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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 11 TOKYO 001667 
 
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 06/18/08 
 
Index: 
 
Defense and security affairs: 
1) MSDF vessel to transport assistance goods to China for earthquake 
relief  (Yomiuri) 
2) Prime Minister Fukuda says he plans to extend MSDF's Indian Ocean 
refueling mission  (Nikkei) 
 
North Korea problem: 
3) Assistant Secretary of State Hill to visit Japan and China from 
the 19th  (Yomiuri) 
4) U.S., Japanese, ROK delegates to Six-Party Talks to meet to 
disclose resumption of the talks, hear Japan's briefing of recent 
bilateral talks  (Asahi) 
5) Ruling parties in Japan talking a cautions approach to partial 
removal on North Korea sanctions  (Mainichi) 
6) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) may halt boycott in order to 
attend Diet discussion of Japan-DPRK issues  (Mainichi) 
7) Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura: Japan will apply "action for 
action" formula with North Korea  (Asahi) 
 
Taiwan dispute: 
8) Taiwan's President Ma calls for talks with Japan on the Japan 
Coast Guard's accidental sinking of small protest vessel near 
disputed Senkaku Isles  (Yomiuri) 
9) Taiwan's representative to Japan resigns over the 
vessel-collision incident  (Yomiuri) 
10) Anti-Japanese criticism in Taiwan heating up  (Mainichi) 
 
11) Japan to host ministerial-level conference on the Middle East 
peace process next month  (Yomiuri) 
 
12) Japan, China arrive at settlement of E. China Sea gas-field 
development issue with announcement of agreement today  (Nikkei) 
 
Political agenda: 
13) Prime Minister Fukuda in interview says its time to start 
thinking about raising taxes in Japan, but avoids specifics 
(Nikkei) 
14) Fukuda's remark about the possibility of tax hike is praised by 
some in the LDP  (Yomiuri) 
15) Deep-seated opposition to tax hikes set off in the LDP by 
Fukuda's positive remark  (Nikkei) 
16) Mainichi opinion poll: Respondents pick Fukuda over Ozawa, 19 to 
15 PERCENT , as more appropriate to be prime minister, though 57 
PERCENT  find both unsatisfactory  (Mainichi) 
17) Speculation rife about a cabinet shuffle following the G-8 
Summit  (Yomiuri) 
18) PM Fukuda reduces stress by a good sleep and drinking fine wine 
(Nikkei) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) MSDF to ship supplies in aid to Sichuan quake victims 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
June 18, 2008 
 
A Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer will visit Zhanjiang in 
China's Guangdong Province on June 24-28, Defense Minister Ishiba 
told a press conference yesterday. This is the first time for an 
MSDF vessel to visit China. The MSDF vessel, Sazanami, will also 
 
TOKYO 00001667  002 OF 011 
 
 
deliver relief supplies, including blankets, canned food, masks, and 
sticking plasters, for those affected in a recent earthquake that 
devastated Sichuan. 
 
The government, after the Sichuan earthquake, considered flying Air 
Self-Defense Force aircraft to airlift tents and other supplies in 
aid. However, the government has foregone its ASDF dispatch plan as 
a result of consulting with the Chinese government that was 
concerned about negative reactions from the Chinese public. The 
Sazanami's sealift of supplies in aid is an alternative measure. In 
August last year, Japan and China agreed in a meeting of their 
defense ministers on MSDF and the Chinese naval visits to each 
other. In November last year, a missile destroyer of the Chinese 
navy visited Japan for the first time. Zhanjiang is where the South 
Sea Fleet of the Chinese navy is based. An MSDF ship was initially 
scheduled to visit China, but its visit has been postponed due to 
the Sichuan quake. 
 
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ishiba is now coordinating to visit 
China in mid-July. Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Japan in May, 
when Japan and China issued a joint statement that incorporated an 
agreement on his visit to China within this year. 
 
