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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TOKYO 002908 
 
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 12/21/09 
 
INDEX: 
 
1) Top headlines 
2) Editorials 
3) Prime Minister's daily schedule (Nikkei) 
 
Okinawa issues: 
4) Hatoyama explains his position on Futenma to Secretary Clinton 
(Asahi) 
5) Okada says U.S. Marines needed in Japan  (Nikkei) 
6) Ozawa taking wait-and-see attitude toward Futenma  (Asahi) 
 
Foreign relations: 
7) Foreign Minister to visit Russia on 27th to discuss territorial 
issue  (Nikkei) 
8) Cheng Yonghua likely next Chinese ambassador to Japan 
(Mainichi) 
 
Politics: 
9) Kozo Watanabe: "Ozawa has become a regular person"  (Asahi) 
10) Ozawa says party will maintain coalition after Upper House 
election  (Nikkei) 
 
Economy & trade: 
11) U.S. asks Japan for talks on review of postal privatization 
(Nikkei) 
12) Japan and Korea restart EPA negotiations  (Nikkei) 
13) Nikkei poll: Half of company presidents fear double-dip 
recession  (Nikkei) 
 
Opinion: 
14) Yomiuri poll: Cabinet support further declines; 55 PERCENT 
(Yomiuri) 
15) Mainichi poll: Cabinet support drops 9 points to 55 PERCENT 
(Mainichi) 
16) Jiji poll: Cabinet support drops below 50 PERCENT   (Tokyo 
Shimbun) 
17) Asahi poll: Cabinet support plummets to 48 PERCENT   (Asahi) 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi: 
Asahi poll: Cabinet approval rating plunges to 48 PERCENT ; 74 
PERCENT  think PM has not demonstrated leadership 
 
Mainichi: 
Mainichi poll: Cabinet approval rating falls 9 points to 55 PERCENT 
; 68 PERCENT  concerned about policy toward U.S. 
 
Yomiuri: 
Ozawa's fund management body suspected to have omitted 400 million 
yen from report; Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office to 
interview Lower House member Ishikawa 
 
Nikkei: 
Survey of 100 company presidents: Half of them worried about double 
dip recession, yen's further appreciation, and policy 
 
Sankei: 
Only one case of seasonal influenza reported due to new flu 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
 
TOKYO 00002908  002 OF 010 
 
 
Public Tokyo elementary schools to introduce two homeroom teacher 
system involving retired teachers starting in fiscal 2010 
 
Akahata: 
Akahata poll: Health checkup rates drop in 46 prefectures under 
medical insurance system for people 75 and older 
 
EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) Participation by disabled persons essential for policy to break 
down social barriers 
(2) Japan must also pay more attention to Central Asia 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) Career training essential for high school graduates struggling 
to find jobs 
(2) North Korea's denomination shows seriousness of system's 
inconsistency 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) Spread of Dubai shock was prevented, but ... 
(2) Solid science and technology strategy essential to survive 
against international competition 
 
Nikkei: 
(1) DPJ's expressway requests full of contradictions 
(2) Set income cap on child allowances 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Flexible vaccination essential 
(2) Think beyond uniform management of three Kansai airports 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) Thinking about Obama administration in wintertime at beginning 
of the week 
 
Akahata: 
(1) Make COP15 a new starting point for advancement 
 
3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei) 
 
Prime Minister's schedule, December 20 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
December 21, 2009 
 
10:07 Met Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirano at his official residential 
quarters. Joined by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsui. 
 
4) Hatoyama explains to Clinton that forcibly implementing Futenma 
relocation plan would be risky 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Full) 
Evening, December 19, 2009 
 
Keiichi Kaneko, Copenhagen 
 
Speaking to the press corps on the evening of Dec. 18 (early on the 
morning of Dec. 19, Japan time), Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama 
revealed that during a banquet hosted by Denmark's Queen he was 
asked by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who sat next to 
 
TOKYO 00002908  003 OF 010 
 
 
him, for an explanation of the process that led to the decision to 
give up on settling the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' 
Futenma Air Station (in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture) before the end 
of the year. 
 
