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Viewing cable 06TOKYO1363, DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 03/15/06

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06TOKYO1363 2006-03-15 07:45 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Tokyo
VZCZCXRO9009
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #1363/01 0740745
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 150745Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9766
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/USDOJ WASHDC PRIORITY
RULSDMK/USDOT WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5//
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMHBA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI
RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA//
RHMFIUU/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA//J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/COMPATWING ONE KAMI SEYA JA
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 7769
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 5142
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 8266
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 5158
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 6319
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1141
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 7332
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 9312
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TOKYO 001363 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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 03/15/06 
 
 
INDEX: 
 
(1) Poll on Koizumi cabinet, political parties, social divide 
 
(2) Koizumi aiming to end up with high popularity 
 
(3) Prime Minister Koizumi denies expansion of current Diet 
session, coordinates plan to visit US in June with eye on last 
hurrah 
 
(4) Series of problems exposed on US beef: Stricter safety 
inspections called for 
 
(5) Unannounced inspection eyed 
 
(6) US eager to put end to heated beef talks prior to off-year 
elections this fall 
 
(7) Unannounced inspection eyed 
 
(8) Editorial: Pluthermal power-generation project; Haste creates 
danger 
 
ARTICLES: 
 
(1) Poll on Koizumi cabinet, political parties, social divide 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
March 14, 2006 
 
Questions & Answers 
(Figures shown in percentage. Parentheses denote the results of a 
survey conducted in February.) 
 
Q: Do you support the Koizumi cabinet? 
 
Yes                      54.9       (53.5) 
No                       35.9       (36.2) 
Other answers (O/A)       3.0        (2.9) 
No answer (N/A)           6.2        (7.5) 
 
Q: Give up to two reasons for your approval of the Koizumi 
cabinet. 
 
I can appreciate its political stance       32.2 
I can appreciate its policy measures        14.5 
It's stable                                 16.2 
The prime minister is trustworthy           18.7 
It's achieved actual results                35.9 
It's a coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New 
Komeito                                      6.8 
It's better than its predecessors           37.3 
O/A                                          1.5 
N/A                                          0.9 
 
Q: Give up to two reasons for your disapproval of the Koizumi 
cabinet. 
 
I can't appreciate its political stance         36.9 
I can't appreciate its policy measures          43.9 
It's unstable                                   14.1 
The prime minister is untrustworthy             29.5 
It's failed to achieve noticeable results       19.5 
 
TOKYO 00001363  002 OF 009 
 
 
It's a coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New 
Komeito                                         13.7 
It's worse than its predecessors                 4.3 
O/A                                              2.8 
N/A                                              0.5 
 
Q: What issues do you want the Koizumi cabinet to pursue on a 
priority basis? Pick as many as you like from among those listed 
below. 
 
Economic stimulus measures                               52.5 
Employment measures                                      27.7 
Fiscal reconstruction                                    20.4 
Tax reform                                               29.9 
Social security reform, including pensions               54.9 
Measures to counter low birthrate, including 
childcare support                                        28.3 
Educational reform                                       21.1 
Political reform, political ethics                        9.2 
Public service personnel system reform                   18.0 
Public security, crime prevention                        27.4 
Foreign policy                                           18.7 
Defense, security                                        12.0 
North Korea issues                                       26.6 
Environmental protection                                 14.8 
Crisis management, including disaster prevention         10.5 
Constitutional revision                                   6.7 
Food safety                                              18.4 
O/A + nothing in particular + N/A                         2.7 
 
Q: Which political party do you support? 
 
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)                 42.3       (39.3) 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto)    11.1       (13.3) 
New Komeito (NK)                                3.0        (3.1) 
Japanese Communist Party (JCP)                  1.3        (1.4) 
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto)       1.9        (1.5) 
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto)      0.2        (0.1) 
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon)         0.1        (0.1) 
Other political parties                         0.1        (---) 
None                                           39.2       (40.2) 
N/A                                             0.8        (0.9) 
 
Q: Do you think income and other economic disparities are 
expanding in Japan today? 
 
