VZCZCXRO5753
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #3518/01 3640814
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 290814Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9709
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 3970
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 1613
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 5404
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 9551
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 2179
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6982
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 3001
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3068

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 TOKYO 003518 
 
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 12/29/08 
 
INDEX: 
 
(1) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties (Nikkei) 
 
(2) Fiscal 2009 budget bill lacks philosophy (Mainichi) 
 
(3) Japan to dispatch MSDF vessels probably next spring to off 
Somalia to protect Japanese ships from piracy; Government to submit 
new law next March to Diet (Nikkei) 
 
(4) Editorial: Why is MSDF dispatch delayed? (Nikkei) 
 
(5) Aso family company used 300 POWs at coal mine (Tokyo Shimbun) 
 
(6) TOP HEADLINES 
 
(7) EDITORIALS 
 
ARTICLES: 
 
(1) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
December 29, 2008 
 
Questions & Answers 
(Figures shown in percentage. Parentheses denote findings from the 
last survey conducted in November.) 
 
Q: Do you support the Aso cabinet? 
 
Yes 21 (31) 
No 73 (62) 
Can't say (C/S) + don't know (D/K) 6 (7) 
 
Q: Which political party do you support or like? 
 
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 35 (39) 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 33 (30) 
New Komeito (NK) 4 (5) 
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 5 (3) 
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 2 (1) 
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0 (0) 
Reform Club (RC or Kaikaku Kurabu) 0 (0) 
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 1 (0) 
Other political parties 1 (0) 
None 16 (15) 
C/S+D/K 4 (6) 
 
(Note) The total percentage does not become 100 PERCENT  in some 
cases due to rounding 
 
Polling methodology: The survey was taken Dec. 26-28 by Nikkei 
Research Inc. over the telephone on a random digit dialing (RDD) 
basis. For the survey, samples were chosen from among men and women 
aged 20 and over across the nation. A total of 1,416 households with 
one or more eligible voters were sampled, and answers were obtained 
from 922 persons (65.1 PERCENT ). 
 
(2) Fiscal 2009 budget bill lacks philosophy 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
 
TOKYO 00003518  002 OF 006 
 
 
December 25, 2008 
 
The government adopted its fiscal 2009 initial budget bill at a 
cabinet meeting yesterday, but the bill sidesteps such key issues as 
the fiscal resources that will be needed for pension, medical, 
nursing and other social security payments, and it ducks 
highway-related budgetary reform. An analyst at Daiwa Research 
Institute calls it a "budget lacking in any philosophy." The general 
account budget totals a record high of 88.5 trillion yen. The bill 
includes 1 trillion yen as reserves to cope with a further 
deterioration of the nation's economy and 1 trillion yen more in 
grants to local governments. The budget, however, does not specify 
for which purposes these allocations will be used and just notes 
that the funds are "prepared for economic emergencies". 
 
In a press conference after the fiscal 2009 budget bill was adopted 
in the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Taro Aso emphasized: "The 
budget is designed to protect the people's livelihoods from the most 
serious economic crisis of the century through drastic (fiscal 
disbursements) over the short run and fiscal reconstruction by bold 
tax reform over the medium run." Aso flatly stated: "Japan will 
emerge from the recession earlier than any other countries," but 
many of the economic stimulus measures in the bill, though their 
scale is large, seem to be just reflecting the wish lists of the 
ruling camp and government agencies. Now that uncertainty is looming 
large over the job market, these measures apparently are not 
powerful enough to buoy up the Japanese economy. 
 
The stock market remained unresponsive to the adoption of the budget 
bill yesterday. Stock prices plunged sharply on growing concerns 
about a further worsening of the Japanese economy. 
 
As fiscal resources for the government's plan to raise its national 
subsidy rate for basic pension benefits to 50 PERCENT  (2.3 trillion 
yen annually), the government proposed using reserves in special 
accounts as a stopgap measure, instead of its initial plan to secure 
enough revenue sources first. The government intends to use reserves 
in fiscal 2010, as well, but once reserves are tapped, revenue 
resources will dry up. With this measure, concerns about fiscal 
resources for pension payments will never be dispelled. 
 
The bill also stopped short of discussing "necessary roads," an 
important point in considering the issue of freeing up road 
revenues. The government broke its promise to use road-related 
revenues to fund environment-protection, child-bearing assistance, 
and other measures to protect people's livelihoods. 
 
The social security budget was boosted to a record high of 25 
trillion yen in the fiscal 2009 budget bill in response to the 
nation aging rapidly. Prime Minister Aso reiterated that the 
government will squeeze out the necessary funds by carrying out 
drastic tax reform plans, including a consumption tax hike, in the 
government's mid-term program for fiscal 2011. State Minister in 
Charge of Financial Services Shoichi Nakagawa, however, said in a 
press conference yesterday: "We have never considered about what 
percentage the consumption tax rate should be raised." Views in the 
government thus have yet to be unified. 
 
