VZCZCXRO4072
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #1558/01 1610130
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 090130Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4865
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/USDOJ WASHDC PRIORITY
RULSDMK/USDOT WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5//
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMHBA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI
RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA//
RHMFIUU/USFJ //J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/CTF 72
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 0604
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 8229
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 1920
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 6509
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 8819
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3775
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 9774
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0201

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TOKYO 001558 
 
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 06/09/08 
 
 
Index: 
 
Political news: 
1) Ruling parties lose majority in Okinawa assembly election as 
voters react against controversial medical plan for the elderly 
(Mainichii) 
2) Government, ruling parties considering one-week extension of 
current session of Diet  (Mainichi) 
3) Former Prime Minister Mori says that Prime Minister Fukuda has no 
desire to shuffle his cabinet, despite press rumors he will do so 
(Yomiuri) 
4) Former head of Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Maehara criticizes 
party president Ozawa in national journal article  (Yomiuri) 
 
Energy ministers meeting in Aomori: 
5) Secretary Bodman calls for investments that would increase oil 
supply  (Nikkei) 
6) G-8 plus 3 Energy Ministers Meeting closes in Aomori with joint 
statement  (Asahi) 
7) U.S., Japan, India, ROK energy ministers issue joint statement of 
concern about soaring oil price, urge more supply  (Mainichi) 
8) Energy minister call for joint government-private sector fund to 
promote innovative ideas in environmental and energy areas 
(Mainichi) 
 
9) Japan to provide financial cooperation to build nuclear power 
plant in U.S.  (Mainichi) 
 
North Korea problem: 
10) Japan, North Korea to restart bilateral talks on June 11 
(Nikkei) 
11) Japan enters talks with North Korea, buttressed by U.S. pushing 
from behind for progress on abduction issue  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
12) Formal U.S., North Korea talks to restart June 11, with DPRK 
expected to press for removal of its name from U.S. terror-sponsor 
list  (Mainichi) 
13) Congressional Research Service report sounds warning against 
premature removal of North Korea from U.S. list of states sponsoring 
terrorism  (Sankei) 
 
14) LDP proposes bringing in 10 million immigrants into Japan, 
establishing immigration agency, and easing restrictions on 
naturalization  (Yomiuri) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) Ruling parties lose majority in Okinawa assembly election as 
voters react against controversial medical plan for the elderly 
 
MAINICHI (Internet edition) (Full) 
June 9, 2008 
 
Okinawa residents went to the polls on June 8 to cast their votes 
for candidates in the prefectural assembly election (48 seats), in 
which the main campaign issue was the propriety of the medical 
system for the elderly over 75. The ruling camp's forces, made up of 
the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), New Komeito and independent 
conservatives only won 22 seats, while the opposition parties, 
centered on the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), Social Democratic 
Party (SDP) and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) took a majority 
of 26 seats, trading places to become the ruling camp. The turnout 
for the election was a record low 57.82 PERCENT , a 0.9 point drop 
 
TOKYO 00001558  002 OF 009 
 
 
from the previous prefectural-assembly election in 2004, when it was 
58.72 PERCENT . 
 
On the issue of the relocation of Futenma Air Station, Governor 
Hirokazu Nakaima has gone along with moving the base to a site on 
the coast of Camp Schwab in Nago City, with conditions. In contrast, 
the opposition camp has opposed relocation within the prefecture. 
The result of this election is likely to have an impact on the 
relocation. 
 
In the current election, the two campaign issues were the propriety 
of the medical system for the elderly, which is a national policy 
problem, and the relocation of Futenma Air station, which the 
governor approves. Party leaders from both the ruling and opposition 
camps came to Okinawa one after the other to stump, but it appears 
that the tail wind for the opposition that allowed it to pick up 
seats was the medical-service issue. 
 
