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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 8764

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 11 TOKYO 000101 
 
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 01/19/10 
 
INDEX: 
 
1) Top headlines 
2) Editorials 
 
Diet session: 
3) Diet convenes, opposition to go on attack over money scandal 
(Yomiuri) 
4) Breakdown of Diet members by party  (Yomiuri) 
 
Politics: 
5) Ozawa to submit to questioning by prosecutors  (Asahi) 
 
Foreign Relations 
6) Japan warns China not to violate agreement for development of gas 
field  (Nikkei) 
7) China mulling succeeding Japan in refueling mission in Indian 
Ocean  (Yomiuri) 
 
Defense & security: 
8) Japan, U.S. to issue joint statement marking 50th anniversary of 
revision of security treaty  (Nikkei) 
9) Hatoyama says resolving Futenma issue a litmus test of Japan-U.S. 
alliance  (Asahi) 
10) SDP officially to submit plan for relocation of Futenma facility 
to Guam  (Mainichi) 
11) Govt. to dispatch SDF personnel to quake-stricken Haiti 
(Sankei) 
 
Economy: 
12) JAL files for protection under the bankruptcy law  (Nikkei) 
13) Nikkei Center forecasts 1.2 PERCENT  annual GDP growth in new 
decade  (Nikkei) 
14) Sea Shepherd flies Norwegian flag, approaches Japanese 
research-whaling vessels  (Sankei) 
 
Energy: 
15) METI to revise energy plan  (Nikkei) 
 
Opinion: 
16) Yomiuri poll: Cabinet support rate plunges to 45 PERCENT ; 70 
PERCENT  call for Ozawa's resignation  (Yomiuri) 
17) Kyodo poll: Cabinet support rate plummets to 44 PERCENT   (Tokyo 
Shimbun) 
18) Sankei-FNN poll: 70 PERCENT  say Ozawa should resign post 
(Sankei) 
19) Asahi poll: 67 PERCENT  call for Ozawa's resignation  (Asahi) 
20) Jiji poll: Cabinet support rate hovers at 47 PERCENT   (Tokyo 
Shimbun) 
21) Asahi poll: 60 PERCENT  in favor of granting suffrage to 
permanent foreign residents  (Asahi) 
22) Asahi poll: 61.7 of Yokosuka residents approve of base  (Asahi) 
 
23) Asahi poll: 65 PERCENT  of Nago residents oppose existing 
Futenma relocation plan  (Asahi) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi & Mainichi: 
Ozawa plans to submit to questioning by prosecutors 
 
TOKYO 00000101  002 OF 011 
 
 
 
Yomiuri: 
Regular Diet session opens; opposition calls for intensive 
deliberations; Diet fails to set timetable for budget debate 
 
Nikkei: 
Mitsubishi group to set up 1,000 charging stations for electric cars 
by 2012 
 
Sankei: 
Ozawa paid 300 million yen from bank for land purchase 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
Disapproval rate for Hatoyama Cabinet (44.1 PERCENT ) outstrips 
approval rate (41.5 PERCENT ) 
 
Akahata: 
Ordinary Diet session convened; JCP wishes to use session to change 
politics 
 
2) EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) 50th anniversary of revision of Japan-U.S. Security Treaty: Both 
Japan-U.S. alliance and Article 9 of the Constitution are useful 
(2) Emerging stock market: Learn from failure and rebuild 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) Opening of regular Diet session: Democratic Party of Japan's 
response does not make sense 
(2) 50th anniversary of revision of Japan-U.S. Security Treaty: 
Deepen alliance in a multilayered way 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) Drop in support for DPJ: DPJ should listen to harsh comments 
(2) 50th anniversary of revision of Japan-U.S. Security Treaty: Time 
to build a new Japan-U.S. alliance 
 
