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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 12 TOKYO 001082 
 
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 04/21/08 
 
 
Index: 
 
1) Top headlines 
2) Editorials 
3) Prime Minister's weekend and daily schedules  (Nikkei) 
 
DPRK problem: 
4) Ambassador Schieffer meets Prime Minister Fukuda over delisting 
(Mainichi) 
5) North Korea tells U.S. last year about its plutonium use: "18 kg 
for nuclear development, 6 kg for testing"  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
 
Japan-ROK summitry: 
6) Japan-ROK summit today in Tokyo  (Asahi) 
7) Prime Minister Fukuda, ROK President Lee to meet today; Tokyo 
remains cautious about Imperial visit to ROK  (Sankei) 
8) Japan, ROK leaders to meet today, eye stepping up U.S.-Japan-ROK 
dialogue  (Nikkei) 
 
Fukuda diplomacy: 
9) Japan-China-ROK summit also likely to take place this fall 
(Nikkei) 
10) Prime Minister Fukuda plans to meet Russian leaders for 1st time 
 (Tokyo Shimbun) 
 
Opinion polls: 
11) Fukuda cabinet's support rate sags to 25 PERCENT  in Asahi poll 
(Asahi) 
12) Fukuda cabinet's approval rating drops to 29 PERCENT  in Nikkei 
poll  (Nikkei) 
13) Fukuda cabinet's support rate spirals down to 27.6 PERCENT  in 
Jiji Press poll  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
14) Yomiuri poll: 60 PERCENT  opposed to lowering legal age of 
adulthood from 20 to 18  (Yomiuri) 
 
Yamaguchi by-election: 
15) DPJ candidate leading LDP ticket in Asahi analysis  (Asahi) 
16) Mainichi analysis also finds DPJ candidate in 'pole position' 
over LDP ticket  (Mainichi) 
 
Economic issues: 
17) USTR calls on Japan to reopen beef markets  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
18) BOJ to hold rates steady  (Asahi) 
 
Defense & security issues: 
19) Japan to renew defense program  (Yomiuri) 
20) Prime Minister Fukuda vows Iwakuni base's dual use  (Nikkei) 
21) LDP panel works out draft plan for Defense Ministry 
reorganization involving SDF  (Yomiuri) 
22) Foreign Minister Koumura implies Japan's possible nonconcurrence 
on cluster bomb ban treaty  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
23) ASDF fighter jets make more than 300 scrambles last year 
(Yomiuri) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi: 
Poll: Fukuda cabinet support rate plunges to 25 PERCENT ; 71 PERCENT 
 unhappy with new medical system for the elderly 
 
 
TOKYO 00001082  002 OF 012 
 
 
Mainichi: 
Poll: DPJ candidate Hiraoka leads in Lower House by-election in 
Yamaguchi No.2 constituency 
 
Yomiuri: 
Graffiti found in 7 places at Zenkoji Temple in Nagano 
 
Nikkei: 
Poll: Fukuda cabinet approval rate drops to 29 PERCENT , 49 PERCENT 
would support revival of provisional gasoline tax rate 
 
Sankei: 
36 prefectures urge government to revive provisional tax rates 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
North Korea claims it used 18 kilograms of plutonium for nuclear 
weapons development, 6 kilograms for nuclear test in 2006 
 
Akahata: 
Japanese Communist Party holds agricultural revitalization symposium 
in Akita Prefecture 
 
2) EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) Metabolic medical checkup: We should get rid of our "spare 
tires" through our own efforts 
(2) Subsidies for academic programs: Social generosity urged 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) Zero-waste government: Administrative abdication of roles 
unallowable 
(2) Two years since Japan Judicial Support Center established: 
Center should not forget principle of reform 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) Political effort needed for decentralization 
(2) Food shortage is not someone else's problem 
 
Nikkei: 
(1) International cooperation urgently needed to deal with serious 
food crisis 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Employment of once punished SIA staff: Reform efforts 
meaningless 
(2) New flu: Need for early doses of vaccines for as many people as 
possible 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) More specifics needed for draft reform of Ministry of Land, 
Infrastructure and Transport 
(2) Olympic torch relay: China should avoid staining Olympic history 
 
 
Akahata: 
(1) Fifth largest ODA donor: Japan needs policy giving top priority 
to poverty alleviation 
 
3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, April 18 
 
TOKYO 00001082  003 OF 012 
 
 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 19, 2008 
 
09:01 
Cabinet meeting in the Diet. State Minister for Administrative 
Reform Watanabe remained. 
 