Yes                           55.2 
Yes to a certain degree       26.2 
No to a certain degree         8.9 
No                             6.7 
N/A                            3.0 
 
Q: (Only for those who answered "yes" to the foregoing question) 
Do you think the expansion of economic disparities has resulted 
from Prime Minister Koizumi's drive to push for structural 
reforms over the past five years since coming into office? 
 
Yes, very much          19.5 
Yes, somewhat           36.9 
No, not very much       25.4 
No, not at all          14.1 
N/A                      4.1 
 
 
TOKYO 00001363  003 OF 009 
 
 
Q: Do you think there is a problem about the widening of such a 
social divide? 
 
Yes                           49.2 
Yes to a certain degree       29.5 
No to a certain degree         9.5 
No                             8.9 
N/A                            2.9 
 
Q: Do you think Japan today is a society where anyone can 
overcome such a social divide if you work hard? 
 
Yes                           16.7 
Yes to a certain degree       22.1 
No to a certain degree        22.6 
No                            35.9 
N/A                            2.7 
 
Polling methodology 
Date of survey: March 11-12. 
Subjects of survey: 3,000 persons chosen from among all eligible 
voters throughout the country (at 250 locations on a stratified 
two-stage random sampling basis). 
Method of implementation: Door-to-door visits for face-to-face 
interviews. 
Number of valid respondents: 1,812 persons (60.4%). 
Breakdown of respondents: Male-50 %,female-50 %. 
 
(2) Koizumi aiming to end up with high popularity 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full) 
March 14, 2006 
 
In the Yomiuri Shimbun's latest public opinion survey, the 
Koizumi cabinet kept up its approval rating over 50%. However, 
its high popularity is undeniably owing in part to the recent 
email fiasco and other errors involving the leading opposition 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto). Prime Minister 
Koizumi has clarified his intent to step down along with his 
ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election slated 
for this September. Yet, his cabinet's approval rating-depending 
on its turns over the next six months-may have subtle 
repercussions on the post-Koizumi race. 
 
"It's pretty high," Koizumi told reporters yesterday evening at 
his office when asked about his cabinet's support rate. "It will 
go down again in time," he added. 
 
The Koizumi cabinet's approval rating hovered around 60% for a 
while after last September's election for the House of 
Representatives. However, its support rate was on the decline in 
last December and afterward. This time, it was 54.9%, up 1.4 
percentage points from this February's survey, and seemed to have 
stopped dropping. "The DPJ sustained a blow from the email 
problem, so I guess that's probably why the cabinet support rate 
went up." This analysis came from an LDP executive in the House 
of Councillors. 
 
If Koizumi sustains his cabinet's high popularity in the months 
ahead, it then will be possible to have post-Koizumi candidates 
struggle within the scope of his structural reform initiatives. 
That is because it will be difficult for them to negate Koizumi's 
highly reputed restructuring approach. 
 
TOKYO 00001363  004 OF 009 
 
 
 
One LDP executive says Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe is the very 
best candidate in the prime minister's heart of hearts. "Public 
opinion will greatly help push ahead with structural reforms," 
Abe said yesterday. 
 
However, the Koizumi cabinet, should its support rate go down, 
would become a lame duck. If that is the case, the LDP race in 
September this year could focus on whether to review his 
restructuring policy course. High popularity is indispensable for 
the premier to uphold his policy. 
 
There are also many uncertainties for Koizumi to keep up his 
cabinet's high rating. 
 
The government has now introduced a package of legislative 
measures for administrative reform to the Diet at the current 
session. The government wants to play up its restructuring stance 
with the legislation's early passage through the Diet. However, 
Koizumi will step down in a half year. As it stands, he will have 
no time to set forth new policy measures at home. On the 
diplomatic front, it is hard to foresee what is up ahead of the 
pending issues, such as the planned realignment of US forces in 
Japan and the pullout of Ground Self-Defense Force troops from 
Iraq. 
 
DPJ seriously takes decline in support 
 
In the survey this time, the DPJ support rate also dropped 2.0 
points. The DPJ takes it as a consequence of having lost public 
confidence due to the 'fake email' incident, and the party has a 
strong sense of crisis. "We're now in a difficult time (due to 
the email fiasco), so we must take the public criticism," DPJ 
Secretary General Hatoyama said. "I'm really feeling (the 
 
SIPDIS 
criticism)," he added. 
 
