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RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 9166
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 9657

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 14 TOKYO 001226 
 
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 05/07/08 
 
 
Opinion polls: 
1) Foreign Ministry-commissioned Gallup poll shows 7 point drop in 
Americans' "trust in Japan," but the level is still a healthy 67 
PERCENT   (Asahi) 
2) Mainichi poll: 51 PERCENT  of Japanese want the government to 
take a tougher stance toward China  (Mainichi) 
3) Kyodo poll: Fukuda Cabinet support rate sharply drops 6.8 points 
to new low of 19.8 PERCENT   lowest rate since Mori Cabinet  (Tokyo 
Shimbun) 
4) Mainichi poll: Cabinet support rate plummets to new low of 18 
PERCENT , with non-support rate at 70 PERCENT ; DPJ outstrips LDP 
support 28 PERCENT  to 20 PERCENT   (Mainichi) 
5) Poll on Fukuda cabinet, political parties (Nikkei) 
6) Mainichi poll shows Ichiro Ozawa 4 points ahead of Yasuo Fukuda 
as "appropriate" choice for prime minister  (Mainichi) 
7) 59 PERCENT  of public say if an Upper House censure motion 
against the prime minister passes, he should dissolve the Diet and 
call for a snap election: Mainichi poll  (Mainichi) 
8) Asahi poll on Constitution finds 66 PERCENT  opposed to, 23 
PERCENT  in favor of changing Article 9  (Asahi) 
9) Nikkei poll on Constitution finds less than a majority - 48 
PERCENT   favoring reform, but this is a 3 point drop from the last 
poll  (Nikkei) 
10) Cabinet Agency survey: 40 PERCENT  of Japanese feel anxious 
about their food supply  (Asahi) 
 
China ties: 
11) During Fukuda-Hu summit talks, Japan and China will agree to 
joint plan to inject CO2 into oil wells  (Nikkei) 
12) In separate climate change statement during President Hu's 
summit meeting, China will agree to join post-Kyoto Protocol 
negotiations  (Yomiuri) 
 
Koumura diplomacy: 
13) Foreign Minister Koumura meets Pakistani president, offers that 
country 48 billion in yen loans, vows commitment to anti-terrorism 
efforts  (Nikkei) 
14) Koumura in surprise visit to Afghanistan announces aid to 
counter terrorism but states Japan's difficulty in dispatching 
troops for PKO  (Nikkei) 
 
15) ASEAN plus 3 finance ministers agree on $80 billion currency 
fund to stabilize markets  (Nikkei) 
 
Political agenda: 
16) Showdown on May 13 between ruling and opposition camps when 
Lower House overrides vote of Upper House on highway-building 
funding legislation  (Nikkei) 
17) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary General Hatoyama 
indicates the party will prudently use its censure-motion authority 
against the prime minister  (Yomiuri) 
18) LDP considering a basic law for permanent foreign residents that 
would include the establishment of an immigration agency  (Nikkei) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) Poll: American view of Japan as trustworthy partner down 7 
points 
 
ASAHI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 5, 2008 
 
 
TOKYO 00001226  002 OF 014 
 
 
Japan is a trustworthy partner, but it is being overshadowed... Such 
a trend was found from an annual survey conducted by the Foreign 
Ministry in the United States on Japan. In the survey, respondents 
were asked if they could trust Japan. To this question, "yes" 
accounted for 67 PERCENT , down 7 percentage points from last year. 
Moreover, a total of 43 PERCENT  chose Japan when asked which 
country was the most important partner in Asia. This figure dropped 
5 points from last year, as China closes in on Japan. 
 
The survey was outsourced to the Gallup Organization, a U.S. 
pollster. It was taken over the telephone from February through 
March with a total of 1,500 persons aged 18 and over. 
 
Those who answered "no" when asked if they could trust Japan 
accounted for 18 PERCENT , the lowest ever. However, the proportion 
of those who have "no opinion" rose 10 points from last year to 15 
PERCENT . Japan remained in first place as the most important 
partner in Asia. However, Japan has been on the decline since it 
peaked at 55 PERCENT  in 1995. China, which ranked second, marked an 
all-time high of 34 PERCENT , following last year. Russia ranked 
third at 10 PERCENT . 
 
"On the whole," the Foreign Ministry explains, "a high evaluation is 
being maintained toward Japan-U.S. relations." 
 
Aside from the survey of Americans, the Foreign Ministry polled a 
total of 1,800 persons in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, 
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, which are members of the 
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In this survey, 
China ranked first at 30 PERCENT  as the most important partner, 
followed by Japan at 28 PERCENT  and the United States at 23 PERCENT 
. 
 