09:26 
Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Futahashi at the Kantei. 
 
10:07 
Met with Vice Foreign Minister Yabunaka, followed by Asian and 
Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director General Saiki and Assistant Deputy 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Ando. 
 
11:15 
Met with former Secretary General Nakagawa, followed by Otsuji, head 
of the LDP caucus in the Upper House. 
 
14:11 
Met with Upper House member Hirofumi Nakasone. Then met with 
representatives of six regional organizations, including Fukuoka 
Prefectural Governor Aso, chairman of the Association of Prefectural 
Governors. 
 
15:05 
Met with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, followed by U.S. 
Ambassador to Japan Schieffer. 
 
16:28 
Met with Public Security Intelligence Agency Director General 
Yanagi. Then met with Ambassador to South Korea Shigeie, Deputy Vice 
Foreign Ministers Sasae, Saiki and Finance Ministry Customs and 
Tariff Bureau Director General Aoyama. 
 
17:32 
Cabinet meeting related to monthly economic report 
 
19:04 
Dined with New Komeito female lawmakers, including Deputy head 
Hamayotsu, at a French restaurant at Tokyo Kaikan. New Komeito 
President Ota was present. 
 
20:46 
Arrived at the official residence. 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, April 19 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 20, 2008 
 
10:05 
Met with Sasae, Saiki, European Affairs Bureau Director General 
Harada and Ando. 
 
14:06 
Arrived at the official residence. 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, April 20 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
 
TOKYO 00001082  004 OF 012 
 
 
April 21, 2008 
 
08:04 
Arrived at Haneda Airport. 
 
08:29 
Left Haneda Airport by All Nippon Airways Flight 673. 
 
09:25 
Met with LDP Public Relations Chief Kawamura at Hiroshima Airport. 
 
10:50 
Campaign speech for a candidate for Yamaguchi No. 2 Constituency 
by-election along with New Komeito President Ota in front of JR 
Iwakuni Station. 
 
11:26 
Met with Vice Yamaguchi Prefectural Governor Nishimura and Iwakuni 
City Mayor Fukuda at Iwakuni International Tourism Hotel in Iwakuni 
City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. 
 
12:20 
Campaign speech at a parking area of construction material sales 
company Phanos in Hikari City along with Ota. 
 
13:13 
Campaign speech along with Ota in front of Kudamatsu Town center, in 
Kudamatsu City. 
 
14:01 
Met with Vice Election Committee Chairman Suga at JR Tokuyama 
Station. 
 
14:16 
Left Tokuyama Station by Bullet Train Hikari 465. 
 
15:05 
Arrived at JR Hakata Station. 
 
15:18 
Met with Fukuoka Chapter Chairman Matsuhiko Shingu at Fukuoka 
Airport. 
 
15:58 
Left Fukuoka Airport by ANA 258. 
 
17:19 
Arrived at Haneda Airport. 
 
18:11 
Met with State Minister for Consumer Affairs Kishida and Consumer 
Administration Promotion Conference Chairman Sasaki at Grand Prince 
Hotel Akasaka. 
 
20:12 
Arrived at the official residence. 
 
4) Prime Minister Fukuda meets with U.S. Ambassador to Japan 
Schieffer over question of delisting DPRK as state sponsor of 
terrorism 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
 
TOKYO 00001082  005 OF 012 
 
 
April 19, 2008 
 
Takashi Sudo 
 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on April 18 met with U.S. Ambassador to 
Japan J. Thomas Schieffer at the Prime Minister's Official 
Residence. After the session, Ambassador Schieffer was asked by 
reporters whether the U.S. will remove North Korea from the list of 
state sponsors of terrorism, but he avoided making clear what he 
discussed, simply saying, "I discussed the six-party talks with the 
prime minister, but I would like to refrain from going into 
detail." 
 
