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Viewing cable 08TOKYO1177, JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 04/30/08

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08TOKYO1177 2008-04-30 07:06 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Tokyo
VZCZCXRO1587
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #1177/01 1210706
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 300706Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3849
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/USFJ //J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/CTF 72
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 9905
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 7520
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 1199
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 5893
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 8118
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3061
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 9076
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 9580
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 11 TOKYO 001177 
 
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: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 04/30/08 
 
 
Index: 
 
1) Top headlines 
2) Editorials 
Prime Minister's schedule: Stayed at home during the holiday 
 
Defense affairs: 
3) US Navy in Japan to carry out personal surveys of military 
personnel following string of crimes and incidents  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
4) Major gap exists between Defense Minister Ishiba and LDP over 
reform of the defense ministry  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
 
China connection: 
5) Prime Minister Fukuda being forced to reconsider whether he will 
attend the Olympic Games' opening ceremony in Beijing  (Tokyo 
Shimbun) 
6) In meeting with former Prime Minister Nakasone in Beijing, 
China's President Hu thanks Japan for hosting the Olympic Torch 
relay  (Mainichi) 
7) Hu, Nakasone discuss trilateral Japanese, Chinese, South Korean 
cooperation to promote Asian prosperity  (Nikkei) 
8) Decision at summit level on joint Japan-China gas-field 
development to be put off due to lack of agreement on sea areas 
subject to such an effort  (Nikkei) 
9) Wiseman's group proposes early signing of a Japan, China, ROK 
free trade agreement  (Nikkei) 
 
10) Japan to propose new framework for halting financial unease in 
Asia  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
 
Political scene: 
11) Lower House to carry out override vote on tax-related bills, 
reinstating the gasoline tax of 25 yen a liter  (Tokyo Shimbun) 
12) DPJ, reinvigorated by Yamaguchi by-election win, carrying out 
street corner speech campaigns attacking the ruling camp on 
gasoline, other issues  (Mainichi) 
13) Ruling camp revising its strategy following defeat in Yamaguchi 
2 election  (Yomiuri) 
14) Medical associations in 20 prefectures come out against the 
elderly over 75 being charged extra for medical care  (Mainichi) 
 
15) DPJ asks government to ban all U.S. beef imports following 
recent shipping error  (Mainichi) 
 
16) Japan to use yen loans to developing countries to fund their 
removal of landmines  (Yomiuri) 
 
Articles: 
 
1) TOP HEADLINES 
 
Asahi: 
2,000-km sites purchased for constructing highways not being used 
fully 
 
Mainichi & Akahata: 
U.S. Ambassador MacArthur held secret talks with Japanese Supreme 
Court chief justice before Sunagawa ruling in 1959 
 
Yomiuri: 
600 million yen of high school fees unpaid 
 
 
TOKYO 00001177  002 OF 011 
 
 
Nikkei: 
Softbank to acquire 40 PERCENT  stake in major Chinese Internet 
firm 
 
Sankei: 
Japan-China summit scheduled for May 7 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
Override vote in Lower House to be taken today to revive provisional 
tax rates 
 
2) EDITORIALS 
 
Asahi: 
(1) Global environment now in danger 
 
Mainichi: 
(1) Work out measures to stabilize commodity prices 
(2) Personal information protection law should be revised to prevent 
cover-up of scandals 
 
Yomiuri: 
(1) Express goals numerically in basic education plan 
(2) Efforts needed to prevent accidents involving elderly persons 
using lift chair 
 
Nikkei: 
(1) Business vision from long-term perspective now necessary 
 
Sankei: 
(1) Case of risk material found in beef shipment from U.S. 
regrettable but must be dealt cool-headedly 
(2) Use Beijing Olympics as chance to demonstrate Japan judo's 
presence to world audience 
 
Tokyo Shimbun: 
(1) Japan urged to review policy over rice 
(2) Give consideration to enabling households to use unused radio 
waves 
 
Akahata: 
(1) 79th May Day: Eliminate poverty to keep peaceful daily lives 
 
3) U.S. Navy in Japan to conduct fact-finding survey of its 
personnel's daily lives 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 3) (Full) 
April 30, 2008 
 
In the wake of a cabdriver murder in Kanagawa Prefecture's Yokosuka 
City and other incidents involving U.S. military personnel, U.S. 
Naval Forces Japan will carry out a fact-finding survey of all Navy 
personnel in Japan to look into their daily lives and signs 
indicating questionable conducts that could lead to crimes as a step 
to prevent U.S. military personnel from committing crimes, sources 
said yesterday. USNJ will provide educational and counseling 
programs to those who are judged to have a problem. 
 
The fact-finding survey is a crime prevention measure to check U.S. 
naval personnel's violent conducts or characters in an aim to 
prevent them from committing crimes. The survey will start in May on 
all U.S. Navy personnel and civilian employees in Japan totaling 
 
TOKYO 00001177  003 OF 011 
 
 
about 20,000, including those assigned to the 7th Fleet. 
 
U.S. Navy officers will carry out a questionnaire survey of their 
personnel's off-duty life and mental state. They will also keep tabs 
on their personnel to check their troublesome or violent conduct. In 
addition, the U.S. Navy will try to find out whether they have used 
illegal drugs. 
 
In addition to the fact-finding survey, the U.S. Navy will also 
include anti-violence education in its daily training programs to 
step up its crime prevention measures. Those who are judged to have 
a problem in the survey will be reeducated in a thoroughgoing way. 
Those who are found incorrigible will be confined to base and 
possibly sent back to the United States. 
 