Ishiba will meet with the Chinese defense minister and others in 
Beijing. On that occasion, Ishiba will ask China to ensure 
transparency in its growing defense spending. In addition, he is 
also expected to exchange views on security in East Asia. He is also 
considering visiting a base of the People's Liberation Army. In 
September 2003, then Ishiba, who was the then director general of 
the Defense Agency at the time, visited China. Japan's defense 
minister will visit China for the first time since then. 
 
2) Fukuda eyes extending MSDF mission in Indian Ocean 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Abridged) 
June 18, 2008 
 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda met representatives from the Group of 
Eight (G-8) nations' news agencies yesterday and clarified his 
intention to extend a special measures law, which is for the 
Maritime Self-Defense Force's current refueling mission in the 
Indian Ocean and is set to expire Jan. 15 next year, in order to 
continue the MSDF mission. Fukuda judged that there would be no time 
to enact a permanent law that will allow Japan to send the 
Self-Defense Forces overseas whenever necessary. 
 
3) Assistant Secretary of State Hill to visit Japan, China from June 
19 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) 
June 18, 2008 
 
A U.S. State Department press official announced on June 17 that 
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. 
delegate to the six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue, 
will visit Tokyo on June 19 for a tripartite meeting with his 
Japanese and South Korean counterparts. Hill is expected to travel 
to Beijing on June 20 to hold talks with Chinese Vice-Foreign 
Minister Wu Dawei, chair of the six-party talks. A visit to North 
Korea is reportedly not scheduled. 
 
In the series of talks, a nuclear declaration by North Korea and the 
 
TOKYO 00001667  003 OF 011 
 
 
question of delisting the North as a state sponsor of terrorism are 
likely to be discussed. 
 
4) Japan, U.S., ROK delegates from the Six-Party Talks to meet to 
discuss restarting the talks and hear Japan's briefing of its talks 
with the DPRK 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
June 18, 2008 
 
The delegates from Japan, United States, and South Korea to the 
Six-Party Talks on the North Korea nuclear issue will meet on June 
19 in Tokyo. This was confirmed yesterday by a source connected with 
the government. In addition to Japan giving a briefing to the two 
other delegates of its formal talks with North Korea in Beijing on 
June 11-12, there apparently will be an exchange of views on such 
matters as ways to get the six-country talks restarted. Assistant 
Secretary of State Hill will come from the U.S., and Kim Sook, the 
special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs will come from 
South Korea. They will meet with the Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki 
from the Republic of Korea. Following the talks between Japan and 
North Korea, the possibility has grown strong that the U.S. will 
move to remove the DPRK from the list of states sponsoring 
terrorism. The Japanese government does not see "progress" on the 
abduction front until the reinvestigation that North Korea promised 
during the bilateral talks starts out in a concrete way, and at this 
upcoming meeting, the plan is to strongly urge the U.S. to respond 
cautiously. 
 
5) Government undecided on when to ease sanctions against North 
Korea, reflecting growing calls in ruling camp for caution 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
June 18, 2008 
 
Japan agreed in the recent official working-level talks between 
Japan and North Korea to partially remove its sanctions against 
Pyongyang, but a number of ruling party members are calling on the 
government to make a cautious response while carefully watching 
moves by the North. In response, a slight change has been seen in 
the government's posture. It initially decided to start the 
procedures to partially lift the sanctions later this week, but the 
view that it is still premature is gaining influence. Given this, it 
is becoming uncertain when the sanctions will be eased. 
 
Former Economic, Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma, 
chairman of a group of Diet members dealing with the abduction 
issue, visited the Prime Minister's Office yesterday and told Chief 
Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura: "The government should not 
ease its sanctions before specific progress is made." 
 
When the government announced a plan to ease its sanctions on June 
13, it intended to quickly translate the plan into action, as a 
senior Foreign Ministry official saying: "It will take several days 
for coordination among the relevant government agencies." Since 
then, though, the atmosphere has been gradually changing, Machimura 
emphasized in a press conference yesterday that North Korea's 
specific action should be the premise for Japan's next move. 
 
