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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 11 TOKYO 000826 
 
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 03/26/08 
 
 
Index: 
 
1) Top headlines 
2) Editorials 
3) Prime Minister's daily schedule (Nikkei) 
 
Political gridlock: 
4) Gasoline price at the pump seems certain to drop as tax law 
expires  (Asahi) 
5) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) not giving in an inch in stance 
opposing tax bills  (Yomiuri) 
6) Gasoline stand assistance planned during the period when prices 
will be in flux  (Nikkei) 
7) Prime Minister Fukuda's feud with DPJ President Ozawa continues 
to grow as clashes over issues in the Diet continue  (Nikkei) 
8) Fukuda's own political base eroding as road-policy clique in the 
Diet  becomes more frustrated over expiring road-related tax bills 
(Tokyo Shimbun) 
9) Decision on next candidate for Bank of Japan governor likely to 
come in early April  (Yomiuri) 
10) Fukuda faces new headache as the DPJ is likely to oppose the 
candidate to head the Personnel Agency, as well  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
 
11) In Asahi interview, new Australian premier seeks diplomatic 
solution to the whaling issue  (Asahi) 
 
Defense and security issues: 
12) Three opposition parties drafting SOFA revision agree that USFJ 
should hand over all U.S. military suspects before indictment 
(Asahi) 
13) Fukuda expresses intention to submit a permanent SDF overseas 
dispatch bill to the Diet during the current session  (Mainichi) 
14) Government planning to dispatch SDF to various countries to 
train personnel in peacekeeping skills  (Asahi) 
 
Foreign aid: 
15) Government to assist Vietnam by training 1,000 scholars  (Asahi) 
 
16) LDP proposes expansion of TICAD-related ODA to Africa  (Asahi) 
17) MOFA to send actress Mayu Tsuruta to Sudan for TICAD public 
relations  (Asahi) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi: 
Gasoline prices likely to fall; Provisional tax rates to expire 
 
Mainichi: 
Survey on metabolic checkups: Local governments cold toward 
mandatory examinations 
 
Yomiuri: 
High school textbooks to become more difficult from 2009 after 
cram-free education policy scrapped 
 
Nikkei: 
KDDI, Panasonic and other major corporations to review corporate 
pension funds for higher yields 
 
Sankei: 
 
TOKYO 00000826  002 OF 011 
 
 
Interview with former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui: No momentum 
for unification of China and Taiwan 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
Supreme Court rejects retrial plea by Hakamada 
 
Akahata: 
JCP demands Ishihara's resignation over Shinginko Tokyo mess 
 
2) EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) Two party heads must make decision on revisions to road tax 
revenues 
(2) Is NHK an organ of state propaganda? 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) Governor, assembly must take responsibility for Shinginko Tokyo 
(2) Amending Antimonopoly Law: Consumers must come first 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) Clock running out for provisional gas tax rate 
(2) Former Huser president found guilty 
 
Nikkei: 
(1) Political feud at cost of national livelihood unacceptable 
(2) Former Huser head found guilty of falsifying 
earthquake-resistance data 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Think twice before injecting additional funds into Shinginko 
Tokyo 
(2) Olympic torch relay: Dialogue should replace iron fist 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) Ruling on fake condo data leaves many challenges 
(2) Land price disparity expanding 
 
Akahata: 
(1) Fukuda administration must change policy course 
 
3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, March 25 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
March 26, 2008 
 
08:46 
Attended cabinet meeting at the Diet building. 
 
09:51 
Met at Kantei with Lower House member Yasufumi Tanahashi. 
 
10:31 
Met Central Institute of Politics President Ono. 
 
11:00 
Met with the ASEAN secretary general. 
 
12:57 
Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Futahashi. 
 
TOKYO 00000826  003 OF 011 
 
 
 
14:50 
Met with Vice Justice Minister Ozu. 
 
15:11 
Met with Ambassador in charge of Okinawa Affairs Imai and North 
American Affairs Bureau chief Nishimiya. Met later with Nikkei 
President Sugita and Managing Director Akiyama, followed by Deputy 
Foreign Minister Sasae. 
 
16:30 
Met with LDP Foreign Affairs Research Commission Chairman Yamasaki 
and Security Research Commission Chairman Nakatani. 
 
17:19 
Attended education reform meeting. 
 
20:10 
Returned to his official residence. 
 