A break down of the ruling camp's wins by party gives the LDP 16 
seats, the New Komeito 3 seats, and independents 3 seats. In the 
opposition camp, the JCP won 5 seats, the SDP also took 5 seats, and 
the DPJ came in with 4 seats. In addition, other minor parties won 3 
seats, and independents favoring the opposition took 6 assembly 
seats. 
 
Prior to the election, the then ruling camp had 27 seats, holding a 
majority on the assembly. 
 
2) Ruling bloc considering extending Diet session by one week 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
June 8, 2008 
 
The government and ruling parties yesterday began considering 
extending the current Diet session, scheduled to close on June 15, 
by about one week, according to sources connected with the 
government and ruling bloc. The reason is that the major opposition 
Democratic Party of Japan has decided to submit a censure motion 
against Prime Minister Fukuda to the Upper House on June 11. The 
planned extension is aimed at preventing Diet approval of six 
treaties from being carried over to the next Diet session after 
Upper House deliberations on them stall. 
 
In accordance with a constitutional provision stipulating the 
precedence of a Lower House decision, a treaty automatically wins 
Diet approval after 30 days of its passage of the Lower House. 
Nevertheless, the Diet must be in session. 
 
The six treaties passed the Lower House between May 20 and 22. An 
LDP executive said to reporters yesterday, "If the session is 
extended until June 21, they will automatically clear the Diet." 
 
3) Yoshiro Mori: Prime Minister Fukuda has no intention to shuffle 
cabinet 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
June 7, 2008 
 
Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, a member of the ruling Liberal 
Democratic Party (LDP), appeared on June 6 on a TBS program, which 
will be aired at a later date. In it, asked about the possibility of 
a cabinet shuffle after the Group of Eight summit in July in 
 
TOKYO 00001558  003 OF 009 
 
 
Hokkaido, Mori said: "I have said that (a cabinet shakeup) on Prime 
Minister Fukuda's own decision would be good, but it seems me he has 
no such intention." 
 
Referring to the fact that Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President 
Ichiro Ozawa has tried to force a dissolution of the House of 
Representatives as early as the fall, Mori pointed out: 
 
"If the cabinet is shuffled, a snap election will be held to ask for 
a vote of confidence after the (dissolution of the Lower House). It 
is unnecessary to conduct an (election) on the enemy's timetable." 
 
Mori had shown a positive stance toward an early cabinet shuffle. 
 
4) DPJ's Maehara criticizes Ozawa's manifesto for last year's Upper 
House election 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
June 8, 2008 
 
Seiji Maehara, former president of the Democratic Party of Japan 
(DPJ), engaged in a dialogue with former Chief Cabinet Secretary 
Kaoru Yosano in the monthly magazine Chuo Koron's July issue, which 
will go on sale on June 10. In it, Maehara voiced doubts about the 
feasibility of his party's manifesto (set of campaign pledges) for 
last year's House of Councillors election, which was compiled under 
the initiative of President Ichiro Ozawa. He said: "Should the DPJ 
hold the reins of government as things stand, the party will not be 
able to decently manage the government. 
 
The DPJ's manifesto stated that 15.3 trillion yen would be needed to 
implement major policy measures, including compensation for 
individual farmers, and that this would be covered by abolishing 
subsidies. 
 
Maehara asserted that about 18 trillion yen would be needed if 
additional pledges such as the scrapping of provisional taxes for 
road construction and maintenance were added. He pointed out the 
responsibility of Ozawa for signing on to such plans. He noted: 
 
"It would be impossible to come up with such fiscal resources by 
administrative reform alone. I heard that some members who were in 
charge of drafting the manifesto were reluctant to accept it when 
mapping it out, citing as the reason that the grounds for such 
fiscal resources were insufficient. But Mr. Ozawa gave it the 
go-ahead." 
 
Maehara also stressed the need to substantially revise the 
manifesto: 
 
"What the DPJ must avoid is just talking about policy measures in 
order to please the public and then later say that we were unable to 
carry them out when we are at the political helm. If so, power will 
immediately return to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Such will 
be the worst thing possible." 
 