2) Opinion poll on Japan's attitude toward China: 51 PERCENT  call 
for harder line 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 5, 2008 
 
Takashi Sudo 
 
Ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Japan tomorrow, the 
Mainichi Shimbun conducted a (telephone-based) nationwide survey on 
May 1-2. In response to a question asking whether Japan needs to 
shift its attitude toward China, 51 PERCENT , the largest figure, 
said, "Japan should deal with China in a stricter manner than now," 
followed by 26 PERCENT  saying, "Japan should be more friendly," and 
17 PERCENT  saying, "Japan should continue its current approach." 
Some 6 PERCENT  of the respondents were unable to say. 
 
On May 4, the Chinese government began an informal dialogue with 
staff of the 14th Dalai Lama to discuss Tibet, but Beijing still 
insists that the issue is an internal affair and not a human rights 
issue. On the poisoned dumplings incident, Japanese and Chinese 
police investigators remain far apart in their views. 
 
The results of the survey seem to be attributable to the Chinese 
government's hardened responses to those issues. 
 
In response to a question asking what attitude Japan should assume 
toward China, even among those who are supportive of the Fukuda 
cabinet, 53 PERCENT  say the government should take a harder line, 
 
TOKYO 00001226  003 OF 014 
 
 
far exceeding the 26 PERCENT  of Fukuda supporters who said that the 
government should be "friendly" or the 17 PERCENT  who said that the 
current stance should be continued. 
 
3) Poll: Support rate for Fukuda cabinet down to 19 PERCENT 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top play) (Abridged) 
May 3, 2008 
 
The public approval rating for Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's cabinet 
dropped 6.8 percentage points from April and reached a new low of 
19.8 PERCENT , according to a public opinion survey conducted by 
Kyodo News. The disapproval rate rose 7.0 points to 66.6 PERCENT . 
The support rate fell below 20 PERCENT  (in the Kyodo poll) for the 
first time since the cabinet of Prime Minister Mori, who stepped 
down before the 2001 election for the House of Councillors. The 
Fukuda cabinet is now in a crisis situation. 
 
The results can be taken as reflecting public dissatisfaction with 
the recent reinstatement of gasoline surcharges and the introduction 
of a new medical fee charging system for the elderly. In the 
breakdown of public support for political parties, the ruling 
Liberal Democratic Party stood at 24.3 PERCENT , with the leading 
opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto) at 30.3 PERCENT . 
The DPJ outstripped the LDP for the first time in about five months 
since a survey taken in December last year. Asked about the 
desirable form of government, those who would like the current 
LDP-led coalition government to be replaced with a DPJ-led coalition 
government accounted for an all-time high of 50.0 PERCENT , newly 
double 26.7 PERCENT  for the LDP-led government. 
 
The LDP and its coalition partner, New Komeito, have now restored 
the gasoline surcharges with a second vote taken in the House of 
Councillors. Asked if this was appropriate, "no" accounted for 72.0 
PERCENT , with "yes" at 21.4 PERCENT . 
 
In the breakdown of reasons for not supporting the Fukuda cabinet, 
26.6 PERCENT  said nothing could be expected of its economic policy, 
topping all other answers. 
 
Meanwhile, the DPJ is considering submitting a motion (in the upper 
chamber) to censure the prime minister. In the survey, respondents 
were asked if they supported this move. In response to this 
question, 54.7 PERCENT  answered "yes," with 31.9 PERCENT  saying 
"no." Respondents were further asked what the prime minister should 
do if the motion is passed. To this question, 68.1 PERCENT  answered 
that the prime minister should dissolve the House of Representatives 
for a general election, with 18.5 PERCENT  saying he does not have 
to resign and 8.4 PERCENT  insisting the Fukuda cabinet should 
resign en masse. 
 
4) Poll: Cabinet support down to 18 PERCENT 
 
MAINICHI (Top play) (Abridged) 
May 3, 2008 
 
The Mainichi Shimbun conducted a telephone-based nationwide public 
opinion survey on May 1-2. The approval rating for Prime Minister 
Yasuo Fukuda and his cabinet was 18 PERCENT , down 6 percentage 
points from the last survey taken in April, reaching a new low (in 
the Mainichi series) since the Fukuda cabinet came into office in 
September last year. In April, the government started a new medical 
 
TOKYO 00001226  004 OF 014 
 
 
fee charging system for the elderly. Respondents were asked if they 
supported this. To this question, 77 PERCENT  answered "no." In 
addition, 74 PERCENT  answered "no" when asked about the 
reinstatement of gasoline surcharges and other provisional tax rates 
with a second vote taken in the House of Representatives. The survey 
shows that these two issues hit the Fukuda cabinet hard. 
 
