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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 13 TOKYO 001548 
 
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 07/08/09 
 
Index: 
1) Top headlines 
2) Editorials 
3) Prime Minister's daily schedule  (Nikkei) 
 
Defense and security affairs: 
4) U.S.-Japan talks this month on the nuclear umbrella  (Yomiuri) 
5) Confidence building exercise to check North Korea's nuclear 
ambitions  (Yomiuri) 
6) Former ambassador reveals Tanaka Cabinet mulled allowing 
nuclear-bearing ships to make port calls  (Mainichi) 
7) Three non-nuclear principles built on secret agreement; 
contradiction in dependence on the U.S. umbrella persists today 
(Mainichi) 
8) Cabinet approves bill allowing ship search for suspicious cargo 
(Sankei) 
9) Defense Minister tours Okinawa Prefecture  (Nikkei) 
10) Government wants to use MSDF ship searches only as last resort 
(Mainichi) 
11) Democratic Party of Japan's response to the ship-search bill 
unclear  (Yomiuri) 
 
12) Prime Minister Aso meets the Pope in Rome  (Sankei) 
 
13) Russia rejecting no-visa visits to the northern islands as a 
protest of recent Japanese law declaring the islands Japan's 
territory  (Sankei) 
 
Political agenda: 
14) Major bills before the Diet will affect the timing of 
dissolution  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
15) DPJ President Hatoyama's political funding problem: False 
records filtered through another organization  (Sankei) 
16) Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to attack Hatoyama on the funding 
issue in order to damage his image  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
17) Issue of Miyazaki governor running as LDP candidate put on hold 
(Mainichi) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi: 
Auto insurance premiums to be raised sharply: High rates to be 
applied to drivers aged 60 and over 
 
Mainichi: 
Government studied possibility of allowing nuclear weapon-carrying 
U.S. vessels into Japanese ports in 1974 during Tanaka cabinet, 
according to statement by former ambassador to U.S. Okawara 
 
Yomiuri: 
Japan, U.S. eye first talks to discuss U.S. nuclear umbrella 
 
Nikkei: 
Mitsui Bussan to procure large amount of lithium from Canada for 
environmentally-friendly cars 
 
Sankei: 
Thousands of Han demonstrators go on rampage and attack businesses: 
156 killed, 1,434 detained 
 
 
TOKYO 00001548  002 OF 013 
 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
Han protesters take to streets for demonstration in Urumqi: Some 
attacked stores 
 
Akahata: 
Tokyo Metropolitan assembly election: Close race; Members of junior 
supporters' association exert all-out effort to expand support 
through dialogue 
 
2) EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) U.S., Russia reach nuclear agreement: Involve other nuclear 
nations 
(2) Riot in Xinjiang region: Crackdown will not stabilize situation 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) Uprising in Xinjinag Uighur Autonomous Region: China lacks 
tolerance in ethnic policy 
(2) Cargo inspection special measures law: Enactment through 
agreement between ruling and opposition urged 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) Cargo inspection law designed for inspection of vessels heading 
to and from North Korea: Enactment during current Diet session based 
on cooperation between ruling and opposition parties urged 
(2) Nuclear disarmament by U.S. and Russia: They should also play 
their part in preventing proliferation 
 
Nikkei: 
(1) U.S., Russia should offer example of urging nuclear disarmament 
throughout the world 
(2) China should adopt ethnic policy that will end bloodshed 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Riot in Uighur: Dissolve social disparity, by ending oppression 
(2) U.S., Russia agreement to cut nuclear arms: Do not impair 
functions for preventing proliferation 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) Nuclear disarmament by U.S., Russia: It is unacceptable if it is 
simply a symbolic target 
(2) Local tax cut: Show power of local governments 
 
Akahata: 
(1) Child-raising allowance: Why are single-father households 
excluded? 
 
3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, July 6-7 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
July 8, 2009 
 
July 6 
 
Late at night Arrived at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport via 
special JAL airplane. 
 