But officials have different definitions of what is meant by North 
Korea's "specific action." Former Liberal Democratic Party Vice 
President Taku Yamasaki, chairman of a group of Diet members to 
 
TOKYO 00001667  004 OF 011 
 
 
promote diplomatic normalization talks between Japan and North 
Korea, defined it as "an agreement on reinvestigation procedures." 
But Kyoko Nakayama, special advisor to the prime minister, said: 
"(Easing the sanctions) should be approved only after it is 
confirmed that the other side has carried out a thorough 
investigation." 
 
6) DPJ to attend Diet deliberations on Japan-North Korea issues as 
exception to boycott strategy 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
June 18, 2008 
 
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) decided yesterday to agree to 
calls for holding meetings of the Special Committee on the Abduction 
Issue in the two houses of the Diet as an exception to its strategy 
of boycotting Diet deliberations taken since a censure motion 
against the prime minister was adopted in the House of Councillors. 
In the party, many members have said that the party should 
participate in Diet deliberations on Japan-North Korea issues. The 
decision reflected such views. After a devastating earthquake hit 
northeastern Japan, the main opposition also asked the ruling camp 
to hold a meeting of the Anti-Disaster Special Committee. The DPJ's 
strategy apparently has already begun wavering. 
 
The DPJ's taskforce to deal with the abduction issue, chaired by 
Hiroshi Nakai, held an executive meeting yesterday morning. On the 
government's agreement in the recent Japan-North Korea working-level 
talks to partially remove its sanctions against North Korea, the 
participants in the meeting shared the view that problems in the 
decision should be discussed at the Diet. Nakai asked Diet Affairs 
Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka to call a meeting of the Special 
Committee on the Abduction Issue. 
 
DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa and Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama 
discussed the proposal last evening in response to Yamaoka's 
suggestion and agreed to hold a meeting based on the view that the 
abduction issue is a humanitarian issue. They affirmed the need to 
make exceptions in the cases of humanitarian and pressing issues. 
 
7) Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura: "Action for action is the 
principle for removing sanctions (on DPRK) 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
June 18, 2008 
 
Speaking to the press corps yesterday, Chief Cabinet Secretary 
Machimura made this statement about the government's plan to 
partially remove sanctions imposed on North Korea in return for a 
reinvestigation of the case of abducted Japanese: "We are not at the 
dimension of trading words for words, but from now on, we will 
respond with the principle of action for action. We do not take it 
as action for (the North Koreans) to have uttered words." He 
indicated that the condition for removing sanctions on North Korea 
would be specific action in the form of the reinvestigation. 
 
Machimura hinted at the possibility of staged easing of sanctions, 
saying, "In response to the level of the action carried out by North 
Korea, we will decide what action to take." 
 
8) Taiwan President Ma praises acts of patrol boats, calls on Japan 
for talks 
 
TOKYO 00001667  005 OF 011 
 
 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) 
June 18, 2008 
 
Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou holding a press conference on June 17 
claimed Taiwan's sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands, known as 
Tiaoyutai in Taiwan, and praised the fact that nine Taiwanese patrol 
boats along with protest vessels entered waters near the Senkakus. 
Ma also called on Japan for a peaceful settlement of the matter. 
Taiwan authorities' plan to dispatch naval vessels to waters near 
the Senkakus has been called off. 
 
President Ma has announced his position for the first time since a 
Taiwanese fishing boat sank after colliding with a Japan Coast Guard 
patrol vessel in waters near the Senkakus on June 10. Ma criticized 
the Japanese patrol boat's "intrusion" into the waters in question, 
saying: "The Tiaoyutai belong to Taiwan. It is natural for a fishing 
boat to enter the waters in question. I protest  the interference by 
another country." 
 
Ma also called for Japan-Taiwan talks, saying: "Japan is not trying 
to discuss the sovereignty issue, and the fisheries issue has yet to 
reach any conclusion. There is a need to change that." 
 
