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Viewing cable 07TOKYO3073, DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 07/05/07

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07TOKYO3073 2007-07-05 08:13 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Tokyo
VZCZCXRO3405
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #3073/01 1860813
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 050813Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5201
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//
RUALSFJ/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA//J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/CTF 72
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 4304
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 1884
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 5466
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 0988
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 2693
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 7728
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 3787
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 4878
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 TOKYO 003073 
 
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 07/05/07 
 
 
Index: 
 
(1) Koike assumes one key post after another owing to "keen sense of 
(political) smell," arousing jealousy of lawmakers eager to join 
cabinet 
 
(2) Kyuma remarks expose gap in Japan's aim and reality 3 
(3) Kyuma remarks and nuclear policy: Japan must stop relying on 
nuclear deterrent 
 
(4) In the aftermath of base-hosting municipality's opposition to US 
military realignment 
 
(5) Comfort women issue: JCP Chairman Shii urges Prime Minister Abe 
to apologize to the world 
 
(6) Comfort women issue remains unresolved 
 
(7) Upside-down flag at Okinawa International University; UK 
associate professor calls action an SOS signal; University president 
orders stop to "criminal infringement" 
 
ARTICLES: 
 
(1) Koike assumes one key post after another owing to "keen sense of 
(political) smell," arousing jealousy of lawmakers eager to join 
cabinet 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 24) (Full) 
July 5, 2007 
 
The first female defense minister in history celebrated her 
fifty-fourth birthday yesterday. This is the second cabinet post 
given to Yuriko Koike, who has served five terms in the House of 
Representatives. Some Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) members who are 
yearning for a cabinet post are overheard saying, "I wonder why only 
Koike has been treated favorably." But such lawmakers first should 
learn from her how to get along in the political world. 
 
In a press conference she gave after assuming the top defense post, 
Defense Minister Koike countered an attack against Democratic Party 
of Japan (Minshuto) President Ichiro Ozawa, who has stepped up his 
criticism of the Abe administration. 
 
Koike said: "I know best about Mr. Ozawa's defense policy. In 
Minshuto, (views over defense policy) are split. Ozawa should 
announce not his own ideals but the party's policy. Unfortunately, I 
have to return (his criticism) to him." The reason why she had to 
"unfortunately" denounce the leader of the main opposition party is 
because she moved from party to party. 
 
After graduating from Cairo University, Koike served as an 
anchorwoman for the TV Tokyo program, "World Business Satellite." In 
1992, she ran as a candidate backed by the Japan New Party in the 
House of Councillors election, ranked 2nd, following party head 
Morihiro Hosokawa, among candidates for the party's proportional 
representation segment and was elected for the first time. 
 
In 1993, Koike ran in the Hyogo No. 2 constituency of the Lower 
House election and won a Lower House seat for the first time. She 
joined the defunct New Frontier Party supporting current Minshuto 
leader Ichiro Ozawa in 1994. After the party was disbanded in 1997, 
 
TOKYO 00003073  002 OF 010 
 
 
she became a member of Jiyuto (the Liberal Party). When Jiyuto left 
the coalition government in April 2000, she took part in 
establishing Hoshuto (the Conservative Party), separating from 
Ozawa. 
 
Koike became a member of the LDP in December 2002. In July 2003, she 
joined the Mori faction (now, the Machimura faction), from which 
Junichiro Koizumi became prime minister in July 2003. She served as 
environment minister from September 2003 through September 2006, 
during which she pushed for the introduction of the Cool Biz 
campaign, a casual business dress code. 
 
In the 2005 general election, Koike volunteered for Koizumi's first 
"assassin" position against an LDP lawmaker who voted against postal 
privatization bills, changing her constituency from Hyogo to the 
Tokyo No. 10 constituency. At that time, Koizumi flattered her by 
saying: "You are really courageous, though you are also charming." 
When the Abe administration was launched last September, she was 
appointed as Abe's special advisor. 
 