July 7 
 
 
TOKYO 00001548  003 OF 013 
 
 
Before dawn Stayed at Hotel De Russie in Roma. 
Afternoon Met with Pope Benedict XVI and State Secretary of the 
Vatican Bertoni. 
 
4) Japan, U.S. to hold first nuclear-umbrella talks later this month 
to confirm its operation in contingency 
 
YOMIURI (Top play) (Abridged) 
July 8, 2009 
 
Keiko Iizuka, Washington 
 
The governments of Japan and the United States reached an agreement 
on July 7 to set up official talks on the U.S.' nuclear umbrella and 
began scheduling the first session for later this month, a according 
to sources close to both governments. The governments plan to hold 
the talks at the level of deputy directors and vice ministers of the 
Japanese foreign and defense ministries and the U.S. state and 
defense departments. At the talks, Japan will be briefed by the U.S. 
side on how nuclear arms will be used in a contingency. The two 
sides will then discuss, among other matters, consistency between 
U.S. President Barack Obama's large-scale nuclear arms-reduction 
plan and a nuclear deterrent. 
 
Under the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, the U.S. nuclear umbrella is 
designed to protect Japan from a nuclear attack by a third country 
with nuclear weapons possessed by the United States. The United 
States shares the operation of and information on nuclear weapons in 
emergency situations with members of the North Atlantic Treaty 
Organization (NATO) which has a similar system. 
 
In Japan, the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, a 
strong antipathy toward nuclear arms prevails among the public. If 
the government holds talks on the operation of nuclear weapons, 
strong reactions from the opposition parties and others are 
expected. At the same time, the United States has been highly 
alarmed at a possible leakage of confidential military information 
from the Japanese side. As such, the matter has rarely been 
discussed between Japan and the United States. 
 
However, North Korea conducted its second nuclear test in May, while 
China has been modernizing its nuclear capability, making East 
Asia's security environment increasingly volatile. Given the 
situation, some in the government have called for a reaffirmation of 
the role of the nuclear umbrella and have said that Japan needs to 
be briefed by the United States on how that will be operated 
specifically. 
 
In April, President Obama announced that his administration will aim 
at a world without nuclear weapons. In their talks on July 6, 
President Obama also agreed with his Russian counterpart to conclude 
a new pact replacing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START 1), 
which is designed to reduce the number of deployed nuclear warheads 
up to 1,500. 
 
The new agreement is expected to be reflected in the Nuclear Posture 
Review (NPR), which will be compiled by the Obama administration in 
December, becoming the third such review in U.S. history. 
 
5) Japan-U.S. to hold official talks on nuclear umbrella at Japan's 
call to apply pressure on North Korea 
 
 
TOKYO 00001548  004 OF 013 
 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) 
July 8, 2009 
 
Keiko Iizuka, Washington 
 
The Japanese and U.S. governments have begun considering holding 
their first official talks on the U.S. nuclear umbrella. This is 
based on Japan's request for the confirmation of the dependability 
of the U.S. nuclear umbrella, given progress in North Korea's 
nuclear development. The planned talks are also designed to apply 
pressure on North Korea and other countries by demonstrating 
externally the two countries' firm relations of trust regarding 
nuclear deterrence. 
 
Given the United States' nuclear disarmament plan and its aging 
nuclear warheads, Japan is concerned whether the nuclear umbrella 
will really function in the event of a contingency. 
 
With China reportedly possessing some 200 nuclear warheads, Japan's 
foreign and defense ministries fear the possibility of China's 
nuclear capability growing to the level of that of the United States 
in the long run depending on how the U.S. proceed with its nuclear 
disarmament plan. The United States has not conducted nuclear tests 
as it voluntarily put a freeze on such tests in 1992. This has 
resulted in growing concerns in the United States about aging 
nuclear warheads and a decline in the technology handling nuclear 
weapons. At the talks, Japan intends to be briefed on those points 
as well. 
 
At the same time, there is a sense of alarm in the United States 
centering on conservative legislators and experts that if the U.S. 
fails to present a dependable nuclear umbrella, Japan and South 
Korea might arm themselves with nuclear weapons to counter North 
Korea. This can explain why Washington has decided to respond 
positively to Tokyo's request. 
 