Nikkei: 
(1) Ozawa's explanation required for deliberation on budgets to 
proceed 
(2) Need for tax system that will lead to growth and fiscal 
stabilization 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Prime minister's criticism of prosecutors is inappropriate and 
should be retracted 
(2) 50th anniversary of Japan-U.S. Security Treaty: Solve Futenma 
issue and prevent bilateral alliance from becoming irrelevant 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) Regular Diet session opens: Diet must shed light on "money and 
politics" issue and pass budgets 
(2) National health insurance union: Subsidies should not be given 
to the rich 
 
Akahata: 
(1) Finance minister's policy speech: No strategy for economic 
recovery 
 
3) Regular Diet session opens; opposition parties call for intensive 
deliberations on "money and politics" issue 
 
TOKYO 00000101  003 OF 011 
 
 
 
YOMIURI (Top play) (Excerpts) 
January 19, 2010 
 
The 174th regular Diet session, the first regular session under the 
Hatoyama administration, was convened on Jan. 18. However, due to 
the issue of "money and politics," the timetable for the House of 
Representatives Budget Committee, which will deliberate on the 
second supplementary budget for fiscal 2009, has not yet been 
decided on. The Diet situation is already showing signs of the 
ruling and opposition parties colliding head-on. 
 
The ruling camp, which aims to pass the second extra budget through 
the Diet before the end of January, insisted in a meeting yesterday 
of the Lower House Budget Committee that the supplementary budget is 
closely related to the daily lives of people. They proposed starting 
a basic question-and-answer session on Jan. 21 over Finance Minister 
Naoto Kan's policy speech. 
 
However, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and other opposition 
parties did not agree with the ruling coalition's proposal, citing 
that the ruling camp has not yet responded to their calls made in 
the extraordinary Diet session held last year for intensive 
deliberations on the falsified political donation issue involving 
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and the relocation of U.S. Marine 
Corps Air Station Futenma. As a result, the meeting ended in 
failure. The committee members will again discuss the matter on the 
19th. 
 
The government and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) held an 
executive meeting yesterday at the Prime Minister's Official 
Residence (Kantei). In the meeting, they confirmed a policy of 
passing the extra budget by the end of January. The DPJ's plan is 
for Prime Minister Hatoyama to deliver a policy speech at the end of 
January and for the state budget for fiscal 2010, which includes a 
budget for the DPJ's campaign pledges for last year's Lower House 
election, to clear the Diet before the end of March. 
 
4) Party breakdown of Diet 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) 
January 18, 2010 
 
House of Representatives 
 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), Independents 311 
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japan Renaissance Party (JRP) 119 
New Komeito  21 
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 9 
Social Democratic Party (SDP), Social Citizen's Coalition  7 
Your Party 5 
People's New Party (PNP) 3 
Group to Protect National Interests and People's Livelihoods 3 
Independents 2 
 
House of Councillors 
 
DPJ, New Ryokufukai, PNP, New Party Nippon 120 
LDP, JRP 82 
New Komeito  21 
JCP 7 
SDP, Group to Protect the Constitution  5 
 
TOKYO 00000101  004 OF 011 
 
 
Independents 7 
 
5) Ozawa plans to submit to questioning by prosecutors 
 
ASAHI (Top play) (Excerpts) 
January 19, 2010 
 
It was revealed by informed sources yesterday that Democratic Party 
of Japan (DPJ) Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa has started making 
arrangements to submit to questioning by the special investigation 
squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors in connection with 
allegations that his fund management organization Rikuzankai failed 
to declare in his political fund report 400 million yen that was 
used for a land purchase in 2004. 
 
On Jan. 5, prosecutors asked Ozawa to voluntarily submit to their 
questioning, but he refused their request. Prosecutors made the same 
request on Jan. 17. Ozawa will apparently make scheduling 
arrangements with prosecutors through his lawyers after consulting 
with his lawyers on the matter. 
 