The Fukuda cabinet's inaugural support rate was 57 PERCENT  but went 
down to 33 PERCENT  in December last year. It leveled off 
thereafter. In the last survey, however, it dropped 6 points to 24 
PERCENT . In the latest survey as well, it continued to fall. 
 
Meanwhile, the Fukuda cabinet's disapproval rate, which was 25 
PERCENT  upon its inauguration, rose in the following surveys. This 
time as well, the nonsupport rate rose 4 points from the last survey 
to 61 PERCENT . The proportion of those who are "not interested" 
leveled off at 19 PERCENT . 
 
In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the ruling 
Liberal Democratic Party dropped 4 points to 20 PERCENT , with the 
leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto) rising 6 
points to 28 PERCENT . The DPJ topped the LDP for the first time 
since December last year. At the time, the DPJ was at 27 PERCENT 
and the LDP at 26 PERCENT . 
 
5) Poll on Fukuda cabinet, political parties 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 2, 2008 
 
Questions & Answers 
(Figures shown in percentage. Parentheses denote findings from the 
last survey conducted in mid-April.) 
 
Q: Do you support the Fukuda cabinet? 
 
Yes 21 (29) 
No 68 (59) 
Can't say (C/S) + don't know (D/K) 10 (12) 
 
Q: Which political party do you support or like now? 
 
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 33 (38) 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 36 (29) 
New Komeito (NK) 3 (4) 
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 5 (4) 
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 2 (2) 
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0 (0) 
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0 (0) 
Other political parties 1 (1) 
None 14 (16) 
C/S+D/K 5 (6) 
 
(Note) The total percentage does not become 100 PERCENT  in some 
cases due to rounding 
 
Polling methodology: 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 1,329 households with one or more 
eligible voters were sampled, and answers were obtained from 711 
persons (53.5 PERCENT ). 
 
TOKYO 00001226  005 OF 014 
 
 
 
6) DPJ President Ozawa tops Prime Minister Fukuda by 4 PERCENT 
points in poll on who would be more suitable as prime minister 
 
MAINICHI (Page 3) (Full) 
May 4, 2008 
 
In the Mainichi Shimbun's telephone-based nationwide poll on May 
1-2, the question was asked: who would be more appropriate as prime 
minister, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda or Democratic Party of Japan 
(DPJ) President Ichiro Ozawa? Only 14 percent said that they thought 
Fukuda was more appropriate than Ozawa, who was favored by 18 
percent of the respondees. In the April poll, 20 percent of the 
public found Fukuda more suitable than Ozawa, and only 12 percent 
said they preferred Ozawa. However, 63 PERCENT  said that neither of 
the two was suitable, continuing the high-level of dissatisfaction. 
 
By age, 23 PERCENT  of those in their twenties found Fukuda more 
suitable, while 15 PERCENT  said they preferred Ozawa. Among those 
aged 70 and over, 24 PERCENT  said Fukuda was more appropriate, 
while 19 PERCENT  picked Ozawa. But among other age groups, the 
support rates for Ozawa topped those for Fukuda. In particular among 
those in their fifties, Ozawa won 16 PERCENT , and Fukuda 8 PERCENT 
. Among those in their sixties, Ozawa garnered 23 PERCENT , while 
Fukuda got 15 PERCENT . In the previous poll, Fukuda got more 
support rates than Ozawa in those age categories. 
 
Asked about which party -- the LDP or DPJ -- they wanted to win in 
the next House of Representatives election, 24 PERCENT , a 12 point 
drop from the previous poll, picked the LDP, while 51 PERCENT 
favored the DPJ, an 11 point jump from the previous poll. 
 
The newspaper has conducted this series nine times since last 
August. Although the support rates for the DPJ has been growing, in 
the latest poll, the support rate for the LDP reached a record low, 
while that for the LDP was a record high. 
 
7) Mainichi poll: 59 PERCENT  approve Lower House dissolution based 
on censure motion against prime minister, up 4 points, compared with 
previous poll 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 6, 2008 
 
The Mainichi Shimbun on May 1-2 carried out a nationwide telephone 
opinion poll. Queried about what response Prime Minister Yasuo 
Fukuda should make in the event of the Upper House adopting a 
censure motion against him, 59 PERCENT  of respondents replied that 
the prime minister should dissolve the Lower House and hold a snap 
general election. This was up 4 points from the previous survey 
carried out in April. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or 
Minshuto) has decided to forgo the submission of a censure motion 
for the time being. However, the outcome of the poll shows that the 
view that if such a motion is adopted, the prime minister should 
seek the judgment of the people at an early date has spread further. 
 
 
Although 20 PERCENT  of the public (down 1 point from the previous 
poll) took the view that since such a resolution has no binding 
power, the prime minister does not need to do anything, another 14 
PERCENT  (down 5 points) replied that the cabinet should resign en 
masse. 
 
