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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2441

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TOKYO 003094 
 
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 11/07/08 
 
Index: 
 
U.S.-Japan relations: 
1) Ambassador Schieffer to the press: Under Obama administration, 
U.S.-Japan ties will remain important  (Nikkei) 
2) Lineup of Japan experts picked by the Obama administration will 
differ from ones under Bush administration  (Yomiuri) 
3) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) planning new U.S. strategy toward 
the Obama administration  (Asahi) 
4) Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura says DPJ is not 
comparable to the U.S. Democratic Party  (Yomiuri) 
 
5) Former Prime Minister Abe says U.S. delisting of North Korea was 
a "mistake"  (Mainichi) 
 
Tamogami incident: 
6) Former ASDF chief Tamogami to be summoned to testify to the Diet 
on Nov. 11  (Asahi) 
7) Huge number of ASDF personnel urged apparently by Tamogami to 
submit essays to APA contest, particularly from Komatsu Base 
(Asahi) 
8) Stir created by Tamogami incident continues to grow  (Nikkei) 
9) Tamogami had a 10-year close relationship with APA president 
(Asahi) 
 
External economic relations: 
10) Japan to propose at upcoming emergency financial summit an 
increase in IMF funding  (Yomiuri) 
11) Japan, China, South Korea to discuss expanding currency-swap 
fund  (Asahi) 
 
Politics: 
12) Akahata reports that the Japanese Communist Party added over 
12,000 members since September 2007, one third of whom are young 
people  (Akahata) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) Ambassador Schieffer: "Next administration will also value 
U.S.-Japan relations" 
 
NIKKEI (Page 9) (Full) 
November 7, 2008 
 
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer held a press conference in 
Tokyo yesterday following the U.S. presidential election. In it, he 
noted: "I am confident that President Obama will value and nurture 
the U.S.-Japan alliance and friendship just as President Bush did." 
This showed the Ambassador's consideration to Japan's concern that 
Japan-U.S. relations might weaken with the establishment of a 
Democratic administration in the United States for the first time in 
eight years. The Ambassador also indicated that he would retire from 
his post when the term of the Bush administration expires in 
January. 
 
2) U.S. President-elect Obama starts forming team for transition; 
Lineup of Japan specialists will change 
 
YOMIURI (Page 3) (Full) 
November 7, 2008 
 
The lineup of Japan experts guiding the Bush administration's policy 
 
TOKYO 00003094  002 OF 008 
 
 
of strengthening the alliance with Japan will soon change to one 
composed of Japan specialists having ties with the Democratic 
Party. 
 
Richard Danzig, a former secretary of the U.S. Navy who is rumored 
for defense secretary or national security adviser in the Obama 
cabinet, will likely become the key official in charge of security 
affairs in the next U.S. government. Although Danzig is not a Japan 
specialist, he is well-versed in the Asia-Pacific situation through 
his military affairs background. As a senior national security 
advisor to President-elect Barack Obama, he has recently spoken 
proactively about the Japan-U.S. alliance. 
 
The Japanese government expects that Danzig will serve in the new 
government as an official similar to former Deputy Secretary of 
State Richard Armitage, an influential Japan expert. 
 
With China's recent rapid economic growth, there has been a surge in 
China experts in the United States, outpacing the number of Japan 
experts. In the Obama administration, as well, Jeffrey Bader, China 
expert and former deputy assistant secretary of state, will be in 
charge of Asia policy, including Japan. In the next government, as 
well, officials who are not traditional Japan experts, will likely 
lead Japan policy. 
 
3) With Obama winning U.S. presidential election, DPJ hoping to 
capture tailwind effect 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
November 7, 2008 
 
With the victory of Democratic Senator Barack Obama in the U.S. 
presidential election, the DPJ is pinning high hopes there will be a 
tailwind effect that would help bring about a change of 
administration in Japan, as well. The party has criticized the 
LDP-New Komeito administration as blindly following the U.S. lead. 
However, when it comes to the DPJ's own political strategy toward 
the U.S., there are many unclear areas. Even if it snatched power in 
the next general election, how to manage the bilateral relationship 
with the U.S. will emerge as a heavy load for the DPJ. 
 
DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama was wild with joy over Obama's 
victory, saying in a speech given at a meeting of lawmakers on 
November 6, "The DPJ congratulates Mr. Obama on his victory from 
this side of the Pacific." With pumped up expectations for a change 
of administration in Japan as well, he added, "It is wonderful for 
Mr. Obama to have achieved a change of administration, based on 
two-party politics." 
 
Other opposition parties also hailed Obama's victory. Social 
Democratic Party President Fukushima noted, "Now, it's Japan's 
turn." People's New Party Secretary General Hisaoki Kamei commented, 
"The change of power in the U.S. will no doubt have an impact on 
Japanese voters." Chairperson Shii of the Japanese Communist Party, 
which keeps a distance from the DPJ-led policy platform, said with 
certainty, "People have handed down a 'no' verdict to the Bush 
Administration." 
 
However, even if the DPJ takes over the reins of government, it 
would face a difficult challenge of how to build Japan-U.S. 
relations, as Deputy DPJ President Seiji Maehara noted: "There is a 
strong possibility of global financial turmoil leading to 
 
TOKYO 00003094  003 OF 008 
 
 
destabilization on the security front." 
 
The focus is on Obama's approach to the war on terror in 
Afghanistan, which he regards as the main battlefield. The DPJ is 
opposing a bill extending refueling operations in the Indian Ocean 
by the Self-Defense Forces. It instead proposed dispatching SDF 
personnel to areas where the half of conflicts is agreed upon in 
Afghanistan for humanitarian assistance. The ruling parties lashed 
out at the proposal as lacking reality. 
 
The DPJ's position is that it is possible for Japan to engage in 
overseas activities involving the use of force, as long as there is 
a UN resolution. However, there are many vague points about this 
position, including whether the party in taking this stance would 
give consideration to members who previously belonged to the Japan 
Socialist Party. In addition, there is the question of who would be 
dispatched: SDF personnel or members of a separate specialized 
organization. Though the DPJ is the top party in the Upper House, it 
does not hold a simple majority. As such, another challenge for it 
is how to maintain cooperative relations with the SDP, which does 
not approve of overseas dispatch of SDF troops. 
 
The DPJ's policy is not to write details in a manifesto for the 
general election, because it is impossible to know the details of 
diplomatic affairs until it takes the reins of government, as Policy 
Research Council Chairman Masayuki Naoshima put it. In connection 
with the realignment of US forces in Japan, the DPJ mapped out an 
Okinawa Vision in July, in which it proposed the overseas transfer 
of the U.S. Marine Corps' bases. However, this proposal will 
unlikely be included in the manifesto. 
 
Regarding what approach the DPJ will make to the Obama 
administration, Deputy President Naoto Kan during a press conference 
on the 6th said, "It is possible to rebuild a deep bilateral 
alliance by clearly conveying the wishes of the party in power, 
without depending on the Foreign Ministry for diplomacy." 
 
4) LDP's Machimura: Japan's DPJ different from U.S. Democratic 
Party 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
November 7, 2008 
 
Referring to Japan's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) expectation of 
a tailwind for its plan to take over the reins of government now 
that Barack Obama has been elected president of the United States, 
many members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in faction 
meetings expressed the view that the DPJ was getting carried away. 
 
Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, who heads one 
faction, said: "The (Japanese) Democratic Party is getting carried 
away by the word 'change,' as I expected. The party has placed Mr. 
Obama's poster on the wall of its office in the Diet building." 
Former Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura, who heads another faction, 
made a cynical comment: "The (DPJ and the U.S. Democratic Party) 
have only one thing in common, the campaign slogan 'change'." 
 
The LDP is concerned that the change in U.S. administration could 
affect Japanese public opinion. Machimura sought to constrain the 
media, noting: "I remember that (the media) often used the words 
'reformists' and 'old guard conservatives,' when the Hosokawa 
administration was inaugurated." Since the House of Representatives 
 
TOKYO 00003094  004 OF 008 
 
 
will be dissolved for a general election within a year, it can be 
expected that LDP officials will be bothered both by the moves of 
the DPJ and U.S. Democratic Party. 
 
5) Abe criticizes removal of North Korea from terrorist blacklist as 
wrong step 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
November 7, 2008 
 
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democratic Party, 
appearing on an Asahi NewStar program yesterday, criticized the U.S. 
delisting of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. He said: 
"It was the wrong step. The abduction and nuclear issues can be 
settled only with the pressure and dialogue approach with an 
emphasis on pressure." 
 