4) Gasoline prices likely to fall; Provisional tax rates to expire 
 
ASAHI (Top play) (Abridged slightly) 
March 26, 2008 
 
With the provisional tax rates on gasoline and other products 
scheduled to expire at the end of March, it now seems inevitable 
that those rates will be scrapped temporality. The ruling and 
opposition camps failed to break the deadlock in talks yesterday, 
and it is now certain that deliberations in the House of Councillors 
on tax-related bills including an extension of the provisional rates 
will slip to April. With the ruling and opposition blocs remaining 
wide apart over the road-related tax revenues, revision talks for 
the enactment of the bills in the current fiscal year are also 
likely to fizzle. The view is gaining ground in the ruling bloc that 
the provisional rates must be reinstated early by taking a second 
vote in the House of Representatives in late April. The focus is now 
shifting to an April political scenario. 
 
The gasoline tax is imposed when shipping, so it is likely to take 
10 days for the market prices to fall. At the same time, there is a 
possibility that some retailers will lower the prices starting on 
April 1. The price of light oil, on which the tax is imposed when 
selling, will drop on April 1. Without the provisional tax rates, 
the central and local governments will lose 200 billion yen a month 
in road revenues. The ruling camp has begun studying ways to make up 
for the local governments' revenue shortfall. 
 
The focus will be whether to take a second vote in the Lower House 
in order to reinstate the provisional rates once they expire. Even 
if the Upper House does not bring the tax-related bills to a vote, 
the 60-day rule allows the Lower House to take another vote on April 
¶29. The view is prevalent in the ruling bloc that taking a second 
vote is the only way to prevent the lowered tax rates from being in 
place beyond one month. 
 
If the Lower House readopts the bills, the major opposition 
Democratic Party of Japan intends to submit a censure motion against 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. Depending on how public trends shift, 
the ruling camp might not be able to take a second vote, thus 
dealing a greater blow to the Fukuda administration. 
 
 
TOKYO 00000826  004 OF 011 
 
 
In yesterday's meeting of Diet affairs chiefs of the ruling and 
opposition camps, the LDP's Tadamori Oshima pressed the opposition 
bloc to abide by the agreement to reach a certain conclusion within 
this fiscal year. The DPJ's Kenji Yamaoka brushed aside Oshima's 
argument, saying: "The ruling camp has thrown it into the 
wastebasket, railroading (budget and other legislations) through the 
Diet on February 29." Yamaoka proposed that each party discuss 
revisions to the bills. The ruling camp proposed beginning 
deliberations in an Upper House plenary session on March 26, but the 
opposition camp did not agree to it. An Upper House plenary session 
is not likely to open until March 28. It seems difficult for a 
committee to begin discussing the legislation before March 31. 
 
The idea is also circulating in the government to revive a stopgap 
bill, submitted in January to extend the duration of the tax-related 
bills. A high-ranking government official last night expressed his 
hope for a revival of the bills. Nevertheless, unless the Upper 
House votes down the legislation early, the stopgap bill will not be 
able to clear the Diet before March 31. 
 
5) DPJ remains hard-line on tax-related bills, refusing start of 
talks within this fiscal year 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
March 26, 2008 
 
The ruling and opposition camps continued coordination yesterday in 
an effort to put to vote the government's tax code bills, including 
one amending the Special Taxation Measures Law to maintain the 
current provisional gasoline tax rate. But both sides failed to find 
common ground. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has not backed 
down on its tough stance of aiming to scrap the provisional tax 
rate. The main opposition party informed the ruling camp of its plan 
to refuse the start of deliberations on the bills within this fiscal 
year. 
 
Liberal Democratic Party's House of Councillors Diet Affairs 
Committee Chairman Seiji Suzuki met his DPJ counterpart Susumu 
Yanase in the Diet Building yesterday and asked that the DPJ should 
agree to start deliberations on the tax-related bills at an Upper 
House plenary session today. But Yanase refused it, saying: "Our top 
priority is to end the provisional tax rate, so we will not respond 
to starting deliberations within this fiscal year." 
 
LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Tadamori Oshima and his DPJ 
counterpart Kenji Yamaoka met yesterday afternoon, based on a 
request made by House of Representatives Speaker Kono on March 24. 
Yamaoka insisted that the government should give priority to the 
DPJ's counterproposal that excludes seven special measures, 
including the exemption of taxation on land transactions, from the 
bill amending the Special Taxation Measures Law and pass it by the 
end of this fiscal year. But Oshima said that the DPJ should promise 
to take a vote on the government-sponsored amendment bill that 
includes the measure to maintain the provision gasoline tax rate in 
the Upper House within this fiscal year. 
 