6) Japan warns China not to violate agreement on gas field 
development 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Abridged) 
January 18, 2010 
 
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada held talks with his Chinese 
counterpart, Yang Jiechi, in Tokyo on the 17th. He asked the Chinese 
minister to instruct concerned agencies to demonstrate substantial 
visible progress in negotiations toward conclusion of a treaty on 
joint development of gas fields in the East China Sea. He added that 
Japan would take necessary measures in case China violates the 
agreement, warning the Chinese side not to undertake independent 
development of the Shirakaba gas field. 
 
Yang stressed China would firmly uphold the 2008 agreement on joint 
development of the Shirakaba gas field. Regarding the conclusion of 
a treaty, he only said: "I would like to continue the informal 
working-level discussions for promoting mutual understanding." 
 
7) China mulls taking over refueling mission 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Abridged) 
January 16, 2010 
 
The Chinese navy is exploring the possibility of taking over the 
Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean 
after its pullout, Japanese government officials revealed yesterday. 
If the Chinese navy actually undertakes the task, China will 
increase its influence on the sea lanes vital to Japan, which 
imports crude oil from the Middle East. The Hatoyama administration 
will likely come under fire for its decision to withdraw from the 
refueling mission. 
 
According to government officials, the Chinese government specifies 
in an internal document that the Chinese navy has been conducting 
training in preparation for refueling activities in the Indian 
Ocean. 
 
In November 2007, the MSDF's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean 
was suspended since the Antiterrorism Special Measures Law lapsed 
 
TOKYO 00000101  005 OF 011 
 
 
due to opposition from the then opposition Democratic Party of Japan 
and other opposition parties. On that occasion, Chinese military 
officials informally told U.S. forces that the Chinese navy would 
like to take over the MSDF's refueling activities, the government 
officials said. At the time, the U.S. military did not accept the 
offer. 
 
8) Japan, U.S. to issue joint statement today on 50th anniversary of 
revised bilateral security treaty 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
January 19, 2010 
 
The governments of Japan and the United States will release a joint 
statement by their respective foreign and defense ministers today to 
mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the revised U.S.-Japan 
Security Treaty. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and President Barack 
Obama will also issue statements today. The joint statement is 
expected to note that the Japan-U.S. security arrangements have 
contributed to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, while 
playing up their role in the peace and security of Japan. 
 
The joint statement defines the Japan-U.S. alliance as an alliance 
contributing to the peace and security of the world beyond the 
bilateral framework. By stipulating the need to deepen the 
Japan-U.S. alliance in a multilayered fashion on the occasion of the 
50th anniversary, the joint statement indicates a posture of 
attaching importance to the bilateral alliance. The purpose of the 
statement is to reacknowledge the importance of the Japan-U.S. 
alliance at a time when bilateral relations are strained over the 
relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in 
Okinawa. 
 
The governments of Japan and the United States signed the revised 
bilateral security treaty in 1960. Under the treaty, the United 
States is required to take joint action with Japan in case the 
latter comes under an armed attack and Japan is required to provide 
the U.S. military with bases. The treaty stipulates that U.S. troops 
are stationed in Japan for the purpose of contributing to the peace 
and stability of Japan and East Asia. 
 
9) PM: Futenma resolution a touchstone of Japan-U.S. alliance 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
 
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told the press at his office on the 
18th that resolution of the issue of the relocation of the U.S. 
military's Futenma airfield was essential for deepening the 
Japan-U.S. alliance. "If we can't resolve the Futenma issue, we 
can't advance Japan-U.S security with trust," he said.  "At the 
least, resolution of the Futenma issue by May is a touchstone, after 
which we will move forward." 
 
10) SDP to officially present Guam relocation idea to Futenma panel 
 
MAINICHI (Page 3) (Full) 
January 19, 2010 
 
Keiichi Shirato 
 
The Social Democratic Party's (SDP) project team (chaired by House 
of Representatives member Kantoku Teruya) to discuss the relocation 
 
TOKYO 00000101  006 OF 011 
 
 
of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station (in Ginowan, Okinawa 
Prefecture) met in the Diet building yesterday. The team decided to 
present as its official proposal the idea of relocating the Futenma 
functions to Guam to the Okinawa base issue study committee composed 
of the government, the SDP, and the People's New Party. Teruya and 
others will decide on whether to include Iwojima as a possible 
relocation site along with Guam after visiting Iwojima from Jan. 
¶21. 
 