In a meeting on June 7 in Kyoto, Maehara stated: "There is criticism 
of the compensation scheme for individual farmers as a waste of 
public funds. I strongly agree." 
 
5) U.S. Secretary of Energy Bodman calls for greater investment to 
increase oil supply 
 
TOKYO 00001558  004 OF 009 
 
 
 
NIKKEI Online 
20:07, June 7, 2008 
 
U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman, currently attending the 
G-8 Energy Ministerial and related meetings, held a group press 
interview including with the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the morning of 
June 7 in Aomori City. Commenting on the steep rise in crude oil 
prices, Secretary Bodman said, "The flat supply of oil is the cause 
of the unstable market.  I hope adequate investments (to expand oil 
production) will be made." Responding to a comment that speculative 
capital is a factor in the current high level of crude oil prices, 
the secretary said, "It is not due to such a financial factor." 
 
Secretary Bodman added that there was a structural factor behind the 
high crude oil prices: "The supply of crude oil has not increased 
for the past three years, even though there is growing demand for 
oil production." 
 
6) G-8 plus China, India and South Korea energy ministerial closes, 
adopting Aomori Declaration 
 
Asahi.com 
17:56, June 8, 2008 
 
Energy ministers from the Group of Eight (G-8) Nations, China, India 
and South Korea closed on June 8, adopting an Aomori Declaration, 
which incorporates concern about the steep rise in crude oil prices 
and a call for facilitating energy-conservation measures. 
Representatives from the G-8 at a separate meeting agreed to launch 
by 2050 a total of 20 large-scale demonstration projects to look 
into CO2 underground storage. 
 
The Declaration consists of four joint statements. Concerning the 
present steep rise in crude oil prices, a joint statement issued by 
the 11 countries called for cooperation from all countries, noting, 
"The situation is abnormal and against the interests of both 
consumer and producer countries." The statement gave a high score to 
the sector-specific approach on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a 
method for industry-wide technical transfers proposed by Japan. 
Noting that the 11 countries will make a concerted effort for the 
practical application of the proposed approach, the statement 
indicated their determination to analyze and gauge the present state 
of energy-conserving measures and facilitate the selection of 
technologies to be transferred. 
 
The 11 countries also agreed to map out voluntary country-specific 
goals and action programs for the promotion of energy-conserving 
policy and the development of clean energies.  As a venue for 
conferring on those energy-saving policies, they will set up a new 
international framework "International Partnership for Energy 
Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC). This will be the first framework 
involving China and India as well as Japan, the U.S. and Europe. 
 
7) Energy ministerial: Five countries adopt joint statement 
expressing concern over soaring oil prices and calling for greater 
supply 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) 
June 8, 2008 
 
A meeting on June 7 of energy ministers of Japan, the United States, 
 
TOKYO 00001558  005 OF 009 
 
 
China, India and South Korea adopted a joint statement expressing 
strong concern about soaring oil prices, saying, "The current level 
of oil prices is unprecedented and against the interest of both 
consuming and producing countries." 
 
As countermeasures, the statement underlines the need for major 
consuming countries to work together to promote energy conservation, 
while urging producers to expand supply capacity. 
 
Crude oil prices have reached record levels, with the WTI price 
closing in on 140 dollars a barrel on June 6. Pointing out that 
skyrocketing oil prices place heavy burdens on resource-poor 
developing countries, the statement urges producing countries to 
increase investments (for greater production) to achieve sufficient 
supply. 
 
The statement also specifies the need for consuming countries to 
enhance their domestic policies in order to significantly increase 
their energy efficiency. In addition, outlining steps to beef up 
emergency measures, such as stockpiling oil, the statement also 
highlights the need for International Energy Agency member countries 
to take steps, such as releasing emergency stockpiles, in 
cooperation with China and India. The statement also says that it is 
desirable for China and India to gradually abolish their subsidy 
systems to curb prices of energy-related products. 
 