6) Measures to help gas stations: Ruling parties mulling 
compensating oil retailers for revenue shortfall caused by 
expiration of provisional gas tax rate 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
March 26, 2008 
 
TOKYO 00000826  005 OF 011 
 
 
 
The ruling parties yesterday started looking into measures to 
provide relief to gas stations in readiness for an abolition of the 
provisional gas tax rate starting in April. The cardinal feature of 
envisaged measures is protecting retailers from incurring losses in 
the event in which they are forced to sell gasoline they had 
purchased before the expiration of the provisional gas tax rate that 
would lower prices starting April 1. The likelihood is that the 
government will compensate oil dealers for the revenue shortfall 
that the expiration would cause. 
 
The amount of gasoline eligible for compensation would be 
determined, based on self-reported data. The period of compensation 
will be until the stocks of oil retailers purchased before an 
expiration of the provisional tax rate run out. Details will be 
worked out later. 
 
The ruling parties intend to adopt relief measures similar to the 
Democratic Party of Japan's counterproposal. If it becomes certain 
that gasoline prices become cheaper, the ruling parties will 
complete the required consolidation of the legal base by the end of 
March. 
 
7) Party heads take no action, deepening division 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
March 26, 2008 
 
Prime Minister: Little room for making concessions to DPJ 
 
The battle between the ruling and opposition camps over the 
provisional tax rate for special-purpose road construction revenues 
has gone into the homestretch. At the same time, Prime Minister 
Yasuo Fukuda, president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) President Ichiro Ozawa 
have steered clear of playing up their stance on the issue on the 
front stage. Are they determined to take no action? Or are they 
unable to take action? With the division in the relationship of 
trust between the two party heads deepening further, a scenario in 
which the ruling and opposition camps suddenly reach an agreement 
has failed. 
 
The prime minister yesterday expressed to reporters his impatience 
with the DPJ, which has been rejecting his call for revision talks: 
"To be honest, I do not understand why they are rejecting my 
proposal. I don't have even a clue at this stage." Former LDP 
Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa in a speech yesterday lamented 
 
SIPDIS 
the present state of relations between Fukuda and Ozawa, noting, 
"There is an impression that the mess over the selection of BOJ 
governor has destroyed relations of mutual trust between them." 
 
The prime minister is still eager to hold party head talks. That is 
because he strongly believes that having a dialogue with the DPJ is 
essential in order for his administration to achieve satisfactory 
results in the divided Diet. He once again said yesterday, "It is 
important for us to establish a discourse-based relationship." 
However, his strategy of nestling up to Ozawa has run into a stone 
wall, with Ozawa returning to a confrontational stand. 
 
The predominant view is that swallowing the DPJ proposal would be 
the only way to reach an agreement with that party on the issue of 
revising road funds-related bills. However, chances are that if the 
 
TOKYO 00000826  006 OF 011 
 
 
prime minister decides to abolish the provisional rate, influential 
members of the road policy clique in the Diet, including General 
Council Chairman Toshihiro Nikai and Election Committee Chairman 
Makoto Koga, would start internally criticizing the prime minister. 
 
Ozawa: Determined to confront prime minister with eye on party 
presidential election 
 
With the abolition of the provisional gas tax rate looking like it 
may become reality, DPJ President Ozawa is visibly intensifying his 
all-out attack mode. Referring to the past six months since the 
inauguration of the Fukuda administration, he lashed out at Fukuda 
at a press conference yesterday, "There have been no cases in which 
the prime minister has implemented policies that brought out his own 
ideas and principles to the forefront." Referring to the prime 
minister's statement that he did not have a clue about Ozawa's 
rejection of holding revision talks, Ozawa rebutted, "I don't 
understand his stance as the president of the ruling party." 
 
Ozawa also emphasized, "The prime minister said that the DPJ is 
rejecting his call for talks. This utterly goes against the facts." 
However, contrary to this statement, the discourse-based vision 
reached between Ozawa and Fukuda, which has been in place since 
their party head talks last fall, has disappeared completely. 
 
8) Top post of National Personnel Authority may also be left vacant 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged) 
March 26, 2008 
 
For the top post of the National Personnel Authority (NPA), the 
government submitted to the Diet a plan to reappoint President 
Masahito Tani. Following this, the Lower and Upper House Steeling 
Committees will hold hearings with Tani regarding his policy stance 
today. But the Democratic Party of Japan has yet to determine its 
response. 
 