The Prime Minister said that he had asked Clinton for her 
understanding, saying, "In the wake of the Democratic Party of 
Japan's electoral victory, there are growing expectations among 
people of Okinawa (seeking relocation outside the prefecture). I am 
well aware that the Japan-U.S. agreement carries much weight, but I 
also think it is very risky to forcibly implement (the existing plan 
to relocate Futenma to Henoko in the city of Nago within the 
prefecture). We are making efforts with new options in mind. I would 
like (the United States) to wait for a while." 
 
The very fact that Clinton asked the Prime Minister for an 
explanation seems to reflect the fact that Washington is leery of 
his handling of the issue. The Prime Minister, however, indicated to 
the press corps that Clinton had expressed understanding of his 
explanation, saying, "I don't remember her exact words, but I got 
the message that she understood (my explanation) very well." The 
Prime Minister also said that although he had exchanged a few words 
of greeting with President Barack Obama during an informal COP15 
summit, they did not touch on the Futenma relocation issue. 
 
5) FM Okada says U.S. Marine Corps is necessary for Japan; brushes 
aside idea of Futenma relocation to Guam 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
December 19, 2009 
 
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada stressed at a press conference on 
Dec. 18 that the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa is very mobile and 
that its presence is necessary for (the security of Japan). Okada 
made the statement in connection with the relocation of the U.S. 
Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa. Okada also expressed a 
negative view about the Social Democratic Party's call for 
relocating Futenma to Guam, saying, "If we expect the Marine Corps 
to serve as a deterrent, then the argument on whether they should 
leave Japan is irrelevant." 
 
As of 2007, there were some 15,000 U.S. Marines deployed in the East 
Asia/Pacific region, and of them, 13,000 were in Japan. 
 
"Geographically speaking, it is better to keep them in Okinawa 
rather than in Hokkaido or mainland Japan. Okinawa has strategic 
advantages," the foreign minister said. "It would take energy to 
move everything to another site. In that sense as well, Okinawa is 
more conceivable (than other places)." 
 
6) DPJ's Ozawa takes wait-and-see attitude on Futenma out of 
deference to PM Hatoyama 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
December 19, 2009 
 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, who 
has intervened in the formulation of the budget, is taking a 
wait-and-see attitude on the issue of the relocation of the U.S. 
forces' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa. It appears that this is in 
deference to Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who is experiencing 
difficulties with his adoption of Ozawa's policy of an "equal 
 
TOKYO 00002908  004 OF 010 
 
 
Japan-U.S. alliance." However, if another crisis in which coalition 
partner Social Democratic Party (SDP) threatens to bolt the 
coalition occurs, it is likely that Ozawa will have to get 
involved. 
 
Ozawa gives priority to the coalition and is negative about 
relocating the Futenma base to Henoko in Nago City as agreed upon in 
the Japan-U.S. agreement, but he is avoiding becoming actively 
involved in coordination on this issue. Ozawa's position on the 
Futenma issue can be gleaned from his recent statements and 
behavior. 
 
Ozawa reportedly told a Diet member he met this week that, "It is 
unacceptable to pollute that beautiful sea," indicating his 
disapproval of Henoko relocation. He also pointed out at a political 
fund-raising party in Tokyo on Dec. 15 that, "Since the 
administration has changed, we need to think of the Futenma issue 
from a broad perspective even if there will be criticism." 
 
However, even when SDP leader Mizuho Fukushima threatened in early 
December to leave the coalition in protest to moves to resolve the 
Futenma issue by the end of the year, Ozawa apparently did not take 
any action to settle the crisis. It is believed that the reason 
behind his silence is the fact that the Prime Minister is 
experiencing difficulties trying to implement Ozawa's policy of an 
"equal Japan-U.S. alliance." 
 
From his experience serving as the Liberal Democratic Party 
secretary general during the Gulf crisis around 1990, Ozawa came to 
advocate that Japan should become a "normal country." His idea that 
Japan should share security responsibility with the U.S. while 
reducing the U.S. forces in Japan came to influence the DPJ's 
policies after he became the party's president in 2006. The DPJ 
issued its "Okinawa Vision" in 2008 which favored the relocation of 
the Futenma Air Station out of Okinawa or out of Japan. 
 
Since late 2008, American experts on Japan have been warning 
Hatoyama, who was then DPJ secretary general, and other party 
officials that such a policy violates the Japan-U.S. agreement. 
However, a review of Okinawa Vision and deliberations on alternative 
proposals did not make any progress under Ozawa's presidency. 
Hatoyama replaced Ozawa as president in May 2009 in the midst of a 
political donation scandal. He simply maintained the foreign and 
security policies of Ozawa's presidency because he did not have time 
to prepare new policies. 
 