On June 8, the energy ministers of 11 countries -- the Group of 
Eight plus China, India, and South Korea -- will hold their 
meeting. 
 
8) Government to establish government-private fund for environment 
and energy 
 
MAINICHI (Top play) (Abridged) 
June 8, 2008 
 
The government decided yesterday to establish what is tentatively 
called the Innovation Creation Organization, a government-private 
fund to promote corporatization by putting together cutting-edge 
technologies in growing areas, such as the environment and energy, 
possessed by universities, small ventures and leading companies at 
home and abroad. The new framework is designed to combine top-notch 
business-government-academic personnel beyond boundaries to 
selectively provide funds to innovative technologies in the 
environment, energy and other areas from a long-term perspective. 
 
By fostering strong technologies, the government intends to increase 
the country's economic competitiveness internationally. As the first 
step to rebuilding an economic structure of the 21st century, Prime 
Minister Fukuda is expected to order on June 9 Economy, Trade and 
Industry Minister Amari to come up with a specific plan to establish 
the envisaged organization. The organization will be incorporated in 
the 2008 basic policy guidelines to be crafted in ate June. 
 
Over 200 billion yen funded by the government and the private 
sector, the Innovation Creation Organization will be run as a stock 
company. It will be run by private-sector personnel well-versed in 
economic, financial and technological affairs. Besides the 
government, funds will be solicited from a wide range of sources, 
including foreign sovereign wealth funds. 
 
Sub-funds by theme will be established under the organization's 
 
TOKYO 00001558  006 OF 009 
 
 
umbrella to provide them with funds and personnel. The organization 
will combine technologies and personnel possessed by leading 
companies and buy promising yet financially-troubled ventures to 
lead them corporatization. It will further put together technologies 
possessed by small ventures and provide them with funds to promote 
the development of new technologies. Once businesses are put on 
track, the government will sell its share to the private-sector to 
make profits. 
 
Planning to establish the organization in next fiscal year as a 10- 
to 15-year project, the government intends to submit related bills 
to next's regular Diet session. 
 
9) Japan to extend financial cooperation for construction of U.S. 
nuclear plants 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
June 8, 2008 
 
The governments of Japan and the United States released on June 7 a 
joint nuclear cooperation statement specifying their decision to use 
Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) and the Japan Bank for 
International Cooperation (JBIC) in funding a project to build new 
nuclear power plants in the United States. An agreement was reached 
as a result of talks in Aomori City between Economy, Trade and 
Industry Minister Akira Amari and U.S. Secretary Energy Samuel 
Bodman. The United States has a plan to build over 30 nuclear 
reactors, but raising funds for them has been a challenge. Given the 
situation, NEXI and JBIC will consider financial assistance, and 
increased opportunities for Japanese companies to join the project 
are also expected. 
 
10) Japan, N. Korea to resume talks June 11-12 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
June 9, 2008 
 
BEIJING-Japan and North Korea held a meeting of working-level 
officials yesterday afternoon at the Japanese embassy in Beijing to 
resume negotiations for diplomatic normalization. Japan insisted 
again that it is extremely important for Japan and North Korea to 
see progress on the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to North 
Korea, and called for North Korea to take specific action at an 
early date. Japan and North Korea did not hold in-depth talks and 
agreed to enter into full-fledged talks in Beijing on June 11-12. 
 
In the working-level meeting were six officials from Japan, 
including the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau 
Director General Akitaka Saiki. From North Korea were seven 
officials, including Song Il Ho, ambassador for negotiations over 
the normalization of diplomatic relations between North Korea and 
Japan. The meeting this time was for informal consultations and 
ended after two hours and 40 minutes. Japan and North Korea will 
enter into formal consultations, beginning with the next round of 
talks. 
 
"We talked about many things, including the present state of 
bilateral relations between Japan and North Korea and what we should 
do from now on," Saiki told reporters after the meeting. "They also 
said we should see progress," he added. 
 