Some call her a "migratory bird," focusing on her hopping from one 
political party to another. But all of the five political parties to 
which Koike once belonged are now defunct. It can also be taken that 
Koike is a successful woman who rode out the storm of the 
reorganization of the political scene that started in the 1990s. 
What is to be particularly noted is that she got in close to the 
most influential figures in the political parties to which she 
belonged or belongs, such as former Prime Minister Hosokawa, Ozawa, 
former Prime Minister Koizumi, and Prime Minister Abe. 
 
The following was a typical success story in the LDP in the past: A 
high position is finally awarded to a person who pledged loyalty to 
his or her factional boss and steadily dealt with unspectacular work 
for decades. Koike's political stance, however, is far from this 
style. Her case might be regarded as a new success model. 
 
Kichiya Kobayashi, a political commentator, said: "Ms. Koike has a 
keen sense of smell to sniff out who holds the supreme power of the 
time. This must be something she was born with." He added: "While 
assuming political power for five years and five months, Prime 
Minister Koizumi picked himself those with whom he wanted to work, 
abolishing the conventional stance of giving priority to a balance 
between factions and to seniority. This new approach has now taken 
root. In the current political world, lawmakers who have a poor 
sense of smell will never be blessed with an important post, even if 
they are competent." 
 
Will anyone be promoted to an important post if they improve their 
sense of smell? To this question, Kobayashi replied: "If you make 
such efforts unskillfully, those around you might take the efforts 
as part of trickery and boo you. In such a case, the prime minister 
will find it difficult to field you to a key post. If such a sense 
of smell is natural one, though, criticism will not grow louder." It 
seems difficult for conventional-type lawmakers to follow Koike's 
political stance. 
 
Koike published the book titled, "Ways for women to establish 
personal contacts - Success women's passport." Koike might become 
the first (prime minister) in (the nation's) history. 
 
(2) Kyuma remarks expose gap in Japan's aim and reality 
 
 
TOKYO 00003073  003 OF 010 
 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged slightly) 
July 4, 2007 
 
Japan, as the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks, has 
been calling for nuclear disarmament on one hand and has been 
enjoying peace under the United States' nuclear umbrella on the 
other. (Resigned) Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma's remarks justifying 
the United States' dropping of atomic bombs of Japan have exposed 
the gap between Japan's goal and its reality concerning nuclear 
arms. 
 
In 1967, then Prime Minister Eisaku Sato announced the three 
non-nuclear principles of not producing, possessing, or allowing 
nuclear weapons into Japan. Since then, all successive prime 
ministers, including Shinzo Abe, have repeatedly announced their 
determination to uphold the three principles. 
 
Japan has submitted a resolution calling for nuclear disarmament to 
the UN General Assembly every year since 1994. They have been 
adopted by a majority vote. Japan has also actively called for 
nuclear armament by, for instance, lobbying other countries to sign 
the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). 
 
Relying on the United States' nuclear deterrent leads to 
acknowledging the effectiveness of nuclear arms. Other countries are 
already aware of such a situation in Japan. For instance, when Japan 
protested France's nuclear test in 1995, Paris said: "Japan has been 
able to enjoy peace owing to protection by the United States' 
nuclear umbrella." 
 
Given Japan's mage as blindly following the United States, 
justifying the United States' dropping of the atomic bombs would 
cause Japan's call for nuclear disarmament to lose its cogency. 
 
Japan's response to the United States also remains elusive, which 
has reached an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation with India, 
which has conducted nuclear tests without joining the Nuclear 
Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). In view of the North Korean issue, 
some countries have begun referring to Japan's stance as a double 
standard. 
 