But in order to hold bilateral talks, Japan needs to overcome many 
challenges. For instance, the question of nuclear capability has 
rarely been discussed in the Japanese political scene due partly to 
a strong public "nuclear allergy." Even after the Obama 
administration announced a plan in April to aim at a nuclear-free 
world, full-fledged discussions on the nuclear umbrella have been 
absent from the Liberal Democratic Party subcommittee on the 
National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) to be revised by the 
government at the end of the year. 
 
Defense secrets have often leaked out of Japan in the past. The U.S. 
side is highly concerned about sharing top-secret information on 
nuclear weapons with Japan. Japan needs to swiftly study ways to 
wipe away such concerns. 
 
The Japanese government and ruling and opposition lawmakers should 
find a means to promote further the global move to eliminate nuclear 
weapons by looking squarely at the realities of nuclear strategies 
and conducting active discussions. 
 
6) Ex-ambassador to U.S. Okawara reveals that Tanaka cabinet in 1974 
mulled revising three non-nuclear principles to allow port calls by 
warships carrying nuclear arms 
 
MAINICHI (Top play) (Full) 
July 8, 2009 
 
TOKYO 00001548  005 OF 013 
 
 
 
Takashi Sudo 
 
It has been learned that the Japanese government had considered a 
virtual revision to one of the three non-nuclear principles of "not 
introducing" nuclear arms to officially allow port calls by ships 
carrying nuclear arms at the time of (then) President Gerald Ford's 
visit to Japan in 1974. This was revealed to Mainichi Shimbun by 
former ambassador to the U.S. Yoshio Okawara, 90, who at the time 
became the chief of the minister's secretariat at the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs (MOFA) from his previous position of director 
general of the American Affairs Bureau. A secret agreement on port 
calls by ships carrying nuclear weapons was concluded at the time of 
negotiations on revisions to the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty in 1960. 
It is believed that this move was contemplated in 1974 in order to 
scrap the secret agreement and make the nuclear umbrella explicit, 
using the occasion of the first visit to Japan by an incumbent U.S. 
president. 
 
According to Okawara, shortly before Ford's visit in the fall of 
1974, a handful of top MOFA officials, including the late Foreign 
Minister Toshio Kimura of the Kakuei Tanaka cabinet, the late 
Parliamentary Vice Foreign Minister Fumihiko Togo, and Okawara, met. 
Kimura said at the meeting that, "It is absurd for Japan, which is 
protected by the U.S. nuclear umbrella, not to allow port calls (by 
ships carrying nuclear arms)." He instructed the MOFA officials to 
study a plan to interpret "non-introduction" in the three 
non-nuclear principles as referring to introduction on land, and 
port calls would not be considered "introduction." 
 
Kimura said that, "I have asked the prime minister (about revising 
the interpretation) and he said: 'Okay. Let's do it (do the 
revision)," telling the group that Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka had 
given his consent. However, on November 26, right after Ford's 
visit, Tanaka resigned to take responsibility for a money scandal 
and other issues, and the Takeo Miki cabinet was inaugurated on 
December 9. Kiichi Miyazawa took over from Kimura as foreign 
minister and the plan to revise the three non-nuclear principles 
fizzled out. 
 
The government's official position is that even port calls are 
included in the provision on not introducing nuclear weapons, and 
"unless the U.S. side requests prior consultation, nuclear arms 
cannot be brought into Japan." However, retired Rear Admiral Gene 
LaRoque revealed in September 1974 that "U.S. ships carrying nuclear 
weapons made port calls in Japan." Meanwhile, the U.S. aircraft 
carrier Midway was based in Yokosuka at that time. If this issue 
became controversial during the U.S. president's visit, it could 
throw the Japan-U.S. relationship into confusion. It is believed the 
meeting of the top MOFA officials was held in this context. 
 
