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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TOKYO 001959 
 
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 08/25/09 
 
INDEX: 
 
 
(1) Prime Minister Aso exchanges views with new U.S. Ambassador to 
Japan Roos (Mainichi) 
(2) Editorial: Stay alert on North Korea's approach of dialogue 
(Nikkei) 
(3) UC Berkeley in possession of remains of WWII Japanese war dead; 
California senator calls for return and apology (Sankei) 
(4) Poll on general election (Mainichi) 
(5) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties (Yomiuri) 
(6) Comparison of LDP, DPJ manifestos on bureaucratic reform, 
decentralization of power (Yomiuri) 
(7) Flurry of unprecedented budget requests: Deadline for submission 
of requests on the 31st, but cabinet ministers busy campaigning for 
election (Yomiuri) 
(8) Police send U.S. serviceperson's case to prosecutor; marine may 
become first serviceperson in prefecture to stand trial in a court 
case presided by citizen judges (Ryukyu Shimpo) 
 
ARTICLES: 
 
(1) Prime Minister Aso exchanges views with new U.S. Ambassador to 
Japan Roos 
 
MAINICHI ONLINE (Full) 
11:10, August 25, 2009 
 
Yasuhiko Sakaguchi 
 
Receiving a courtesy call by John V. Roos, the new U.S. ambassador 
to Japan, Prime Minister Taro Aso exchanged views with him for about 
15 minutes this morning. After his meeting with the Prime Minister, 
Ambassador Roos told the press, "We talked about how to strengthen 
the bilateral relationship and how to maintain it." Later, meeting 
with Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, Ambassador Roos said, 
"President Obama told me that the bonds between the United States 
and Japan will become even more stronger." 
 
(2) Editorial: Stay alert on North Korea's approach of dialogue 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
August 25, 2009 
 
North Korean envoys who visited Seoul to mourn the death of former 
South Korean President Kim Dae Jung met with South Korean President 
Lee Myung-bak and delivered a message from leader Kim Jong Il 
calling for promoting bilateral cooperation. North Korea, which has 
repeatedly criticized the Lee administration, seems to be turning 
the inter-Korean relationship in the direction of dialogue. But we 
must keep a strict watch on the North. 
 
This was the first time for President Lee since he came into office 
to hold talks with senior North Korean officials. The details of the 
message from Kim Jong Il and of the meeting have not been disclosed, 
but both sides reportedly expressed a positive view about 
inter-Korean cooperation. They now stand at the threshold of 
improvement in strained bilateral ties. 
 
North Korea's abrupt about-face apparently reflects a desire to sway 
the Lee administration and break out of the tightening international 
noose meant to deter its nuclear development. The international 
 
TOKYO 00001959  002 OF 010 
 
 
community, including the South Korean government, should be 
increasingly on the alert against the North. 
 
President Lee reportedly reiterated his view to the North Korean 
envoys that there would be no progress in economic cooperation as 
long as the North continues its nuclear development programs. Some 
observers in South Korea take the view that governmental talks 
between the South and North may start in the near future, but we 
hope the Lee administration will persist with its basic stance on 
the nuclear issue. 
 
With the reception of former U.S. President Bill Clinton in early 
August, North Korea initiated a policy of dialogue. Kim Jong Il met 
Clinton and released two detained American journalists. The head of 
the South Korean Hyundai Group traveled to North Korea and won the 
release of an employee detained there. Kim also promised to resume 
the projects that were being jointly promoted by South and North 
Korea. 
 
These developments are inevitably signals sent by the North to 
express its hope for improvement in relations with the U.S. and 
South Korea. The North's approach to South Korea is intended to lure 
the U.S. into direct talks with North Korea. 
 
It was North Korea that suspended the South-North cooperation 
projects and detained the U.S. journalists and the Hyundai employee. 
The aim of these signals for improvement in bilateral ties is to 
return the bilateral relationship to its original state. In doing 
this North Korea has nothing to lose. 
 
What most interest the international community is the issue of North 
Korea's nuclear (development program). But the North has indicated 
no willingness to compromise. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu 
Dawei, who chairs the Six-Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear 
issue, visited North Korea on Aug. 17-21 and urged Vice Foreign 
Minister Kim Gye Gwan and other North Korean officials to return to 
the Six-party Talks. But their reply was to put an end the Six-Party 
Talks for good. 
 
Philip Goldberg, a senior U.S. diplomat in charge of coordinating 
the Department of State's implementation of sanctions against North 
Korea, is making a round of visits to four Asian countries, 
including Japan and South Korea. North Korea's irritation at 
progress in tightening the noose is evident. It is imperative for 
the international community, centered on Japan, the U.S, and South 
Korea, to continue to pressure North Korea to abandon its nuclear 
development program. 
 