If Ozawa defends his longstanding beliefs from his position as the 
party's secretary general, who takes no responsibility for foreign 
policy, this will only complicate the matter. At his meeting with 
New Party Daichi leader Muneo Suzuki on Dec. 15, Ozawa said that, "I 
would like to simply watch how the Prime Minister's Official 
Residence handles the situation. If I speak up, it will cause a 
flare up." 
 
However, Hatoyama intends to decide on Futenma's relocation site by 
next May during the regular Diet session. If he decides on Henoko, 
the question of the SDP's bolting the coalition will be rekindled, 
and this may bring chaos to the deliberation of bills and election 
cooperation. With regard to the May deadline, Diet Affairs Committee 
Chairman Kenji Yamaoka stated on Dec. 17 that it "no longer exists." 
There are already signs of turmoil at this early stage. It appears 
that Ozawa is likely to come into the picture before the House of 
 
TOKYO 00002908  005 OF 010 
 
 
Councillors election (next summer). 
 
7) Foreign Minister Okada to visit Russia on Dec. 27 to discuss 
territorial issue 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
December 19, 2009 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced on Dec. 18 that 
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada will visit Russia on Dec. 27-29. 
Okada is expected to discuss on Dec. 28 mainly the issue of the 
Northern Territories with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He 
will be the first minister of the Yukio Hatoyama cabinet to visit 
Moscow. 
 
At a press conference, he said, "On the Russian side, there is a 
desire for Japanese technology and capital," pointing out that there 
is a possibility that economic cooperation will lead to a 
breakthrough in the deadlocked territorial issue. 
 
Okada also said: "Since the issue has remained unresolved for a long 
time, it is closely associated with Russian national sentiments. So 
we should not be optimistic about a settlement, but will gradually 
move forward with negotiations." 
 
8) Chen Yonghua most likely candidate to be next Chinese ambassador 
to Japan 
 
MAINICHI (Page 1) (Full) 
December 20, 2009 
 
Fumiji Matsuura, Beijing 
 
Several sources familiar with Japan-U.S. relations revealed on Dec. 
19 that current Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (ROK), 
Chen Yonghua (55), who is well versed in Japan, is viewed as a 
possible candidate to be the next ambassador to Japan, succeeding 
incumbent Ambassador Cui Tiankai, 57, who will likely to be promoted 
to the post of vice foreign minister. Cheng is expected to arrive at 
post in late January at the earliest. 
 
Cheng studied at Soka University in Japan. He worked at the Chinese 
Embassy in Japan for about 20 years, or four terms, since 1977. He 
has been serving as ambassador to the ROK since 2008, after having 
served as ambassador to Malaysia since 2006. He is proficient in 
Japanese and has many friends in Japanese political and business 
circles. Therefore, expectations for his appointment as the next 
ambassador to Japan had been high. The Chinese government appears to 
be willing to improve a strategic reciprocal relationship with Japan 
by appointing "a member of the Japan school" as ambassador. 
Meanwhile, although Cui has served in key posts in the Chinese 
Foreign Ministry, he had never served in the Chinese Embassy in 
Tokyo before he took his present post in September 2007. He will 
reportedly no longer be in charge of Japan affairs once he becomes 
vice foreign minister. It is uncertain whether Cui will serve as 
chair of the Six-Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions. 
 
9) Ozawa becomes regular person: DPJ's Watanabe 
 
ASAHI (Page 2) (Full) 
December 21, 2009 
 
 
TOKYO 00002908  006 OF 010 
 
 
Asked about Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary General Ichiro 
Ozawa on a TV Asahi program on Dec. 20, Kozo Watanabe, a former DPJ 
supreme advisor, said, "For the past week, he has been happily 
making efforts at center stage in the political arena. I think he is 
now a very regular person." His comment indicated a "change" in 
Ozawa, who led a large DPJ delegation to China and has begun to get 
involved in the compilation of the state budget for fiscal 2010. 
 
Watanabe reflected on the past, saying, "Mr. Ozawa has had an 
influence since he was young. (In the past) he did jobs that other 
people did not want to do behind the scenes, and eventually had 
someone else stand under the political spotlight. I thought Mr. 
Ozawa was that kind of a person." 
 