In 1996, the International Court of Justice handed down its advisory 
opinion reading: "The threat or use of nuclear weapons would 
generally be contradictory to the rules of international law." With 
that in mind, even a senior Defense Ministry official said: "The 
defense minister mustn't have made remarks that could be taken as 
justifying the use of nuclear weapons." Kyuma's remarks not only 
sent shockwaves throughout Hiroshima and Nagasaki but also 
undermined Japan's position in the international community. 
 
(3) Kyuma remarks and nuclear policy: Japan must stop relying on 
nuclear deterrent 
 
ASAHI (Page 15) (Abridged) 
July 5, 2007 
 
By Kiichi Fujiwara, professor of international politics, University 
of Tokyo 
 
Both the ruling and opposition parties reacted speedily and 
furiously to (the A-bomb) remarks by Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma 
(who has since stepped down). His remarks were not based on 
 
TOKYO 00003073  004 OF 010 
 
 
historical facts. Everyone rejected the remarks which seemed to have 
ignored the suffering of the atomic-bomb survivors, a factor that 
takes precedence over historical facts. The strong reaction to 
Kyuma's comment has proven that the nation's tragic feeling toward 
the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has not faded. Although calls 
for protecting the (peace) Constitution from change have weakened, a 
sense of mission to hand down the experience of atomic bombings to 
future generations is still shared by all political parties from the 
Liberal Democratic Party to the Japanese Communist Party. 
 
But that is not what really matters in this case. Ruling and 
opposition party lawmakers highlighted the need for nuclear 
disarmament, while slamming Kyuma. But what has the Japanese 
government done to eliminate nuclear weapons from the world? 
 
True, Japan since 1994 has submitted to the UN General Assembly a 
series of resolutions calling for nuclear disarmament, and they have 
been adopted. However, such countries as the United States, India, 
Pakistan, China, and North Korea have either opposed those 
resolutions or abstained from voting. Nuclear disarmament 
resolutions without the support of nuclear powers carry little 
significance. 
 
Japan is a country that has called for nuclear disarmament on the 
one hand and relied on the United States' nuclear umbrella on the 
other. 
 
Whether or not the US nuclear umbrella has really helped the 
security of Japan is not clear. But in determining their policies 
toward Japan during the Cold War, the Soviet Union and China could 
not rule out the possibility of the United States using nuclear 
weapons in striking back. It is undeniable that the nuclear 
deterrent played a certain role in Asia's international relations. 
 
Japan has been a proponent of nuclear disarmament and a beneficiary 
of (the United States') nuclear deterrent at the same time. The 
country has been urging the world no to repeat the tragedies of 
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, while relying on (the United States') 
nuclear arms. 
 
Japan's North Korea policy clearly tells of its dependence on the 
United States' nuclear deterrent. In urging North Korea to abandon 
its nuclear programs, Japan has relied not only on the United 
States' economic sanctions but also on its nuclear deterrent. Japan, 
having pursued a hard-line stance toward the North, now finds itself 
isolated against the backdrop of US-North Korea bilateral talks. 
 
What can Japan do now? The answer is to incorporate nuclear 
disarmament in its set of pragmatic policies and launch an effort 
for regional nuclear disarmament. 
 
For Japan to continue seeking only a reduction in the United States' 
nuclear arms is insufficient. We will not be able to free ourselves 
from our dependence on (the United States) nuclear deterrent unless 
nuclear arms in other countries in the region, such as North Korea 
and China, are also reduced. In addition to calling for nuclear 
disarmament, Japan must draw those countries into nuclear arms 
reduction talks, though that will not be easy. 
 
There have been new developments, as well. In January this year, 
former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and others released a 
statement calling for nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. The 
 
TOKYO 00003073  005 OF 010 
 
 
view has also spread that nuclear nonproliferation takes nuclear 
powers' efforts to reduce their nuclear arms. 
 