TOKYO 00001226  006 OF 014 
 
 
 
 
Among those who support the Fukuda cabinet, 50 PERCENT  (up 8 points 
from the previous poll) replied that the prime minister does not 
need to do anything, followed by 32 PERCENT  (down 11 points), who 
said that he should dissolve the Lower House, and 10 PERCENT  (no 
increase or decrease), who said that the cabinet should resign en 
masse. The outcome indicates that with the submission of a censure 
motion against the prime minister becoming a far more realistic 
prospect due to the ruling camp/government's re-adoption of the bill 
amending the Special Taxation Measures Law, reinstating the 
provisional gas tax rate, those who support the cabinet are becoming 
increasingly alarmed about the situation. 
 
Among those who do not support the Fukuda cabinet, 72 PERCENT  (up 7 
points from the previous poll) replied that the prime minister 
should dissolve the Lower House, followed by 16 PERCENT , who said 
that the cabinet should resign en masse, and 8 PERCENT , who replied 
that the prime minister does not need to do anything. 
 
According to party affiliation, 39 PERCENT  of Liberal Democratic 
Party (LDP) supporters said that the Lower House should be 
dissolved. Almost the same number of pollees -- 38 PERCENT  -- said 
that the prime minister need not do anything. New Komeito supporters 
gave even harsher replies, with 45 PERCENT  saying that the Lower 
House should be dissolved, largely topping the 33 PERCENT  who 
replied that the prime minister need not do anything. 
 
Among those who support opposition parties, an overwhelming number 
of DPJ supporters -- 79 PERCENT  called for a dissolution of the 
Lower House. Among unaffiliated respondents, 55 PERCENT  said that 
the Lower House should be dissolved, followed by 23 PERCENT , who 
said that the prime minister does not need to do anything, and 15 
PERCENT , who wanted to see the cabinet resign en masse. 
 
8) Poll: 66 PERCENT  against revising Article 9, while 23 PERCENT 
favor it; Gap expanding 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Abridged slightly) 
May 3, 2008 
 
Ahead of May 3, Constitution Day, the Asahi Shimbun conducted a 
nationwide telephone-based opinion survey. In the poll, 66 PERCENT 
of respondents said that Article 9 of the Constitution should not be 
revised, while 23 PERCENT  favored revision. Although 56 PERCENT  of 
the public think the Constitution must be amended, only 37 PERCENT 
of them expressed the need to change Article 9, and 54 PERCENT  said 
the article must be left intact. 
 
The survey was conducted on April 19-20. 
 
In a survey conducted in April 2007 under the then Abe cabinet, 49 
PERCENT  of respondents said that Article 9 must not be revised, 
while only 33 PERCENT  said it should be changed. The latest survey 
exposed the increased gap between the two positions. 
 
Over the last year, the previous Abe cabinet made preparations for 
amending the Constitution and promoted discussion on the Japan using 
the right to collective self-defense. Debates in the Diet also 
continued under the Fukuda administration, which replaced the Abe 
cabinet, on the dispatch of Maritime Self-Defense Force troops for 
the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. All those events were 
 
TOKYO 00001226  007 OF 014 
 
 
closely associated with Article 9 and the SDF's cooperation with the 
United States. 
 
Meanwhile, asked about the Constitution as a whole, 56 PERCENT  of 
respondents pointed to the need for revision, while 31 PERCENT 
found such unnecessary. In the 2007 survey, the two answers were 58 
PERCENT  and 27 PERCENT , respectively. 
 
Asked about reasons for constitutional reform, 74 PERCENT  pointed 
out the need to add new rights and systems, 13 PERCENT  indicated 
problems associated with Article 9, and 9 PERCENT  expressed a 
desire to have a homegrown constitution. 
 
In addition, 52 PERCENT  called constitutional revision a "practical 
issue," down 59 PERCENT  from the 2007 survey, while 35 PERCENT 
thought of it as a future issue, also down from 31 PERCENT . 
Moreover, 71 PERCENT  of those who said constitutional revision was 
a future issue cited a lack of momentum in the public as the reason, 
19 PERCENT  cited the growing confrontation between the ruling and 
opposition camps, and 5 PERCENT  pointed out the resignation of 
former Prime Minister Abe. 
 
Additionally, 62 PERCENT  though the currently divided Diet was 
"undesireable." At the same time, 58 PERCENT  responded negatively 
to amending the Constitution to strengthen the House of 
Representatives' authority, and only 23 PERCENT  responded 
positively to such an option. 
 
