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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TOKYO 000319 
 
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 02/06/08 
 
 
INDEX: 
 
(1) Editorial - Assistance to Afghanistan: Time to reconsider new 
framework (Asahi) 
 
(2) Iwakuni mayoral election: Focus on U.S. jet redeployment 
(Akahata) 
 
(3) Research whaling facing financial pinch (Asahi) 
 
(4) Obstacles to investigative cooperation between Japan, China in 
case of poisoning outbreak caused by tainted Chinese dumplings 
(Mainichi) 
 
(5) DPJ lawmakers alarmed at leadership's decision to relegate to 
Ozawa Muto's promotion to BOJ governor (Asahi) 
 
(6) Investigations into Defense Ministry bribery scandals at final 
stage; Can prosecutors delve deeper into Defense Ministry bribery 
scandals? (Sentaku) 
 
ARTICLES: 
 
(1) Editorial - Assistance to Afghanistan: Time to reconsider new 
framework 
 
ASAHI (Page 3) (Full) 
February 6, 2008 
 
The situation in Afghanistan makes us harbor concern that there may 
be a repeat of Iraq's failure. The security situation in that 
country in particular is worsening. In January, the only luxury 
hotel in the capital Kabul where the Norwegian foreign minister was 
then staying came under a terrorist attack, which led to a gunfight. 
In the southern region of Afghanistan, the vice governor was killed 
by a suicide bomber. Both incidents have left us with the impression 
that the Taliban is growing more powerful. 
 
Over three years have passed since the Karzai government was 
inaugurated, but the Afghan national army has yet to stand on its 
own feet. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), a military campaign led 
by the United States, is still working to mop up the Taliban, while 
the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a team composed 
of troops from 38 countries centering on the North Atlantic Treaty 
Organization (NATO), has contributed to maintaining public order in 
the country. 
 
However, the efforts by the ISAF seem insufficient, given that 
combat with the Taliban is escalating particularly in the southern 
part of the country. Countries that have sent troops to the ISAF 
have seen some of their troops' lives sacrificed in security 
operations one after the other. The United States asked NATO members 
to send more troops, but no country responded. President Bush was 
eventually forced to make up his mind to send 3,200 more American 
troops to Afghanistan. 
 
It is hard to say that the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and the 
reconstruction of that country are going smoothly. At a time like 
this, an international conference of countries wishing to assist the 
reconstruction of Afghanistan has begun in Tokyo. Thirteen Afghan 
cabinet members, including Foreign Minister Spanta, are attending 
the conference. We think it is a good opportunity to discuss ways to 
 
TOKYO 00000319  002 OF 008 
 
 
rebuild Afghanistan and obtain more international assistance. 
 
Japan, as the host nation of the upcoming Group of Eight Summit in 
Lake Toya, Hokkaido, in July, has taken on the task of managing 
international efforts like this for Afghanistan. 
 
It is time to reconsider the current framework for assistance to 
Afghanistan, including the area of public law and order in that 
country. Now that the current assistance framework has run into a 
brick wall, the situation in that country is unlikely to be resolved 
by military strength alone. 
 
The Taliban is not a group of a single nature. Some of the Taliban 
are radicals who are plotting international terrorist acts, while 
others are moderate. There are calls in the Karzai government and 
European countries for exploring ways to have a dialogue with the 
moderates. 
 
Who is the real enemy? How can military operations and assistance be 
combined to the benefit of the daily lives of the Afghan people? And 
which country will play what role? The international community needs 
to revamp the current framework. A new framework should be created 
in a way that lets the United Nations take the lead. 
 
Taking advantage of the ongoing international conference, Japan must 
demonstrate its leadership to deepen fundamental discussions. It 
also should link the outcome of discussion at the conference to 
talks at the upcoming G8 Toyako Summit and use it as the starting 
point for peace building in Afghanistan. 
 
To our regret, however, the Japanese government and lawmakers appear 
less interested in Afghan issues ever since Japan decided to resume 
its Maritime Self-Defense Force's (MSDF) refueling mission in the 
Indian Ocean. 
 
At the conference, Foreign Minister Koumura reported on Japan's 
resumption of the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean and declared 
that Japan would offer 110 million dollars more aid to Afghanistan. 
Apparently, the foreign minister, by so saying, tried to underscore 
that Japan remains at the battle line, but he seemed to lack the 
enthusiasm to lead debate in order to break the impasse in 
reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan. 
 
