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P 040815Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2783

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 TOKYO 003314 
 
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:  DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 12/05/08 
 
INDEX: 
 
(1) Editorial: How will Hillary Clinton carry out diplomacy? 
(Yomiuri) 
 
(2) Japan will urge U.S., China, Russia to sign cluster bomb ban: 
Kawamura (Mainichi) 
 
(3) Foreign minister plays up Japan's positive attitude for 
elimination of cluster bombs (Asahi) 
 
(4) Japanese, U.S. government officials meet with 14 base-hosting 
governors for meeting's sake (Okinawa Times) 
 
 ARTICLES: 
 
(1) Editorial: How will Hillary Clinton carry out diplomacy? 
 
YOMIURI (Page 3) (Full) 
December 3, 2008 
 
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has announced his national 
security team. Obama named Sen. Hillary Clinton as secretary of 
state and retained Robert Gates in his current defense secretary 
post. Obama picked former Marine Corps General James Jones as 
national security adviser. 
 
The new Obama administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20. Obama's 
security and economic teams will have to produce tangible results in 
dealing with the global financial crisis, the wars in Iraq and 
Afghanistan, as well as nuclear development in North Korea and 
Iran. 
 
We think the appointments of Gates and Jones are pragmatic. Their 
selections probably are aimed at compensating for Obama's lack of 
experience in foreign policy and security affairs. 
 
However, the question is that Obama gave a key post to Clinton, with 
whom he fiercely fought for the Democratic presidential nomination. 
During the primaries, Clinton blasted Obama as being naive for his 
willingness to seek dialogue with dictators without preconditions. 
 
Obama looked confident in a press conference that he would be 
handing his powerful rival a key post. "I expect that there will be 
differences in tactics and different judgments. But I will make 
decisions," Obama said. It is questionable, however, if Obama and 
Clinton no longer have anything on their minds. 
 
Under the administration of President George W. Bush, there have 
been run-ins in the State Department, the Defense Department and the 
White House over the war on terror. Such a situation should not be 
allowed to emerge again. 
 
All eyes will be on what decisions the Obama administration will 
make and what actions it will take in its foreign and security 
policies. In this sense, Obama, Clinton and Gates must closely work 
for policy coordination. 
 
The hard-line policy toward Japan taken by the Democratic 
administration that took power in the early 1990s is still fresh in 
our memories. 
 
 
TOKYO 00003314  002 OF 004 
 
 
The so-called Japan-passing peaked as the United States pressed 
Japan to eliminate U.S. trade deficits by meeting numerical 
targets. 
 
The Japan-U.S. alliance was eventually strengthened as the two 
countries were confronted with such challenges as North Korea's 
nuclear development and tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Bill Clinton, 
the U.S. president during that time, and Hillary's husband, appeared 
to lean toward China. Bill Clinton's stance was called 
Japan-passing. 
 
Hillary Clinton stated last year that the U.S. relationship with 
China will be the most important bilateral relationship in the 
world. If she puts greater emphasis on relations with China and 
plays down the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance, it could be 
problematic in many respects for stability in Asia. 
 
Japan will need to constantly hold close consultations on foreign 
and security policies with the Obama administration in dealing with 
such issues as the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan and 
preventing nuclear development. 
 
(2) Japan will urge U.S., China, Russia to sign cluster bomb ban: 
Kawamura 
 
MAINICHI (Online) (Full) 
12:35, December 4, 2008 
 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, meeting the press today, 
underscored the significance of Japan's signing of the Cluster Bomb 
Ban Treaty. "Humanitarian consideration was given first," Kawamura 
said. "Japan was able to participate (in the signing of the 
treaty)," he added, "and I find it very significant." Kawamura also 
indicated that Japan would work on the United States and other 
nonsignatories to join the treaty. He said: "The United States, 
China, and Russia have yet to sign the treaty, so it's important to 
work together with all other (signatory) countries to call on these 
countries (to join the treaty). From the perspective of 
humanitarianism as well, the world is now in a tendency to abolish 
the cluster munitions." 
 
(3) Foreign minister plays up Japan's positive attitude for 
elimination of cluster bombs 
 
ASAHI (Page 3) (Excerpts) 
December 4, 2008 
 
After signing the treaty banning cluster bombs (in Oslo on Dec. 3), 
Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone delivered a speech in which he 
said: "The use of weapons renewing people's hatred even after the 
end of conflicts must not be allowed." The statement was based on 
Japan's support for demining in areas near the Cambodia-Thailand 
border and his visits there. Nakasone also played up Japan's 
efforts, informing the conference of the Japanese government's 
assistance totaling 7 million dollars (approximately 700 million 
yen) for measures against cluster bombs. 
 