9) Poll: 48 PERCENT  support constitutional revision, down 3 points 
from last year, 43 PERCENT  favor present Constitution 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) 
May 3, 2008 
 
In an opinion poll conducted by the Nikkei ahead of Constitution 
Day, 48 PERCENT  of respondents said that the Constitution should be 
amended, while 43 PERCENT  indicted that it should be left as is. 
Support for constitutional amendment dropped 3 points from the 
previous survey conducted in April 2007, and opposition to 
constitutional amendment increased 8 points. Support for 
constitutional amendment has been declining since 2000 when research 
commissions on the Constitution were established in the Diet. 
 
Asked for multiple problems associated with the Constitution, 31 
PERCENT  pointed out a lack of provisions meeting changes in times, 
such as an environmental right and the right to privacy, 28 PERCENT 
pointed an insufficient view on local autonomy, and 24 PERCENT 
cited an insufficient provision on the Diet, such as the two-chamber 
system. The following factors were also cited as reasons for 
supporting amendments to the Constitution, (1) the need to add new 
views to the Constitution at 54 PERCENT , (2) some provisions that 
conspicuously deviate from reality at 22 PERCENT , and (3) the need 
to change the state system in a way to facilitate reform at 14 
PERCENT . Meanwhile, 35 PERCENT  of those who said the Constitution 
should be left as is indicated the country's top law should be left 
intact unless there is a compelling reason, 29 PERCENT  said that 
constitutional revision might bring change to the country's 
pacifism, and 19 PERCENT  indicated that the current Constitution 
poses no problems. 
 
The survey was conducted by Nikkei Research on April 18-20 based on 
the computer-aided random digit dialing (RDD) system toward 1,541 
 
TOKYO 00001226  008 OF 014 
 
 
households with voters across Japan. Valid answers came from 908 
households, or 58.9 PERCENT  of the total. 
 
10) Cabinet Office survey: 40 PERCENT  wary of food safety 
 
ASAHI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 7, 2008 
 
The outcome of a survey on awareness of food education, released by 
the Cabinet Office on May 3, has revealed that more than 40 PERCENT 
of pollees have trouble or are wary of their diet, of whom 80 
PERCENT  are concerned about food safety. More than 30 PERCENT  of 
respondents cited food supply in the future as a reason for their 
concern or anxieties. 
 
The Cabinet Office has carried out a face-to-face public opinion 
survey between February and March, targeting 3,000 persons aged 20 
or older, of whom 1,745 made a valid response. 
 
The ratio of respondents who noted that they had trouble or 
anxieties about their daily diet reached 44 PERCENT  -- 33 PERCENT 
among male respondents and 53 PERCENT  among female respondents. 
Food safety was given by the largest ratio of 81 PERCENT  probably 
due to false food labeling incidents or the food poisoning incident 
involving Chinese-made frozen gyoza dumplings. Health matters of 
family members were cited by 51 PERCENT , followed by respondents' 
own health by 46 PERCENT , food supply in the future by 34 PERCENT 
and the impact on the environment of leftovers and the disposal of 
such (multiple replies were allowed). 
 
The ratio of pollees who know the meaning of "metabolic syndrome" 
reached 88 PERCENT , up about 10 points from the previous survey. 
The government's target of over 80 PERCENT  as advocated in its food 
education promotion program has thus been met. 
 
11) Japan, China agree on plan to inject CO2 from China beneath oil 
field, joined by Japanese private and public sectors, starting in 
2009 
 
NIKKEI (Page 1) (Abridged) 
May 3, 2008 
 
The governments of Japan and China have agreed to cooperate in 
carrying out a project to inject carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from a 
thermal power plant in China into an oil field. The project will 
cost 20 to 30 billion yen and will involve the participation of the 
Japanese public and private sectors, including JGC Corp. and Toyota 
Motor Corp. The two countries plan to bring the project into action 
in 2009, with the aim of curbing greenhouse gas emissions from 
China, as well as making use of the technical know-how acquired 
through the project for other oil-producing countries. In their 
meeting scheduled for May 7, the two countries' top leaders are 
expected to agree on the plan and incorporate it in an official 
statement to be issued after the meeting. 
 
The technology to bury CO2 into the sea or the ground is called 
"Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS)." It is expected that this 
technology will enable a halt to CO2 emissions even from thermal 
power plants. CCS alone will be unprofitable, but the two countries 
have determined that it makes financial sense if CCS is combined 
with an oil-exploitation project. According to the Ministry of 
Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), if realized, it will be the 
 
TOKYO 00001226  009 OF 014 
 
 
first case of injecting CO2 from a thermal power plant into an oil 
field. 
 
Under the plan, more than one million tons of CO2 annually from the 
Harbin Thermal Power Plant in Heilungkiang Province will be 
transferred to the Daqing Oilfield, about 100 km from the plant, and 
will be injected and stored in the oilfield. The viscosity of crude 
oil there is thick but will be decreased by injecting CO2, making it 
easier to exploit the oil. 
 