Although Prime Minister Fukuda has declared that Japan would become 
a state contributing to peace-building, that sort of message has not 
yet been transmitted sufficiently to the international audience. 
 
(2) Iwakuni mayoral election: Focus on U.S. jet redeployment 
 
AKAHATA (Page 3) (Full) 
February 6, 2008 
 
If local people say nothing, Iwakuni will become the biggest of all 
U.S. air stations in Asia... On Feb. 10, the city of Iwakuni in 
Yamaguchi Prefecture will elect its new mayor. In the meantime, the 
Japanese and U.S. governments are pushing their planned redeployment 
of U.S. carrier-borne fighter jets to the U.S. Marine Corps' Iwakuni 
Air Station in the process of realigning U.S. forces in Japan. This 
has now become "the biggest point at issue" in campaigning for the 
election, according to former Iwakuni Mayor Katsusuke Ihara. Two 
years ago, Iwakuni polled its residents on this issue. In that local 
referendum, the city's population voted down the proposed 
 
TOKYO 00000319  003 OF 008 
 
 
redeployment of U.S. carrier-borne fighter jets to the Iwakuni base. 
The mayoral election has now become a dead heat between Ihara, who 
is saying "no" to the U.S. jet transfer for the sake of local 
residents, and a pro-redeployment candidate who was a House of 
Representatives member of the Liberal Democratic Party. 
 
"They will come. Some people may say things like this. But if we 
easily accept them, we can't tell them to go home even if the actual 
noise is hard to stand. We will have to stand it for decades. Then, 
who is to blame for that?" With this, Ihara strongly warned of the 
redeployment of U.S. carrier-borne fighter jets to the Iwakuni base. 
He may well say so. If Iwakuni City accepts the government's 
realignment plan, the city will become the biggest of all U.S. 
airbases in Asia, outstripping the U.S. forces' Kadena Air Base in 
Okinawa Prefecture, which is said to be the biggest of all U.S. 
airbases in the Far East when it comes to the scale of aircraft and 
troop deployment. 
 
It is clear that there will be even more serious noise damage and 
more crimes. The Japanese and U.S. governments plan to move U.S. 
carrier-borne fighter jets from the U.S. Navy's Atsugi base in 
Kanagawa Prefecture to Iwakuni. They made several thousand 
airstrikes in the Iraq war. Iwakuni is going to be reinforced 
further as an outpost to threaten global peace. 
 
To begin with, what triggered the mayoral election? It was because 
the central government has cut 3.5 billion yen in subsidies to 
Iwakuni for use in the construction of a new city hall, the aim 
being to force Ihara to cave in. In May 2006, the Japanese and U.S. 
governments agreed on the U.S. military realignment. Before that, 
the government had decided to subsidize Iwakuni City's new office 
building project. Ihara presented his city government's budget 
proposal to the city's municipal assembly as often as five times. 
However, the city's municipal assembly rejected it every time with a 
majority of votes from pro-redeployment members. Ihara therefore 
chose to resign as mayor, and he is running in the election to ask 
again for the judgment of his city's voting population. 
 
The key man who proposed the plan to relocate carrier-borne aircraft 
to Iwakuni is former Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa 
Moriya, and the one who unilaterally cut the subsidy was also 
Moriya. He has been arrested in a bribery case. 
 
"My baby is going to die." With this, a neighbor of the Atsugi base 
complained about the roaring of Atsugi-based fighter jets. "I 
thought about doing something about the Atsugi base," Moriya was 
quoted as saying in the November 2007 issue of Gendai. Moriya then 
proposed moving the Atsugi-based aircraft to Iwakuni. Moriya also 
revealed that his U.S. counterpart had said that it was a good 
idea. 
 
If Moriya really thought to relocate the Atsugi-based carrier-borne 
fighter jets to Iwakuni for that reason, Iwakuni people may well 
wonder if he did not care about the babies in their city. 
 
Moriya gave incentive money to local governments that cooperated on 
the U.S. military realignment, and he also cut off the government's 
subsidization of local governments that would not cooperate. "I 
wonder if it's appropriate to do such a thing." With this, Hiroshima 
Prefecture's Governor Yuzan Fujita criticized Moriya's way of doing 
things. Hiroshima Prefecture neighbors Yamaguchi Prefecture. 
 
