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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TOKYO 002071 
 
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 09/09/09 
 
Index: 
1) Top headlines 
2) Editorials 
3) Prime Minister's daily schedule (Nikkei) 
4) DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama's schedule, September 8  (Nikkei) 
 
Politics 
5) DPJ to establish Party Leaders' Council  (Yomiuri) 
6) Agreement on coalition delayed; DPJ, SDP, and PNP fail to bridge 
differences in foreign and security policy; parties to meet again 
today  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
7) DPJ, SDP, and PNP reach broad agreement; making final adjustments 
to foreign and security policy  (Asahi) 
8) Lower House conference agrees special Diet session to run four 
days from the 16th  (Mainichi) 
9) Yokomichi chosen Lower House speaker  (Yomiuri) 
10) LDP to vote for Masatoshi Wakabayashi as prime minister in 
election set for special Diet session; party avoids casting blank 
ballot  (Asahi) 
11) Cabinet posts for Fukushima and Kamei confirmed  (Yomiuri) 
12) Kan to head Party Leaders' Council  (Mainichi) 
13) DPJ, DSP, and PNP agree to review postal service privatization 
(Sankei) 
14) Meeting of factions in Lower House agrees on election of new 
prime minister on the 16th  (Nikkei) 
 
Foreign Relations 
15) Chief Japanese and Chinese delegates confer on North Korea 
nuclear issue  (Yomiuri) 
16) Hatoyama discusses U.S. trip with Terashima  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
17) DPJ cautious before Hatoyama's meeting with U.S. President; 
building trust with Obama a priority  (Asahi) 
18) Special U.S. Representative takes both hard and soft line toward 
North Korea  (Asahi) 
 
Economics 
19) Hatoyama's emission reduction target of 25 PERCENT  elicits 
backlash  (Yomiuri) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi: 
DPJ, SDP, PNP reach basic agreement on forming coalition government 
 
Mainichi: 
Kan to represent DPJ in top-level liaison body after coalition 
government formed 
 
Yomiuri: 
Fukushima, Kamei likely to assume cabinet posts 
 
Nikkei: 
Demand shifting to new generation of memory devices 
 
Sankei: 
DPJ, DPJ, PNP agree to review postal privatization 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
Agreement on forming coalition government postponed 
 
 
TOKYO 00002071  002 OF 010 
 
 
Akahata: 
Japan's public spending for education at lowest level among OECD 
members 
 
2) EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) New Komeito should aim to become policy-oriented third political 
force 
(2) Tough battle between Microsoft and Google will bring about new 
IT age 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) LDP must review its defeat in Lower House election 
(2) 25 PERCENT  emissions cut: Strategy to influence U.S. and China 
important 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) DPJ's goal of 25 PERCENT  cut in emissions too ambitious 
(2) LDP should have sense of crisis 
 
Nikkei: 
(1) DPJ government should aim for economic growth with proactive 
measures for a low-carbon society 
 
Sankei: 
(1) LDP presidential race: Make utmost effort to elect strong 
leader 
(2) Ichiro's outstanding record: Ichiro casts aside strong pressure 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) DPJ should present roadmap for 25 PERCENT  emission cut 
(2) New Komeito should return to original stance of attaching 
importance to peace and welfare 
 
Akahata: 
(1) Need to create a society without school fees 
 
3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, September 8 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
September 9, 2009 
 
09:34 Executive meeting at LDP headquarters 
00:04 Cabinet meeting at Prime Minister's Official Residence 
(Kantei) 
10:18 Met Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura 
11:44 Met Yoshinobu Shimamura, special adviser to LDP president 
12:35 Arrived at Tokyo International Forum in Marunouchi 
13:00 National meeting marking the 60th anniversary of system for 
rehabilitation of released offenders 
14:15 Arrived at LDP headquarters 
15:06 General meeting of members of both houses of the Diet 
16:21 Met former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori 
16:31 Arrived at Kantei 
18:03 Cabinet meeting on monthly economic report 
18:29 Met Upper House member Shoji Nishida, joined by Upper House 
member Seiichi Eto 
19:24 Arrived at official residential quarters 
 
 
TOKYO 00002071  003 OF 010 
 
 
4) DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama's schedule, September 8 
 