9) Taiwan representative to Japan to resign 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
June 18, 2008 
 
Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou announced on June 17 that he has 
decided to approve the resignation of representative Koh Se-kai of 
the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, who 
is Taiwan's de facto ambassador to Japan. Koh's successor is 
undecided. Koh, who has lived in Japan for over 30 years, has served 
as a professor at Tsuda University and held other posts. He is also 
a senior statesman of Taiwan's independence movement. Koh announced 
on June 16 his decision to resign from his present post after he was 
criticized by the ruling Kuomintang as "favoring Japan" and being a 
"traitor" over the Senkaku issue. President Ma praised Koh as having 
contributed to the development of Taiwan-Japan relations. 
 
10) Anti-Japanese sentiments growing in Taiwan following Senkaku 
accident; President Ma says Taiwanese coast guard vessels entered 
"our territorial waters" 
 
MAINICHI (Page 6) (Abridged slightly) 
June 18, 2008 
 
Criticism against Japan is growing (in Taiwan) following an accident 
in which a Taiwanese sport-fishing boat sank after colliding with a 
Japan Coast Guard patrol boat in Japanese territorial waters near 
the Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture. 
Feelings in Taiwan are heating up due partly to Taiwanese 
newspapers' reports fanning the flames of confrontation with Japan, 
as seen in one newspaper's article comparing Taiwan's military power 
with that of Japan. The situation continues to become more chaotic. 
 
President Ma Ying-jeou in an interview with local news agencies on 
June 17 called for efforts to calm down the commotion, indicating 
that the matter would be settled peacefully. At the same time, 
touching on intrusion into Japanese waters by Taiwan's protest 
vessels escorted by coast guard vessels, Ma said: "Since they are 
 
TOKYO 00001667  006 OF 011 
 
 
our territorial waters to begin with, they should be allowed to go 
there." His comment that could be taken as a seal of approval might 
prompt Taiwanese fishing boats and protest vessels to frequently 
enter Japanese territorial waters. Known as a hawk on the question 
of sovereignty over the Senkakus, Ma was apparently driven by public 
opinion. 
 
The Ma administration first gave a restrained response to the 
accident in consideration of relations with Japan, but the 
Kuomintang's criticism of it as weak-kneed prompted the 
administration to take a hard-line stance. In the wake of the 
accident, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry has decided to abolish its Japan 
affairs office, and its de facto ambassador to Japan Koh Se-kai has 
also announced he would resign from his post. The matter is becoming 
increasingly complicated due to the closure of Taiwan's points of 
contact with Japan. 
 
Amid growing anti-Japanese sentiments, there are moves in Taiwan 
exploring ways to calm the storm. For instance, the Presidential 
Office and Kuomintang Chairman Wu Baixiong have successfully 
dissuaded the national assembly from dispatching naval vessels to 
the Senkakus as early as June 18. 
 
Given strong anti-Japanese sentiments, the Taipei Economic and 
Cultural Representative Office in Japan, Taiwan's point of contact 
in Japan, on June 16 alerted Japanese residents in Taiwan with a 
message on its website saying the safety of Japanese living in 
Taiwan might be affected. 
 
11) Government to hold ministerial conference on Middle East peace 
in Tokyo next month 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
June 18, 2008 
 
The government has decided to hold a ministerial conference on the 
Middle East peace process involving Israel, Jordan, and the 
Palestinian Authority in Tokyo on July 2. 
 
In the conference, such issues will be discussed as how to give 
concrete form to the Japan-proposed Corridor for Peace and 
Prosperity, a project to develop the West Bank. The issue of Middle 
East peace will also be on the agenda at the Lake Toya Summit in 
Hokkaido in July. Prime Minister Fukuda will report in the Summit on 
the results of the conference. 
 
Japan's concept calls for the creation of agricultural land and a 
distribution center in the Jordan Valley with Japan's financial aid, 
in an effort to secure the economic independence of Palestinians. 
 