In connection with the fact that Ozawa did not reappoint him as a 
supreme advisor, Watanabe said, "I was disliked by him. We were on 
very close terms in the past." 
 
10) Ozawa aims for DPJ's majority in next Upper House election, to 
maintain coalition government after election 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Slightly abridged) 
December 21, 2009 
 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa gave 
a speech at a party organized by the DPJ Iwate chapter in Morioka 
City on Dec. 20. He reiterated that the DPJ's goal is to win an 
absolute majority in the House of Councillors election next summer. 
He also discussed the management of the administration after the 
election, saying: "Of course, we will not abandon and will maintain 
our cooperative relationship with the People's New Party and the 
Social Democratic Party." He thus indicated that even if the DPJ 
wins an absolute majority, the three-party coalition framework will 
continue. 
 
Ozawa asserted emphatically, "At a critical moment, controlling the 
majority in both houses of the Diet is an administration's greatest 
strength." Fifty-three of the DPJ's seats in the Upper House 
(including Upper House President Satsuki Eda) are up for election in 
the next election. The DPJ needs to win at least 60 seats to secure 
an absolute majority. At a news conference held before the party in 
Morioka, Ozawa said, "We will make every effort to win at least 61 
seats." 
 
11) U.S. government to call for talks with Japan on review of postal 
privatization plan, to seek equal competitive conditions 
 
NIKKEI (Page 1) (Full) 
December 21, 2009 
 
Takashi Osumi, Washington 
 
The U.S. government has decided to call on the Japanese government 
to hold talks on its review of the postal privatization plan 
(initiated by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi). Deputy USTR 
(U.S. Trade Representatives) Demetrios Marantis revealed 
Washington's policy in an interview with the Nikkei. The policy came 
about because of the enactment of a bill to freeze the sale of 
government-owned shares in the Japan postal group and the Hatoyama 
administration's decision to review the postal plan. Reflecting 
growing concern among the firms doing business in Japan about 
possible favoritism toward the Japanese postal group, the U.S. 
 
TOKYO 00002908  007 OF 010 
 
 
government now judges it necessary to hold talks with the Japanese 
government. 
 
Marantis stated in the interview: 
 
"It is up to the Japanese government to determine how to treat the 
Japanese postal group. But we hope that Japan and the U.S. will hold 
talks with Japan to prevent the group from having an advantage in 
competition with foreign firms." 
 
Marantis pointed out three areas - insurance, banking, and 
transportation - as the areas in which foreign firms could be placed 
at a disadvantage as a result of reviewing the postal privatization 
plan. He indicated that Japan and the U.S. should discuss 
competitive conditions in these areas. 
 
The Japanese government intends to submit a bill to review the 
postal privatization plan that includes future business plans to the 
regular Diet session that will commence early next year. 
 
12) Japan, South Korea to hold working-level talks in Seoul today 
aimed at resuming EPA negotiations 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
December 21, 2009 
 
The governments of Japan and South Korea will hold a 
deputy-director-level meeting in Seoul today to discuss whether to 
resume negotiations aimed at concluding a bilateral economic 
partnership agreement (EPA). The working-level talks will be held 
for the first time in five months and will be the second round since 
the talks were upgraded to the deputy-director level during a 
bilateral summit meeting in June. EPA negotiations between Japan and 
South Korea have been suspended since November 2004 as the two 
countries failed to find common ground on such areas as agriculture. 
Expectations for an EPA between Japan and South Korea are growing in 
the Japanese business world, but there is deep-seated concern about 
an inflow of farm products into the Japanese market. Meanwhile, many 
South Korean government officials are worried about an expansion of 
its trade deficit. 
 
13) Survey of 100 company presidents: Half worry about double-dip 
recession 
 
NIKKEI (Top play) (Lead paragraph) 
December 21, 2009 
 
A "survey of 100 company presidents" conducted by the Nikkei 
revealed that 47.2 PERCENT  of respondents were worried that the 
Japanese economy could turn sour again before it was put on a solid 
recovery track, the so-called "double-dip" recession. This figure is 
about 10 percentage points more than in the previous survey in 
September. Many cited the rising value of the yen and uncertainty 
over the future of policies as the major reasons for concern. The 
percentage of those who said the economy was recovering also 
declined, from 70 PERCENT  to almost 50 PERCENT . Amid waning 
expectations for economic growth, the survey found that many 
business leaders were considering the possibility of allocating 
managerial resources to Asian countries other than Japan. 
 