(3) Prime Minister Koizumi denies expansion of current Diet 
session, coordinates plan to visit US in June with eye on last 
hurrah 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Slightly abridged) 
March 15, 2006 
 
In a meeting on March 13 of the government and the ruling 
parties, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi threw out a proposal by 
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Diet Affairs Committee Chairman 
Hiroyuki Hosoda that the ongoing regular Diet session be 
extended, saying, "I want you to pass all necessary bills through 
the Diet without considering extending the current session." 
 
A government source commented that the prime minister had talked 
about a basic view in order to bring a sense of urgency to the 
management of Diet affairs. Speculation has been rife that 
Koizumi may not extend the session but instead try to give 
priority to his diplomatic schedule after the session closes. 
 
In the background, Koizumi has only one chance in late June to 
make a state visit to the US, having been invited by President 
George W. Bush. 
 
It will be the first state visit to the US by a Japanese prime 
minister since then Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi made one in May 
ΒΆ1999. Koizumi declined the invitation last year. Visiting the US 
 
TOKYO 00001363  005 OF 009 
 
 
while he is still in office is the top diplomatic issue for 
Koizumi in order to summarize the results of the five-year 
honeymoon period of Japan-US relations. 
 
However, it would be impossible for Bush to invite Koizumi after 
July because: July 4 is the US Independence Day; the Group of 
Eight summit will start on July 15 in St. Petersburg; and Bush 
will leave Washington for vacation in August. 
 
In September, Koizumi will have a tightly packed diplomatic 
schedule: Attendance at the summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting in 
Finland and at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. 
Therefore, it is impossible for him to visit Washington in 
September. 
 
After the current Diet session ends, Chief Cabinet Secretary 
Shinzo Abe, Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki, and Foreign 
Minister Taro Aso will be freed from their Diet business to reply 
questions. The three, who are post-Koizumi contenders, will move 
their campaigns for the LDP presidential election into full gear 
soon after the end of the Diet session. The expectation is that 
Koizumi's grip on the party, as well as his political identity 
would decline at once since many LDP members will grow their 
interest in the party leadership race. 
 
However, the prime minister and his aides have taken the 
offensive, assuming that the Koizumi reform drive will be 
maintained if a budget request framework for fiscal 2007 is 
drafted based on "big-boned reform policy guidelines," which the 
government will decide in June. 
 
A person closed to the prime minister said: 
 
"Under the cabinet of Prime Minister Hosokawa, even Mr. Ichiro 
Ozawa, a strong-armed politician, failed to drastically change 
the budgetary request guidelines drafted by the government-led by 
the LDP. No one can alter the reform policy line. The post- 
Koizumi contenders have no choice but to follow the Koizumi 
reform program as they approved it." 
 
Bureaucrats, who scheme to secure vested interests, have started 
making a resistance against the government, aiming to water down 
the reform measures to be included in the "big-bone policy 
guidelines." It is certain that public support for Koizumi will 
decrease if his reform drive will hit a roadblock. 
 
Whether Koizumi will be able to maintain his influence until he 
steps down from the prime minister's post depends on whether he 
can overcome bureaucratic resistance. 
 
(4) Series of problems exposed on US beef: Stricter safety 
inspections called for 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 5) (Full) 
March 15, 2006 
 
A series of problems concerning US beef, including violations in 
shipments and sloppy anti-BSE procedures, have been exposed 
recently. It was announced yesterday that three of the meat- 
processing plants authorized to export beef to Japan had been 
singled out in a report of the US Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) for improper processing. On March 13, a third case of BSE 
was confirmed in the US. The Japanese government is likely to be 
 
TOKYO 00001363  006 OF 009 
 
 
pressed now to carry out tighter safety inspections in order to 
remove consumers' distrust in US beef. Recent developments have 
made it more difficult for Japan to reach a decision to lift its 
ban on US beef imports. 
 
Improper processing at three plants in US pointed out in USDA 
report 
 
Japan reinstated its ban on US beef imports in January after 
vertebral columns prohibited under a bilateral accord due to the 
risk of BSE were found in a veal shipment to Japan. Prohibited 
parts were also found in a shipment to Hong Kong on March 13. 
 