08:57 Left residence in Denenchofu 
09:35 Met Upper House member Masamitsu Oishi; followed by Lower 
House member Kansei Nakano 
11:00 Arrived at DPJ headquarters 
12:07 Lunch with party officials at Chinese restaurant Nanpoen in 
Nagata-cho; followed by meeting with Chairman Hirofumi Hirano of DPJ 
Executive Office 
12:55 Met Kyocera Corporation Chairman Emeritus Kazuo Inamori at KI 
Kosan Building in Yaesu; Hirano also present at meeting 
13:48 Met Secretary General Katsuya Okada, Vice Foreign Minister 
Mitoji Yabunaka, Deputy Foreign Minister Kenichiro Sasae at DPJ 
headquarters 
15:32 Met Lower House member Yorihisa Matsuno 
16:30 Arrived at personal office 
18:35 Dinner with secretary, others at Chinese restaurant Kamonka in 
Akasaka 
20:12 Met Chairman Jitsuro Terashima of Japan Research Institute 
21:37 Arrived home 
 
5) DPJ to launch party leaders' council 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Abridged) 
September 9, 2009 
 
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) decided yesterday to set up a 
council of party leaders, which will be made up of DPJ President 
Hatoyama, Secretary General Ozawa, and other key party leaders, as 
its highest decision-making body after coming into office. The 
council will make unified decisions on Diet affairs, elections, and 
all other tasks related to party steering. 
 
The DPJ currently makes decisions in a conference of five top 
executive officers, namely DPJ President Hatoyama, Secretary General 
Okada, Deputy President Ozawa, Deputy President Kan, and Azuma 
Koshiishi, chairman of DPJ members seated in the House of 
Councillors. For now, this gathering is the DPJ's de facto highest 
decision-making body. Meanwhile, the council of party leaders is to 
be made up of five party leaders: the DPJ's president, secretary 
general, Policy Research Committee chair (deputy prime minister and 
state strategy minister), House of Councillors caucus chair, and 
Diet Affairs Committee chair. Hatoyama has informally picked Ozawa, 
Kan, and Koshiishi. Accordingly, the council of party leaders will 
be made up of these four party leaders plus the Diet Affairs 
Committee chair. 
 
6) Coalition agreement postponed 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top play) (Abridged) 
September 9, 2009 
 
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Social Democratic Party 
(SDP), and the People's New Party (PNP) yesterday evening held a 
meeting of their executive officers, including secretaries general, 
to continue talks for establishing a coalition government. In the 
meeting, the three parties failed to close the gap over foreign and 
security policies. They will meet again today. The DPJ had aimed to 
reach a coalition agreement yesterday with the SDP and the PNP. 
However, the three parties have eventually postponed making an 
agreement until after additional talks to be held today or later. 
 
 
TOKYO 00002071  004 OF 010 
 
 
The talks among the three parties were first held at the level of 
policy chiefs. But the talks failed to make any progress. As it 
stands, the talks have now been raised to the level of secretaries 
general. In yesterday's meeting, the PNP proposed introducing a bill 
to the Diet during this fall's extraordinary session for reviewing 
the current state of now-privatized postal services. On this issue, 
the three parties basically agreed to create a bill without delay 
for enactment. 
 
Regarding their U.S. policies, however, the SDP insisted on its 
stance of reviewing the planned relocation of the U.S. military's 
Futenma airfield in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, and revising the 
Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement. In addition, the SDP also 
took the position that the tripartite coalition agreement should 
incorporate its stance of firmly maintaining Japan's self-imposed 
three nonnuclear principles of not producing, possessing, or 
allowing nuclear weapons into the country. The DPJ made no 
concessions to the SDP, maintaining that the new government will try 
to settle bilateral issues, such as the presence of bases in Okinawa 
Prefecture, while giving thought to the local population's feelings. 
In the end, the three parties have postponed their conclusion. 
 
7) DPJ, SDP, and PNP reach general agreement on forming coalition 
administration; Final coordination underway on foreign and security 
affairs 
 
ASAHI (Top play) (Excerpts) 
September 9, 2009 
 
In their talks yesterday for forming a coalition administration, the 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), 
and the People's New Party (PNP) reached a general agreement on the 
framework of steering the incoming administration, a review of the 
postal businesses and other matters. A final agreement was postponed 
to today due to the need to work out wording regarding foreign and 
security issues with the SDP. A decision was also made to set up a 
cabinet committee on basic policies that is composed of the national 
strategy minister - the post likely to be filled by DPJ Deputy 
President Naoto Kan - plus three persons to coordinate policies 
among the three parties. 
 