(4) In the aftermath of base-hosting municipality's opposition to US 
military realignment 
 
TOKYO (Page 28) (Full) 
July 3, 2007 
 
The city of Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture is finally getting into 
a scrape. The city, which hosts the US Marine Corps' Iwakuni Air 
Station, has rejected the government-proposed redeployment of US 
carrier-borne aircraft to the base in the planned realignment of US 
forces in Japan. The government has therefore cut off its 
subsidization of the city's new municipal government office building 
currently under construction. The city's mayor, Katsusuke Ihara, who 
has been opposed to the US military's realignment, proposed a 
general account budget for the time being. The city's municipal 
assembly somehow approved the mayor's proposed budget plan. However, 
the city is still in a plight. That is because the government urges 
the mayor to accept the US military realignment while taking its 
subsidy for the city as hostage. The Tokyo Shimbun reports on the 
city in turmoil. 
 
Gov't takes subsidy as "hostage," Iwakuni feeling the pinch 
 
"The mayor has not changed his stance at all. Basically, the mayor 
should accept the realignment. And then, the mayor should enter into 
consultations with the government." 
 
On June 29, the municipal assembly of Iwakuni City held an ad hoc 
meeting, in which the assembly focused its discussion on the pending 
issue of accepting US carrier-borne fighter jets. A pro-realignment 
member of the city's assembly urged the mayor to think twice about 
his stance of rejecting the US military realignment. 
 
The turmoil dates back to 1996 when Japan and the United States 
agreed to redeploy air tankers from the US Marine Corps' Futenma Air 
Station in Okinawa Prefecture to the Iwakuni base. At the time, the 
two countries agreed to return the site of Futenma airfield into 
local hands. 
 
Iwakuni City planned to rebuild its municipal government office 
building that was damaged in an earthquake. The city asked the 
government for its financial backing of the construction project. 
The government promised a subsidy of 4.9 billion yen for the 
project. "There's no definite contract in written form, but I 
reached agreement with a responsible person of the Defense 
Facilities Administration Agency," Ihara said. 
 
In October 2005, however, the Japanese and US governments decided on 
a plan to redeploy Atsugi-based carrier-borne fighter jets to the 
Iwakuni base in the planned process of realigning US forces in 
Japan. The carrier-borne jets in question are fighter attackers, 
which are far noisier than refueling aircraft. Their number is also 
planned to be more than twice. Their planned redeployment to the 
Iwakuni base turned into a big problem that divided the city. In 
March 2006, Iwakuni City polled its residents. In that local 
referendum, about 90 %  of the valid votes were against the 
redeployment of carrier-borne jets to Iwakuni. In April that year, 
the city held a mayoral election. In that mayoral race as well, 
Ihara, who is opposed to the realignment, was elected for a third 
 
TOKYO 00003073  006 OF 010 
 
 
term. 
 
The city's voice was shown in the poll. In December 2006, however, 
the DFAA cut 2.5 billion yen in its subsidy for the city's new 
office building construction project. Meanwhile, voices in favor of 
the realignment gained ground in the city's municipal assembly as 
well. Instead of asking for government subsidization, the city's 
municipal government chose to compile a general account budget in 
March and again in June with its idea of issuing special municipal 
bonds after Iwakuni City is consolidated with neighboring 
municipalities. However, the assembly rejected this idea of finding 
ways and means. 
 
The city's municipal government compiled a provisional budget for a 
period of three months. This ad hoc budget has now expired. "So," 
one member of the city's assembly says, "even water supply is 
illegal." Ihara said, "I can no longer trouble the citizens." The 
mayor then revised the budget plan to use a government subsidy as in 
the past. 
 
In the special session of the city's municipal assembly, Ihara was 
grilled with questions about whether he has changed his mind to 
accept the proposed redeployment of carrier-borne jets to the 
Iwakuni base. "How can I change my stance in one night? This is not 
a problem that I can settle alone." With this, the mayor flatly 
denied his change of mind. One pro-realignment assemblyman pursued 
Ihara, saying: "That subsidy is not earmarked in the government's 
budget, so there's no hope for it." Another assembly member called 
it an "empty budget." 
 