7) "Commentary": Three non-nuclear principles built on secret 
agreement; contradiction in dependence on the U.S. persists today 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
July 8, 2009 
 
Takashi Sudo 
 
The Japanese government's giving consideration to revising the three 
non-nuclear principles in 1974 can be said to be an attempt to 
eliminate as much as possible the anomaly in Japan-U.S. relations, 
 
TOKYO 00001548  006 OF 013 
 
 
symbolized by the secret agreement (on ports calls by ships carrying 
nuclear arms), after the reversion of Okinawa to Japan (in 1972), 
which was a major postwar bilateral issue. This was an important 
juncture in the bilateral relationship, coming at the time of the 
first visit by an incumbent U.S. president. 
 
(Then) Foreign Minister Toshio Kimura probably suggested the 
revision of the three non-nuclear principles to (then) Prime 
Minister Kakuei Tanaka in fall 1974 and discussed this vigorously 
with top Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) officials because he 
took seriously the impact of the statement of retire Rear Admiral 
Gene LaRoque on "bringing in nuclear arms." 
 
Kimura revealed his serious dilemma in a statement to the Diet in 
October 1974: "We need to maintain the people's position on the 
three non-nuclear principles while also show understanding to the 
requirement of U.S. defense secrets of not revealing the existence 
or non-existence of nuclear weapons. That is where the problem is." 
Thirty-five years after that, the Japanese government today still 
repeats its official position that, "Inasmuch as there has not been 
any request from the United States, nuclear arms have not been 
brought into the country." This is nothing but a self-protection 
tactic - "if nuclear arms are found, the U.S. is to blame." 
 
On the other hand, Japan's security has depended on the U.S. 
"nuclear umbrella" built on such things as port calls by ships 
carrying nuclear arms. A former MOFA official who once served as the 
director of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty Division points out that, 
"Japan is beholden to the U.S. with regard to the introduction of 
nuclear arms." A former parliamentary vice foreign minister admits 
the existence of a secret agreement and states bitterly: "The United 
States has gone along with Japan's slipshod handling of this matter. 
This worked only because it was the Cold War era." 
 
The contradiction between the reality of the U.S. "nuclear umbrella" 
and Japan's position as the only atomic-bombed nation, as symbolized 
by the three non-nuclear principles, has led to the ambiguity of the 
secret agreement, thus resulting in the lack of transparency in the 
bilateral relationship. This situation has remained unchanged until 
today. 
 
U.S. President Barack Obama is calling for a "world without nuclear 
weapons" and is promoting a new nuclear policy. However, Japan, 
which is being threatened by North Korea's nuclear tests, is not in 
a position to give up the U.S. "nuclear umbrella" right away. 
Nevertheless, unless the Japanese government faces squarely the 
basic contradiction in its nuclear policy, the lack of transparency 
in the Japan-U.S. relationship will only be exacerbated. 
 
8) Cargo inspection bill gets cabinet approval 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Abridged) 
July 8, 2009 
 
The government, in an ad hoc cabinet meeting held yesterday evening, 
adopted a special legislative measure allowing Japan to inspect the 
cargo of ships heading to and from North Korea and presented the 
legislation to the House of Representatives. In the wake of North 
Korea's second nuclear test, the United Nations Security Council 
adopted a resolution to inspect nuclear- and missile-related 
materials. The Japan Coast Guard is to conduct cargo inspections at 
sea. The government and the ruling parties will start Diet 
 
TOKYO 00001548  007 OF 013 
 
 
deliberations tomorrow on the cargo inspection bill in an aim to 
enact it at the current Diet session. 
 
The Self-Defense Forces' role is to be limited to such activities as 
tracking ships and gathering intelligence. In addition, the SDF is 
also to guard JCG patrol ships conducting cargo inspections at sea. 
 
Concerning maritime security operations to be invoked under the 
Self-Defense Forces Law, the cargo inspection bill only stipulates 
that the government will take security and other necessary measures 
at sea. It precludes the SDF from conducting cargo inspections. 
 
Cargo inspections are to be conducted for vessels and planes 
suspected of carrying contraband. The JCG will conduct cargo 
inspections in international waters and Japan's territorial waters. 
Customs will inspect cargoes at seaports and airports. If cargo 
prohibited by the UNSC resolution is discovered in inspections, the 
captain will be ordered to hand it over, and the cargo will be 
stored. Biochemical weapons will be abandoned at once. In addition, 
items that cannot be stored will be sold, and the money will be 
returned. 
 