In the meeting, the SDP's fact-finding team (led by the party's 
policy chief Tomoko Abe) that visited the United States on Jan. 
12-16 reported that the only ones insisting that the relocation 
issue will result in a crisis in the Japan-U.S. alliance are the 
Japanese media and Japan experts in the United States. Following 
this report, the project team reached the conclusion that the party 
should present the Guam relocation idea to the study committee, 
deeming that it will be possible to reach an agreement with the 
United States in April or later, after Washington finishes compiling 
the new Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). 
 
11) Government to dispatch SDF rescue team to quake-stricken Haiti 
 
SANKEI (Page 5) (Full) 
January 19, 2010 
 
The government decided yesterday to dispatch an international 
emergency rescue team of 70 to 80 Self-Defense Force (SDF) personnel 
to Haiti, which was hit by a major earthquake. The SDF personnel 
will engage in providing medical services to the injured and 
controlling infectious diseases. Prior to the dispatch of the 
medical team, the Defense Ministry sent an advance team of 12 SDF 
personnel on the same day to collect information. A Japanese medical 
team of 25 civilians have already started rescue operations after 
arriving in Leogane, a city 40 kilometers west of Port-au-Prince, 
the nation's capital, on the afternoon of Jan. 17, local time. 
 
12) JAL to apply for petition for protection with court under 
Corporate Rehabilitation Law 
 
NIKKEI (Page 1) (Excerpts) 
January 19, 2010 
 
Japan Airlines (JAL) along with its two core group companies will 
apply for a petition for protection with the Tokyo District Court 
under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law, directly after which the 
government-backed Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of 
Japan (ETIC) will decide to provide financial assistance to the 
carrier. The government also intends to announce its full support 
for the carrier to ensure that its flight operations will not 
suffer. JAL will aim at reconstructing its management under the 
control of ETIC. The corporate turnaround body will improve JAL's 
financial structure, by asking financial institutions for debt 
write-offs and applying measures for capital reinforcement. The 
carrier will also streamline flight routes and cut personnel so that 
it can complete reconstruction by 2013. 
 
13) JCER estimates Japan's growth rate in 2010s at 1.2 percent 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
January 19, 2010 
 
The Japan Center for Economic Research (JCER) on Jan. 18 finalized 
 
TOKYO 00000101  007 OF 011 
 
 
the 36th mid-term economic outlook, which projects Japan's economic 
growth up to fiscal 2020. According to the projection, real gross 
domestic product (GDP) in the 2010s will remain low at 1.2 percent 
on average. With companies expanding their overseas production, 
capital spending on domestic facilities will be sluggish. Growth in 
employment and income will be limited. Personal consumption will 
also lack vitality 
 
14) Sea Shepherd boat approaches Japanese whaling ship under 
disguise of Norwegian boat 
 
SANKEI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
January 19, 2010 
 
It has been learned as of Jan. 18 that the anti-whaling group Sea 
Shepherd Conservation Society's protest boat, Bob Barker, was 
sailing in Antarctic waters under the disguise of a 
Norwegian-registered ship. The Sea Shepherd has continued to 
obstruct the operations of Japanese whaling fleet vessels. Because 
the act of disguising the nationality of a ship violates the United 
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which stipulates rules for 
navigation on the open sea, the Japanese government submitted photos 
and video of the Bob Baker taken by a Japanese whaling fleet vessel 
to the Norwegian government. In reaction, the Norwegian Foreign 
Ministry sent a letter of protest to the Sea Shepherd by the 18th. 
 