The Ambassador apparently gave an account to the prime minister 
about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's remarks made on April 
17, in which she said it will be possible to delist North Korea as a 
state sponsor of terrorism even before the verification process for 
North Korea's declaration of its nuclear programs is completed. The 
Ambassador also said: "I conveyed to the prime minister that the 
United States would like to maintain bilateral cooperation with 
Japan in the six-party talks." The Ambassador apparently took into 
consideration Japan's concerns about delisting North Korea. 
 
On April 18, the prime minister told reporters: "I asked about how 
U.S.-North Korea talks are going. The six-party talks will be 
resumed sooner or later." 
 
5) North Korea told U.S. last year that it used 18 kilograms of 
plutonium for nuclear development and 6 kilograms for nuclear test 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top play) (Excerpts) 
April 21, 2008 
 
North Korea explained to the United States last December that it had 
used approximately 18 kilograms of plutonium for nuclear development 
and 6 kilograms for its underground nuclear test conducted in 
October 2006, a six-party talks source revealed yesterday. 
 
It has already become clear that the North declared to the United 
States that it had produced approximately 30 kilograms of plutonium 
in total. Given the disparity with its initial estimate, the United 
States seems to have asked (the North) for verifiable data. 
 
According to the six-party source, North Korean Vice-Foreign 
Minister Kim Kye Gwan in early December told visiting U.S. top 
nuclear negotiator and Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill 
that the North had produced about 30 kilograms of plutonium and that 
it used 18 kilograms of it for nuclear development and 6 kilograms 
for the nuclear test. 
 
6) Japan-ROK summit today 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Excerpts) 
April 21, 2008 
 
South Korean President Lee Myung Bak arrived in Tokyo last evening 
for the first time since taking office. On arriving at Haneda 
Airport, the president held a ceremony in which about 400 South 
Korean people residing in Japan took part. Speaking in it of the 
issue of permanent foreign residents' calls for the Japanese 
government to give them the right to vote in local elections, Lee 
took a positive stance of supporting their request. He also revealed 
 
TOKYO 00001082  006 OF 012 
 
 
that he would call on Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to increase 
capital investment in South Korea during their summit slated for 
today. As to the history issue, he said: "We cannot forget the past, 
but we cannot move forward on past history alone." 
 
Lee and U.S. President George W. Bush agreed to urge North Korea to 
abandon its nuclear programs. Accordingly, Lee will also discuss 
with Fukuda policy toward North Korea in today's meeting. He is 
expected to declare the formation of a framework for trilateral 
dialogue between Tokyo, Seoul, and Washington on various issues, 
including security. 
 
Lee wants to expand Japan's investment in his country, repairing the 
bilateral relations strained in the former government of President 
Rho Moo Hyun. He will also likely declare a resumption of the talks 
on an economic partnership agreement (EPA) between Tokyo and Seoul. 
 
 
7) Japanese, South Korean leaders to meet today, but time not ripe 
for South Korea visit by Emperor 
 
SANKEI (Page 2) (Lead Paragraph) 
April 21, 2008 
 
(Katsuhiro Kuroda, Seoul) 
 
South Korean President Lee Myung Bak arrived in Tokyo yesterday. He 
will meet with the Emperor and Empress at the Imperial Palace this 
afternoon after meeting Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. Lee is expected 
to invite the Emperor to visit South Korea out of courtesy, but 
there are a host of hurdles to clear before the visit is realized. 
It is uncertain that even the Lee administration will be able to 
bring about a visit to South Korea by the Emperor. 
 
8) Japan, U.S., South Korea to strengthen talks on North Korea: 
Resumption of EPA talks also to take center-stage at Japan-South 
Korea summit today 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 21, 2008 
 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will hold a summit with South Korean 
President Lee Myung Bak at the Kantei today. The two leaders are 
expected to reach an agreement to strengthen dialogue among Japan, 
the U.S. and South Korea with the aim of urging North Korea to 
abandon its nuclear program. They will also reaffirm a policy of 
speeding up work to prepare for a resumption of bilateral Economic 
Partnership Agreement talks. As part of efforts to strengthen ties 
between Japan and South Korea, both leaders will come up with a 
policy of increasing the number of South Koreans visiting Japan, 
based on a working holiday system. President Lee came to Japan 
yesterday. His Japan visit is part of reciprocal visits decide on 
during their previous summit held in South Korea in February. 
 