More than 40 million tons of oil is produced from the said oilfield 
annually. The project is expected to increase this figure by 1.5 to 
2 million tons. It reportedly will also become possible to keep more 
than 150 million tons of CO2 into storage in the future. 
 
From Japan, the METI-affiliated Research Institute of Innovative 
Technology for the Earth (RITE) and other organizations plan to take 
part in the project, in addition to Toyota and JGC. From China, 
China National Petroleum Corporation and other organizations will 
participate. The two sides will begin negotiations on cost-sharing. 
 
China is believed to be the world's largest CO2 emitter, surpassing 
the U.S. in 2007. In China, 63 PERCENT  of power generated is from 
thermal power plants, from which large amounts of CO2 are emitted. 
 
12) Japan-China joint statement to specify China's willingness to 
join negotiations on post-Kyoto framework 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
May 6, 2008 
 
The leaders of Japan and China will release a joint statement on 
climate change after their meeting scheduled for May 7. According to 
the full text of the statement revealed yesterday, the statement 
specifies that the two countries will deepen technical cooperation 
in energy-saving and four other areas. It also expresses China's 
willingness to join negotiations on designing the international 
regime on climate change that will follow the Kyoto Protocol. 
 
The two countries will deepen cooperation in these five areas: (1) 
energy conservation and renewable energy; (2) clean coal technology, 
including improvement in such facilities as thermal power plants; 
(3) recovery and utilization of methane; (4) recovery and storage of 
carbon dioxide; and (5) methods to reduce damage from climate 
change. Of these, it is an imminent challenge to take some measures 
regarding thermal power plants, from which large amounts of 
greenhouse gases have been generated in China. 
 
The statement also mentions Japan's support for China's plan on 
measures to deal with climate change. In the plan released in June 
of last year, China commits itself to reducing 950 million tons of 
emissions by 2010 in the energy sector. 
 
Further, the statement specifies that China will work out methods 
and measures to stabilize emissions in cooperation with other 
countries, paying attention to Japan's long-term goal of halving 
emissions worldwide by 2050. China will express a positive stance 
toward a long-term target for the first time. 
 
Additionally, China praises in the statement the sector-specific 
approach proposed by Japan, calling it "an important method to 
translate emission-cut goals and plans into action." 
 
TOKYO 00001226  010 OF 014 
 
 
 
13) Foreign Minister Koumura, now visiting Afghanistan, expresses 
assistance in antiterrorism measures 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 5, 2008 
 
Takeshi Nagasawa, Kabul 
 
Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura arrived in Afghanistan on the 
morning of May 4 (afternoon of the same day, Japan time) and met 
with Afghan President Karzai. The two leaders agreed to work in 
closer cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Koumura is 
visiting Afghanistan as part of a step toward realizing a 
"peace-fostering nation," an idea advocated by Prime Minister Yasuo 
Fukuda. With the upcoming Group of Eight (G-8) Hokkaido Toyako 
Summit in July in mind, the prime minister is bent on giving shape 
somehow to this concept. 
 
In the meeting with Karzai, Koumura referred to the Self-Defense 
Forces' (SDF) refueling mission in the Indian Ocean and highlighted 
Japan's stance of continuing cooperation on the antiterrorism 
campaign. In addition to the total sum of $1.45 billion dollars in 
aid to Afghanistan already announced by Japan, Koumura told Karzai 
that Japan would offer another tranche of financial assistance to 
Afghanistan. The president expressed his gratitude: "We have 
understood well the role played by Japan in the refueling mission." 
 
Prior to the session with the president, Koumura met with Foreign 
Minister Spanta and told him: "As a country that aims to become a 
peace-fostering nation, we want to further consolidate international 
solidarity for assistance to Afghanistan." 
 
Koumura's visit to Afghanistan is the first time since Foreign 
Minister Nobutaka Machimura traveled to that country in April 2005. 
Koumura arrived in Afghanistan from Pakistan aboard a chartered 
plane on the morning of May 4 and departed that country by the end 
of the day. His visit to Afghanistan was kept secret until just 
before his arrival in the country because of security reasons. 
 
Japan's assistance to Afghanistan consists of antiterrorism measures 
and financial cooperation. This assistance is "one priority task" 
for Japan, which is making efforts as a peace-fostering nation, a 
senior Foreign Ministry official noted. Despite Koumura's stay in 
that country for only six hours, he went to the trouble of stopping 
there because he wanted to demonstrate to an international audience 
the extent of Japan's contributions. 
 