15) METI to revise energy program 
 
NIKKEI (Page 5) (Excerpts) 
January 19, 2010 
 
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will revise its 
basic energy program, which serves as a guideline for the 
government's mid- to long-term energy policy. The revised program 
will include a basic policy direction for the next 10-20 years for 
such policy challenges as measures to curb global warming, a sharp 
rise in the prices of energy resources such as crude oil, and the 
securing of rare metals. The ministry will hold its first committee 
meeting in February of the comprehensive resources and energy 
research council, an advisory panel reporting to the METI minister, 
with the aim of drafting a review plan in May or June. 
 
METI Minister Masayuki Naoshima will announce the plan on the 19th. 
 
METI will look into specific measures to achieve the government's 
goal of cutting domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 
2020 in comparison with the 1990 level. The revised program will 
include measures to promote the introduction of renewable energy, 
such as wind-power and solar energy generation, and 
energy-conserving dissemination measures for offices and households, 
which are emitting increasing levels of carbon dioxide. 
 
16) Poll: 70 PERCENT  urge Ozawa to quit his party post; cabinet 
support plunges to 45 PERCENT 
 
YOMIURI (Top play) (Abridged) 
January 18, 2010 
 
The Yomiuri Shimbun conducted a telephone-based spot nationwide 
public opinion survey from the evening of Jan. 16 through Jan. 17 in 
the wake of the arrests of Tomohiro Ishikawa, a former secretary of 
Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa and a DPJ 
 
TOKYO 00000101  008 OF 011 
 
 
lawmaker seated in the House of Representatives, and of Ozawa's 
former secretaries over his fund-managing body's land purchase. The 
approval rating for Prime Minister Haotyama's cabinet plunged to 45 
PERCENT , down 11 percentage points from the 56 PERCENT  rating in 
the last survey conducted Jan. 8-10. The disapproval rating for the 
Hatoyama cabinet was 42 PERCENT  (34 PERCENT  in the last survey). 
In the survey, 70 PERCENT  of respondents answered "yes" when asked 
if they thought Ozawa should resign from his party post to take 
responsibility for the money-linked scandals that developed into the 
arrests of his former secretaries, while 21 PERCENT  said he did not 
need to do so. The public's severe view of Ozawa's "politics and 
money" problem will likely reverberate not only in the ordinary Diet 
session starting today but also in the future political situation. 
 
In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the DPJ 
stood at 34 PERCENT , down from 39 PERCENT  in the last survey. The 
leading opposition Liberal Democratic Party was at 20 PERCENT , up 
from 16 PERCENT  in the last survey. Those with no particular party 
affiliation accounted for 33 PERCENT  (35 PERCENT  in the last 
survey). 
 
17) Poll: Nonsupport for Hatoyama cabinet outstrips support 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top play) (Abridged) 
January 19, 2010 
 
Kyodo News conducted a telephone-based public opinion survey across 
the nation on Jan. 17-18 following the arrests of Tomohiro Ishikawa, 
a former secretary of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's 
Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa and currently a DPJ lawmaker seated 
in the House of Representatives, and of his former secretaries over 
the land deal involving Ozawa and his fund-managing body. The 
approval rating for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's cabinet was 41.5 
PERCENT , showing a sharp drop of 9.3 points from the previous 
survey conducted Jan. 10-11. In contrast, the disapproval rating for 
the Hatoyama cabinet jumped 10.9 points to 41.5 PERCENT . The 
approval and disapproval ratings for the Hatoyama changed places for 
the first time since its inauguration last September. 
 
In the survey, respondents were asked what Ozawa should do. In 
response to this question, a total of 73.3 PERCENT  were negative 
about Ozawa's intention to stay on as DPJ secretary general, broken 
down into 39.5 PERCENT  saying he should resign as DPJ secretary 
general and 33.8 PERCENT  saying he should resign from the Diet. 
 
In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the DPJ 
stood at 32.1 PERCENT , down 6.6 points from the previous survey, 
and was the lowest figure for the party since the Hatoyama cabinet 
came into office. The leading opposition Liberal Democratic Party 
was at 22.7 PERCENT , up 5.4 points. 
 