12) Japan, China reach settlement on gas fields: Joint development 
plan to be released today 
 
NIKKEI (Page 1) (Abridged slightly) 
June 18, 2008 
 
The governments of Japan and China have reached a final agreement on 
the pending issue of jointly exploring gas fields in the East China 
Sea and will formally release it today. The showcase of the plan is 
that joint exploration will be carried out on both sides of the 
median line. China is now independently developing Shirakaba 
(Chunxiao in Chinese) near the median line. Japan will invest in 
 
TOKYO 00001667  007 OF 011 
 
 
China's exploration company in order to secure a stake in that 
company. Specific areas subject to joint development will be decided 
when a treaty is crafted. 
 
A settlement has now been reached about four years after the issue 
of jointly developing gas fields cropped up in 2004. Both countries 
will enter into working-level negotiations to sign an agreement for 
the purpose of setting concrete plans for joint development. 
 
Two areas are subject to joint development -- areas straddling the 
median line, including Asunaro (Longjing in Chinese), and Shirakaba. 
Regarding the development of Shirakaba, the Chinese side will keep 
majority control with consideration given to the fact that it has 
already made investment in the exploration of the area. 
 
In the past negotiations on conditions for joint development, both 
countries agreed that benefits from the developed gas fields should 
be divided between them in proportion to the ratio of capital 
contribution. A settlement is now likely as both countries finally 
agreed on the exploration of Shirakaba, over which coordination of 
views had faced difficulty to the end. 
 
13) Strong resistance in LDP against early consumption tax hike out 
of fear of negative impact on Lower House election 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
June 18, 2008 
 
Many Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) members are against an early 
increase in the consumption tax rate. There is a possibility that 
differences in the tax policy stances between those favoring a 
consumption tax hike and the others like former Secretary General 
Hidenao Nakagawa who advocate the need for economic growth without 
tax increases would create conflict in the party. It is difficult to 
foresee how the consumption tax hike issue will be resolved because 
the view is strong among LDP members that fiscal resources necessary 
for social welfare expenses should be covered by cuts in 
expenditures, increases in tax revenues by economic growth, and 
revenue funds from special account budgets. 
 
The LDP predicts that it will face an uphill battle in the next 
House of Representatives election. Many LDP lawmakers do not want to 
make tax increase a main campaign issue. Mikio Aoki, former chairman 
of the LDP caucus in the Upper House, told his aides: "It would be 
impossible (to increase the consumption tax) before the Lower House 
election, don't you think?" The prevailing view in the New Komeito, 
the LDP's coalition partner, is that taking up the consumption tax 
problem at present should be avoided, with a senior party member 
saying: "Promising a consumption tax increase before the Lower House 
race would be impossible." 
 
The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which had once 
called for a consumption tax hike, set forth in last year's House of 
Councillors election a policy of retaining the current consumption 
tax rate, following party head Ichiro Ozawa's assertion that the 
state can survive for the time being by reducing the waste of tax 
money. The DPJ has shelved the issue. However, there is a view in 
the largest opposition party that a three to five percent increase 
in the consumption tax might be necessary. 
 
14) Some LDP members praise Prime Minister Fukuda's remark on 
consumption tax hike 
 
TOKYO 00001667  008 OF 011 
 
 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
June 18, 2008 
 
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda yesterday revealed his intention to seek 
the timing for making a decision on an increase in the consumption 
tax rate. One of the four executive members of his Liberal 
Democratic Party (LDP) praised Fukuda's remark, saying: "The Prime 
Minister expressed his determination to do what should be done." 
 
A government source pointed out: "He may have judged that the issue 
has been boiled down through discussion in the National Council on 
Social Welfare." 
 
There is also a skeptical view about whether Fukuda will make up his 
mind before the end of the year. A senior LDP member in the House of 
Councillors said: "The idea of increasing the consumption tax will 
not be approved by the LDP before the House of Representatives 
election. So, it is not that the issue will be resolved soon." 
 