In the meantime, an anti-realignment assemblyman defended Ihara, 
saying: "They're taking the budget as hostage and trying to persuade 
the mayor. Such an approach is unacceptable. The government has 
driven the mayor into a corner, so the government is to blame." 
 
The assembly heated up over the proposed budget. However, the 
assembly had already agreed behind the scenes to fast-track it. 
 
Toshiyuki Kuwahara, a pro-realignment assemblyman who voted against 
the general account budget, backed Ihara, saying: "I'm pleased that 
the mayor has now made the political decision to use a government 
subsidy. We would also like to make efforts for 3.5 billion yen." 
Kuwahara then bowed his head before the mayor. "Thank you very 
much," he said. The assembly hall was covered with a big hand. 
 
"There's no chance of expecting (government) subsidization as long 
as the mayor does not change his stance of opposing the redeployment 
of US carrier-borne aircraft to the Iwakuni base." For this reason, 
two assembly members voted against the budget plan. However, the 
remaining 31 members of the city assembly voted for it. 
 
"I could get understanding from the greater part of the assembly 
members," Ihara said in a press conference. "It was good." So 
saying, he looked relieved. 
 
Budget revised as last-ditch measure, but problem put off 
 
Masayuki Takeda, a pro-realignment assemblyman of Iwakuni City, 
voted for the mayor's revised budget plan. Takeda explained the 
battle in the ad hoc assembly session: "We voted against the idea of 
using special municipal bonds with the consolidation of Iwakuni City 
and other municipalities. The mayor has now revised the budget plan 
 
TOKYO 00003073  007 OF 010 
 
 
to use a government subsidy, so we want the mayor to go for it. The 
mayor has now revised the budget. This can be also taken as the 
(mayor's) de facto acceptance of the US military alignment." 
 
Another assemblyman of the city, Jungen Tamura, is opposed to the 
proposed realignment of US forces in Japan. Tamura says: "The budget 
totals 66 billion yen. This budget has been taken as hostage in its 
entirety. Assembly members in favor of the realignment were also 
worried about its impact. Japanese have a bad habit of putting off 
what is troublesome. That's it." 
 
However, it is still difficult for Iwakuni City to expect government 
subsidization. "The mayor doesn't want to nod his head (say yes)," 
Takeda said. "Even so," he added, "if the mayor does not shake his 
head (say no), that's okay." Takeda went on: "If the mayor shows 
understanding on the government's national defense policy, there 
will be a chance. If the mayor can't do so, then the bout will enter 
round two. There may be even a mayoral election." 
 
Tamura said: "Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma has been saying he feels 
sorry (for Iwakuni). There will be an election for the House of 
Councillors. In addition, there are some other major factors for the 
nation. Given such factors, there could be even more developments. 
As long as the mayor remains opposed to the realignment, he's a 
headache for the government. The government will compile the 
supplementary budget in December, so the next climax will be around 
that time." 
 
Ihara is now in the turmoil. "I'm expecting government 
subsidization," Ihara said. "When it comes to the realignment of US 
forces in Japan," the mayor added, "I will explore a solution that 
is convincing not only from the spectrum of the country's national 
defense but also from the perspective of our local safety and 
security. In June, Ihara met with Defense Minister Kyuma. However, 
Ihara will further try to dig out what is unclear about the 
realignment of US forces, such as the noise and night training 
practice (NLP) of carrier-borne fighter jets that are known for 
their hard training. In May this year, the US Military Realignment 
Special Measures Law came into effect. Under this law, the 
government will subsidize base-hosting municipalities in stages 
according to the degree of their cooperation on the realignment of 
US forces in Japan. However, the DFAA says it does not know if 
Iwakuni City will be considered under the law. 
 