The launch of the new South Korean administration, which takes a 
hard-line position toward Pyongyang, has paved the way for holding a 
dialogue among Japan, the U.S. and South Korea. They want to 
establish frameworks for cabinet-level and vice-ministerial-level 
talks in a wide range of areas, including security, the environment 
and the economy, as well as North Korea's nuclear development. 
 
The focus of the EPA talks between Tokyo and Seoul will be on 
 
TOKYO 00001082  007 OF 012 
 
 
whether it is possible to fix a time to start bureau-director-level 
preliminary talks as agreed on at the previous summit. Since South 
Korea is concerned that its trade deficit with Japan will increase 
as a result of market liberalization, it is unclear whether the 
summit today can pave the way for resuming the suspended talks. 
 
Fukuda and Lee are expected to agree to hold trilateral talks with 
China as early as this fall in Japan. The idea is for the three 
countries to hold a summit in rotation in a framework separate from 
the one held on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations (ASEAN) meetings. 
 
9) Japan, China, South Korea to hold summit possibly in fall to deal 
with security, other issues in concert: Framework for 
Japan-U.S.-South Korea talks 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 20, 2008 
 
The government will strengthen dialogues among Japan, China and 
South Korea, and Japan, the U.S. and South Korea.  Regarding a 
Japan-China-ROK framework, coordination is now underway to hold a 
first regular summit among the three countries as early as this 
fall. The aim is to deal with broad-based issues, such as security, 
the environment and the economy, in concert. 
 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda at a study meeting on diplomatic policy 
held on April 18-19 confirmed those policies. He plans to make his 
proposal at a Japan-South Korea summit with President Lee Myung Bak 
to be held on April 21 and a Japan-China summit with Chinese 
President Hu Jintao slated for May 7 and is expected to reach a 
basic agreement with the two leaders. 
 
A Japan- China-ROK summit has been held on the sidelines of ASEAN 
meetings annually since 1999, except for 2005. At the summit held in 
Singapore last November, the three countries agreed in principle to 
hold a summit in rotation, separately from summits held on the 
sidelines of international conferences. An agreement will be reached 
this time that Japan should host such a summit in the fall. 
 
Japan, the U.S. and South Korea had discussed measures to deal with 
the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program, holding 
bureau-director-level talks at the Trilateral Coordination and 
Oversight Group (TCOG) from 1999 through 2003. However, the meeting 
was suspended due to South Korea's previous Roh Moo Hyun 
administration's conciliatory policy toward Pyongyang. The 
government views that the inauguration of the Lee Myung Bak 
administration, which has a hard-line stance toward North Korea, has 
paved the way for creating a framework for talks among the three 
countries. 
 
10) Prime Minister Fukuda to meet with Russian leaders on April 26 
for first time 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 3) (Full) 
April 21 2008 
 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will make a three-day trip to Russia 
April 25-27. He is expected to meet on the 26th for the first time 
with President Vladimir Putin and President-elect Dmitry Medvedev. 
 
The aim of Fukuda's visit to Moscow is to hold face-to-face meetings 
 
TOKYO 00001082  008 OF 012 
 
 
with the Russian leaders ahead of the Group of Eight (G-8) summit 
that Fukuda will chair in July in Hokkaido. In his meetings with 
Putin and Medvedev, Fukuda intends to get their cooperation for a 
new international framework to deal with global warming, which will 
be a main topic of discussion at the upcoming G-8 summit. 
 
Fukuda will work on the two Russian leaders to accelerate the 
stalled negotiations on the Northern Territories, but concrete 
improvement on the issue is unlikely. 
 