A senior member of the New Komeito, the LDP's junior coalition 
member, which is cautious about a tax hike, said: "The Prime 
Minister might have meant it to be a future scenario." 
 
15) Prime Minister Fukuda says now is time to decide on consumption 
tax hike with eye on tax code reform for next fiscal year 
 
NIKKEI (Top Play) (Excerpts) 
June 18, 2008 
 
Regarding the propriety of raising the sales tax, Prime Minister 
Yasuo Fukuda during an interview yesterday with news agencies from 
the Group of Eight nations said, "Now is a crucial time to make a 
decision." He said, "Given the rapid aging of society, the choices 
are becoming more limited." As a reason for a consumption tax hike, 
he gave the need to secure fiscal resources for social security 
expenditures. His statements were seen as a suggestion that a 
consumption tax hike will be discussed as part of fiscal 2009 tax 
reform. It will likely spur tax hike discussions in the government 
and the ruling parties. 
 
Fukuda stops short of touching on timeline for tax hike and margin 
of hike 
 
The prime minister on June 17 gave an interview at a Tokyo hotel to 
news agencies from countries participating in the G-8 Summit in 
Hokkaido in July. 
 
He pointed out that the current level of the consumption tax in 
Japan is much lower than the rates in European countries and the 
U.S. He noted, "Japan has kept this rate even though it has one of 
the world's highest percentage of elderly citizens, and this is why 
it has such a high fiscal deficit." 
 
Noting that securing funding for social security through other means 
would be difficult, Fukuda said, "We have so far discussed the 
matter extensively but have been unable to make a political 
decision." He then suggested that he would keep an eye on public 
opinion, saying, "My concern is how the people will react." He 
stopped short of touching on a timeline for the envisaged tax hike 
and the margin of the hike. 
 
 
TOKYO 00001667  009 OF 011 
 
 
Fukuda has thus far steered clear of making any in-depth statement 
on a consumption tax hike. However, his comments yesterday may spur 
tax code reform discussion. In the meantime, the government's 
Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy at a meeting yesterday vowed 
to keep the spending cut policy line. The panel has started 
discussing basic policy guidelines for the fiscal 2008 national 
budget, which include a call for the realization of a drastic reform 
of the tax code, including the consumption tax, at an early date. 
 
16) Fukuda tops Ozawa in popularity ranking for premiership 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
June 18, 2008 
 
The Mainichi Shimbun conducted a telephone-based nationwide public 
opinion survey on June 14-15, in which respondents were asked to 
choose between Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Democratic Party of 
Japan (Minshuto) President Ichiro Izawa as the appropriate person 
for prime minister. In this popularity rating, Fukuda scored 19 
PERCENT , with Ozawa marking 15 PERCENT . The Mainichi Shimbun began 
to ask this question in April, and this is the third time. In the 
last survey conducted in May, Fukuda stood at 14 PERCENT  and Ozawa 
at 18 PERCENT . In the latest survey, Fukuda outstripped Ozawa 
again. However, 57 PERCENT  answered that neither Fukuda nor Ozawa 
is appropriate, remaining an overwhelming majority. 
 
Among men, both Fukuda and Ozawa were at 18 PERCENT . Among women, 
Fukuda stood at 21 PERCENT , with Ozawa at 13 PERCENT . Among those 
in their 20s and 30s, Ozawa ranked higher than Fukuda. Among those 
in their 40s and over, Fukuda was above Ozawa. Among those in their 
70s and over, Fukuda was at 27 PERCENT , with Ozawa at 8 PERCENT . 
 
Among those who support the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, 53 
PERCENT  picked Fukuda. Among DPJ supporters, only 40 PERCENT  chose 
Ozawa. "Neither is appropriate" accounted for 40 PERCENT  among LDP 
supporters and 53 PERCENT  among DPJ supporters. As is evident from 
these figures, both Fukuda and Ozawa are questioned by many of those 
who support their respective parties. 
 