The NPA is an independent administrative organization that performs 
such duties as recommending salaries for national public servants 
and implementing employment tests for such servants. Candidates for 
the three top special posts requires Diet approval. One of the three 
will be appointed to become NPA president. 
 
Since Tani's term is set to expire on April 4, the government has 
decided to reappoint him. 
 
The two chambers of the Diet will take a vote on Tani's nomination 
at their plenary sessions on March 28. The DPJ intends to make a 
judgment after listening to his policy view. Four years ago, 
however, the main opposition party raised opposition to the 
appointment of Tani as NPA president. 
 
The DPJ rejected the government's plan to promote former Bank of 
Japan (BOJ) Deputy Governor Toshiro Muto to become BOJ governor. As 
the main reason for its disagreement, the party cited that it had 
opposed Muto's appointment as deputy governor five years ago. 
 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura emphasized: "His 
activities over the past four years should be evaluated." Given that 
the ruling and opposition camps remain at loggerheads over the 
gasoline tax and other issues, there is no guarantee that the DPJ 
will give approval without a fuss. 
 
TOKYO 00000826  007 OF 011 
 
 
 
9) DPJ President Ozawa: New BOJ governor should be appointed in 
early April 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
March 26, 2008 
 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Ichiro Ozawa revealed the 
view in a press conference yesterday that the government should 
secure Diet approval of its nominee for the new governor of the Bank 
of Japan to appoint the new governor before the BOJ holds a meeting 
to decide its monetary policy slated for April 8-9. Referring to the 
G7 conference of the finance ministers and central bank governors, 
which is expected to take place in mid-April in Washington, Ozawa 
said: "It is desirable that the BOJ governor will go there. We must 
not make fools of the international community by playing up Japan's 
uniqueness." 
 
Asked about his view on the first six months of the Fukuda 
government, Ozawa pointed out: "I have never seen such scenes before 
as Prime Minister Fukuda's pushing his views, assertions and 
policies all on his own decision." 
 
Regarding Fukuda's criticism of the DPJ's response to Diet affairs, 
Ozawa noted: "I want the (the prime minister) to accurately 
acknowledge that his cabinet is only concerned with one of the two 
Diet chambers." 
 
10) DPJ lawmakers connected to road projects see Prime Minister 
Fukuda's political footing weakening 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) 
March 26, 2008 
 
Ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers who specialize in 
highway construction affairs (doro-zoku) in the Diet have maintained 
their opposition to any significant concession to the main 
opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on the government 
legislation amending the Special Taxation Measures Law that includes 
an extension of the provisional tax on gasoline. Those LDP 
road-policy specialists assume that Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda 
lacks the capability to consolidate talks and would make a decision 
drastically revising the legislation. 
 
A prominent LDP lawmaker connected to highway construction interests 
rejected any compromise with the largest opposition party, saying: 
"We must just push ahead..." 
 
The highway clique in the Diet has strongly opposed: 1) an immediate 
scrapping of the provisional tax rates; and 2) integrating the 
special account from road-related taxes into general revenue funds. 
They succeeded in making the ruling coalition incorporate the 
wording that necessary road maintenance and improvement would be 
steadily implemented in the revised bill the policy chiefs of the 
ruling parties presented to the opposition on March 21. 
 
LDP Election Committee Chairman Makoto Koga, the so-called "don" of 
the highway-policy clique, took part on March 23 in the marathon 
race to commemorate the opening of Ariake Sea coastal road in 
Fukuoka, his home constituency. He there said: "(Road construction) 
is necessary for future generations." On the 25tg, as well, he 
discussed the matter with General Council Chairman Toshiro Nikai, 
 
TOKYO 00000826  008 OF 011 
 
 
who is also a highway-clique member, for more than one hour. 
 
Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi branded those lawmakers as 
"forces of resistance." Under the Koizumi government, therefore, 
they were forced to play the role of villains. 
 
The former Koizumi government maintained a nearly 50 PERCENT 
support rate even in its final period. Koizumi carried out 
structural reform by suppressing the highway-policy clique with his 
strong grip on the party following his landslide victory in the 2005 
House or Representatives election. So, the highway clique had no 
choice but to accept his policy of reallocating highway tax revenues 
for other uses. 
 