The idea of becoming a peace-fostering nation was revealed by Fukuda 
in his Diet policy speech this past January. Fukuda mentioned it 
because he believes it is essential to provide human contributions 
to peace-building efforts so that Japan has a presence in the 
international community, in spite of China and India gaining 
influence in the international community. This idea features 
overseas dispatches of the SDF. Japan has been studying the case of 
sending the SDF to the ongoing United Nations peacekeeping 
operations in the southern part of Sudan, a country that is drawing 
much attention of the world as it is impossible constitutionally for 
the SDF to take part in the International Security Assistance Force 
(ISAF) under NATO. 
 
However, coordination for a dispatch of SDF personnel to the United 
 
TOKYO 00001226  011 OF 014 
 
 
Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) operating in the southern part of 
Sudan has hit a snag. As an alternative, Japan is considering 
sending some SDF officers to that region, but Tokyo is not sure of 
their dispatch to the region. 
 
An idea of dispatching Japan Coast Guard (JCG) officials to the 
United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNIT) surfaced at 
one point. Coordination for this sort of dispatch, however, is 
taking much time, too, even though the JCG has sent two or three 
officers to the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia for the purpose 
of personnel training. 
 
The number of personnel Japan has sent for PKO totaled 38. This 
figure ranked the 82nd among the 119 countries. Soon after Fukuda 
announced this past January the notion of Japan becoming a 
peace-fostering nation, two police officers deployed in East Timor 
returned home. Since then no personnel has been dispatched abroad. 
Taking all these things into consideration, Koumura apparently chose 
Afghanistan to visit. 
 
Specific steps taken by the Japanese government to realize a 
"peace-fostering nation" advocated by the prime minister and the 
actual state 
 
Specific steps Actual state 
Proactive participation in PKO Japan has sent SDF personnel to Nepal 
and the Golan Heights. The number of personnel dispatched by Japan 
was less than those of China and South Korea and ranked the 82nd in 
the world. 
Financial assistance through ODA The amount of ODA to be used in the 
peace-building area almost tripled in fiscal 2006 from the level in 
fiscal 2002. Meanwhile, the overall ODA budget dropped to 38 PERCENT 
 of the peak in fiscal 1997. 
Personnel training Implemented personnel training related to 
peace-building in cooperation with universities and other 
organizations. 
Permanent legislation for overseas dispatch of SDF Gave up on the 
plan of submitting related bills to the current session of the Diet. 
The bills are likely to be submitted to the upcoming extraordinary 
Diet session in the fall. 
 
14) Foreign Minister Koumura, President Musharraf confirm 
cooperation on antiterrorism measures 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 4, 2008 
 
Islamabad, Takeshi Nagasawa 
 
Visiting Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura met with President 
Musharraf on May 3. In the session, the two leaders confirmed 
cooperation in the fight against terrorism. In this regard, Koumura 
emphasized Japan's plan to continue cooperation through refueling 
services in the Indian Ocean. They exchanged letters of agreement to 
increase yen loans to be used for development of infrastructure up 
to a total of 48 billion yen, more than double the previous amount. 
 
In the session, Koumura declared: "Stability and development in 
Pakistan will be linked directly to stability in the international 
community. Japan will help (Pakistan) on both political and economic 
fronts." Musharraf expressed his gratitude and called for further 
assistance in such areas as health and medical treatment. 
 
TOKYO 00001226  012 OF 014 
 
 
 
Koumura also met with Prime Minister Gilani and Foreign Minister 
Qureshi. The two agreed on four projects to receive yen loans. Yen 
loans will be used to develop farm villages in rural areas and to 
construct power transmission facilities and substations. 
 
15) ASEAN plus Three: Agreement reached at finance ministerial to 
set amount for currency swap agreement at 80 billion dollars in 
readiness for market destabilization 
 
NIKKEI (Page 1) (Abridged slightly) 
May 5, 2008 
 
Japan, China, South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations (ASEAN) on May 4 held a finance ministerial meeting in 
Madrid. Participants agreed to set an amount for a currency swap 
agreement at 80 billion dollars or about 8 trillion yen. The 
envisaged agreement is intended to replace the present bilateral 
currency swap system. The size of funds for swap will also be 
significantly expanded from the current 58 billion dollars. 
 
A decision was reached for Japan, China and South Korea to outlay 80 
PERCENT  of the swap framework, and for ASEAN to fund the remaining 
amount. Participants also discussed conditions for invoking the 
supply of such funds and a possible mechanism of mutual surveillance 
of such matters as an economic situation. 
 
Winding up the financial ministerial, participants the same day 
issued a joint statement. The statement pointed out that the global 
economy is facing a difficult time. As risks that could prop up in 
the future, it cited destabilization of the financial market and 
inflation in the wake of a sharp rise in energy and food prices. 
Regarding the economies of Japan, China, South Korea and ASEA, the 
statement stressed that they are at present maintaining robust 
growth. Regarding the future, it said the growth would weaken 
slightly. 
 