Main points from cargo inspection bill 
 
-- The legislation purports to remove the threat resulting from 
North Korea's nuclear testing, etc. Cargo inspection authority is 
invested in the JCG commandant and the customs superintendent. 
 
-- Ships are to be inspected with their captains' consent if there 
is good reason to acknowledge that they are loaded with specific 
cargo bound for North Korea in violation of the U.N. resolution. If 
cargo is confirmed to be in violation of the U.N. resolution, the 
captain will be ordered to hand it over. This cargo will be stored. 
If there is reason for ships to refuse cargo inspections, they will 
be brought to a designated seaport. 
 
-- In case Japan refuses foreign authorities' inspection of a 
Japanese ship in international waters, the government will order 
that ship to be brought to a Japanese or foreign port. 
 
-- Cargo inspections in international waters and the abovementioned 
orders require the flag state's consent. 
 
-- In conformity with what is stipulated in the Defense Ministry 
Establishment Law, the Self-Defense Forces Law, and other relevant 
laws, the SDF will take security and other necessary actions at sea 
in special cases where the JCG alone cannot handle inspections or 
other measures. 
 
9) Defense chief visits Okinawa 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
July 8, 2009 
 
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada yesterday departed for his first 
official visit to Okinawa. Hamada will visit the island of 
Yonagunijima today to exchange views with Yonaguni Town Mayor 
Shukichi Hokama about basing Ground Self-Defense Force troops on the 
island. Hamada will also meet with Nago City Mayor Yoshikazu 
Shimabukuro. He will meet with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima 
tomorrow to discuss the issue of relocating the U.S. military's 
Futenma airfield and other issues. 
 
TOKYO 00001548  008 OF 013 
 
 
 
10) MSDF will be mobilized only under special circumstances in bill 
presented to the Diet allowing cargo searches 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Excerpt) 
July 8, 2009 
 
The government on July 7 convened a special meeting of the National 
Security Council and the Cabinet and approved a special measures 
bill for cargo inspections of ships coming in and out of North 
Korea. It then presented the bill to the Diet. The bill enables 
Japan to implement a United Nations Security Council resolution 
against North Korea for carrying out a nuclear weapons test. The 
government in order to closely cooperate with the international 
community, including the United States and South Korea, aims at the 
bill's early passage. In order to make it easy to obtain the 
cooperation of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), ship 
searches will be the main responsibility of the Japan Coast Guard, 
with the Maritime Self-Defense Force having limited involvement. The 
focus now will be on the response of the DPJ, but with fierce 
maneuvering now going on between the ruling and opposition camps, 
going into the next Lower House election, the situation has an 
aspect of fluidity. 
 
11) Diet dissolution a barrier to cargo inspection bill 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
July 8, 2009 
 
The government yesterday submitted a bill to the Diet for a special 
measures law to inspect cargo onboard ships heading to and from 
North Korea. The ruling parties are going to enact the special 
legislation at the current Diet session. The Diet is set to close 
its current session on July 28. The question is whether the bill can 
be enacted during the current Diet session. It depends on when the 
prime minister will dissolve the House of Representatives. Another 
key factor to its enactment is how the leading opposition Democratic 
Party of Japan (Minshuto) will respond. 
 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura, meeting the press yesterday, 
played up the legislation's importance. "It has international 
significance," Kawamura said. 
 
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874, adopted in the wake 
of North Korea's nuclear test, is intended to block North Korea from 
developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. To that end, the 
UNSC resolution embargoes relevant materials. In order to heighten 
its effectiveness, the resolution calls on U.N. member nations to 
implement cargo inspections. The legislation is the basis for 
Japan's implementation of cargo inspections. 
 