In the meantime, SDP Secretary General Yasumasa Shigeno sought to 
document the following items regarding foreign and security issues: 
(1) opposition to the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' 
Futenma Air Station (in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture) to the Henoko 
district (in Nago in the prefecture); (2) a revision of the 
Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement; and (3) an immediate 
withdrawal of the Self-Defense Forces from the waters off Somalia in 
the Indian Ocean. In response, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada 
presented an amendment, saying: "We will bring solutions to 
bilateral issues, including the modalities of the bases in Okinawa, 
based on the feelings of the people of Okinawa," adding, "We will 
consider support measures based on the real situation in 
Afghanistan." Okada reportedly did not offer further changes, 
saying, "With a visit to the United States by 'Prime Minister 
Hatoyama' coming up, there is a need to consider matters." 
 
8) Special Diet session to convene on Sept. 16 for four days 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Excerpt) 
September 9, 2009 
 
 
TOKYO 00002071  005 OF 010 
 
 
Parliamentary groups in the House of Representatives held their 
first meeting in the Diet building yesterday and agreed to hold a 
special Diet session for four days from Sept. 16 and an election to 
nominate the prime minister on Sept. 16. 
 
9) Yokomichi to become Lower House speaker 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) 
September 9, 2009 
 
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) yesterday decided to appoint 
Takahiro Yokomichi, 66, as speaker of the House of Representatives. 
 
Yokomichi had served as Lower House vice speaker for about four 
years until the dissolution of the lower chamber in July. The DPJ 
reached the conclusion that he would be best suited for the post in 
managing Diet affairs. 
 
Yokomichi is now serving his 10th term in the Diet. He is a 
prominent member who has served in various posts such as DPJ vice 
president. The DPJ took such factors into consideration in choosing 
him as Lower House speaker. He has good relations with Deputy 
President Ichiro Ozawa, who will be appointed as secretary general. 
Therefore, Ozawa's view appears to have been reflected in the 
selection. Yokomichi represents the Lower House Hokkaido No. 1 
district. He belongs to the DPJ group affiliated with the former 
Socialist Party. 
 
10) LDP to vote for Wakabayashi as prime minister 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Abridged) 
September 9, 2009 
 
The Liberal Democratic Party yesterday held a meeting of its members 
from both houses of the Diet at its headquarters and decided to vote 
for former Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Masatoshi 
Wakabayashi, who chairs the joint plenary meeting of LDP Diet 
members. Wakabayashi is positioned as a provisional candidate in 
place of Prime Minister Aso, who will resign as LDP president right 
before voting to elect the prime minister. However, it is unusual 
for the LDP to vote for a lawmaker who is not a candidate for the 
LDP presidency. 
 
11) Fukushima, Kamei to join the new cabinet 
 
YOMIURI (Top play) (Lead paragraph) 
September 9, 2009 
 
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Social Democratic Party 
(SDP), and the People's New Party (PNP) held their secretaries 
general meeting in the Diet building last night to finalize their 
plan to form a coalition administration. Although the three parties 
reached a general agreement, a final agreement was postponed to 
today or later owing to the need to coordinate their views on 
foreign and security affairs. The DPJ presented a plan for party 
leaders of the SDP and PNP to join the incoming cabinet and to set 
up a cabinet committee on basic policies as a venue to coordinate 
policies with the SDP and PNP. The plan was endorsed by the two 
parties. But because the SDP representative decided to bring up the 
subject of U.S. bases in Okinawa with the party, a final agreement 
on the coalition administration was not reached. In the wake of the 
general agreement, it has now been decided that SDP head Mizuho 
 
TOKYO 00002071  006 OF 010 
 
 
Fukushima, 53, and PNP representative Shizuka Kamei, 72, will join 
the new cabinet. DPJ Deputy Secretary General Yoshihiko Noda, 52, is 
also likely to win a portfolio. 
 