 
TOKYO 00000319  004 OF 008 
 
 
"It's strange that a local government raises an objection to 
national defense." With this, Osaka Prefecture's Governor-elect 
Tohru Hashimoto spoke for the LDP-backed candidate. "I can't believe 
he is a lawyer," Ryukoku University Professor Kiichiro Tomino said. 
It is only natural that Hashimoto came under fire from critics. 
 
In the United States, the southern Florida city of Jacksonville 
polled its residents in November 2006 over the U.S. Navy's plan to 
relocate its carrier-borne jets to the city. The poll found that 60 
PERCENT  of the city's population were against that plan. As a 
result, the relocation plan was left up in the air. 
 
Based on law-provided authority, a local mayor says things to the 
government. That is only natural. Yet, there is a candidate that 
denies it. Can the citizenry of Iwakuni entrust that candidate with 
its municipal administration? Local autonomy and democracy will be 
called into question in the election. 
 
(3) Research whaling facing financial pinch 
 
ASAHI (Page 9) (Full) 
February 2, 2008 
 
Japan's research whaling is strapped for money. The Institute of 
Cetacean Research (ICR), an incorporated body for research whaling, 
failed to pay off its debt in its settlement of accounts for fiscal 
2006 (October 2006 through September 2007). The ICR borrowed 3.6 
billion yen from the state coffers as an interest-free operating 
fund. However, the ICR has yet to repay 1.0 billion yen of that 
loan. Last year, a fire broke out on a whaler. In addition, there 
was also a fatal accident involving a crewman. Japan's whaling fleet 
therefore had to suspend operations. Its catch of whales has now 
decreased. As a result, there was a drop of 20 PERCENT  in the 
marketing of whale meat. This is the immediate cause of the ICR's 
failure to pay off its debt. However, there are some other factors 
behind that. The ICR recently increased its whale catch, which 
resulted in adding to the cost of running the whaling fleet. In 
addition, the market prices of whale meat products during 2005 - 
2005 dropped greatly. 
 
The 3.6 billion yen was obtained as a short-term loan from the 
Overseas Fishery Cooperation Foundation (OFCF), an incorporated body 
under the jurisdiction of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 
Ministry. The ICR borrowed the money at the beginning of FY2006, 
intending to pay it back at the end of the fiscal year. But it could 
not completely pay it off, and is now going to repay the remaining 
1.0 billion yen in four-year installments from FY2007. 
 
The OFCF's lending is funded from the state coffers. In a way, the 
OFCF's interest-free loan to the ICR is tantamount to the 
government's de facto funding of the ICR. The ICR's borrowing from 
the OFCF began in fiscal 2001, along with the whaling fleet's 
increased catch. The ICR first borrowed 1.2 billion yen from the 
OFCF that fiscal year. However, the ICR borrowed more money from the 
OFCF as the catch of whales increased. In the past, the ICR used to 
borrow money from the private sector. Interest rates, however, have 
been so high that the ICR has given up. 
 
The ICR increased its Southern Ocean whaling durning 2005-2006 from 
the initially planned catch of 440 whales to 850. The increase was 
intended to step up its ecological survey of whales. The ICR also 
increased its market supply of whale meat by a little over 30 
 
TOKYO 00000319  005 OF 008 
 
 
PERCENT . There is no need for the ICR to make a profit since it is 
a public undertaking, so it cut the prices of whale meat products by 
20 PERCENT  on average. As a result, the market turnover of whale 
meat was down about 6 PERCENT  from the preceding year. 
 
Meanwhile, the cost of whaling rose 10 PERCENT , mainly because the 
ICR increased its whaling fleet from 5 whalers to 6. In addition, 
the time devoted to research whaling has been prolonged. "I think we 
probably lowered the whale meat prices too much," one of the ICR's 
officials noted. 
 
The ICR posted a deficit of 700 million yen in its fiscal 2006 
settlement of accounts. In usual years, the ICR used to have a 
surplus of double-digit million yen to pay back into the state 
coffers. In FY2006, however, the ICR had no surplus at all. The 
Fisheries Agency's Long-Distance Fisheries Division, which overseas 
research whaling, and ICR officials attributed the deficit to the 
outbreak of a fire on a whaler and other unexpected troubles that 
took place last year. "If we get back to the normal pace," one ICR 
official said, "we will restore the balance." 
 