In addition to the city's municipal assembly, the local chamber of 
commerce and industry and the Yamaguchi prefectural government are 
also inclining to accept the proposed redeployment of US 
carrier-borne jets in the process of realigning the US military 
presence in Japan. 
 
"The situation is difficult. Some people say, 'The way things are 
going, Iwakuni City will go under like Yubari City (in Hokkaido).' 
There is also such a wrong speculation going around." With this, 
Ihara is also aware of being left holding on his own. 
 
How does this situation appear in the eyes of local residents? "We 
believed that the promised subsidy of 3.5 billion yen would come," 
said a 60-year-old homemaker, who was in the assembly's gallery for 
its discussion during the special session. So saying, she criticized 
the government for its carrot-and-stick approach. She was upset with 
her city's municipal assembly, saying: "If all the assembly members 
had supported the mayor, we wouldn't have seen such a situation. 
 
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They're split, so the government will take advantage of it." 
 
Even now, metallic sounds last until around 10 p.m. in the vicinity 
of the Iwakuni base. When a fighter plane takes off, even the voice 
on the phone cannot be heard, says one local resident. Another 
homemaker, 68, lives near the fence surrounding the base. "The 
government should do soundproofing work before realigning US 
forces." So saying, she looked fed up with the jet noise. She voted 
against the US military realignment in the city's poll of residents 
and voted for Ihara in the mayoral election. However, she is now in 
an air of giving up. She said, "If I agree, or even if I don't, they 
(US carrier-borne jets) will come, won't they?" 
 
An 81-year-old man, who lives near the base gate, said: "I want the 
government to stop the US military realignment. However, we're in a 
dilemma. I don't want carrier-borne aircraft. But they will come in 
the end, won't they? The mayor has a hard time of it, I think." 
 
A 59-year-old woman, who is "still against the US military 
realignment," said with sighs: "We don't want the base. But the base 
has been and will be here for decades. Iwakuni also hosts a US 
military base, so we can understand the standpoint of people in 
Okinawa. However, we cannot accept any more. I want to hear the 
opinions of candidates in their campaign for the House of 
Councillors election." 
 
Editor's note: Defense Minister Kyuma, standing in the vanguard of 
realigning the US military's footprints in Japan, said the United 
States' dropping of atomic bombs on Japan "couldn't be helped." 
Then, we'd like to ask him. That may be the correct answer in a 
history class at grade schools in the United States. But was it 
really the only option to end the war? For instance, if the United 
States wanted to deprive the Japanese military of the will to fight, 
it might be better to drop an atom bomb in the mountains or 
otherwise in the sea. The United States targeted densely populated 
cities for something like a living-body test. Why? 
 
(5) Comfort women issue: JCP Chairman Shii urges Prime Minister Abe 
to apologize to the world 
 
AKAHATA (Page 2) (Full) 
July 4, 2007 
 
In his speech at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, Japanese 
Communist Party (JCP) Chairman Kazuo Shii on July 3 referred to the 
US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee's adoption of 
a resolution calling on the Japanese government to offer a formal 
apology to the wartime "comfort women." He said: "In order to dispel 
international criticism of and doubts in Japan over this problem, 
(Shinzo Abe) as prime minister of Japan should apologize to the 
world, accepting the historical facts." 
 
Shii pointed out that the 1993 Kono statement acknowledging the 
former Japanese military's coercion and involvement in recruiting 
comfort women is the Japanese government's view on this issue. He 
stated: "The Kono statement has repeatedly been suppressed by Prime 
Minister Abe in his words and actions, and by Japanese lawmakers 
supporting Yasukuni Shrine's stand, as seen in their advertisement 
on the Washington Post. He then stressed the importance of Abe 
offering a formal apology in the form of an official statement under 
his official capacity. Although Abe has stated that he stands by the 
1993 Kono statement, he stated there was no "coercion" regarding the 
 
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comfort women issue. His comment came under fire not only from other 
Asian countries but also from the United States. The issue has 
become serious as seen in the House Foreign Affairs Committee's 
approval of the comfort women resolution on June 26. Prime Minister 
Abe only stated: "I have no intention of commenting on the 
resolution." 
 
