: Average temperature likely to rise up to 4.7 degrees C 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top Play) (Full) 
January 9, 2008 
 
The Environment Ministry yesterday finalized the results of a 
simulation it ran regarding the impact of global warming on the 
Japanese archipelago by the end of this century. According to the 
simulation, average temperature from 2070 through 2099 would rise 
1.3-4.7 degrees Celsius, compared with the level in the 1961-1990 
period. The number of sweltering nights would exceed 40, up more 
than 10 days from the current average in Tokyo. The ministry has 
also estimated that the frequency of torrential rains and large 
typhoons involving more than 200 mm of rainfall would also increase. 
 
 
The simulation was carried out based on the Intergovernmental Panel 
on Climate Change's (IPPC) climate mode diagnosis program. The 
simulation adopted three model societies -- one that restrains the 
globalization of the economy, one that attaches importance to energy 
balance, and one that has achieved a good balance between 
environment preservation and economic development. The worst model 
case of a society that depends completely on fossil fuels was not 
applied. 
 
The data was submitted to the ministry's committee on the impact of 
global warming and adaptation for considering what measures Japan 
should take on the growing impact of global warming. 
 
The IPCC last year released its projection in its fourth assessment 
report, which noted that the average temperature on earth will rise 
up to 6.4 degrees by the end of this century. 
 
 
TOKYO 00000056  012 OF 012 
 
 
The ministry also reported the results of the estimates the 
Meteorological Agency compiled in 2005 that the average temperature 
in the 2081-2100 period would rise between 2-3 degrees from the 
1981-2000 period. An Environment Ministry Research and Information 
Office official noted, "Though these are estimates, I must say that 
even if our society makes efforts to prevent global warming, a rise 
in temperature by several degrees would be unavoidable. This is an 
extremely severe situation. We would like to compile an interim 
report on what measures Japan should take." 
 
19) Savings rate drop to one-third of level 10 years ago, marking 
record low of 3.2 PERCENT : Wage increase sluggish as nation turns 
into aging society 
 
MAINICHI (Page 1) (Full) 
January 9, 2008 
 
Japanese households' savings rate is rapidly dropping. According to 
a national economic accounting report for fiscal 2006, released by 
the Cabinet Office, the household savings rate for that year was 3.2 
PERCENT , down from 3.4 PERCENT  recorded in fiscal 2004. The figure 
is the lowest ever since the current calculation standard was 
adopted in fiscal 1996, dropping 0.3 points from the previous year. 
The rapid aging of society and sluggish wage growth are ascribable 
to the drop. The savings rate peaked in fiscal 1997 with 11.4 
PERCENT . However, the rate dropped below one-third of the fiscal 
1997 level in only 10 years. 
 
The household savings rate indicates the ratio of income saved from 
disposal income determined by subtracting tax and other expenditures 
from total household income. It has been said that Japanese like 
saving money. The household sector enjoyed high savings rate in the 
past. However, the rate has dwindled with 23.1 PERCENT  marked in 
fiscal 1975 (calculation based on the old standard) as the peak. The 
sluggish growth in wages due to the deflationary economy in recent 
years has accelerated the downtrend of the savings rate. 
 
The national income in fiscal 2006 rose 1.8 PERCENT  (373.2 trillion 
yen), compared with the preceding year, backed by upbeat corporate 
performances. However, the growth of employee compensation (263 
trillion yen) paid to employees by employers is 1.3 PERCENT . The 
labor distribution rate, which indicates the ratio of employee 
compensation to national income, marked 70.5 PERCENT , down 0.3 
points from the previous year. The situation where households are 
not benefiting from the high income companies are earning is 
continuing. 
 
DONOVAN