11) Poll: Cabinet support plummets to 25 PERCENT 
 
ASAHI (Top play) (Abridged) 
April 21, 2008 
 
The Asahi Shimbun conducted a telephone-based public opinion survey 
across the nation on Apr. 19-20, in which the rate of public support 
for Prime Minister Fukuda's cabinet hit its all-time low of 25 
PERCENT  (in the Asahi poll series), markedly lower than the 31 
PERCENT  rating in the last survey conducted Mar. 29-30. Meanwhile, 
the nonsupport rate for the Fukuda cabinet was 60 PERCENT  (53 
PERCENT  in the last survey). Cabinet support last fell below 30 
PERCENT  when Prime Minister Abe was in office. The Abe cabinet's 
support rate hit its all-time low of 26 PERCENT  in a survey 
conducted right after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's rout in 
the July 2007 election for the House of Councillors. 
 
In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the LDP 
was substantially down from 31 PERCENT  to 26 PERCENT . The leading 
opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto) was at 22 PERCENT 
(20 PERCENT  in the last survey). 
 
12) Poll: Cabinet support rate drops to 29 PERCENT 
 
NIKKEI (Top play) (Abridged) 
April 21, 2008 
 
The approval rating for Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and his cabinet 
dropped 2 percentage points from March to 29 PERCENT , the lowest 
ever (in the Nikkei poll series) since his cabinet's inauguration, 
in a public opinion survey conducted by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on 
Apr. 18-20. The disapproval rating also rose 5 points to 59 PERCENT 
, reaching a new high. In the survey, a total of 49 PERCENT  were in 
favor of restoring the now-expired rate of provisional taxation on 
gasoline to use gas tax revenues for general purposes or continue 
road construction and other road-related infrastructure projects, 
with a total of 42 PERCENT  saying the provisional gas taxation 
should be abolished. 
 
In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the ruling 
Liberal Democratic Party stood at 38 PERCENT , down 2 points from 
the last survey. The leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan 
(Minshuto) also dropped 1 point to 29 PERCENT . 
 
The survey was taken by Nikkei Research Inc. over the telephone on a 
random digit dialing (RDD) basis. For the survey, samples were 
chosen from among men and women aged 20 and over across the nation. 
A total of 1,541 households with one or more eligible voters were 
sampled, and answers were obtained from 908 persons (58.9 PERCENT 
). 
 
13) Poll: Fukuda cabinet's support rate dips to 27.6 PERCENT 
 
TOKYO 00001082  009 OF 012 
 
 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged) 
April 19, 2008 
 
According to a Jiji Press opinion poll conducted Apr. 11-14, the 
rate of public support for Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's cabinet was 
27.6 PERCENT , down 3.3 percentage points from last month. The 
Fukuda cabinet's support rate has yet to stop declining and fell 
below 30 PERCENT  for the first time since its inauguration in 
September last year. Meanwhile, the nonsupport rate rose 4.7 points 
to 52.4 PERCENT . 
 
In the breakdown of public support for the Fukuda cabinet, the 
ruling Liberal Democratic Party stood at 22.9 PERCENT , up 1.1 
points from last month. The leading opposition Democratic Party of 
Japan (Minshuto) was at 13.1 PERCENT , up 0.5 point. The DPJ's 
approval rating dropped for the fifth month in a row. New Komeito, 
the LDP's coalition partner, was at 2.6 PERCENT , down 1.3 points. 
The proportion of those with no particular party affiliation was 
56.9 PERCENT , up 0.4 point. 
 
The survey was conducted across the nation with 2,000 persons chosen 
from among men and women aged 20 and over. The retrieval rate was 
66.5 PERCENT . 
 
14) Poll: 60 PERCENT  opposed to lowering age of majority 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Abridged) 
April 20, 2008 
 
According to a face-to-face nationwide public opinion survey 
conducted Apr. 12-13 by the Yomiuri Shimbun, 59 PERCENT  of 
respondents said they were against lowering the legal age of 
adulthood, stipulated by the Civil Code, to 18 years old from 20, 
while 36 PERCENT  supported the possible legal change. The 
Legislative Council, an advisory panel for the justice minister, has 
been studying the idea. In the survey this time, however, cautious 
opinions outnumbered affirmative ones. 
 