The Japanese government was greatly shocked by the incident in 
Hong Kong, because the meat-processing facility in question had 
cleared a Japanese government inspection. In addition, the plant 
had demonstrated the safety of its anti-BSE processing before the 
press through the US government. In its inspection last December, 
the Japanese government judged the procedures at the plant as 
"having no problem." There is the possibility that the Japanese 
government also failed to find safety problems. 
 
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shoichi Nakagawa 
expressed strong apprehension about the disclosure of US plants 
that have not taken proper safety procedures, saying: "With the 
discovery of another US beef shipment containing banned parts, 
the coefficient of friction has become bigger." 
 
Yesterday, it was also revealed that USDA had pointed out in its 
report that they had not kept proper records on the removal of 
specified risk materials (SRM) from 2004 through 2005, despite an 
USDA order that SRMs be thoroughly removed. The Japanese 
government was not even informed of this fact. 
 
(5) Unannounced inspection eyed 
 
NIHON KEZAI (Page 5) (Full) 
March 15, 2006 
 
Following the disclosure of a series of incidents involving US 
meat-processing facilities, the Japanese government has stepped 
up efforts to obtain accurate information on the incidents. The 
government will be pressed to carry out stricter safety measures 
before determining whether to reopen its market to US beef. 
 
One of such measures is the strengthening of inspections. Late 
last year, the Japanese government inspected meat-processing 
plants in the US to see whether the removal of specified risk 
materials (SRM) has been properly removed. In addition to this 
measure, the Japanese government may study the possibility of 
checking to if whether US inspectors are properly examining 
facilities and making unannounced inspections of US plants. 
 
Consumers Union of Japan Vice President Yasuaki Yamaura 
commented: "The key to resuming imports lies in how to ensure the 
safety of beef." Tokyo has also made the recovery of public trust 
in US beef as a precondition for resuming imports. Given this, 
the government intends to listen to explanations from the US, 
taking time, about the details of the Hong Kong case and its 
additional inquiries. It may take several months to complete this 
process. Many observers anticipate that an early resumption of 
imports will be difficult. 
 
 
TOKYO 00001363  007 OF 009 
 
 
(6) US eager to put end to heated beef talks prior to off-year 
elections this fall 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 5) (Full) 
March 15, 2006 
 
The US government plans to submit this week its second report 
responding to inquiries from Japan regarding an incident in which 
vertebral columns, a prohibited part, were found in a US veal 
shipment to Japan. The US presented Japan with a report on the 
incident in February. In response, Japan submitted a list of 
uncertain points in the report to the US. 
 
Observers expect the US to reply: "We did everything that we 
should do," based on its usual assertion that "the incident of 
vertebral columns included in a shipment is a unique case and not 
a structural problem." 
 
In a press conference on March 13, Agriculture Department chief 
veterinarian John Clifford said: "In Japan, more than 20 cases of 
BSE have been reports, but we believe Japanese beef is safe." He 
then reiterated, "US beef is safe." This was a strategy to 
underscore an "open America" by citing the case of Japan, which 
has closed its market. But it is impossible to simply draw a 
comparison between Japan and the US because given their different 
inspection methods and inspection objects. 
 
The Japanese and U governments, based on their respective 
positions, have engaged in negotiations on the propriety of 
Japan's resumption of US beef imports. The beef issue is expected 
to take center stage on such occasions as Prime Minister 
Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the US planned for late June and the 
annual industrialized countries' summit meeting in July. 
 
With off-year elections scheduled for this fall, Washington is 
concerned about an eruption of calls for sanctions against Japan 
in the US Congress. The Bush administration cannot ignore the 
wishes of cattle farmers, who hold sway in the US political 
world. In order to mitigate the growing reactions in the US, the 
US government is willing to put an end to the heated debates 
between Japan and the US over the safety of US beef. 
 
(7) Unannounced inspection eyed 
 
NIHON KEZAI (Page 5) (Full) 
March 15, 2006 
 
Following the disclosure of a series of incidents involving US 
meat-processing facilities, the Japanese government has stepped 
up efforts to obtain accurate information on the incidents. The 
government will be pressed to carry out stricter safety measures 
before determining whether to reopen its market to US beef. 
 