On the abduction issue, Saiki said, "We told them that we hope North 
 
TOKYO 00001558  007 OF 009 
 
 
Korea would make a decision and show something specific for us in 
the next round of talks." His North Korean counterparts were "taking 
note while listening" to him, according to Saiki. However, Japan and 
North Korea did not hold in-depth discussions, he added. 
 
One of the prime minister's aides said late at night that there was 
no specific progress in the meeting. However, this aide also said, 
"I heard that this time they didn't say the abduction issue has 
already been settled." 
 
Japan and North Korea held talks for the first time in about eight 
months since the two countries held a meeting in Shenyang, China in 
October last year. This time, the two countries gave first 
consideration to resuming talks between their working-level 
officials and forwent full-fledged talks over the abduction issue 
and past issues, such as the liquidation of issues in the past. They 
also did not talk about the issue of sending Japan Airlines 
hijackers back to Japan, according to government sources. 
 
The future course of consultations between Japan and North Korea is 
closely intertwined with the process of North Korea's nuclear 
abandonment in the six-party talks. The six-party talks are now in 
the final stage of "second-phase steps," including North Korea's 
declaration of its nuclear programs. North Korea has called for the 
United States to delist North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism 
in return. However, the United States has urged North Korea to move 
Japan-North Korea relations forward. 
 
A government source said, "The United States told North Korea to 
work hard on its issues with Japan, so I guess North Korea 
reluctantly made up its mind to do so." 
 
11) Formal talks with North Korea to be resumed: U.S. calls on 
Pyongyang to come to negotiating table to move abduction issue 
forward 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 3) (Excerpts) 
June 8, 2008 
 
Japan and North Korea during informal talks on June 7 agreed to hold 
a formal working-level meeting. Following the agreement, the 
government intends to press Pyongyang to come up with concrete 
measures regarding the issue of the abduction of Japanese nationals 
by North Korea. However, the future course of the envisaged talks is 
unclear, because the two countries had been in direct opposition in 
past talks when it came to specific matters. 
 
One senior Japanese government official said, "The North Korean side 
even before the informal talks said the talks would be for a very 
short time. The envisaged talks are for us to exchange opinions on 
what to do in the future." The Japanese side had viewed that 
concrete talks on the abduction issue and North Korea's nuclear arms 
program would be held at a formal meeting. 
 
Formal talks between the two countries have been suspended since the 
working group meeting on Japan-North Korea normalization talks under 
the six-party talks held in Mongolia in September last year. 
 
It is viewed that North Korea has agreed to hold formal talks with 
Japan mainly because of U.S. urgings, a senior Foreign Ministry 
official revealed.  The U.S. is seeking Japan and North Korea to 
improve their relations as a premise for it to delist Pyongyang from 
 
TOKYO 00001558  008 OF 009 
 
 
its list of state sponsors of terrorism. 
 
However, the Japanese side is concerned that North Korea may try to 
be removed from the list by only showing its eagerness to respond to 
the call for talks, with the abduction issue making little 
progress. 
 
12) Japan, DPRK to restart formal talks, influenced by U.S. 
pressure, with the possibility of the U.S. removing North Korea from 
its list of terrorist-sponsoring states 
 
MAINICHI (Page 3) (Abridged) 
June 8, 2008 
 
Beijing 
 
Japan and North Korea agreed yesterday to restart formal 
working-level talks on June 11-12. The agreement was greatly 
influenced by the changing situation, in which the final stage, or 
"second-stage measures," under the Six Party Talks, with North Korea 
reporting its nuclear programs, will be reached, and the possibility 
then of the United States removing North Korea from its list of 
states sponsoring terrorism. 
 
In every negotiation with North Korea, the U.S. has been urging the 
North to reach a breakthrough in its relations with Japan. The U.S. 
has been working on Pyongyang as a condition of its removing North 
Korea from the terrorist-sponsoring list, to make progress in 
relations with Japan. 
 