(3) UC Berkeley in possession of remains of WWII Japanese war dead; 
California senator calls for return and apology 
 
SANKEI (Page 8) (Full) 
August 25, 2009 
 
Michiya Matsuo, New York 
 
It was learned that the remains of several Japanese who apparently 
committed suicide in Saipan, the site of fierce fighting during 
World War II, are being kept in the storeroom of the Museum of 
Anthropology of the University of California, Berkeley, one of the 
top universities in the United States. 
 
 
TOKYO 00001959  003 OF 010 
 
 
According to a local paper, the San Francisco Chronicle, three sets 
of skeletal remains with skulls, and various bones of additional 
Japanese war dead without skulls are stored in wooden containers in 
the museum. Tags on the vaults show that they were collected in 
Saipan, with an explanation that these are remains of "Japanese who 
committed suicide during the American invasion." 
 
According to the university, these remains were donated by a navy 
doctor in 1974, and they had been kept by him privately before the 
donation. The doctor has since died. 
 
Keeping the remains of the war dead in the storeroom of a museum, 
that is, treating them with neglect, amounts to lack of respect and 
dignity in treating the deceased. The office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi 
of the U.S. House of Representatives, whose constituency is near UC 
Berkeley, told the Chronicle that Pelosi "has grave concerns about 
this issue." 
 
"These are so-called skeletons in the closet," the office of state 
Senator Gloria Romero said.  "They are an affront to human dignity." 
The office demanded an apology to Japan and the return of the 
remains. 
 
The Chronicle points out that it was not uncommon for U.S. soldiers 
to bring home the remains of Japanese soldiers and other war dead as 
souvenirs during World War II. The paper suggests that this might 
have violated the Geneva Conventions, which call for the protection 
of the war dead. 
 
"It has not been determined that they are indeed remains of Japanese 
persons or whether they are soldiers or civilians," responded UC 
Berkeley. "We also do not have information on how they died." The 
university added that the Geneva Conventions are international laws 
pertaining to prisoners of war, so if the identity of the war dead 
is unknown, there is no violation of the Conventions. However, the 
university is taking this matter seriously and is in contact with 
the U.S. government and other authorities. 
 
The Japanese embassy in the United States has also shown interest in 
this case. It is in contact with the Ministry of Health, Labor and 
Welfare and other Japanese government offices to gather information 
on this matter. 
 
(4) Poll on general election 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
August 22, 2009 
 
Questions & Answers 
(T=total; M=male; F=female) 
 
Q: Are you going to vote in the upcoming election for the House of 
Representatives? 
 
 T M F 
Yes 74 79 69 
Probably yes 19 15 22 
Probably no 2 2 3 
No 1 1 1 
 
Q: Which political party do you support? 
 
 
TOKYO 00001959  004 OF 010 
 
 
 T M F 
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 19 20 18 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 34 41 27 
New Komeito (NK) 5 3 6 
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 3 3 3 
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1 1 1 
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 1 1 0 
Your Party (YP or Minna no To) 1 2 1 
Reform Club (RC or Kaikaku Kurabu) 0 0 0 
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0 0 0 
Other political parties 1 1 1 
None 25 20 29 
 
Q: Who do you think is more appropriate for prime minister, Prime 
Minister Aso or DPJ President Hatoyama? 
 
 T M F 
Prime Minister Aso 14 14 13 
DPJ President Hatoyama 30 37 23 
Neither 47 42 51 
 
Q: Which party do you think is more competent to run the government, 
the LDP or the DPJ? 
 
 T M F 
LDP 37 38 36 
DPJ 40 43 36 
 
Q: What do you regard as most important in the general election for 
the House of Representatives? 
 
 T M F 
Economic policy measures 27 28 26 
Pension, healthcare, nursing care 29 26 32 
Childcare, education 14 9 18 
Decentralization 2 2 1 
Administrative reform 7 9 5 
A change of government 10 14 7 
 
(Note) Figures shown in percentage, rounded off. "0" indicates that 
the figure was below 0.5%. "No answer" omitted. 
 
Polling methodology: The survey was conducted jointly by the 
Mainichi Shimbun and Japan News Network (JNN) on Aug. 19-20 over the 
telephone across the nation on a computer-aided random digit 
sampling (RDS) basis. Answers were obtained from 77,858 voters. 
 
(5) Poll on Aso cabinet, political parties 
 
YOMIURI (Page 6) (Abridged) 
August 22, 2009 
 
Questions & Answers 
(Figures are percentages) 
 
Q: Do you support the Aso cabinet? 
 