12) DPJ proposes allowing Kan to take charge of party head-level 
consultative body; Agreement postponed due to difficulty in 
coordinating views on security affairs 
 
MAINICHI (Top play) (Lead paragraph) 
September 9, 2009 
 
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Social Democratic Party 
(SDP), and the People's New Party (PNP) held their secretaries 
general meeting in the Diet building last night to continue 
coordinating their views for the establishment of a coalition 
administration. The DPJ presented the idea of the national strategy 
minister, instead of the prime minister, joining a cabinet committee 
on basic policies, a party head-level consultative body, to be set 
up after the new administration is launched. The proposal did not 
draw strong objections from the SDP or PNP. But the talks ran into 
difficulties because the SDP sought an inclusion of a review of the 
Japan-U.S. Status of Force Agreement regarding foreign and security 
policies. The three parties are scheduled to resume their 
secretaries general talks today and aim for a final agreement 
through talks among the three party heads. 
 
13) DPJ, SDP, PNP agree to reform postal services 
 
SANKEI (Top Play) (Excerpts) 
September 9, 2009 
 
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Social Democratic Party 
(SDP) and the People's New Party (PNP) on the evening of September 8 
held secretary general-level talks in the Diet building with the aim 
of forming a coalition government. The PNP has been calling for the 
submission to the extraordinary Diet session in the fall of a basic 
bill to revise the postal service privatization plan and legislation 
to put on hold sales of stocks held by the Japan Post Group. 
Participants agreed to make efforts to pass these bills into law 
without delay. They thus reached a general agreement on the policy 
front. They also vowed to coordinate views among the ruling parties 
by setting up within the government a cabinet ministerial committee 
of party head-level persons to discuss basic policies. However, a 
final agreement has been postponed to Sept. 9 with the SDP 
disagreeing with the description of a revision of U.S. Forces Japan 
realignment. 
 
The SDP and the PNP at the secretary general-level talks called for 
stipulating a revision of the plan for the relocation of the U.S. 
forces' Futenma Air Station and the launching of talks to amend the 
Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement. However, Okada was reluctant 
to comply with their request because Hatoyama plans to visit the 
U.S. later in the month. As such, the DPJ indicated a compromise 
plan proposing a settlement of bilateral issues, starting with the 
nature of U.S. bases, taking the feelings of the people of Okinawa 
into consideration. However, the SDP said it would submit a reply 
after internal party talks on the morning of Sept. 9. 
 
Points of DPJ proposals for coalition agreement 
 
Q The cabinet ministerial committee to discuss basic policies joined 
by party head-level persons of the three parties is to be 
 
TOKYO 00002071  007 OF 010 
 
 
responsible for discussing policies that require coordination of 
views. The results will be presented and decided on at a cabinet 
meeting. 
 
Q Immediately consider emergency employment measures. 
 
Q Keep the sales tax rate at 5 PERCENT  while the DPJ is in power. 
 
Q Promptly draft a bill to reform postal services, and pass into 
law. 
 
Q Intensively tackle the settlement of the unidentified pension 
accounts issue. 
 
Q Extensively transfer administrative authorities to local 
government after legislating talks between the central and local 
government. 
 
Q Build a close and equal Japan-U.S. alliance. 
Q Settle challenges facing Japan and the U.S., starting with the 
nature of U.S. bases, taking the feelings of the people of Okinawa 
into consideration. 
Q Vow to observe the Constitution. Priority is to be given to the 
materialization of various rights guaranteed under the 
Constitution. 
 
14) Lower House consultative body agrees to elect new prime minister 
on Sept. 16 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Excerpt) 
September 9, 2009 
 
A joint session of various parties in the Lower House was held for 
the first time yesterday. Participants agreed to call the Diet for a 
special four-day session starting on Sept. 16 and hold a vote to 
elect the prime minister on Sept. 16. Democratic Party of Japan 
President Yukio Hatoyama will be elected as the 93rd prime minister. 
The Upper House is also expected to elect Hatoyama on the same day. 
 
15) Japanese, Chinese chief envoys to Six-Party Talks discuss North 
Korean issue 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
September 9, 2009 
 
The Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director 
General Akitaka Saiki and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, 
who serve as chief representatives to the Six-Party Talks on the 
North Korean nuclear issue, held talks yesterday at a Tokyo hotel. 
The two chief negotiators agreed to steadily implement sanction 
measures based on a resolution adopted at the United Nations 
Security Council against North Korea, which announced that it will 
conduct a nuclear test and that it has entered the final stage of 
uranium-enrichment. Wu also explained to Saiki the results of his 
visit to Pyongyang in August. 
 