18) Poll: 70 PERCENT  say Ozawa should resign from his party post; 
cabinet support plummets to 44 PERCENT 
 
SANKEI (Page 1) (Abridged) 
January 19, 2010 
 
The Sankei Shimbun and Fuji News Network (FNN) conducted a joint 
public opinion survey on Jan. 16-17, in which 70.7 PERCENT  of 
respondents said Ichiro Ozawa, secretary general of the ruling 
Democratic Party of Japan, should resign from his party post in 
connection with the arrests of Tomohiro Ishikawa, a former secretary 
 
TOKYO 00000101  009 OF 011 
 
 
of Ozawa and now a DPJ lawmaker in the House of Representatives, and 
of two other former secretaries over the questionable land purchase 
involving Ozawa and his fund-managing body. The public approval 
rating for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his cabinet plummeted 
to 44.3 PERCENT , down 6.7 percentage points from the last survey 
conducted Dec. 19-20 last year. The Hatoyama cabinet's support rate 
fell below 50 PERCENT  for the first time since the administration 
came into office. The nonsupport rate was 40.3 PERCENT . 
 
In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the DPJ 
stood at 32.4 PERCENT , down 4.8 points from the last survey. The 
leading opposition Liberal Democratic Party also slipped to 18.6 
PERCENT . 
 
19) Poll: 67 PERCENT  call for Ozawa to resign from his party post; 
cabinet support spirals down to 42 PERCENT 
 
ASAHI (Page 1) (Abridged) 
January 18, 2010 
 
The Asahi Shimbun conducted a telephone-based nationwide public 
opinion survey on Jan. 16-17, in which 67 PERCENT  of respondents 
answered that Ichiro Ozawa, secretary general of the ruling 
Democratic Party of Japan, should resign from his party post to take 
responsibility for his fund-managing body's money-linked scandals 
that have led to the arrests of Tomohiro Ishikawa, a former 
secretary of Ozawa and a DPJ lawmaker seated in the House of 
Representatives, and of his former secretaries. The rate of public 
support for the Hatoyama cabinet was 42 PERCENT , down from the 48 
PERCENT  rating in the last survey conducted Dec. 19-20. The 
nonsupport rate was 41 PERCENT  (34 PERCENT  in the last survey). 
The approval and disapproval ratings were nearly the same. 
 
Among those with no particular party affiliation, the Hatoyama 
cabinet's support rate was 20 PERCENT  and its nonsupport rate was 
substantially higher at 54 PERCENT . 
 
In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the DPJ 
stood at 36 PERCENT , markedly down from the 42 PERCENT  rating in 
the last survey. However, the opposition Liberal Democratic Party's 
support rate also remained low at 16 PERCENT  (18 PERCENT  in the 
last survey). 
 
20) TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged) 
January 16, 2010 
 
The public approval rating for the Hatoyama cabinet was 47.1 PERCENT 
 in a public opinion survey conducted by Jiji Press on Jan. 8-11, up 
0.3 percentage points from last month, remaining almost flat. 
Meanwhile the disapproval rating was 32.4 PERCENT , up 2.1 points 
from last month. The figure rose for the third month in a row. The 
rise in the nonsupport rate can be taken as reflecting such issues 
as the involvement of Prime Minister Hatoyama in his fund-managing 
body's falsification of political funds and the sudden resignation 
of Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii before the ordinary Diet 
session. 
 
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 . 
 
In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the ruling 
 
TOKYO 00000101  010 OF 011 
 
 
Democratic Party of Japan stood at 26.2 PERCENT , up 1.2 points from 
last month. The opposition Liberal Democratic Party was at 13.1 
PERCENT , down 2.5 points. The New Komeito was at 4.3 PERCENT , up 
2.2 points. Among other political parties, the Japanese Communist 
Party was at 1.1 PERCENT , the Social Democratic Party at 0.6 
PERCENT , the Your Party at 0.4 PERCENT , and the People's New Party 
at 0.1 PERCENT . "None" accounted for 52.5 PERCENT . 
 