However, U.S. and other foreign environmentalist activists have been 
standing in the way of Japan's research whaling this year, as well. 
Japan has therefore stopped whaling for now. If this is prolonged, 
the market will have less whale meat supply. As a result, the ICR's 
balance could go from bad to worse. 
 
(4) Obstacles to investigative cooperation between Japan, China in 
case of poisoning outbreak caused by tainted Chinese dumplings 
 
MAINICHI (Page 3) (Full) 
February 6, 2008 
 
A number of people fell sick after eating Chinese frozen dumplings 
that were found later contaminated with the pesticide methamidophos. 
Meanwhile, another organic phosphorus pesticide, dichlorvos, was 
also detected in a package of frozen dumplings yesterday. Police are 
increasingly of the opinion that the product was contaminated with 
the pesticide in China. Given this, investigative cooperation with 
Chinese authorities is indispensable, but there are a number of 
problems lying ahead. 
 
A senior police officer said: "Instead of just pushing ahead with 
investigation, we would like to make arrangements so that our nation 
will be able to take proper steps." The officer indicated that they 
are aiming to uncover the main cause of the incident and to hammer 
out preventive measures, in addition to the major goal of 
identifying suspects through investigations. Further, police have 
decided to disclose new pieces of information on poisoned frozen 
products in a positive manner. 
 
Police have adopted such a policy because investigations are now 
being carried out both in Japan and China. It is also because, like 
the methamidophos case, they now judge that the product in question 
is likely to have been contaminated with the chemical during the 
process of producing and packaging in China. 
 
At the outset of a meeting yesterday on joint investigation held by 
the National Police Agency yesterday, Criminal Affairs Bureau 
Director General Tsuyoshi Yoneda emphasized: "It is necessary for us 
to cooperate with China. We have already started coordination to 
work together with Chinese public security investigation 
 
TOKYO 00000319  006 OF 008 
 
 
authorities." Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Chien-chao also 
said in a regular press conference yesterday: "The Chinese side will 
positively study (investigative cooperation) if it contributes to 
clearing up the cause of the incidents." But there are various 
obstacles stand in the way of cooperation. 
 
The governments of Japan and China signed last December a treaty on 
Japan-China investigative cooperation to enable their investigators 
to exchange information without diplomatic intermediates. But the 
approval procedures needed in the Diet have yet to be taken, so the 
treaty has not yet come into effect. Both sides have to carry out 
ineffective investigations through diplomatic channels in the 
conventional way. The two countries cooperated in investigating a 
case in which four members of a family were killed by a Chinese man 
in Fukuoka in 2003. In the current case, however, it is suspected 
that a toxic substance was intentionally mixed in with the food 
product in China, so a senior policy officer voiced skepticism of 
the effect of joint investigation, saying: "I wonder to what extent 
Chinese authorities will disclose to Japan information 
disadvantageous to their country." 
 
In China, investigators hear circumstances from local employees at 
Tianyang Food Processing, which produced the dumplings in question, 
and check the manufacturing, packing, and shipment process. The 
National Police Agency intends to give priority to domestic 
investigations for the time being, even while keeping in mind also 
the possibility of dispatching its investigators to China. One 
agency official said: "It will be meaningless even if investigators 
go to China before carrying out a thorough investigation in the 
nation." 
 
(5) DPJ lawmakers alarmed at leadership's decision to relegate to 
Ozawa Muto's promotion to BOJ governor 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Abridged slightly) 
February 6, 2008 
 
Fierce bargaining is underway in the major opposition Democratic 
Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) regarding the selection of the next 
Bank of Japan governor. Although the party leadership has relegated 
the matter to President Ichiro Ozawa with an aim of avoiding 
internal confusion, some in the party are highly alarmed at the 
prospect of Ozawa joining hands with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. 
The matter is complicated because there is strong opposition in the 
working group responsible for the matter to the option of promoting 
Deputy Governor Toshiro Muto, a former administrative vice-finance 
minister, to the top BOJ post. 
 
The DPJ, which has become the largest party in the House of 
Councillors, has established a subcommittee to study government 
proposals on key positions requiring Diet approval. The panel is 
chaired by Yoshito Sengoku, a former chairman of the Policy Research 
Committee. Under the system, the committee is required to report its 
results to an executive meeting for a final decision. 
 