However, the LDP's factions, excluding the Aso faction, are now in 
the highway-clique's corner. Under such circumstances, if the Fukuda 
government regards the highway policy clique as "a force of 
resistance," its political footing would collapse at a stroke. In 
addition, the Fukuda cabinet's support rate has been declining. 
Fukuda's momentum is increasingly weakening. 
 
A senior DPJ member said: "If the prime minister fails to make a 
decision on the abolishing of the provisional tax rates and the 
integration of the special account of road taxes into the general 
account, the public will ditch him." 
 
It would appear that the circumstances now allow the highway-policy 
specialists to keep their hard-line stance in the party. 
 
But if that situation plays out, the daily lives of the people will 
be affected when gasoline prices drop and the provisional tax rates 
expire. 
 
11) Australian prime minister expresses eagerness to resolve whaling 
issue through diplomatic efforts 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Excerpts) 
March 26, 2008 
 
(Sugii, Kono, Canberra) 
 
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who returned the reins of 
government to the Labor Party for the first time in 11 years in the 
presidential election last November, responded to an interview to 
Asahi Shimbun chief editor Yoichi Funahashi at his office in 
Canberra on March 25. Commenting on the ongoing dispute between 
Japan and Australia over the whaling issue, Rudd expressed his 
eagerness to try to resolve the issue through diplomatic efforts, 
instead of filing a complaint with the International Court of 
Justice or other international court. He said: "I am optimistic 
about resolving the issue through diplomatic efforts." Rudd 
emphasized that the relationship with Japan is "indisputably one of 
the key relations for the Australian government," indicating that he 
gives priority to relations with Japan under the context of the 
framework of cooperation between Japan, the U.S., and Australia on 
the security front. 
 
It was the first time for Rudd to respond to an interview to a 
Japanese news company since he came into office last December. 
 
Rudd, who put forth in his election campaign the policy of opposing 
whaling activities, remains tough about the subject, as seen in his 
 
TOKYO 00000826  009 OF 011 
 
 
mobilization of a customs vessel to chase a Japanese whaling ship. 
In the interview, Rudd also stressed: "It should be made clear 
whether research whaling is categorized as scientific research or 
commercial acts." He restated the Australian government's criticism 
of Japan's research whaling as commercial. He added: "This is a very 
difficult issue." 
 
Asked about the cooperative framework in the security area involving 
Japan, the U.S., and Australia, which was strengthened in the days 
of the former Howard administration, the prime minister praised it, 
saying: "The mechanism will be in our nation's national interest." 
He then stressed his willingness to maintain the framework also in 
the future. But he indicated a negative view about the former Prime 
Minister Abe's proposal on a four-nation cooperative framework that 
also would include India. 
 
12) Three opposition parties work out SOFA revision plan for 
pre-indictment turnover 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
March 26, 2008 
 
Three opposition parties-the Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto), 
the Social Democratic Party, and the People's New Party-worked out a 
plan yesterday for revisions to the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces 
Agreement (SOFA). The plan proposes turning over pre-indictment 
suspects to Japanese investigative authorities and applying the 
Alien Registration Law to off-base U.S. military personnel and other 
SOFA-status personnel. The three parties will hold a meeting of 
their secretaries general this week to concur on the plan and will 
call for the government to enter into negotiations with the United 
States for SOFA revisions. 
 
In addition, the three parties will propose requiring U.S. forces to 
submit a base use plan every eight years and will also call for the 
government to specify that the United States is environmentally 
responsible for restoring base sites to the original state. "The 
SOFA currently gives too many privileged exemptions," Kantoku 
Teruya, an SDP House of Representatives member, said. With this, 
Teruya insisted on the necessity of revising SOFA provisions. 
 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura rebutted yesterday, "I think it's 
possible to deal well with everything by improving its 
implementation." 
 
13) Gov't to submit bill at current Diet session for permanent SDF 
dispatch law 
 
MAINICHI (Page 1) (Abridged) 
March 26, 2008 
 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda yesterday met at his office with Taku 
Yamasaki, a former vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic 
Party, and Gen Nakatani, chair of the LDP's Research Commission on 
Security, and agreed to present a bill to the Diet during the 
current session that would become a permanent law allowing Japan to 
send the Self-Defense Forces for overseas missions as needed. "We 
want to work out this legislation during the current Diet session," 
Fukuda told reporters that evening. "Especially," Fukuda added, "the 
Democratic Party of Japan has been insisting on the need for this 
legislation, so I'd like to do it." With this, Fukuda stressed his 
willingness to enact a permanent law for SDF activities overseas. 
 