21) Poll: 60 PERCENT  support suffrage for foreigners 
 
ASAHI (Page 38) (Excerpt) 
January 19, 2010 
 
Those who supported the idea of giving local suffrage to permanent 
foreign residents in Japan accounted for 60 PERCENT  while 29 
PERCENT  expressed opposition in a nationwide opinion survey 
conducted by the Asahi Shimbun on Jan. 16-17. 
 
22) Poll: 61.7 PERCENT  approve of presence of Yokosuka Air Base, 
down 2.8 points from previous poll, reflecting growing concerns 
about crimes 
 
ASAHI (Page 37) (Slightly abridged) 
January 18, 2010 
 
A survey conducted by the Yokosuka municipal government showed 
citizens' mixed feelings about the U.S. military presence. In the 
survey, 61.7 PERCENT  replied that the presence of a U.S. base in 
the city was preferable or unavoidable, but this figure was 2.8 
percentage points less than in the previous survey in November 
¶2005. 
 
In the survey conducted in June 2008, a questionnaire form was sent 
to 5,000 citizens aged over 15 in Yokosuka City, and the municipal 
government received 2,173 valid responses. 
 
Asked for views about the presence of a U.S. military base in the 
city, 44.1 PERCENT  of respondents said that the presence was 
unavoidable, followed by 26.3 PERCENT  replying that it was 
undesirable and 17.6 PERCENT  saying that it was desirable. Among 
the respondents who said the presence was desirable, those aged 
between 20 and 24 accounted for 31.3 PERCENT  of the total, more 
than double the percentage of those in their 50s or 60s who gave 
made the same reply. 
 
Compared with the previous survey, a significant change was seen in 
the reasons for judging the propriety of the base presence. Among 
the respondents who said the base presence was undesirable, those 
who cited concerns about crimes and accidents accounted for 45.2 
PERCENT , up 26.9 percentage points from the 18.3 PERCENT  in the 
previous survey. 
 
Meanwhile, in the previous survey 45.5 PERCENT  listed concerns 
about Japan's possible involvement in a war, but those who cited 
this reason was 20.7 PERCENT , a decrease of 24.8 percentage 
points. 
 
In Yokosuka City, three murder cases involving U.S. military 
personnel occurred during a period of nearly three years between the 
two surveys. The survey results this time also reflect the 
deployment of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington 
at the Yokosuka base. 
 
TOKYO 00000101  011 OF 011 
 
 
 
23) Poll: 65 PERCENT  of Nago voters opposed to Futenma relocation 
to Henoko 
 
ASAHI (Page 38) (Abridged) 
January 19, 2010 
 
In Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, the campaign battle has begun for the 
Jan. 24 mayoral election. The city's Henoko area is where the U.S. 
military's Futenma airfield in the island prefecture's Ginowan city 
will be relocated in accordance with an intergovernmental agreement 
reached between Japan and the United States. In the meantime, Asahi 
Shimbun conducted a telephone-based poll of the city's voting 
population on Jan. 17-18 to probe the situation. The race has become 
a hot contest between Susumu Inamine, a new candidate opposing the 
relocation of Futenma airfield to Henoko, and Yoshikazu Shimabukuro, 
the incumbent mayor favoring the Futenma relocation to the site. 
Nearly 30 PERCENT  of those polled did not reveal their voting 
behavior, so the situation could change. 
 
Meanwhile, 65 PERCENT  of respondents answered "no" when asked if 
they were in favor of the Futenma relocation to Henoko, with 16 
PERCENT  saying "yes." Respondents were also asked if they approved 
of the Hatoyama cabinet's handling of the Futenma relocation issue. 
To this question, 50 PERCENT  answered "no," with 28 PERCENT  saying 
"yes." 
 
The survey was conducted jointly with the Okinawa Times and Ryukyu 
Asahi Broadcasting. 
 
ZUMWALT