Yes 24.7 
No 64.3 
Other answers (O/A) 3.4 
No answer (N/A) 7.6 
 
 
TOKYO 00001959  005 OF 010 
 
 
Q: Which political party do you support now? Pick only one. 
 
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 26.9 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 33.2 
New Komeito (NK) 3.2 
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 2.8 
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 1.2 
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0.4 
Your Party (YP or Minna no To) 0.6 
Reform Club (RC or Kaikaku Kurabu) --- 
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) --- 
Other political parties 0.1 
None 28.2 
N/A 3.4 
 
Q: Are you interested in the general election to be held on Aug. 30 
for the House of Representatives? 
 
Very interested 61.4 
Somewhat interested 28.6 
Not very interested 8.7 
Not interested at all 1.1 
N/A 0.2 
 
Q: Which political party's candidate are you going to vote for in 
the upcoming election for the House of Representatives in your 
single-seat constituency? 
 
LDP 24.8 
DPJ 37.7 
NK 3.7 
JCP 2.7 
SDP 1.8 
PNP 0.5 
YP 1.5 
RC 0.1 
NPN --- 
Other political parties 0.4 
Independent 2.2 
Undecided 20.6 
N/A 4.0 
 
Q: Which political party are you going to vote for in the upcoming 
election for the House of Representatives in your proportional 
representation bloc? 
 
LDP 23.9 
DPJ 40.4 
NK 5.6 
JCP 4.7 
SDP 1.3 
PNP 0.5 
YP 1.8 
RC --- 
NPN 0.1 
Other political parties 0.6 
Undecided 16.3 
N/A 4.7 
 
Q: Which political party would you not like to see gain more seats. 
If any, pick as many as you like from among those listed below. 
 
 
TOKYO 00001959  006 OF 010 
 
 
LDP 27.8 
DPJ 10.2 
NK 16.0 
JCP 11.2 
SDP 5.9 
PNP 1.5 
RC 0.9 
NPN 0.9 
Other political parties 3.9 
None in particular 40.8 
N/A 6.7 
 
Q: Are you going to vote in the upcoming election for the House of 
Representatives? 
 
Yes, definitely (including early voting) 74.7 
Yes, if possible 20.8 
Probably not 2.4 
No (abstain from voting) 1.4 
N/A 0.7 
 
Q: When comparing Prime Minister Aso and DPJ President Hatoyama, who 
do you think is more appropriate to be prime minister? 
 
Prime Minister Aso 26.8 
DPJ President Hatoyama 46.3 
N/A 26.8 
 
Q: When comparing the LDP and the DPJ, which party do you think is 
more competent to run the government? 
 
LDP 44.6 
DPJ 31.8 
N/A 23.5 
 
Q: What kind of government would you like to see after the upcoming 
election for the House of Representatives? 
 
LDP-led coalition government 16.2 
DPJ-led coalition government 27.3 
LDP-DPJ grand coalition government 24.1 
Government under new framework through political realignment 24.9 
O/A --- 
N/A 7.6 
 
Polling methodology: The survey was conducted Aug. 18-20 across the 
nation on a computer-aided random digit dialing (RDD) basis. 
Households with one or more eligible voters totaled 1,811. Valid 
answers were obtained from 1,093 persons (59.7%). 
 
(Note) In some cases, the total percentage does not add up to 100% 
due to rounding. 
 
(6) Comparison of LDP, DPJ manifestos on bureaucratic reform, 
decentralization of power 
 
YOMIURI (Page 3) (Excerpts) 
August 25, 2009 
 
Yuichi Suzuki, Shinya Yamada, political reporters 
 
What is the picture of Japan's future being presented in the 
 
TOKYO 00001959  007 OF 010 
 
 
political parties' manifestos (campaign pledges) for the forthcoming 
House of Representatives election where the voters will be choosing 
an administration? The pledges of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 
and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on the relationship between 
politicians and bureaucrats and that between the national and local 
governments, two issues which bear on the "shape of the nation," are 
examined here. 
 
The administrative vice ministers' meeting, which has existed since 
the Meiji era, has traditionally been the body in charge of prior 
examination of matters to be taken up at the cabinet meetings. 
 
The DPJ regards this vice ministers' meeting as the symbol of 
bureaucratic control and proposes to abolish it. The party would 
replace it with "ministers' committees" consisting of a small number 
of ministers to serve as the venue of coordination among ministries 
for important policies. Its manifesto also talks about creating a 
new "national strategy bureau" reporting directly to the prime 
minister. The outline of the budget will be drafted by the Prime 
Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) and will not be left in the 
hands of the Ministry of Finance. 
 