The leadership, however, has adopted a policy course of making a 
decision on the appointment of the BOJ governor that would disregard 
the subcommittee. Ozawa, Deputy President Naoto Kan, Secretary 
General Yukio Hatoyama and another party executive met on Jan. 18 
and decided to relegate the matter to Ozawa. In order to avoid a 
vacuum in the BOJ governorship, they recognized the need to iron out 
differences in views by receiving informal plans from the government 
 
TOKYO 00000319  007 OF 008 
 
 
in advance. 
 
When the subcommittee met on Jan. 31, many members voiced their 
discontent, one saying, "The four executive officers have no 
authority to leave the matter to the party president." The 
subcommittee again met on Feb. 5 and set a policy course of 
following a set of procedures. They fear that if Ozawa negotiates 
the matter with the prime minister, even through a third party, a 
rehash of the grand coalition fiasco might follow. 
 
The party leadership will not allow the subcommittee to take the 
lead because Sengoku and others are negative about Muto's promotion, 
calling for the separation of fiscal and monetary policies. 
Subcommittee member and Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Susumu 
Yanase even said in a press conference on Feb. 1: "Separating fiscal 
and monetary policies is the party's policy." 
 
If Muto is the only one recommended by the government, chances are 
that the subcommittee will convey its disapproval to an executive 
meeting. If Ozawa rubber-stamps it, the party might then be held 
responsible for causing a vacuum in the governorship. Ozawa needs a 
convincing explanation in order to overturn the subcommittee's 
decision. Unconvincing logic would cause confusion in the party. 
 
Although Kan has urged the government to produce several plans 
apparently in an effort to bring the matter to a soft landing, the 
party has yet to come up with a roadmap that would lead to a 
conclusion of the problem. Meanwhile, Ozawa reportedly told his 
aides: "The practice of former government officials landing 
lucrative jobs in the private sector after retirement is not good. 
Keeping that in mind, I will consider the matter after the proposal 
comes from the cabinet. Why is everyone making such a fuss over 
it?" 
 
(6) Investigations into Defense Ministry bribery scandals at final 
stage; Can prosecutors delve deeper into Defense Ministry bribery 
scandals? 
 
SENTAKU (Page 98) (Full) 
February 2008 
 
The special investigation squad of the Tokyo Public Prosecutors 
Office is now at the final stage of its investigations into 
political circles in connection with the Defense Ministry's 
corruption scandals. The special investigation task force, which 
released former Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya 
on bail, after having indicted him twice, has now put all its 
prosecutors into Moriya's channels of communication to political 
circles. A source familiar with the prosecutors said: 
 
"The aim of the investigations is to shed light on vested interests 
connected with Okinawa. Over projects on the relocation of U.S. 
Marine Corps Futenma Air Station, House of Representatives member 
Mikio Shimoji, who is from Okinawa, has been at odds with successive 
defense chiefs, including Fumio Kyuma. Prosecutors appear to be 
thinking that in order to shed light on this, it is necessary for 
them to investigate the full picture of the vested interests 
problem." 
 
In late last year, the special investigation squad called a senior 
Okinawa Defense Bureau official in question to the Tokyo Public 
Prosecutors Office. A source familiar with the public prosecutors 
 
TOKYO 00000319  008 OF 008 
 
 
office said: 
 
"Prosecutors seem to have severely pursued him on such points as his 
having leaked the draft of the base relocation plan to local 
companies. Prior to this, the prosecutors and about ten 
administrative officials went to Okinawa and confirmed that the 
senior Okinawa Defense Bureau official, Moriya, and Shimoji had held 
a secret meeting in connection with the alleged leak. Moriya 
entrusted to Shimoji the tasks of the land reclamation needed for 
the relocation of Futenma Air Station and the evacuation of the 
base. The special investigation squad is focusing its attention on 
the ballooning of the interests held by Shimoji." 
 
The prosecutors also seem to have obtained information from a 
private secretary to Kyuma, who has been locking horns with Shimoji. 
They appear to have questioned the secretary about allegations of 
construction of an incinerator in Okinawa. They have gradually been 
following the trail that is leading them to the politicians. 
 
However, there appears to be an obstacle to filing charges against 
the politicians. The source revealed: "Chief Public Prosecutor 
Tetsuya Ito told Hiroyuki Yagi, chief of the special investigation 
squad, that the deadline for the investigations should be Feb. 29. 
Yagi was told that he would be replaced at that time," All eyes are 
now on the moves in February by the Yagi-led special investigation 
task force. 
 
DONOVAN