TOKYO 00000826  010 OF 011 
 
 
 
14) Japan mulling sending SDF personnel as instructors for PKO 
training, but dispatching SDF personnel to Sudan difficult 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
March 26, 2008 
 
Akihiro Yamada, Keiichi Kaneko 
 
The government has begun discussion on dispatching Self-Defense 
Forces (SDF) personnel as instructors to training centers for United 
Nations peacekeeping operations (PKOs) established in each country. 
The purpose is to play up Japan's international contributions ahead 
of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) 
and the Group of Eight (G-8) Toyako Summit in Hokkaido. So far the 
Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) and the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs (MOFA) have been looking into the possibility of 
sending SDF personnel to Southern Sudan, but the Ministry of Defense 
(MOD) has insisted it would be difficult to send anyone to Sudan at 
this time. Instead, the government apparently has now made up its 
mind to send SDF personnel to the PKO training centers established 
in each country. 
 
The training centers serve as a facility to teach military personnel 
and police officers "know-how" about peace-keeping operations. 
According to MOD and MOFA, Japan is considering Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, 
Mali, Rwanda, India, and Malaysia as candidate countries to send a 
couple of SDF personnel as instructors. Japan will arrange the terms 
of their stay in those countries to meet local needs. Dispatching 
SDF personnel as instructors will not strictly fall under the 
category of PKO activities, so it will not be subject to the five 
PKO principles. 
 
Defense Minister Ishiba revealed at a news conference after a 
cabinet meeting yesterday: "Discussion is underway among the 
relevant ministries and agencies." Foreign Minister Koumura, as 
well, said in a speech delivered yesterday: "I am positive about 
discussing how to extend cooperation to Asia and Africa in a 
multifaceted manner." 
 
In his Diet policy speech in January, Prime Minister Fukuda said, 
"Japan will work hard for common benefits to the region as well as 
the world," and he declared that he would aim to "remold Japan into 
a state that will focus on peace and cooperation." As part of this 
policy, a proposal to dispatch SDF personnel for PKO in line with a 
peace accord that ended the civil war in Sudan is also being floated 
in the government. Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura said at a press 
conference on March 5: "We want to discuss with the Sudanese 
government and relevant bureaus what kind of human cooperation, 
including a dispatch of SDF personnel, might be possible." 
 
Security in Southern Sudan is said to be relatively stable, but a 
war for natural resources has recently cast a pall on security in 
the region; as a result, the government still remains unable to 
decide its attitude as to whether to dispatch SDF personnel to that 
country. 
 
15) Japan offers 1,000-Ph. D. program in aid to Vietnam 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
March 26, 2008 
 
 
TOKYO 00000826  011 OF 011 
 
 
Japan and Vietnam yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding on 
a project to enroll about 1,000 Vietnamese youths in Japanese 
graduate schools by 2020 for doctorates. The program will use 
Japan's official development assistance (ODA) budget. 
 
Foreign Minister Koumura yesterday met with Vietnamese Deputy Prime 
Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan at the Foreign Ministry. Nguyen said, 
"More people will understand Japanese culture through the program." 
Koumura responded, "This program will bridge our two nations, and 
we'd like to cooperate." 
 
16) LDP proposes increasing ODA toward Africa ahead of TICAD 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
March 26, 2008 
 
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) joint division on 
foreign affairs yesterday came up with a set of proposals featured 
by expanding official development assistance (ODA) to Africa with an 
eye on the upcoming the 4th Tokyo International Conference on 
African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama City in May. Despite the 
government's fiscal difficulties that have resulted in cuts in the 
ODA budget, the proposals call on the government to except African 
countries from those countries whose ODA will be reduced over the 
next five years. 
 
Regarding ODA toward Africa, the proposals point out the need to 
discuss a new framework that can offer ODA on a priority basis to 
countries where ODA produced good results. The proposals also call 
for setting numerical targets. 
 
17) MOFA to send actress Mayu Tsuruta to Sudan 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
March 26, 2008 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday announced that 
actress Mayu Tsuruta, who serves as a goodwill ambassador to the 
Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), will 
be sent to the southern part of Sudan. Tsuruta will visit Japanese 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working in the region and make 
good use of her public-relations experience on behalf of TICAD. 
Tsuruta will be touring the region from March 27 through April 5. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SCHIEFFER