The Kasumigaseki reform proposals of the DPJ seek to limit the role 
of bureaucrats in the process of formulation of and coordination for 
policies, and transform the "bureaucratic cabinet system" since the 
Meiji era into a "politician-led" system to conform to the 
mainstream in the world. 
 
Pitfalls of unified control 
 
However, it is unclear to what extent the relationship between 
politicians and bureaucrats will change under the DPJ-proposed 
"politician-led" system. 
 
The LDP administrations have followed the convention of 
government-proposed bills going through prior examination by the 
party's General Council and Policy Research Council under a dual 
system of policymaking shared by the cabinet and the LDP. Cabinet 
ministers tasked bureaucrats to coordinate with powerful party 
members and zoku giin (Diet members lobbying for special interests), 
and bureaucrats tended to protect the interests of their own 
ministries by joining hands with the zoku giin. 
 
The DPJ proposes to deal with this by amending the National 
Government Organization Law and other legislation and to send some 
100 ruling party Diet members to the ministries and the Kantei, in 
order to unify policymaking under the cabinet. It has declared that 
the party will be prohibited from interfering with policy decisions. 
However, according to a former Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, 
Transport, and Tourism official, many think that "if Deputy 
President Ozawa and other powerful party officials do not join the 
cabinet, a dual structure of power is very likely." 
 
Many are also concerned that "if the ruling parties are integrated 
too much with the government, checks and balances in the Diet and 
legislative functions will become lax." 
 
Reinforcing cabinet functions 
 
Meanwhile, the LDP has worked on Kasumigaseki reform since the 
"Hashimoto reforms" in the second half of the 1990s in order to 
reinforce the cabinet's functions. It has taken such steps as 
 
TOKYO 00001959  008 OF 010 
 
 
increasing the number of assistants to the prime minister, the 
creation of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy chaired by the 
prime minister, and the introduction of the system of senior vice 
ministers and parliamentary secretaries. Nevertheless, sectarian 
thinking endures in the ministries. 
 
In its manifesto, the LDP pledges to set up a national strategy 
staff to assist the prime minister and realize the unified 
management of appointments of senior civil servants. Unified 
personnel management is meant to eliminate sectarianism. 
 
Hideki Kato, a former Ministry of Finance bureaucrat and president 
of "Japan Initiative," a policy research institute, points out that 
"the reason why bureaucrats have come to hold power is because they 
have been responsible for the tedious work of policy coordination, 
such as negotiations and briefing stakeholders. If the politicians 
do the coordination themselves and take responsibility for the 
process, the bureaucrats will follow their leadership. The issue is 
rather the politicians' capability." 
 
The definition of the role of the national and local governments is 
closely related to Kasumigaseki reform. 
 
Since the Meiji era, Japan has concentrated power and revenues in 
Kasumigaseki for the uniformed administration of the country. This 
was effective in the process of modernization and postwar 
reconstruction, but the involvement of the national government in 
the minute details of the local governments' work has given rise to 
complaints that local governments are unable to conduct 
administration suitable to the local conditions at their own 
discretion. The need to regularly petition Kasumigaseki to ask for 
approval of projects is also a heavy burden on the local 
governments. 
 
The DPJ advocates a shift from the system of concentration of power 
in the central government to a system of local autonomy. It proposes 
abolishing local offices of the central ministries work in principle 
and abolishing or reducing Tokyo's micro-regulation of local 
governments' work through legislation after taking power. 
 
The above have been long-time demands from the National Association 
of Governors. The DPJ claims that combined with its unique proposal 
to replace government subsidies with strict limits on usage with 
lump sum grants local governments can use freely. "Kasumigaseki can 
be reduced to half of its present size," said Koichiro Genba, chair 
of the Research Committee on Decentralization of Power. 
 
However, more than two-thirds of government subsidies are used for 
social security and education. The LDP criticizes the DPJ's proposal 
saying, "Lump sum grants will not increase revenues that can be used 
freely." 
 
The LDP's proposal for eliminating the concentration of power in the 
central government is the introduction of the doshu (regional) 
system, the centerpiece of its manifesto. It aims to reorganize the 
prefectures into about 10 regions by 2017. 
 
LDP proponents of this system explain that "most of the national 
government's powers and revenues with regard to industrial 
development, building of social infrastructure, and so forth will be 
shifted to the states, and Kasumigaseki's role will be reduced to 
such areas as foreign policy, defense, and the judiciary." The 
 
TOKYO 00001959  009 OF 010 
 
 
Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) and the business sector 
support the doshu system, but a strategy for persuading the 
ministries to transfer powers and revenues in a bold fashion has not 
been spelled out. 
 