6) Tamogami to be summoned by Upper House panel on Nov. 11 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Full) 
November 7, 2008 
 
The House of Councillors Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee 
unanimously decided yesterday to summon Toshio Tamogami, ex-Air 
Self-Defense Force chief of staff, to the Diet as an unsworn witness 
on Nov. 11. The Democratic Party of Japan will question him about 
why Tamogami applied for the essay contest and his view on wartime 
history. The main opposition party is also poised to pursue the 
coalition government's responsibility for appointing Tamogami and to 
ask about the actual state of civilian control. 
 
7) Senior ASDF members, mostly at Komatsu Air Base, sent essays 
under instruction of Tamogami 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Excerpts) 
November 7, 2008 
 
Toshio Tamogami was dismissed as Air Self-Defense Force chief of 
staff over his essay justifying Japan's war role. Through an 
investigation into this case by the Defense Ministry, it was found 
yesterday that Air Wing 6 at Komatsu Air Base in Ishikawa Prefecture 
had given instructions to its senior members on "true modern 
history," the theme of the contest in which Tamogami's essay won a 
prize. 
 
Tamogami commanded Air Wing 6 at the Komatsu base from 1998 through 
¶1999. During this period, he recommended officers to apply for the 
contest. The ministry has revealed that 78 ASDF officers sent essays 
to the contest. Of them, 62 belong to Air Wing 6. 
 
The contest was organized by the APA Group, a condominium developer, 
to celebrate the publication of the book Unreported Modern History 
authored by group President Toshio Motoya. 
 
According to the ministry, the Air Staff Office's Education Division 
encouraged officers across the nation in May to write an essay for 
the contest, saying, "Writing an essay would help your training." 
Around this time, the air wing gives instructions to its members 
about how to write an essay. This year, the instructor reportedly 
cited the theme of the contest for teaching. According to the 
Komatsu base, the wing had screened the papers just before they were 
sent. 
 
TOKYO 00003094  005 OF 008 
 
 
 
Motoya reportedly comes from Komatsu and chairs the Komatsu Air Base 
Kanazawa Tomo-no-kai. Tamogami reportedly was an acquaintance of 
Motoya when he commanded Air Wing 6. 
 
8) Tamogami scandal causes wide repercussions; Upper House committee 
to summon ex-ASDF chief on Nov. 11 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Abridged) 
November 7, 2008 
 
The stir created by the dismissal of Toshio Tamogami from the post 
of Air Self-Defense Force chief of staff over his essay conflicting 
with the government's view of history is continuing to widen. The 
Upper House Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which is 
discussing a bill extending the Maritime Self-Defense Force's 
refueling mission in the Indian Ocean, decided yesterday to summon 
Tamogami to the committee on Nov. 11 as an unsworn witness. The 
opposition camp is set to pursue the government's responsibility, 
raising questions about the appropriateness of the Defense 
Ministry's set of procedures leading up to Tamogami's retirement and 
about a possible systematic involvement. 
 
Opposition camp to pursue government's responsibility for appointing 
Tamogami to post 
 
Before the Upper House Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee 
yesterday, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada criticized Tamogami for 
the essay that ran counter to the government's position: "It is an 
extremely serious problem for a person in a top post to state a view 
irrespective of his position." In 1995, then Prime Minister Tomiichi 
Murayama released a statement offering an apology by acknowledging 
Japan's aggression and colonial rule. The essay by Tamogami who 
headed the ASDF drew outcries from China and South Korea, countries 
that are sensitive to the matter, forcing the government to explain 
that Japan's standpoint remained the same. 
 
The Democratic Party of Japan and other opposition parties are set 
to pursue the government's responsibility for appointing Tamogami as 
ASDF chief of staff. Tamogami wrote in an ASDF journal in the past, 
"Our country's history and traditions have been accused falsely of 
crimes under the postwar education system." He has also repeatedly 
made similar statements in his speeches. His reference to the need 
to relax the constitutionally prohibited use of the right to 
collective self-defense and the weapons-use standards has also been 
regarded as a problem in that it transcends the government's view. 
 
