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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 4607

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 TOKYO 000836 
 
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 04/13/09-2 
 
INDEX: 
 
(18) Lower House dissolution likely after enactment of extra budget 
(Asahi) 
 
(19) Taepodong and Japan (part 2): Hard-line policy, convictions, 
and calculations (Nikkei) 
 
(20) JCP Chairman Shii visits Okinawa to meet with Ishigaki Mayor 
Ohama and local residents; Vows not to allow highhandedness of U.S. 
military and construction of new base (Akahata) 
 
ARTICLES: 
 
(18) Lower House dissolution likely after enactment of extra budget 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Full) 
April 11, 2009 
 
Giving a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office (Kantei) 
yesterday, Prime Minister Aso announced the government's new 
economic package (of measures to overcome the economic crisis), 
including a fiscal 2009 supplementary budget bill worth about 15 
trillion yen. Aso said: "We will ask the opposition parties to 
support (the extra budget bill and related bills) and try to enact 
them at an early date." He emphasized his intention to give priority 
to enacting these economic bills, indicating that the dissolution of 
the House of Representatives would come after the supplementary 
budget is enacted. To surely enact the budget-related bills in the 
current Diet session, some ruling party members have begun to call 
for a substantial extension of the session, which is due to close on 
June 3. 
 
Aso explained why a large-scale supplementary budget is needed: "We 
will take every possible measure to seek peace of mind and economic 
growth. The ongoing crisis is at the largest scale ever, so it is 
necessary for the people to jointly make efforts to overcome the 
crisis." Comparing the government's package to the Democratic Party 
of Japan's (DPJ) emergency package worth 20 trillion yen over the 
next two years, Aso said: "We have confidence in our package, in 
view of funding sources and other details. Our package will be far 
more effective." 
 
Asked when he intends to dissolve the Lower House, Aso just replied: 
"I think it is proper to show points at issue first and then seek 
the people's judgment. I will make a final judgment at an 
appropriate time." On the so-called dissolution through talks, that 
is, dissolving the Lower House after having the extra budget pass 
the Diet quickly with support from the opposition camp, the prime 
minister said: "I don't know what I should look for to dissolve the 
Diet through talks. Frankly speaking, I don't understand that idea 
well." 
 
Aso had indicated the possibility of dissolving the Lower House, 
even before the supplementary budget is enacted, if the opposition 
parties raise an objection. In the Liberal Democratic Party, 
however, the dominant view is that Lower House dissolution should be 
delayed to sometime after the extra budget passes the Diet, focusing 
on its largest scale. LDP Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda said: 
"Once we submit an extra budget bill, we will aim to push the bill 
through the Diet. The relevant bills also should be enacted (in the 
current Diet session)." A senior New Komeito member said: "The 
 
TOKYO 00000836  002 OF 004 
 
 
dissolution of the Diet is now far off." 
 
The government has decided to submit tax reform bills on April 27 to 
finance measures in the supplementary budget and to cover the 
revenue shortfall from the planned cut in the gift tax. It intends 
to start deliberations on these bills after the Golden Week holidays 
in May and have them clear the Lower House in mid-May. 
 
(19) Taepodong and Japan (part 2): Hard-line policy, convictions, 
and calculations 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 10, 2009 
 
Prime Minister Taro Aso sneaked out of the Lower House plenary 
session hall into another room on the afternoon of April 7. Liberal 
Democratic Party (LDP) member Keiji Furuya (56) went straight to Aso 
and told him, "The Kantei's stance lacks punch." He asked the prime 
minister to include a blanket export ban against North Korea in the 
additional package to be adopted, following the firing of a 
Taepodong-2 missile by North Korea. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 
(54), chairman of the LDP Abduction Issue Measures Special 
Committee, who was also present, nodded deeply in agreement. 
 
Aso called Furuya at midnight on the 8th, "I am sorry, but I have 
decided not to include the blanket ban in the package." Even so, 
Furuya remains firm in his belief that there talks with North Korea 
will never occur without pressure. 
 
Both Furuya and Abe graduated from Seikei High School and Seikei 
University. They at one time worked together as secretaries to late 
Shintaro Abe, the father of Shinzo Abe. Abe, who obtained public 
support for his firm stance on the abductions of Japanese nationals 
by North Korea, moved up the ladder of success, serving as LDP 
secretary general and chief cabinet secretary. Abe in 2006 took 
office as the youngest prime minister in the post-war period. 
However, following the devastating defeat in the Upper House 
election in 2007, he all of a sudden announced his decision to step 
down. Abe often says, "I have not had an election since I stepped 
down." This remark indicates his guilty conscious for dumping the 
administration on others to take over and thoughts that he cannot 
possibly end his career as is. 
 