(7) Flurry of unprecedented budget requests: Deadline for submission 
of requests on the 31st, but cabinet ministers busy campaigning for 
election 
 
YOMIURI (Page 11) (Abridged) 
August 25, 2009 
 
The day of the Lower House election, in which the main focus is 
whether there will be a change in government, is drawing near. 
Bureaucrats at Kasumigaseki (government office district) are busily 
engaged in dealing with budget request guidelines for fiscal 2010, 
with the August 31 deadline for submissions close at hand. The 
budget compilation work is not making headway as in other years, 
because ministry officials are unable to find time to brief their 
ministers, who are busy with election campaigning. The Democratic 
Party of Japan (DPJ) plans to recompile the budget once it takes the 
reins of government. Officials at various government offices are 
concerned that if there is power transfer, they would have to do it 
all over again. 
 
Securing time for briefing to ministers 
 
As Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kaneko is going on 
stumping tours for the Lower House election all over the country, it 
is difficult for ministry officials to secure time (for such a 
meeting) with him, complained Vice Minister Taniguchi. In his view, 
the only thing he can do is to visit the minister's constituency 
after his campaign activities are over. 
 
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) plans to finish a 
briefing to the minister before the end of the week. However, a 
timetable for a ministerial meeting, where the ministry's views are 
to be unified, has yet to be set. There is a possibility of the MHLW 
minister being unable to attend the meeting. Adjustments of views 
with the ruling parties, which many government offices undergo every 
year, have not made headway sufficiently. 
 
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) on the 20th 
released the specifics of its budget requests. However, the reality 
is, according to a senior official: "We released whatever was 
available. The real race is yet to come.". 
 
Possibility of budget compilation being put off until next year 
 
At the start of the process of compiling a national budget, request 
guidelines (ceilings) are set in late July. Government agencies then 
exchange views with relevant sections and the ruling parties, after 
which they submit funding requests to the Finance Minister by the 
end of August. The Finance Ministry then screens their requests. 
This work moves into high gear in September. A government plan is 
then adopted in late December. 
 
However, DPJ Policy Research Council Chairman Naoshima criticized 
the budget request guidelines for fiscal 2010 as meaningless. The 
party is aiming to substantively recompile the budget, by newly 
setting up a national strategy bureau directly reporting to the 
prime minister. 
 
TOKYO 00001959  010 OF 010 
 
 
 
It is viewed that if the budget request guidelines, which the 
government has already adopted, are cancelled, there would be a 
substantial delay in the budget compilation work. The mechanism of 
the proposed national strategy bureau, which is viewed to be tasked 
with deciding on the total amount of the budget and budgetary 
frameworks for each government agency, has yet to be clarified. Some 
Finance Ministry officials have pointed out the possibility of the 
compilation of the budget being put off until the next year, with 
one official saying, "There is concern that a substantial delay in 
the launch of the budget compilation work may make it difficult to 
complete the work before the end of the year." 
 
(8) Police send U.S. serviceperson's case to prosecutor; marine may 
become first serviceperson in prefecture to stand trial in a court 
case presided by citizen judges 
 
Ryukyu Shimpo (Page 31) (Full) 
August 25, 2009 
 
 
On the 24th the Naha Police Department sent to the public 
prosecutor's office for robbery causing injury and possible 
violation of the Swords and Firearms Control Law the case of an 
18-year-old marine private first class (a minor) from the Makiminato 
Service Area (Camp Kinser). The marine allegedly put a knife to the 
neck of a taxi driver, cutting him, and stole his cash box. If the 
Naha District Attorney indicts the marine, he will be the first U.S. 
serviceperson to stand trial in a court case presided by citizen 
judges in (Okinawa) Prefecture. 
 
According to the Naha Police, the private first class made a full 
confession, and the knife, money box, and other evidence were 
confiscated during a house search. The prefectural police had 
announced on the 6th the marine had been named a suspect. 
 
The private first class is now incarcerated in a prison at Camp 
Hansen and will be turned over to Japanese authorities after he is 
indicted. 
 
The Naha Police reported that at 8:39 on the evening of the 1st the 
private first class put a knife against the neck of a taxi driver 
(58) while saying "money, money."  He fled from the taxi with a bag 
and money box holding the driver's cash and taxi revenue.  The 
driver suffered a cut requiring five days to heal. 
 
The money box and bag contained about 60,000 yen and 100 U.S. 
dollars. 
 
ROOS