Defense Ministry's treatment of Tamogami under fire 
 
The DPJ plans to grill the Defense Ministry for allowing Tamogami to 
retire under the age limit instead of giving him a disciplinary 
dismissal. The ministry urged Tamogami to accept disciplinary action 
without undergoing time-consuming deliberations. But Tamogami 
indicated that he would fight, saying, "I want to discuss the matter 
thoroughly." As a result, the ministry decided to retire him, the 
quickest step. The government will pay him about 60 million yen as a 
retirement allowance. 
 
Prime Minister Taro Aso, speaking to the press corps at the Prime 
Minister's Office yesterday, supported the Defense Ministry's 
decision. In yesterday's foreign and defense committee meeting, DPJ 
member Yukihisa Fujita asked: "Why didn't the ministry give him a 
 
TOKYO 00003094  006 OF 008 
 
 
disciplinary dismissal?" DPJ Upper House Caucus Chairman Azuma 
Koshiishi also said in a press conference: "I want to ask if the 
ministry wanted to put an early end to the scandal." 
 
Systematic involvement suspected; 78 ASDF members sent essays to the 
contest 
 
Some DPJ members are suspecting systematic involvement. It has 
become clear that 78 ASDF personnel had submitted essays to the 
contest in question. Of them, 62 were attached to the 6th Air Wing 
at Komatsu Air Base headed by Tamogami. The contest was organized by 
the hotel and condominium developer APA Group to solicit essays 
under the theme of "true views of modern history." Tamogami was on 
friendly terms with the group's representative. Tamogami admitted 
that he had introduced the essay contest to his subordinates. 
 
The Air Wing ordered its members to write essays for educating 
senior officers. The Air Staff Office's Education Division informed 
ASDF troops across the nation of the essay contest as helpful for 
brainstorming. 
 
Tamogami's failure to report on his essay in writing has exposed the 
lax screening system. To ensure civilian control, the DPJ plans to 
submit to the Upper House a bill amending the SDF Law requiring Diet 
approval for the appointments of SDF chiefs of staff. Chief Cabinet 
Secretary Takeo Kawamura said: "It is necessary to reconsider how 
civilian control should be carried out." 
 
9) Ex-ASDF chief Tamogami on friendly terms with APA Group president 
for 10 years 
 
ASAHI (Page 39) (Full) 
November 7, 2008 
 
Toshio Tamogami, who was dismissed over his essay that justified 
Japan's war role, has been on friendly terms with Toshio Motoya, 
president of the condominium developer APA Group, for 10 years, as 
seen from his attendance in a party to celebrate the publication of 
his book. The group organized the essay content in which Tamogami 
won a prize. 
 
Motoya comes from Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture. He became friends 
with Tamogami when Tamogami was the commander of an air wing at 
Komatsu Air Base from 1998 through 1999. Motoya set up the Komatsu 
Air Base Kanazawa Friendship Group, joined by local political and 
business leaders in 1999. He chairs the association and plays a 
mediatory role between base staff and local people. 
 
Their friendship has continues even after Tamogami was transferred 
to another base. In talks between Mr. and Mrs. Motoya and political 
or business leaders carried serially in the magazine Apple Town also 
placed at the lobbies in the hotels operated by the APA Group, 
Tamogami appeared several times. Tamogami in uniform showed up in a 
party this June to celebrate the publication of the book Unreported 
Modern History authored by Motoya. 
 
Motoya boarded an F-15 fighter as the first civilian at Komatsu Air 
Base in August 2007. A picture taken at that time is carried in 
Motoya's book. An information unit officer at the ASDF Staff Office 
explained: "As part of our publicity activities, we asked him as 
chairman of the Komatsu Air Base Kanazawa Friendship Group to board 
the fighter." 
 
TOKYO 00003094  007 OF 008 
 
 
 
In reply to a question by the Asahi Shimbun, Motoya said he had 
never asked Tamogami to write an essay for the contest. He remarked: 
"He might have known about the essay contest in the Apple Town 
magazine, which I send him every month. I had not expected the ASDF 
chief of staff would apply in the contest." The essay of Tamogami 
was sent in August. A total of 235 essays, including those sent from 
other ASDF officers reportedly were screened while concealing the 
names of writers. As a result of the screening, Tamogami's essay won 
the competition's 3 million yen top prize. 
 