(3) Japan to dispatch MSDF vessels probably next spring to off 
Somalia to protect Japanese ships from piracy; Government to submit 
new law next March to Diet 
 
 
TOKYO 00003518  003 OF 006 
 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
December 26, 2008 
 
The government is making arrangements to dispatch as early as next 
spring Maritime Self-Defense Force escort ships to waters off 
Somalia for sea patrol to protect Japanese commercial ships from 
piracy activities. It is planning to issue for the time being an 
order for maritime police patrol based on the present Self-Defense 
Forces (SDF) Law. It the plans as the second stage to present to the 
Diet by next March a new anti-piracy law that would allow the MSDF 
to continue to provide maritime patrol activities. 
 
Prime Minister Taro Aso will today order Defense Minister Yasukazu 
Hamada to study specific measures, including the issuance of an 
ordinance for maritime police patrol. The government is planning to 
dispatch a fact-finding team, as well. 
 
Aso told reporters on the night of Dec. 25: 
 
"I think the matter is urgent. So we will deal with it under the 
present law. Since other countries have responded to it in various 
ways, Japan, too, of course should respond. Japan will hasten to 
respond by providing patrol activities." 
 
The Defense Ministry can order the MSDF to provide maritime patrol 
activities to deal with a crisis to which the Japan Coast Guard 
cannot respond. Since the MSDF vessels are not allowed to protect 
foreign ships, the government has decided to utilize Article 82 of 
the SDF Law for the time being. It intends to issue an order 
probably in January at the earliest. A government official said: "If 
the MSDF smoothly facilitates its preparations, it will be able to 
send escort ships in February or March." 
 
Aso, however, pointed out: "I wonder if it is acceptable that Japan 
says it protects its own ships alone." The new anti-piracy law would 
stipulate crackdown on piracy activities and punishments for 
pirates. The government intends to come up with an anti-piracy bill 
by early February and it aims to submit the bill to the Diet in 
March after gaining consent from the ruling parties. 
 
(4) Editorial: Why is MSDF dispatch delayed? 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
December 24, 2008 
 
The government has not yet decided to send Maritime Self-Defense 
Force vessels to waters off the coast of Somalia against pirates. It 
was Oct. 17 when Prime Minister Taro Aso showed his willingness in a 
Diet reply to a question asked by Akihisa Nagashima, a House of 
Representatives member of the leading opposition Democratic Party of 
Japan (Minshuto). While Japan was continuing its study, China 
announced its plan to send naval vessels there. 
 
There are three conceivable options for Japan to send MSDF vessels 
to waters off Somalia. One of the three options is to issue an order 
to the MSDF for maritime security operations. The second option is 
to create a law for special measures, and the third one is to 
establish a general or permanent law stipulating the Self-Defense 
Forces' international cooperation. 
 
The most desirable option is to enact a general law after changing 
the government's constitutional interpretation of collective 
 
TOKYO 00003518  004 OF 006 
 
 
self-defense. However, consensus building is difficult at this 
point. The government is said to be considering special legislation, 
which is easier than general legislation to build a consensus 
between the ruling and opposition parties. In point of fact, 
however, such a special measures law cannot be expected to be 
enacted. 
 
The government can issue an order for maritime security operations 
if it decides to do so. In this case, however, there are problems to 
clear. Mobilizing the MSDF for maritime security operations is 
premised on using Japan's right to defend itself. Accordingly, the 
MSDF is allowed to defend Japanese ships. However, the question is 
what to do if and when the MSDF happens to be near a foreign ship 
that is under attack from pirates. This case needs to be cleared 
up. 
 
If that is ambiguous, everything will then have to be left to the 
commanding officer's judgment. This is too heavy a burden. Politics 
should therefore set guidelines for what to do or the rules of 
engagement (ROE), under which the MSDF will normally be readied. 
 
Two months has passed since the prime minister made the reply in the 
Diet. If the government has yet to finish its study, that is too 
late. It is also one idea to issue an order for maritime security 
operations for the time being and do the minimum possible. This will 
at least be a stronger deterrent on pirates. 
 
China's naval deployment to waters off the Somalia coast is said to 
be historic. The International Herald Tribune reported on this 
deployment, with its subheading saying China will send naval forces 
there for the first time in modern times. It is also true that Japan 
and the United States have been nervous about China's naval power 
projection, regarding it as an obstacle to U.S. naval operations. 
 
Even if the Japanese government decides today to dispatch MSDF 
vessels, it will take more than two weeks to ready them to set out. 
It will probably take another three weeks to arrive there off 
Somalia from Japan. During that time, Japanese ships may be attacked 
by pirates and may be protected by Chinese naval vessels. 
 
That can be taken for granted because the international community is 
acting in concert to contain pirates. At the same time, it will also 
draw mixed reactions because Japan has been wary of China and 
Japanese ships will be protected by Chinese naval vessels. 
 
(5) Aso family company used 300 POWs at coal mine 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 22) (Full) 
December 20, 2008 
 
Aso Mining, a now-defunct company that was based in Fukuoka 
Prefecture and managed by the family of Prime Minister Aso, used 300 
foreign prisoners at its coal mine during World War II. An official 
document describing this fact has been discovered at the Health, 
Labor and Welfare Ministry. Two years ago, overseas news media 
reported it. The Foreign Ministry rebutted the news report, saying 
that it had not information about such. However, its loose response 
will likely be called into question. 
 