North Korean ships, however, cannot be expected to comply with 
Japan's cargo inspections. Given this, the legislation's actual 
efficacy cannot be expected. The bill does not stipulate cooperation 
with U.S. forces or other foreign naval ships. This legislation is 
rather meant to "clearly show that Japan is more proactive than any 
other country in its efforts to carry out cargo inspections," 
according to Taku Yamasaki, chairman of the ruling Liberal 
Democratic Party's Research Commission on Foreign Affairs. 
 
The government and the ruling parties are aiming to start Diet 
deliberations tomorrow on the cargo inspection bill in the House of 
 
TOKYO 00001548  009 OF 013 
 
 
Representatives. Their scenario is to pass the bill in the House of 
Representatives on July 14 and enact it into law in late July. But 
there is little time to deliberate on the bill. Moreover, if Prime 
Minister Aso dissolves the House of Representatives right after the 
July 12 Tokyo metropolitan election, the bill will die stillborn. 
Given such circumstances, even ruling party lawmakers are not so 
enthusiastic about enacting the legislation. One mid-ranking 
lawmaker in the LDP deems it "impossible" for the bill to get 
through the Diet during the current session. 
 
Meanwhile, the DPJ's response is another key factor to the question 
of whether the cargo inspection bill can be enacted into law during 
the current Diet session. The bill says the Japan Coast Guard and 
customs are to conduct cargo inspections. The Self-Defense Forces' 
involvement is within the bounds of the current law. If that is the 
case, the DPJ will likely accept the legislation. "If the Japan 
Coast Guard is mainly in charge of cargo inspections, then I can 
agree to the bill," one of the DPJ's lawmakers said. 
 
DPJ President Hatoyama also said in a press conference yesterday: 
"If they say the Maritime Self-Defense Force is likely (to be 
mobilized) only in a special case, then I feel we should not be in a 
position to oppose the legislation." With this, Hatoyama also 
implied his party's intention to vote for the bill. The DPJ will 
hold a meeting of its foreign affairs and defense division tomorrow 
to decide on its response. 
 
12) Prime Minister Aso meets with the Pope 
 
SANKEI (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) 
July 8, 2009 
 
Morimichi Imahori, Rome 
 
After arriving in Rome on a special JAL airplane before dawn on July 
7 (on the morning of July 7, Japan time), Prime Minister Taro Aso 
met at noon with Pope Benedict XVI, 82, at the Vatican Palace. 
 
The meeting was realized at the request of Aso. It was the first 
meeting between a Japanese prime minister and the Pope in ten years. 
The previous one was held in 1999 between Prime Minister Keizo 
Obuchi and Pope John Paul II. 
 
Aso explained that his grandfather, former Prime Minister Shigeru 
Yoshida, was the first Japanese prime minister to have met with the 
Pope. He told the Pope: 
 
"I'm really honored to meet you. Japan would like to cooperate with 
the Vatican, which has carried out its own diplomacy backed by 1.1 
billion Catholics, to stabilize international situations, as well as 
to resolve problems common to all humankind." 
 
The Pope then said that he was glad to hold a meeting with Aso, who 
is a Catholic. He also said: "I'm pleased that Japan is open to all 
religions." With his visit to Africa in March in mind, the Pope 
expressed his hopes for Japan's support for Africa. 
 
13) Russian Upper House adopts statement demanding suspension of 
visa-free exchange program on Northern Territories 
 
SANKEI (Page 1) (Full) 
July 8, 2009 
 
TOKYO 00001548  010 OF 013 
 
 
 
Takao Sato, Moscow 
 
The Russia Federation Council adopted on July 7 a statement asking 
President Dmitriy Medvedev to suspend the "visa-free exchange 
program" under which residents of Japan and the Northern Islands can 
exchange visits without passports and visas. This is in protest to 
the Japanese Diet's passage of an amendment to the special measures 
law for the promotion of a solution to the Northern Territories 
issue, stating that these islands are an "integral part of Japanese 
territory." 
 
Russian presidential assistant Arkady Dvorkovich also expressed 
concern on the same day that "the environment is not necessarily 
favorable" for the Japan-Russia summit to be held on the sidelines 
of the G-8 L'Aquila Summit. 
 