Meanwhile, respondents were also asked to answer which one between 
the LDP and the DPJ they would like to see win in the next election 
for the House of Representatives. To this question, the DPJ was at 
46 PERCENT , down 5 percentage points from the last survey. The LDP 
was at 25 PERCENT , up 1 point. "Other political parties" accounted 
for 15 PERCENT . 
 
The Mainichi Shimbun began to ask this question in a survey 
conducted in August last year, and this is the tenth time. The DPJ 
was above the LDP in all the surveys. However, the gap, which was 
more than double in the last survey, narrowed in the survey this 
time. 
 
Among DPJ supporters, 93 PERCENT  chose the DPJ. Among LDP 
supporters, however, the proportion of those who picked the LDP was 
just 79 PERCENT . 
 
17) Possibility of post-G8 summit cabinet shuffle drawing increasing 
attention: Ruling parties hope to boost administration 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Excerpts) 
June 18, 2008 
 
 
TOKYO 00001667  010 OF 011 
 
 
The ruling camp has sharpened its interest in whether Prime Minister 
will shuffle his cabinet after the Toyako G-8 Summit in Hokkaido in 
July. Some lawmakers are holding out hope that a cabinet shuffle 
will lead to buoying up the administration's sagging popularity. 
However, it also could heat up the confrontation in the Liberal 
Democratic Party (LDP) over the party's economic policy line. The 
prime minister is now pressed to make a difficult decision. 
 
Asked about the possibility of a cabinet shuffle, the prime minister 
yesterday evening responded to reporters with this short answer: "I 
do not hear voices calling for a cabinet shuffle. I am not thinking 
about a cabinet shuffle right now." 
 
The prime minister has not revealed his cards even to legislators 
close to him, either. One cabinet minister speculated, "He probably 
has no intention of shuffling the cabinet." However, ruling party 
members are pinning high hopes on such a possibility. 
 
When Prime Minister Fukuda took office last September, he 
reappointed 13 out of 17 members of the previous Abe cabinet. 
Another two also from the Abe cabinet were appointed to different 
posts. Only two were newly appointed. Such being the case, the view 
favoring a cabinet shuffle is gaining ground, mainly among those who 
hope to become cabinet members. 
 
The pet argument of former Prime Minister Mori, who is close to the 
prime minister, is that Fukuda would be better off if he has his own 
hand-picked cabinet that is to his liking. Former Secretary General 
Tsutomu Takebe also met the prime minister on the 11th and offered 
this opinion, "It is important to put together a new lineup to let 
the people understand the Fukuda administration." His suggestion is 
aimed at putting an end to the low cabinet support ratings. 
 
Voices calling for a cabinet shuffle are also growing in the New 
Komeito, which now has Transport Minister Fuyushiba in the cabinet. 
 
In the event of the prime minister shuffling his cabinet, the 
prevailing view in the ruling camp is that it might be either in 
July or August prior to the convening of the next extraordinary Diet 
session. 
 
However, there are many challenges to a cabinet shuffle. One is on 
how to consider the intraparty confrontation over a consumption tax 
hike in setting up a cabinet lineup at a time when reform of the tax 
code is close at hand in the fall. 
 
18) Prime Minister Fukuda: To relieve stress, I sleep well and enjoy 
drinking wine 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
June 18, 2008 
 
Asked in a meeting yesterday with major new agencies from the G-8 
countries how he relieved his stress, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda 
said: "To relieve stress, I sleep well." He then added: "(Being 
prime minister) is nothing but pain." Asked about wine, his favorite 
drink, he responded with a pleasant smile: "Having dinner with a 
good wine is a way I relieve stress." 
 
Fukuda, a wine expert, said: "I enjoy French wine, but American wine 
is good, too." The representative from the Russian news company 
asked him, "How about vodka?"  Fukuda said: "It's all right to drink 
 
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once in a while, but it's too strong for me." 
 
SCHIEFFER