One of such measures is the strengthening of inspections. Late 
last year, the Japanese government inspected meat-processing 
plants in the US to see whether the removal of specified risk 
materials (SRM) has been properly removed. In addition to this 
measure, the Japanese government may study the possibility of 
checking to if whether US inspectors are properly examining 
facilities and making unannounced inspections of US plants. 
 
Consumers Union of Japan Vice President Yasuaki Yamaura 
commented: "The key to resuming imports lies in how to ensure the 
 
TOKYO 00001363  008 OF 009 
 
 
safety of beef." Tokyo has also made the recovery of public trust 
in US beef as a precondition for resuming imports. Given this, 
the government intends to listen to explanations from the US, 
taking time, about the details of the Hong Kong case and its 
additional inquiries. It may take several months to complete this 
process. Many observers anticipate that an early resumption of 
imports will be difficult. 
 
(8) Editorial: Pluthermal power-generation project; Haste creates 
danger 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 5) (Full) 
March 13, 2006 
 
Chubu Electric Power Co. has applied for approval of the 
government for a pluthermal power-generation project plan at the 
Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station. Following a series of accidents at 
nuclear power stations, the views of power companies and experts 
on one hand and local residents and consumers on the other remain 
wide apart. The company should not rush to carry out such a 
project, taking advantage of the fact that developing pluthermal 
power generation is a national project. 
 
Plu refers to plutonium. Thermal refers to heat. Pluthermal means 
recycling nuclear fuel. 
 
Mixed oxide fuel (MOX) can be produced, by mixing plutonium 
extracted from spent nuclear fuel with new uranium. Electric 
power can be generated, by burning MOX fuel in an atomic power 
reactor. This will save 10-20% of the consumption of precious 
uranium. 
 
Chubu Electric Power Co. plans to start using MOX fuel at the no. 
4 Hamaoka nuclear reactor in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, 
starting in 2010, and switch fuel sources to MOX to a ratio of up 
to about one third. 
 
In Japan, the Takahama nuclear power station of Chubu Electric 
Power Co. and the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station and the 
Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power station of Tokyo Electric Power 
Co. obtained authorization to carry out a pluthermal power 
generation program. However, following a series of scandals, such 
as operational data falsification and the hiding of troubles, 
those plans were either put on the back burner or host 
municipalities withdrew their consents. 
 
Kyushu Electric Power Co. obtained approval for the use of MOX 
fuel for the No. 3 nuclear reactor at the Genkai nuclear power 
station, and the local government accepted the project. 
 
In developing nuclear fuel cycle, Japans' fast-breeder reactor 
development plan suffered a setback due to the accident at the 
Monju. Pluthermal power generation is now drawing much attention, 
reflecting the trend in the US and Britain of returning to 
nuclear power plants. 
 
Plutonium is hazardous in itself. It is also known as a major 
material for A-bombs. The safe processing of nuclear waste is 
absolutely necessary from the perspective of anti-terrorism 
measures, too. Japan characterizes nuclear fuel cycle as a 
national policy. 
 
Electric power companies are pressed to cut power generation 
 
TOKYO 00001363  009 OF 009 
 
 
costs because of the trend of liberalizing the electricity market 
and high crude oil prices. Kansai Electric Power Co.'s, which 
eyes at the huge Chukyo market, dependence on nuclear power is 
estimated at 44 %,while that of Chubu Electric Power Co. is 18%. 
 
A view is being heard among local sources familiar with the 
situation that there is no choice, because the development of 
pluthermal power generation is a national policy. However, there 
is something precarious about the way all electric power 
companies are falling in step with each other under the banner of 
the national policy. We have seen too many cases of cost 
reduction competition through heightened efficiency jeopardizing 
safety. Electric power companies should make sure that they 
continue to provide explanations to affected local residents. 
However, the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl 20 years ago told us 
that destruction in the event of emergency would spread beyond 
the local level. 
 
Japan continues to accumulate approximately 1,000 tons of 
hazardous nuclear waste a year, and yet it has yet to develop an 
effective way of processing such. Even under such a situation, 
large cities keep consuming electricity for 24 hours a day. This 
is a problem we should consider from a broad perspective, taking 
into account the supply-demand structure of energy, the 
consumption structure and the lifestyle of ourselves. 
 
SCHIEFFER