15) Poll: DPJ candidate slightly ahead in Yamaguchi 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Excerpts) 
April 21, 2008 
 
The candidate from the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is slightly 
ahead in the by-election on April 27 for a House of Representatives 
seat in Yamaguchi No. 2 District. According to analysis based on a 
telephone survey by Asahi Shimbun on April 19-20 and information 
collected by reporters, former DPJ Lower House member Hideo Hiraoka 
- endorsed by the Social Democratic Party - leads Shigetaro 
Yamamoto, the Liberal Democratic Party's candidate, who has been 
endorsed by New Komeito. But Yamamoto is fast closing the gap. About 
30 PERCENT  of eligible voters remain undecided, so the tide may 
turn at any moment in the last phase of the election campaign. 
 
16) By-election campaigning for Lower House seat in Yamaguchi 2nd 
District: DPJ-backed Hiraoka leads LDP rival 
 
MAINICHI (Top play) (Lead paragraph) 
April 21, 2008 
 
The Mainichi Shimbun and the TV Yamaguchi Broadcasting Systems 
 
TOKYO 00001082  010 OF 012 
 
 
conducted an opinion survey on April 19-20 about the ongoing 
by-election campaigning for a Lower House seat in Yamaguchi 2nd 
District. The election is on April 27. The findings show that 
candidate Hideo Hiraoka (54), former House of Representatives member 
of the major opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) elected in 
proportional representation, is leading his rival Shigetaro Yamamoto 
(59), a new face  backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party 
(LDP) who formerly served as director of the Cabinet Secretariat's 
Office for Revitalization of Local Regions. At this point in time, 
however, some 30 PERCENT  of the electorate remains undecided, so 
the situation is fluid. 
 
17) USTR urges Japan to follow South Korea on conditions for U.S. 
beef imports 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) 
Evening April 19, 2008 
 
(Masakazu Furukawa, Washington) 
 
In a recent U.S.-South Korea summit, South Korea agreed to ease its 
requirements for U.S. beef imports. Following this development, U.S. 
Trade Representative (USTR) Susan Schwab issued a statement on April 
19 noting: "We want Japan, Taiwan, and China to fall in line with 
South Korea," urging the three to review their import conditions. 
 
Washington is dissatisfied with Japan's limit on U.S. beef to cattle 
20 months or younger. Until the first case of BSE was reported in 
the U.S., Japan was the largest destination for its beef exports. 
Pressure on Japan is expected to intensify further in the run-up to 
the presidential election and congressional election in November. 
 
In the statement, Schwab pointed out that when commodity prices are 
rising internationally, "safe, reasonably priced, and high-quality 
U.S. beef will soon be back on South Korean dinner tables" under the 
agreement. She strongly urged Japan and the other two economies to 
also review their import conditions, noting: "We want them to give 
consideration to consumers' benefits." 
 
18) BOJ to change current policy of aiming at raising interest 
rates 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Excerpt) 
April 21, 2008 
 
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) has so far aimed at raising interest rates, 
but it will make a policy switch in a report titled "The outlook for 
economic and price situations" to be finalized in a monetary 
policymaking meeting on April 30. This decision reflects the 
dominant view in the central bank that it will be difficult for the 
time being to raise interest rates, because many companies have seen 
their business performance deteriorating due to recent higher prices 
of raw materials and other goods. 
 
19) National Defense Program Guidelines to be fundamentally revised 
in fiscal 2009 to deal with China's rise 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) 
April 20, 2008 
 
The government informally decided yesterday to fundamentally revise 
the National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG), the basic guidelines 
 
TOKYO 00001082  011 OF 012 
 
 
for the nation's defense policy, for the first time in five years. 
Given the possibility that China's rapid military buildup might pose 
a threat to Japan's security in the future, the government has 
decided to come up with a revised NDPG that specifies a plan to 
build up the nation's defense capabilities to deal with China's 
military expansion with an eye to the next 10 years. The government 
envisages the renewed NDPG also reflecting reform of the Defense 
Ministry, which has been hit by a series of scandals. Setting up an 
experts' council, the government eyes a cabinet decision in late 
next year. 
 
The NDPG analyzes the international military situation, spells out 
basic guidelines for the nation's defense policies and defines the 
standard of its defense capabilities. The guidelines have been 
revised in accordance with changes to the international situation. 
It was first compiled in 1976 during the Cold War. It was revised in 
1995 after the end of the Cold War, and again in 2004, when the 
issues of ballistic missiles and terrorist threats became pressing 
challenges. 
 