16) Hatoyama consults with Terashima about U.S. visit 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) 
September 9, 2009 
 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Yukio Hatoyama met with 
 
TOKYO 00002071  008 OF 010 
 
 
Japan Research Institute Chairman Jitsuro Terashima yesterday 
evening for about 30 minutes at a Chinese restaurant in Akasaka, 
Tokyo. 
 
Visiting the United States soon after the inauguration of a new 
cabinet, Hatoyama intends to meet for the first time with U.S. 
President Barak Obama, as well as hold his first summit meetings 
with the Chinese and South Korean top leaders. 
 
After his meeting with Terashima, Hatoyama told reporters: "We 
didn't talk about the selection of cabinet members. He advised me 
about a speech at the United Nations General Assembly and a series 
of summit meetings in the United Sates." 
 
17) DPJ takes cautious stance on U.S. military base issues before 
Hatoyama-Obama summit meeting 
 
ASAHI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
September 9, 2009 
 
The issue of review of U.S. military bases in Okinawa, which has 
been the last sticking point in the coalition talks, is an issue 
whose handling may shake the Japan-U.S. alliance. The Democratic 
Party of Japan (DPJ), which wanted to avoid going into details as 
much as possible in anticipation of the first summit meeting between 
President Yukio Hatoyama and U.S. President Barack Obama later this 
month, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which wanted to 
include a clear agreement on the reduction and withdrawal of U.S. 
bases in the coalition agreement, clashed fiercely. 
 
The DPJ's "Okinawa Vision" in 2008 advocated the relocation of 
Futenma Air Station outside Okinawa or outside Japan. However, its 
manifesto for the previous general election had toned down the 
expression. 
 
This is because Futenma relocation is an agreement between the 
Japanese and U.S. governments and even the DPJ understands that if 
the plans are scrapped, "this may cause a rift in the alliance 
relationship." (in the words of a senior Ministry of Defense 
official) 
 
Nevertheless, Hatoyama has indicated his willingness to heed 
Okinawa's wishes. He has said that, "This issue will only go well if 
the Japanese government, the U.S. government, and the people of 
Okinawa come to an agreement." Hatoyama wants to build a close 
relationship of trust with President Obama first through their 
summit meeting. Based on this relationship, he wants to watch U.S. 
reaction carefully to determine whether there is any possibility for 
renegotiation on the U.S. Forces Japan realignment issues. 
 
The DPJ's concern is that if it negates the Japan-U.S. agreement 
upfront at the start of the coalition government, it will not be 
possible to build the all-important relationship of trust. 
 
Okinawa is skeptical about the DPJ's policy. Governor Hirokazu 
Nakaima has stated repeatedly that, "We would like to know their 
concrete policy." For now, the governor is taking a wait-and-see 
attitude. 
 
18) Ambassador Bosworth concludes tour of China, South Korea, Japan; 
U.S. takes soft, tough stance on DPRK nuclear issue 
 
 
TOKYO 00002071  009 OF 010 
 
 
ASAHI (Page 9) (Full) 
September 9, 2009 
 
Yusuke Murayama 
 
U.S. Special Representative for North Korean Policy Stephen Bosworth 
concluded his visits to China, South Korea, and Japan in relation to 
the North Korean nuclear issue on September 8. Bosworth indicated 
that he will consider seriously the DPRK's request for him to visit 
the country in the next few weeks, while also emphasizing the 
continuation of the sanctions. The U.S. is poised to draw 
concessions from North Korea with a carrot-and-stick policy, but 
there are still a number of serious hurdles to the realization of 
dialogue. 
 
Bosworth told reporters in Tokyo on September 8 that "the U.S. is 
not averse to bilateral engagement with North Korea," showing great 
enthusiasm to find a solution to the nuclear issue through U.S.-DPRK 
dialogue, which is his longstanding position. During his discussions 
with the Japanese government he went into the preconditions for such 
dialogue, which were that it should be "useful and timely" and that 
"the full support of our partners (Japan, China, South Korea, and 
others) is necessary." 
 