14) Poll: Cabinet support spirals down to 55 PERCENT ; 51 PERCENT 
disapprove of decision to carry over Futenma issue to next year 
 
TOKYO 00002908  008 OF 010 
 
 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Abridged) 
December 20, 2009 
 
The Yomiuri Shimbun conducted a telephone-based spot nationwide 
public opinion survey on Dec. 18-19, after the government had given 
up settling the pending issue of relocating the U.S. military's 
Futenma airfield in Okinawa Prefecture before the year is out. In 
the survey, the Hatoyama cabinet's support rate was 55 PERCENT , 
down 4 percentage points from the last survey conducted Dec. 4-6. 
The nonsupport rate was 33 PERCENT  (29 PERCENT  in the last 
survey). Respondents were asked if they approved of the government's 
decision to give up reaching a conclusion by the end of the year. In 
response to this question, 51 PERCENT  answered "no." They were also 
asked if they thought the decision would have a negative impact on 
Japan-U.S. relations. To this question, 68 PERCENT  answered "yes." 
The public's dissatisfaction with the deferment of a conclusion and 
their concern about the deterioration of Japan-U.S. relations seem 
to have brought about the continual fall of the support rate. 
 
In the survey, respondents were further asked where Futenma airfield 
should be relocated. To this question, 35 PERCENT  chose "out of 
Japan," with 34 PERCENT  preferring to relocate it to the island 
prefecture's northern coastal city of Nago "in accordance with a 
bilateral agreement reached between Japan and the United States" and 
14 PERCENT  insisting on relocating it "somewhere outside Okinawa 
Prefecture." Meanwhile, 64 PERCENT  answered "no" when asked if they 
approved of the tripartite ruling coalition of the Democratic Party 
of Japan, Social Democratic Party, and People's New Party. The 
public seems to be dissatisfied with a DPJ that is being pushed 
around by the SDP and the PNP. 
 
In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the DPJ 
stood at 43 PERCENT  (42 PERCENT  in the last survey) and the 
Liberal Democratic Party at 18 PERCENT  (19 PERCENT  in the last 
survey). 
 
15) Poll: Cabinet support drops 9 points to 55 PERCENT ; 68 PERCENT 
worried about U.S. ties 
 
MAINICHI (Top play) (Abridged) 
December 21, 2009 
 
The Mainichi Shimbun conducted a telephone-based public opinion 
survey across the nation on Dec. 19-20. In the survey, the rate of 
public support for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his cabinet was 
55 PERCENT , down 9 percentage points from the last survey conducted 
Nov. 21-22. Respondents were asked if they approved of the Hatoyama 
cabinet's decision to defer its conclusion to next year on the 
pending issue of relocating the U.S. military's Futenma airfield in 
Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture. In response to this question, 51 
PERCENT  answered "no." Respondents were also asked if they were 
worried about the Hatoyama government's policy toward the United 
States. To this question, 68 PERCENT  answered "yes." The Hatoyama 
administration's flip-flopping over Futenma and other issues appears 
to have impressed the public with Prime Minister Hatoyama's lack of 
leadership and have consequently led to the drop in public support 
for his cabinet. 
 
The Hatoyama cabinet's inaugural approval rating scored 77 PERCENT , 
the second highest ever, in a survey conducted this September. In 
the surveys that followed, however, its support rate continued to 
 
TOKYO 00002908  009 OF 010 
 
 
drop. Three months later, it dropped 22 points, nearly a third of 
the inaugural rating. The disapproval rating only inched up 
slightly. This time around, however, it was 34 PERCENT , showing a 
sharp increase of 13 points from the last survey. In the breakdown 
of reasons given for not supporting the Hatoyama cabinet, the 
proportion of those who answered that it is "because he cannot be 
expected to display leadership" increased from 16 PERCENT  in the 
last survey to 42 PERCENT  in the latest survey. Among those who 
support the Hatoyama cabinet, "the nature of politics is likely to 
change" accounted for 82 PERCENT . The figure indicates that the 
public's expectations for change still prop up the support rate. 
 