China's rapid military buildup and other factors have prompted the 
Japanese government to fundamentally revise the NDPG instead of its 
initial plan of making minor changes to the 2004 guidelines. 
 
China has been proactively deploying state-of-the-art fighters, 
submarines, and ballistic missiles. The pace of the Chinese military 
buildup has been far beyond Japan's initial forecast. In compiling a 
new program, ways to enhance the Self-Defense Forces' antisubmarine 
capabilities and the missile defense system are likely to be major 
challenges. 
 
20) Prime Minister Fukuda promises to realize joint use of Iwakuni 
base 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 21, 2008 
 
In a meeting yesterday at a hotel in Yamaguchi Prefecture's Iwakuni 
City with Vice Governor Wataru Yamaguchi and Iwakuni Mayor Yoshihiko 
Fukuda, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda touched on the question of 
resuming the joint use of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni 
and indicated his intention to deal with the matter positively, 
telling them: "Doing so is necessary to develop this region. I 
promise I will do so." 
 
21) LDP panel's MOD reform plan calls for uniformed officers to lead 
unit management 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) 
February 21, 2008 
 
The Liberal Democratic Party's panel on reform of the Ministry of 
Defense (MOD), chaired by Yasukazu Hamada, yesterday unveiled a set 
of draft proposals. The plan is designed to integrate the 
Self-Defense Forces' management functions into the Joint Staff (JS) 
to shift weight from civilians in the internal bureaus to uniformed 
SDF officers. The panel did not include in its proposals Defense 
Minister Shigeru Ishiba's plan to integrate and reorganize the 
internal bureaus and the staff offices of the three forces in view 
of cautious opinions among defense policy specialists who regard 
Ishiba's plan as too radical. 
 
 
TOKYO 00001082  012 OF 012 
 
 
The proposals call for abolition of the operation and planning 
bureau, an internal bureau, and setting up a joint command in the JS 
in order to allow uniformed officers with expertise to exclusively 
handle operations. At the same time, in order to avoid excess 
concentration of power, the plan also calls for revising the JS into 
an organ composed of both uniformed and civilian officers. The plan 
is chiefly modeled after Britain's approach. 
 
22) Foreign Minister Koumura implies opposition to treaty banning 
cluster bombs with absence of U.S., Russia 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 3) (Excerpts) 
April 19, 2008 
 
At a Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee session on April 18, 
Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura referred to the "Oslo process" 
joined by more than 100 countries with the aim of concluding by the 
end of the year a treaty prohibiting cluster bombs, noting: "Without 
the participation of such major munitions-producing or 
munitions-holding countries as (the United States and Russia), the 
treaty will be of less significance." 
 
Koumura's remarks are taken to mean that even if the treaty banning 
cluster bombs is adopted at an international conference in Dublin 
slated for May, Japan will not endorse the treaty without the 
participation of the U.S., Russia, and other major countries. 
 
23) ASDF fighter jets make over 300 scrambles last year 
 
YOMIURI (Page 33) (Full) 
April 19, 2008 
 
The Air Self-Defense Force made a total of 307 scrambles in fiscal 
2007 against foreign aircraft that could have violated Japan's 
territorial airspace, according to statistics compiled by the 
Defense Ministry Joint Staff Office. The annual frequency of 
scrambles topped 300 for the first time in 14 years. More than 80 
PERCENT  of those scrambles were against Russian planes. In its 
analysis, the Defense Ministry says Russia has increased its defense 
spending in line with its economic recovery and stepped up its air 
force's flight training and intelligence-gathering activities near 
Japan. 
 
The 307 scrambles in fiscal 2007 are about a third to a half of the 
annual figure in the Cold War but showed an increase of 68 scrambles 
over the preceding fiscal year. In their breakdown, 253 scrambles 
were against Russian aircraft, followed by 43 against Chinese 
aircraft and 3 against Taiwanese aircraft. There were 57 more 
scrambles against Russian aircraft than in the preceding fiscal 
year. 
 
SCHIEFFER