(6) Comfort women issue remains unresolved 
 
SANKEI (Page 1) (Full) 
July 5, 2007 
 
"When seeing Japan from this side, cutting off the head of a snake 
seems necessary," said a round-faced man while sipping lukewarm tea. 
The conversation took place one spring day just before the US House 
of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a resolution 
criticizing Japan for the wartime comfort women issue. The man is a 
successful business man, an East Asian immigrant born in the prewar 
era. Sitting in his living room, he quipped: "Japan has pushed us 
toward an extreme direction." He called Japanese arrogant. Japanese 
politicians have to make arrogant remarks in order to get ahead. 
Members of the "Association of Diet members to think about the 
future of Japan and historical education" are a good example. This 
is what the man meant to say. He continued: 
 
"The comfort women issue will not be resolved. In American politics, 
Jewish people spend the largest amount of money, followed by Asians. 
How many of them do you think are Asians who dislike Japan? Asians, 
having learned from the method of Jews pursuing the Holocaust, stood 
up the same way. This issue will never end. If the resolution does 
not clear the House, we will present it again. Next time, we will do 
it internationally until the prime minister acknowledges and offer a 
clear apology in the Diet. " 
 
The wind was shaking the leaves of trees in his vast garden like a 
forest. The man in a bright sunlit room grumbled: "Tomorrow US 
Congressman Mike Honda is coming here." 
 
According to the results of a US national consensus, which is 
conducted once in a decade, the population of Asian-Americans nearly 
doubled in 10 years since 1990. Amid globalization progressing, it 
is possible for immigrants to become successful. An explosive 
economic growth in China and India has backed their successes. 
 
As a result, a new phenomena has emerged in the US that a society of 
immigrants, who keep their relations with their home country, will 
continue expanding, not like the conventional pattern under which 
second and third generations of immigrants were finally able to 
reach success. 
 
The round-faced man, who has close ties with Congressman Honda, who 
played a leading role in drafting the comfort women resolution, is 
one such Asian immigrants. 
 
Japan is, however, helpless to deal with this change and the 
attack. 
 
(7) Upside-down flag at Okinawa International University; UK 
associate professor calls action an SOS signal; University president 
orders stop to "criminal infringement" 
 
RYUKYU SHIMPO (Page 3) (Full) 
 
TOKYO 00003073  010.2 OF 010 
 
 
July 5, 2007 
 
Yesterday afternoon, on America's Independence Day, Okinawa 
International University (OIU) Associate Professor Peter Simpson 
(from the UK) and around ten students displayed the American flag 
upside-down on a school balcony in order to express their protest of 
the presence of Futenma Air Station.  OIU President Tomoaki Toguchi 
and others put a stop to the "criminal infringement" and ordered 
those involved to take down the flag.  The associate professor 
explained to the president that he had received verbal permission 
and offered criticism saying, "I am shocked that the university 
would stop such an act of self-expression." 
 
The president and others have responded to Ryukyu Shimpo's interview 
requests by stating, "We are in the process of confirming the facts 
surrounding this action and thus are unable to comment at this 
time." 
 
Associate Professor Simpson emphasized, "We have no intention of 
disrespecting the US or the American people.  We were just sending 
an SOS signal so that something would be done about the dangers of 
being located right next to a base.  It has been three years since 
the helicopter crash (TN: an incident in which a US Marine 
helicopter crashed into an OIU building), and nothing has changed." 
 
Dean of the University of the Ryukyus Graduate School of Law Tetsumi 
Takara observed that "(the displaying of the flag) was an act of 
symbolic speech.  Freedom of expression is a right that supports 
freedom of learning, so if a university regulates (expression), it 
will end up wringing its own neck." 
 
SCHIEFFER