The background to this is that since the launch of ballistic 
missiles in early July, North Korea has halted its provocative 
action for the time being and shifted to a "dialogue offensive" 
toward the U.S. and South Korea. 
 
On the other hand, the Obama administration has been moving to a 
"pressure policy" after the DPRK's second nuclear test in May. It 
has been groping for the right timing to resume the Six-Party Talks 
- which have become dysfunctional after the DPRK declared its 
withdrawal - reckoning that "the next step will be U.S.-DPRK talks." 
(according to a senior State Department official). Since July, after 
North Korea shifted to a "dialogue offensive," the U.S. has been 
developing a scenario to press the DPRK to compromise by using the 
unity of the international community in the imposition of sanctions 
as leverage, while its senior officials have also talked about 
"comprehensive proposals" with the normalization of U.S.-DPRK 
relations as the centerpiece. 
 
Bosworth will look into the pros and cons of dialogue with the DPRK 
based on the discussions he had during the present trip. However, 
the hurdles to beginning a dialogue are still formidable. 
 
North Korea has declared that it will "never again participate in 
the Six-Party Talks" and demanded a shift to bilateral talks with 
the U.S, so there remains a wide gap with the U.S., which insists 
that dialogue will have to take place within the Six-Party Talks 
framework. It is also not easy to obtain "full support" from Japan 
and South Korea, which have been concerned that the U.S. and North 
Korea might move forward on the nuclear issue without their input. 
` 
There is also persistent public opinion against unprincipled 
compromise in the U.S. The Washington Post stated in an editorial on 
September 2 that if Bosworth's visit to North Korea and such other 
incentives occur "without a decisive change in North Korean 
behavior, Kim Jong Il's diplomacy will have triumphed again." Along 
with its maneuverings against North Korea, the Obama administration 
will also be tested on how well it can gather support both at home 
and abroad for direct dialogue. 
 
TOKYO 00002071  010 OF 010 
 
 
 
19) DPJ President Hatoyama announces 25 percent cut in greenhouse 
gas emissions, bringing sharp reaction: Looming concern about impact 
on economy 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
September 9, 2009 
 
Referring to Japan's midterm goal to curb greenhouse gas emissions 
by 2020, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Hatoyama on 
September 7 vowed to aim for a 25 percent cut, compared with the 
1990 level. Many cabinet members and business circles voiced concern 
that huge costs needed to achieve such a goal would deal a blow to 
the economy. 
 
Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Minister Nikai during a press 
conference after a cabinet meeting requested: "It would be very 
difficult to attain such a goal. Just stating a wish will not do. It 
is imperative for the DPJ to clarify the process of policies up to 
the achievement of the goal." State Minister for Economic and Fiscal 
Policy Hayashi also called for a cautious approach, noting: "It is 
important to balance the environment issue and the economy. The DPJ 
should ensure that full-fledged discussions on the issue have taken 
place domestically before making an international pledge." 
 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura at a press briefing indicated a 
skeptical view of the DPJ's plan, saying, "The issue is whether the 
new government will set such a goal with the knowledge that most 
gasoline-driven cars will become unable to be used." He also said 
that the outgoing government adopted a more lenient mid-term target 
of "cutting emissions by 15 percent in comparison with the 2005 
level (8 percent in comparison with the 1990 level) after undergoing 
repeated discussions amid considerable opposition." 
 
There is a strong sense of criticism in industrial circles that if 
they have to shoulder massive amounts of energy-saving costs, 
companies' international competitiveness will be undermined. At a 
venue where the company was releasing a new model, Honda Motors 
President Ito said with a stern look, "The proposal far exceeds the 
common sense of our business plan. It is a very severe goal." Toyota 
Motors President Toyoda during a press conference urged the DPJ to 
reconsider the goal, saying, "It is a harsh target. I want the DPJ 
to reconsider it." 
 
Environment Minister Saito of the New Komeito party, which advocated 
the same figure as the DPJ's in its policy manifesto, welcomed 
Hatoyama's statement, saying, "I want to highly praise the new 
administration's proactive stance to the global environment issue." 
He hinted at the possibility of his party cooperating with the DPJ 
with an eye toward Diet strategy after the transfer of power. 
 
ROOS