The Russian Upper House's statement criticizes the amended Japanese 
law as "contradicting the direction of the dialogue between Russia 
and Japan to find a mutually acceptable solution on the question of 
the peace treaty." 
 
The visa-free exchange program has been in effect from 1992 under an 
agreement between the two governments. A Japanese delegation has 
just left Nemuro on July 6. The Kuril district government of 
Sakhalin Province, which exercises administrative control on 
Etorofu, one of the four Northern Islands, announced its rejection 
of the visa-free program on July 7, but according to reports from 
Vladivostok in the Far East, the representative office of the 
Foreign Ministry in the province says that the Japanese delegation 
"will be received as planned." 
 
14) Key bills to determine timing of Lower House dissolution 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) 
July 7, 2009 
 
The timing for Lower House dissolution still remains unclear. Key 
bills that have been left for later discussions are impinging on the 
specification of such timing. 
 
Prime Minister Taro Aso at a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 
executive meeting held before his departure to Italy to attend the 
G-8 summit said, "I want you to take care of Diet deliberations on 
the remaining key bills." He specifically mentioned a bill amending 
the Organ Transplant Law and a cargo inspection special measures 
bill on the inspection of vessels heading to and from North Korea. 
 
Due in part to growing public interest in the matter, the prevalent 
view on the bill amending the Organ Transplant Law is that 
dissolving the Lower House before a vote on the bill by the Upper 
House will draw criticism, as a senior LDP member put it. The Upper 
House Health, Labor and Welfare Committee is now deliberating on the 
bill. They are discussing Plan-A, which has cleared the Lower House, 
and its counter plan. A plan revising Plan-A was submitted on July 
¶7. 
 
The ruling parties' stance is that the bill should be put to a vote 
at an Upper House plenary session. However, the Democratic Party of 
Japan (DPJ) is reluctant to do so. A roll call for the bill will 
likely take place next week or later after the Tokyo Metropolitan 
Assembly election. 
 
TOKYO 00001548  011 OF 013 
 
 
 
Concerning the cargo inspection special measures bill, submitted to 
the Diet on July 7, the ruling camp aims to enter deliberations 
after giving an explanation of it at a Lower House plenary session 
on July 9, and pass it through the Lower House before the end of 
next week. However, the prospects for its passage depend on the move 
of the DPJ, which will for the first time confer on its approach to 
the bill on July 9. 
 
If these two bills secure Diet approval, the barriers for Lower 
House dissolution will be removed for the time being. The prime 
minister, however, did not clearly order the enactment of the two 
bills. Since forces opposing Lower House dissolution at an early 
date are insisting on the enactment of the bills as a reason for 
their call for putting off Lower House dissolution, making the 
situation complicated. 
 
A special measures bill to provide relief for unrecognized Minamata 
disease patients, another key bill, is expected to be approved and 
enacted at a plenary session of the Upper House on July 8. 
 
Explanations on the government-sponsored bills related to the reform 
of the national government employee system featuring the 
establishment of a cabinet personnel bureau will be given at the 
Lower House Cabinet Committee on July 8. However, there are no 
prospects for them securing Diet approval. 
 
15) Hatoyama false fund entry issue: He explains that different 
organization pays expenses 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Abridged slightly) 
July 8, 2009 
 
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has some doubts about the fact 
that a political organization named the Hatoyama Yukio Kouenkai 
Rengo (Federation of Hatoyama Yukio Support Organizations) of 
Muroran, Hokkaido, reported "zero yen" as its operating expenses in 
its financial reports for 2005-2007. Touching on this fact, 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Yukio Hatoyama reported to 
party executives and executive board meetings yesterday that another 
political organization called the Hokkaido Yuai Seikei Konwakai 
(Hokkaido Fraternal Politics and Economics Discussion Council), 
which shares the same office, pays the rent, telephone bill, and 
other expenses. His reports were approved. 
 
At a press conference yesterday, Hatoyama made the following comment 
regarding his response to the question of false entries in his 
political funds reports: "If the LDP is attacking me to generate a 
suspicious image, I think I need a venue of some sorts (to offer a 
counter argument). 
 