In the breakdown of public support for political parties as well, 
the ruling Democratic Party of Japan dropped 4 points from the last 
survey to 35 PERCENT , posting a further drop from its all-time low 
of 45 PERCENT . The proportion of those have no particular party 
affiliation was 33 PERCENT , remaining flat from the last survey. 
Among the unaffiliated respondents, the cabinet support rate was 41 
PERCENT , falling below 50 PERCENT  from the 51 PERCENT  rating in 
the last survey. On Dec. 24, the Hatoyama cabinet will have been in 
office for 100 days. However, the honeymoon phase with a sense of 
hope is now about to be replaced by calls for specific results. The 
public, particularly people with no party affiliation, seems to be 
casting a severe eye on the cabinet. 
 
16) Poll: Cabinet support falls below 50 PERCENT 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged) 
December 19, 2009 
 
The public approval rating for the Hatoyama cabinet was 46.8 PERCENT 
 in a public opinion survey conducted by Jiji Press on Dec. 11-14, 
down 7.6 percentage points from last month. The figure dropped for 
the second month in a row and fell below 50 PERCENT  for the first 
time since the cabinet came into office this September. Meanwhile, 
the disapproval rating was 30.3 PERCENT , up 7.5 points from last 
month, reaching the 30 PERCENT  range for the first time. In the 
breakdown of reasons given for not supporting the Hatoyama cabinet, 
a sharply increasing number of people cited Prime Minister 
Hatoyama's lack of leadership. This can be taken as reflecting his 
and his cabinet ministers' flip-flopping over the pending issue of 
relocating the U.S. military's Futenma airfield in Okinawa 
Prefecture and over the amount of government bonds to be issued. 
 
The survey was conducted across the nation on a face-to-face basis, 
with a total of 2,000 persons chosen from among men and women aged 
20 and over. The response rate was 66.1 PERCENT . 
 
17) Poll: Hatoyama cabinet's popularity nosedives to 48 PERCENT 
 
ASAHI (Top play) (Abridged) 
December 21, 2009 
 
The public approval rating for Prime Minister Hatoyama's cabinet 
tumbled to 48 PERCENT  in a telephone-based nationwide public 
opinion survey conducted by the Asahi Shimbun on Dec. 19-20, 
sustaining a marked drop from the 62 PERCENT  rating in the last 
survey conducted Nov. 14-15. The disapproval rating for the Hatoyama 
cabinet was 34 PERCENT  (21 PERCENT  in the last survey). In the 
survey, a total of 74 PERCENT  answered "no" when asked if they 
thought Prime Minister Hatoyama was displaying leadership. Half of 
those who do not support the Hatoyama cabinet cited "action" as a 
 
TOKYO 00002908  010 OF 010 
 
 
reason. 
 
Broken down by political parties supported, the Hatoyama cabinet's 
support rate was 84 PERCENT  among those who support the ruling 
Democratic Party of Japan (92 PERCENT  in the last survey) and 13 
PERCENT  among those who support the opposition Liberal Democratic 
Party (24 PERCENT  in the last survey). Among those with no 
particular party affiliation, the support rate was 39 PERCENT  and 
the nonsupport rate was 27 PERCENT  in the last survey. This time, 
however, the support rate was 24 PERCENT , with the nonsupport rate 
at 45 PERCENT . As seen from these figures, the disapproval rating 
topped the approval rating for the first time since the Hatoyama 
cabinet came into office. 
 
In the survey, respondents were asked if they thought Hatoyama was 
displaying leadership. In response to this question, only 18 PERCENT 
 answered "yes." Even among those who support the Hatoyama cabinet, 
"yes" accounted for only 30 PERCENT , with "no" reaching 62 PERCENT 
. 
 
Respondents were also asked if they approved of the Hatoyama cabinet 
with regard to the pending issue of relocating the U.S. military's 
Futenma airfield. To this question, 60 PERCENT  answered "no," with 
30 PERCENT  saying "yes." Among LDP supporters, "no" accounted for 
78 PERCENT . 
 
In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the DPJ 
stood at 42 PERCENT  (46 PERCENT  in the last survey), with the LDP 
at 18 PERCENT  (14 PERCENT  in the last survey). The DPJ's 
popularity edged down with the cabinet support rate's decline but 
still remains high. 
 
ROOS