Furuya inherited his uncle's electoral power base as his son-in-law 
and was elected six times. He had hardships, such as he was forced 
to leave the party temporarily, when he opposed postal 
privatization. He has not yet served as a cabinet minister. Among 
lawmakers elected in Gifu Prefecture, Seiko Noda (48) has already 
served as cabinet minister. Many lawmakers have heard Furuya 
complaining, "If I were shrewder, I would have served as cabinet 
minister once or even twice by now." 
 
He is spearheading hard-liners against North Korea. Some made a 
cool-headed comment on Furuya's words and deeds, noting that he is 
trying to go mainstream, using the missile issue." LDP members are 
in agreement in condemning the North. However, only 20 or so LDP 
members appeared in the Foreign Affairs Division's meeting held on 
the 6th, following the firing of the Taepodong 2. The party is 
somehow engulfed by a sense of fatigue over the North Korea issue, 
regarding which there are no signs that a settlement is in the 
works. 
 
 
TOKYO 00000836  003 OF 004 
 
 
(20) JCP Chairman Shii visits Okinawa to meet with Ishigaki Mayor 
Ohama and local residents; Vows not to allow highhandedness of U.S. 
military and construction of new base 
 
ASAHATA (Top play) (Abridged slightly) 
April 12, 2009 
 
While the Japan-U.S. agreement to move U.S. Marines from Okinawa to 
Guam is drawing much attention in the Japanese political world, 
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Executive Committee Chairman Kazuo 
Shii visited Okinawa On April 11. On his first day in Okinawa, Shii 
visited the city of Ishigaki. Earlier, on April 3-5, local residents 
had fiercely protested the forcible visits of U.S. naval vessels to 
Ishigaki Port, a civilian port,. After touring the port, Shii met 
with Mayor Nagateru Ohama, who had spearheaded the anti-port call 
drive, and also exchanged views with local residents who had taken 
part in the drive. Flourished as a frontier town, Ishigaki is 
Japan's southern most city known for its nature and culture. 
Although a large number of islanders suffered tremendously from 
malaria during the war, the island has followed a peaceful path as 
an island with no U.S. bases throughout the postwar era. The two 
U.S. minesweepers' call at Ishigaki Port in the face of opposition 
from local residents led by Ohama has sparked fury in the island. 
 
Chairman Shii started off his meeting with Ohama at the city hall 
with the remark, "I pay my respects to the island-wide battle." 
 
Ohama explained that Ishigaki Port is one of the most crowded ports 
in the country and that he opposed the port calls to protect the 
port and the citizens as the administrator of the port. While 
expressing his gratitude to Shii, the mayor also said, "Owing to the 
citizens' power, we were able to demonstrate our strong will. I 
don't want to see U.S. naval vessels visit the port ever again." 
 
The mayor added: "During the war, one out of every seven or eight 
islanders died because of malaria. The citizens feel strong rage 
toward the war." Further, explaining that Ishigaki Island has been 
selected not only as Japan's best diving area but also as the 
world's No. 3 diving area, he emphatically said, "We don't need 
naval vessels here." 
 
In the meeting, the mayor also called for revisions to the 
Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). In response, Shii 
indicated that the SOFA must be revived completely before the 
bilateral security treaty is abandoned. The chairman also described 
the port call by the U.S. naval vessels in defiance of opposition of 
the city of Ishigaki, which has declared itself as a peace-loving 
port, as utterly impermissible, adding that the government has 
acknowledged to respect the wishes of local governments even under 
the current SOFA. 
 
In the meeting with local citizens, Shii, clad in a laid-back 
Okinawa shirt, said: "I feel indignant at the port call by the U.S. 
naval vessels that trampled on your voices wishing to protect peace. 
We would like to work in a fashion completely linked to your three 
slogans of not allowing port calls by U.S. naval vessels, not 
allowing turning Ishigaki Port into a military port, and completely 
revising the SOFA." 
 
Shii concluded the meeting with local residents with this comment: 
"I was moved by your truly deep desire for peace. I am keenly aware 
that you are fighting to defend peace at all costs. I was moved by 
 
TOKYO 00000836  004 OF 004 
 
 
Okinawa's heart and soul that truly love peace and Article 9 (of the 
Constitution). Let us join forces together so as not to allow the 
highhandedness of the U.S. military and the construction of a new 
base. We would like to spearhead the drive to bring about a new 
world where Japan has no military alliance and Okinawa has no 
bases." 
 
While in Okinawa, Shii was accompanied by JCP House of 
Representatives members Seiken Akamine and Norihisa Tamura and 
others representing the Kyushu-Okinawa proportional representation 
bloc. 
 
ZUMWALT