The official document was disclosed at the request of Yukihisa 
Fujita, a House of Councillors member of the leading opposition 
Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto). According to the disclosed 
 
TOKYO 00003518  005 OF 006 
 
 
document, there were 197 persons from Australia, 101 from Britain, 
and 2 from the Netherlands at a POW camp-which was set up at the 
Yoshikuma coal mine in the Fukuoka prefectural town of Keisen-from 
May 10, 1945 through Aug. 15, when the war ended. Among them, two 
Australians died. 
 
The ministry also disclosed a letter that Aso Mining sent to Army 
Minister Hajime Sugiyama on Feb. 22 that year, asking for his 
approval to use the POWs for a period of one year and work them for 
12 hours in two shifts. 
 
The official document was once in the possession of the Imperial 
Japanese Army's Prisoners Intelligence Bureau. But the government 
later reorganized its organizations. In 1957, the health and welfare 
ministry at the time took over the bureau's archives. 
 
In November 2006, the International Herald Tribune reported on the 
forced labor of those foreign nationals. In this regard, the paper 
ran a dispatch from Fukuoka, saying a group of Chinese nationals who 
were engaged in forced labor during the war demanded compensation 
from the Japanese government and other organizations. The IHI 
article described that Aso Mining used forced labor from Asian and 
West European countries. 
 
The IHT report was a New York Times dispatch. At the time, the 
Foreign Ministry, directed by Aso, who was the then foreign 
minister, rebutted the article on the website of the Japanese 
consulate general in New York. The Foreign Ministry denied that Aso 
Mining forced foreign prisoners to work at its colliery, saying it 
is unreasonable to make such a judgment without evidence. 
 
Since the official documents were brought to light, the consulate 
general deleted the rebuttal from the website this month. However, 
the Foreign Ministry's countercharge two years early revealed how 
slipshod it had been. 
 
Fujita pursued this issue before the House of Councillors Foreign 
Affairs and Defense Committee in its Dec. 18 meeting. The Foreign 
Ministry made an excuse, saying: "We checked at the time, but no 
information was available." However, the Health, Welfare and Labor 
Ministry commented on its disclosure of the official document, "We 
have not looked into this matter because there was nothing on the 
agenda about it." In other words, the Foreign Ministry made the 
rebuttal at that time without even checking with the Health, Welfare 
and Labor Ministry. 
 
Moreover, among the official documents, the records of prisoners 
were disclosed at a library of special documents. It is clear at 
least from this document that Aso Mining used prisoners. 
Furthermore, some segments of the media located and interviewed a 
former prisoner. The two dead prisoners have already been 
identified. 
 
"I wonder if the Foreign Ministry knowingly ignored this matter or 
did not look into this matter at all," says Aiko Utsumi, a visiting 
professor at the graduate school of Waseda University. "At any 
rate," she says, "they were irresponsible." She indicated that she 
was appalled at the Foreign Ministry. 
 
Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration, which also covered prisoners 
of war during World War II. In addition, Japan also joined the 
Geneva Convention, which stipulated how POW issues should be 
 
TOKYO 00003518  006 OF 006 
 
 
handled. Nevertheless, the Health, Welfare and Labor Ministry has 
done nothing about its archives regarding POWs for over sixty 
postwar years. The Foreign Ministry has not looked at all into this 
issue, either. 
 
Fujita said: "The question is how to handle the POW issue. This is 
an important diplomatic issue in gaining the international 
community's trust. But no efforts were made. I will continue to 
pursue this issue." 
 
(6) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi, Mainichi, Yomiuri & Sankei: 
Three non-life insurers -- Mitsui Sumitomo, Aioi, and Nissei Dowa -- 
mull merger 
 
Nikkei: 
Nissan, NEC to advance schedule for large-scale production of 
lithium ion batteries 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
Law-evading donations by two political organizations formed by 
former Nishimatsu Construction Co. senior 
 
Akahata: 
JCP's Koike: Employment measures should be pushed forward by those 
with political responsibility 
 
(7) EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) Air strikes on Gaza: Israel must first stop attacks 
(2) Rapid increase in jobless workers: Find ways to respond to 
heartfelt voices 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) Air assaults on Gaza: Prevent bloodshed from spreading by 
mediation of other countries 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) Government must push for better caregiver's pay 
(2) Concern about deterioration in technology 
 
Nikkei: 
(1) Urgent need of diplomacy preventing violence in Middle East 
(2) Expectations of linear-motor Shinkansen and issues to be 
resolved 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Strikes on Gaza: First put end to worsening situation 
(2) New Hamaoka nuclear power plant: Make anti-earthquake measures 
doubly sure 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) Air strikes on Gaza: Avoid a full-scale war 
(2) Suspension of WTO talks: Nip protectionism in the bud 
 
Akahata: 
(1) Cut drastically military spending for FY2009 
 
ZUMWALT