16) Diet battle between ruling and opposition camps reaching climax 
as Lower House will likely revote on May 13 on special road law 
revision bill 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
May 6, 2008 
 
Maneuvering between the ruling and opposition parties will reach a 
climax in the final stage of the current Diet session over a revote 
at the House of Representatives on a bill amending the Road 
Construction Revenues Special Exemption Law, intended to reinstate 
the road-related tax rates for another ten years. The ruling 
coalition intends to hold a revote on the bill on May 13. Riding its 
victory in the Lower House by-election for the Yamaguchi No. 2 
constituency, the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) 
plans to pursue the government on the issues of tax revenues 
earmarked for road construction projects, as well as the new medical 
system for those 75 and over. As it stands, the ongoing Diet session 
is likely to fall into confusion. 
 
"We must overcome the critical stage on the 13th at any cost, so I 
will rely on you," Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told former Prime 
Minister Yoshiro Mori and Mikio Aoki, former chairman of the LDP 
caucus in the House of Councillors, on the night of April 27 at his 
official residence. Fukuda also instructed to Secretary General 
 
TOKYO 00001226  013 OF 014 
 
 
Bunmei Ibuki and other LDP executives to coordinate views in the 
party. 
 
Since the bill cleared the Lower House on March 13, it will be 
possible to hold a revote on it on May 12, as Article 59 of the 
Constitution stipulates that the Lower House can take a second vote 
after 60 says a bill is sent to the Upper House. As the ruling camp 
has insisted that early enactment of the legislation is 
indispensable in order to implement the budget for road 
construction, it plans to hold a revote on the bill on the afternoon 
of May 13 at a Lower House plenary session. 
 
Some junior LDP lawmakers initially indicated that they might oppose 
the bill on the grounds that its passage would go against Fukuda's 
policy of integrating the special account for road construction into 
the general account. However, the possibility of their opposing the 
bill has become slim because Fukuda ordered the party to make a 
cabinet decision before the Lower House takes a revote on the bill. 
However, the party leadership intends to tighten its rules in the 
party to compel all party members to vote for the bill. 
 
17) Hatoyama on road override vote: "Some members are naturally 
cautious about submitting a censure motion against the prime 
minister" 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) 
May 6, 2008 
 
Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama made the 
following comment to the press on May 5 in Karuizawa Town, Nagano 
Prefecture, about the option of submitting a censure motion against 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to the House of Councillors: "If we are 
to submit a motion, it must force the Fukuda cabinet either to 
resign or dissolve the Lower House for a snap general election. In 
view of what is best, we strongly believe conducting thorough 
deliberations at the Diet is desirable, and it is natural that some 
are cautious about submitting a motion immediately after May 13." He 
thus indicated that the DPJ would forgo its plan to submit a censure 
motion immediately after the ruling bloc takes a Lower House 
override vote on May 13 on a bill amending the Road Construction 
Revenues Special Measures Law, which allows gasoline revenues to be 
used only for road improvement for 10 years. 
 
Hatoyama also indicated that a decision on submitting a motion 
should not be made until the very end of the current Diet session, 
saying: "On June 15, the government is going to automatically 
withdraw medical insurance premiums for the elderly from their 
pension benefits for a second time. We are going to submit to the 
Diet a bill abolishing the system to proceed with Diet debate. That 
is going to be a chance to us." 
 
18) LDP launches study of basic law for settlement of foreigners 
 
NIKKEI (Page 1) (Full) 
May 5, 2008 
 
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has begun looking into the 
possibility of establishing a basic law to promote settlement of 
foreigners. Besides the establishment of an Immigration Agency, 
which would in charge of accepting foreigners, who work in Japan for 
a certain period, as well as management policy, the LDP will 
substantially review the existing training system for foreigners, 
 
TOKYO 00001226  014 OF 014 
 
 
which has been criticized for such problems as illegally low labor 
wages. With the declining birthrate trend in mind, the LDP also 
wants to create a system to secure talented personnel from overseas. 
The party aims to submit a bill to next year's regular Diet session 
and enact it during that session. 
 
The LDP's panel made up of about 80 Diet members, headed by former 
Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa, will compile a set of proposals 
in mid-May. 
 
At present, Japan allows such experts as technicians and 
interpreters to work in the country. The LDP's panel will study 
standards for a new system replacing the existing training system, 
which is called a conduit to receive manual labors. 
 
An Immigration Agency would be in charge of coming up with standards 
for accepting foreign labors, as well as for granting Japanese 
nationality, and comprehensive policies for Japanese language 
education, among other matters. 
 
DONOVAN