10) Government to propose additional IMF capital replenishment at 
upcoming financial summit 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
November 7, 2008 
 
The government on November 6 decided to propose expanding the 
International Monetary Fund's capital replenishment at the financial 
summit to be held in Washington on the 15th. It is looking into a 
plan for countries like Japan and China to lend portions of their 
rich foreign currency reserves to the IMF. 
 
The aim is to halt the cascade of the financial turmoil by 
strengthening an assistance framework in readiness for a possible 
need for a large sum of funds in the event of emerging countries, 
small and medium-sized countries, for instance, finding it necessary 
to inject public funds into financial institutions. 
 
The IMF has 200 billion dollars (approximately 20 trillion yen) at 
hand for emergency loans. However, since it has already received 
loan requests from many European countries, it could run short of 
funds. For this reason, Prime Minister Aso will appeal on the need 
to secure ample funds for the IMF as a safety net to prevent 
countries from going bankrupt. 
 
11) Japan, China, South Korea to confer on expansion of fund 
interchanging framework 
 
ASAHI (Page 12) (Full) 
November 7, 2008 
 
Former Vice Finance Minister for International Financial Affair 
Toyoo Gyoten and former Vice Finance Minister Yoshiji Nogami, who 
visited South Korea on November 6 as special envoys of Prime 
Minister Aso met with Strategy and Finance Minister Kang Man Soo in 
Seoul and agreed to deepen cooperation among Japan, China and South 
Korea in dealing with a financial crisis. The three countries will 
aim to expand the "Chiang Mai Initiative," an agreement under which 
they reciprocally supply funds in advance in readiness for a 
currency crisis, over the next three months. 
 
Under the Chiang Mai Initiative, signatory countries loan funds to 
the other country from their own foreign reserves in the event of 
the other country facing such crises as currency plunges. The 
frameworks for such loans are 21 billion dollars (approximately 2.06 
trillion yen between Japan and South Korea, 8 billion dollars 
between China and South Korea and 6 billion dollars between Japan 
and China. China and South Korea have already signed such an 
agreement under another framework. Japan will promote talks with 
South Korea and China to strengthen a financial relationship among 
the three countries. They want to materialize the plan by the 
 
TOKYO 00003094  008 OF 008 
 
 
trilateral summit to be held in Fukuoka in December. 
 
According to a briefing by the Japanese side, concerning cooperation 
among the three countries, Kang said, "It is necessary for the three 
countries to strengthen a system of reciprocally supplying necessary 
funds in the event of a financial crisis." The Japanese participants 
agreed to do so and handed to Kang Prime Minister Aso's letter 
addressed to President Lee Myung Bak. 
 
12) 12,000 join JPC since September last year, 30 PERCENT  of new 
members are young people 
 
AKAHATA (Page 1) (Excerpts) 
November 7, 2008 
 
During the period between September 2007 and October 2008, 12,000 
persons joined the Japanese Communist Party (JCP).  The JCP held the 
5th convention of its Central Committee in September last year. 
About 30 PERCENT  of the 12,000 are those who are in their teens, 
twenties and thirties. 
 
Many of the 12,000 said that they joined the JCP to change society, 
which "treats young people as disposable." In Chiba Prefecture, many 
farmers became JCP members, with one saying: "In order to revitalize 
agriculture, politics must change." In defiance of the controversial 
health insurance system for those aged 75 and older, people in their 
sixties and seventies joined the JCP. 
 
A 22-year-old male member, who had taken part in the Oct. 5 national 
youth rally, said: "Japanese politics is at the beck and call of the 
United States. That is a fundamental factor in a society in which 
people have difficulty making a living. I want to make a society 
into one in which it is easy for the socially weak to live. After 
watching JCP Chairman Kazuo Shii's questioning in the Diet, a young 
man, a factory contract employee, visited a JCP office in Kanagawa 
Prefecture to join the party. He said: "I want to change the 
abnormal working conditions." 
 
In order to find bright prospects for social change, many people 
joined the JCP. A 26-year-old man, a resident of Saitama Prefecture, 
said: "I read Karl Marx's books while being hospitalized from 
overwork. I was deeply moved by the JCP, which has made efforts for 
the socially weak and opposed the war of aggression." 
 
SCHIEFFER