Following the informal talks between working-level officials of the 
U.S. and North Korea held in Beijing on the 7th, Asia-Pacific Bureau 
Director General Saiki of the Foreign Ministry stressed the current 
situation: "We talked about what would be best for Japan-North 
Korean relations as part of the mechanism of the Six-Party Talks." 
North Korea is motivated by a desire to win the U.S.' good will so 
that its name will be removed from the terror-sponsoring list. A 
diplomatic source in Beijing said, "The leadership recognizes that 
progress on the abduction front would lead to removal of North 
Korea's name from the terrorist-sponsoring list." In order to avoid 
a stalemate in Japan-DPRK relations blocking the removal of the 
designation, North Korea seems to have judged that it needs to show 
a stance of responding at the very least to the talks. 
 
There is still a deep-seated view of skepticism about how serious 
North Korea is on this issue. In reality, when Saiki in the informal 
talks stressed the importance of resolving the abduction issue, Song 
Il-ho, the North Korean ambassador in charge of normalization of 
relations took notes assiduously, but reportedly never uttered a 
positive statement. He and other officials seems to have wanted just 
to appeal to the U.S. and other parties that Japan and the DPRK were 
negotiating. 
 
For that reason, Saiki in the informal talks sought to nail down the 
issue with the North Korean side by saying, "In the next round of 
talks, we hope to reach a decision on the abduction issue by 
handling it in a concrete manner." The U.S., too, apparently will 
not respond by making a decision to remove the North from the list 
only by the two sides carrying out talks. There is no change in the 
situation of it seeking progress from the North on that issue. 
 
13) Negative impact on Japan-U.S. relations: CRS report 
 
TOKYO 00001558  009 OF 009 
 
 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Abridged) 
June 9, 2008 
 
Takashi Arimoto, Washington 
 
The U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS) has released a report 
on the issue of delisting North Korea as a state sponsor of 
terrorism, warning that it could have a negative impact on 
Japan-U.S. relations and could cause North Korea to continue or 
expand its support for terrorist groups in the Middle East. 
 
The CRS report quotes a Japanese government official as warning that 
delisting North Korea without substantive progress on the pending 
issue of Japanese abductees would impair Japan-U.S. relations in the 
short term. The report also indicates that delisting North Korea, in 
the long term as well, could affect the Japanese government's policy 
toward the U.S. military presence in Japan and could also impact 
Japan's support for U.S. military operations against terrorist 
groups. 
 
14) LDP lawmakers propose accepting up to 10 million immigrants, 
establishing immigration agency, easing requirements for 
naturalization 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
June 9, 2008 
 
A set of proposals compiled by a group of Liberal Democratic Party 
(LDP) lawmakers, which advocates promotion of exchanges of skilled 
foreign workers, was revealed yesterday.  The group is headed by 
former LDP Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa. The draft says that 
in order to strengthen Japan's strength the country needs to greatly 
accept immigrants since its population will continue to decrease. It 
stipulates that Japan should aim to become a multiethnic state (with 
about 10 million immigrants) or 10 PERCENT  of Japan's population 
over next 50 years. The group will formally adopt the set of 
proposals and present it to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda next week. 
 
The 10 million immigrants would amount to a 12 fold increase over 
the present population of foreign residents (870,000), including 
general and special permanent residents. 
 
The group suggests establishing an immigration law, which would call 
for Japan becoming a multi-ethnic state with many immigrants, and 
propose the establishment of an immigration agency. It also proposes 
that local governments create a system under which they would be 
able to easily provide foreigners residing in Japan with services, 
such as a registry network for foreigners. 
 
The group suggests that the restriction on acquiring permanent 
residency be eased to 7 years from the present 10 years or more, and 
that the naturalization system be revised so that foreigners living 
in Japan for at least 10 years would be able to obtain Japanese 
citizenship. 
 
SCHIEFFER