At the same time, Hatoyama apparently does not intend to attend a 
session of the Deliberative Council on Political Ethics. Many DPJ 
executives have cautious views, with one saying, "He should not show 
up at an arena prepared by the LDP." 
 
The LDP is suspecting that funds from Hatoyama's mother have 
illegally flown out in a form of evading inheritance taxes. About 
such an allegation, Hatoyama said: "I have +donations. That has 
nothing to do with inheritance taxes." 
 
16) Scope column: LDP desperately trying to attack DPJ President 
 
TOKYO 00001548  012 OF 013 
 
 
Hatoyama, aiming at tarnishing his image 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
July 8, 2009 
 
Shunsuke Shimizu 
 
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) yesterday came up with 
measures to pursue Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Yukio 
Hatoyama over the illegal individual donation scandal. The LDP plans 
to demand that Hatoyama be called to testify before the Diet as an 
unsworn witness. With the July 12 Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly 
election and a general election for the House of Representatives 
approaching, the LDP has yet to find any good measures to regain 
party strength. Therefore, the party is now desperate to pursue 
Hatoyama, considering it the only means of attacking the DPJ. 
 
"There are a lot of questions that we want to ask him. I would like 
him to answer them at the Diet," Yoshitaka Murata, chief deputy 
chairman of the LDP Diet Affairs Committee, told reporters yesterday 
at the Diet building. 
 
The LDP decided in a meeting yesterday of senior directors of the 
Diet Affairs Committee that it aims to adopt a resolution calling 
for Hatoyama's testimony on July 10 at a session of the Lower House 
Special Committee on Political Ethics and Revision of the Public 
Offices Election Law. At the same time in a meeting of the chief 
directors of the ruling parties from the Lower House Budget 
Committee, participants demanded that intensive deliberations on the 
issue of "politics and money" be held on July 15. In addition, an 
LDP director of the Upper House Committee on Basic National Policies 
proposed to a DPJ committee director that a debate between Prime 
Minister Taro Aso and DPJ President Hatoyama be held on July 15. 
 
However, the DPJ is unlikely to accept both requests readily. 
 
The New Komeito, the LDP's junior coalition partner, has taken a 
positive stance toward Diet testimony by Hatoyama, but it has not 
budged from following the practice of "unanimous action as a 
condition." The reason is because the DPJ has hinted that it will 
call for Diet testimony by former New Komeito Chairman Junya Yano, 
who has filed a damages suit against the Soka Gakkai, the New 
Komeito's chief supporter, if the ruling camp goes ahead with 
Hatoyama's testimony. The DPJ has warned that it will call for 
testimony by Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano and Economy, Trade and 
Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai, whose political donation problems 
have been called to attention. 
 
17) Higashikokubaru puts off decision on whether to run in Lower 
House election 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
July 8, 2009 
 
Miyazaki Gov. Hideo Higashikokubaru met yesterday with Liberal 
Democratic Party (LDP) Election Strategy Council Chairman Makoto 
Koga and Deputy Chairman Yoshihide Suga at party headquarters. The 
three exchanged views on the possibility of Higashikokubaru running 
in the next House of Representatives election. Regarding the popular 
governor's two proposals as conditions for his candidacy - (1) the 
LDP listing him as candidate for party president; and (2) inclusion 
of the National Governors' Association's demand for decentralization 
 
TOKYO 00001548  013 OF 013 
 
 
in the party's manifesto (campaign pledges) for the Lower House 
election, the LDP side said: "The party is considering them in a 
positive manner." Higashikokubaru showed his appreciation of the 
LDP's position, but refrained from making a decision yesterday. 
 
Higashikokubaru told reporters after the meeting: "The LDP's policy 
is that it will formulate a manifesto after the Lower House is 
dissolved. I'm not in a hurry, anyway." With regard to the 
decentralization issue, he said: "It is a major hurdle for the LDP. 
It will be difficult to reach consensus in the party." He indicated 
that he would make a final decision on whether to run or not after 
seeing the contents of the LDP's manifesto after Lower House 
dissolution. 
 
ZUMWALT