Reversing its reluctance toward the Oslo process, Japan has decided 
to join the treaty based on former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's 
political decision in deference to public opinion. Despite strong 
objections from the Self-Defense Forces and others, Japan will 
abolish all four types of cluster bombs it possesses. The government 
 
TOKYO 00003314  003 OF 004 
 
 
will ask for the ratification of the treaty possibly in next year's 
regular Diet session. The cluster munitions must be abolished in 
eight years of the effectuation of the treaty. The Defense Ministry 
has produced a fiscal 2009 budgetary request for 200 million yen to 
study how to dispose of Japan's cluster bombs. 
 
The problem cannot be resolved with the disposal of cluster 
munitions by Japan alone. Lower House Speaker Yohei Kono, who chairs 
an anti-cluster bomb parliamentary league, underlined in the 
league's general meeting last month the need to urge such countries 
as the United States and Russia to join the treaty. The reason is 
because non-signatory countries possess 70 PERCENT -90 PERCENT  of 
the cluster munitions in the world. Prime Minister Taro Aso said 
last night: "I am going to work upon as many non-signatory countries 
as possible to join the treaty." 
 
Japan has focused on regulating cluster munitions within the 
framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), 
which includes the United States, China and Russia. It is important 
for Japan to work upon other countries at CCW meetings separate from 
the Oslo treaty. 
 
It is also essential that bombs be abolished in a transparent 
manner. In many countries, the numbers of cluster bombs they possess 
are classified as military secrets. Japan Campaign to Ban Landmines 
member and Chuo University Professor Motoko Mekata took this view: 
"Japan must exhibit a positive posture by clarifying the budget and 
places for disposing of its cluster munitions." 
 
(4) Japanese, U.S. government officials meet with 14 base-hosting 
governors for meeting's sake 
 
OKINAWA TIMES (Page 2) (Full) 
December 4, 2008 
 
(Commentary) 
 
In the wake of a series of heinous crimes committed by U.S. military 
personnel this year, a liaison conference was held (yesterday) 
between the Japanese and U.S. governments and the governors of 14 
prefectures hosting U.S. military bases at the request of the 
governors' association (headed by Kanagawa Gov. Shigefumi 
Matsuzawa). 
 
The association's request stemmed from its strong distrust of the 
two governments, although Tokyo and Washington have made efforts to 
prevent similar incidents and accidents from recurring. The 
governors' association was motivated to have local views reflected 
directly in the efforts of Tokyo and Washington. Therefore, the 
association has called for setting the liaison conference under the 
Japan-U.S. Joint Committee, which works out official arrangements 
between the two countries. 
 
However, the two governments deem it difficult to accept the 
request, explaining that the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement 
(SOFA) stipulates that the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee is made up of 
representatives from the governments of Japan and the United States. 
The conference was eventually held at U.S. Ambassador to Japan 
Thomas Schieffer's idea of holding a liaison conference as a 
"different channel" from the formal meetings of officials from the 
two governments. 
 
 
TOKYO 00003314  004 OF 004 
 
 
Immediately after a U.S. service member's fatal stabbing of a taxi 
driver in Kanagawa Prefecture, Gov. Matsuzawa stated: 
 
"If they remain elusive about our request even though they say they 
will listen well to local residents, that's unacceptable. A 
conference should be something that will lead to the Japan-U.S. 
Joint Committee." 
 
Matsuzawa emphasized the meaning of setting the conference under the 
Japan-U.S. Joint Committee. 
 
However, in yesterday's meeting, Matsuzawa toned down, saying: "We 
will ask them to have our arguments reflected in the Japan-U.S. 
Joint Committee's discussions." It is undeniable that the liaison 
conference was held just for the sake of a meeting. The hour-long 
meeting ended up with greetings and briefings by representatives. 
 
Even so, Matsuzawa spoke very highly of the conference. He said, "It 
was an epoch-making event in the history of the Japan-U.S. security 
alliance." However, the Foreign Ministry says the Japanese and U.S. 
governments still have no plans for the next meeting. It is also 
unclear how the two governments will handle more than 100 requests 
from the governors' association. There are many difficult issues in 
store. 
 
In order for the association to have local views reflected for 
solutions to U.S. base issues, the government will have to work out 
clear-cut visions and make strategic efforts. 
 
SCHIEFFER