In Yokosuka, a drunken U.S. serviceman committed a robbery and a 
murder two years ago. After the recent incident, USNJ was urged by 
the city to take thoroughgoing crime prevention measures. In August, 
the USS George Washington, a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, 
is scheduled to arrive at Yokosuka. Ahead of its deployment to 
Yokosuka, the U.S. Navy has decided to conduct the fact-finding 
survey in consideration of local sentiment. 
 
4) Ishiba, LDP differ on Defense Ministry reform 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Abridged) 
April 30, 2008 
 
Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and the ruling Liberal Democratic 
Party are now working out their respective plans to reform the 
Defense Ministry. Ishiba has set forth his initiative to overhaul 
the Defense Ministry's organization involving the Self-Defense 
Forces in trying to bring his ideal to fruition. Meanwhile, the LDP 
has weighed the feasibility and plans its own partial reform of the 
Defense Ministry. Ishiba and the LDP are looking at the ministry 
with different reform plans, so their coordination is likely to face 
rough going. 
 
Ishiba is aiming for an organization with emphasis on civilian 
control. His concept is that the defense minister and senior vice 
ministers as political appointees will make adequate judgments and 
that their directives can be easily handed down to the rank and 
file. The Ishiba initiative is aimed at simplifying the Defense 
Ministry's complicated organization, including the SDF's chain of 
command. 
 
Specifically, Ishiba plans to separate the Ground, Maritime, and Air 
Self-Defense Forces' respective chiefs of staff and the SDF Joint 
Staff Office's chief from the SDF's chain of command and 
substantially reduce their roles and scales so that the defense 
minister can directly command the GSDF, MSDF, and ASDF. The Defense 
Ministry currently has six internal bureaus. Ishiba wants to 
reorganize them into three functions for defense buildup, 
operational planning, and Diet affairs and public relations. The SDF 
Joint Staff Office will be tasked with operational planning 
functions. 
 
The Defense Ministry and the LDP, however, are largely negative 
about the Ishiba plan. "There is no need for the Defense Ministry to 
go through such a big change in its organization," Gen Nakatani, one 
of Ishiba's predecessors, said. Bearing this in mind, the LDP is 
creating its own plan to reform the Defense Ministry. 
 
TOKYO 00001177  004 OF 011 
 
 
 
The LDP wants to minimize the Defense Ministry's reorganization, 
with its plan to abolish the Defense Ministry's Operations and 
Planning Bureau and place the SDF Joint Staff Office above the GSDF, 
MSDF, and ASDF staff offices. 
 
Ishiba and the LDP are likewise planning to harmonize the Defense 
Ministry's bureaucracy and the SDF's uniformed staff. The Defense 
Ministry and the SDF currently have their own sections for SDF 
operations. Both Ishiba and the LDP want to unify these sections in 
order for the SDF to better deal with emergencies. "I don't think 
there is a gap between in our general courses of action," Ishiba 
stressed. 
 
However, Ishiba wants to weaken the functionality of the three SDF 
branches' staff offices. The LDP is aiming to revamp the SDF Joint 
Staff Office. As seen from their goals, their reform plans are quite 
different from each other in substance. 
 
5) Will prime minister attend Beijing Olympic Games opening 
ceremony? There being no formal invitation, whether to attend or not 
is left for him to decide 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
April 30, 2008 
 
Leaders of various European countries have either announced that 
they would not be attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing 
Olympic Games or are considering such because of the Chinese 
government's handling of the Tibetan issue. Prime Minister Fukuda 
said that he had not yet decided whether to go or not. What criteria 
are the world's leaders considering when deciding whether or not to 
attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games? 
 
According to the Exchange Program Division of the Foreign Ministry 
(MOFA), the host country of the Olympics does not send out formal 
invitations to heads of states. The International Olympic Committee 
(IOC) instead asks host countries based on past custom to avoid 
state or official visits during the Olympic Games and not to send 
invitations in the name of the head of the host country. The reason 
apparently is to avoid having the Olympics being used for political 
purposes as much as possible. 
 
For this reason, even if a host country at a summit meeting or the 
like invites heads of government to the opening ceremony, it is no 
more than diplomatic protocol, according to the MOFA source. 
 
Whether to attend the opening ceremony is left to the head of each 
country to decide. If representatives of the royal family of each 
country, the head of a state, or government leaders wish to attend 
the Olympic Games, then the IOC traditionally treats them as 
international guests. 
 
If Japan's prime minister or members of the imperial family wish to 
attend the opening or closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games 
or watch the games, they would do so in a royal box in a stadium as 
international guests. 
 
However, according to MOF, former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita is 
the only Japanese prime minister who ever attended an opening 
ceremony of an Olympic Games held overseas. He attended the Seoul 
Olympic Games in September 1988. 
 
TOKYO 00001177  005 OF 011 
 
 
 
Takeshita after the opening ceremony met with then South Korean 
President Noh Tae Woo, their second summit that year, to 
strengthened the relationship of trust taking advantage of the 
Olympics. 
 
Although Japan-China relations had been strained, Prime Minister 
Fukuda visited China late last year. President Hu Jintao is expected 
to visit Japan in early May. Hu is also expected to come to Japan 
for the Lake Toya G-8 Summit Meeting in Hokkaido in July. 
 
6) Chinese President Hu in meeting with Nakasone expresses gratitude 
over torch relay 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 30, 2008 
 
(Uramatsu, Beijing) 
 
Chinese President Hu Jintao met on April 29 with former Prime 
Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, who was visiting China to attend a 
symposium. Hu made this remark about the Olympic torch relay in 
Nagano City on the 26th: "The relay was carried out smoothly and 
without any hitch. I highly praise and thank Japanese persons 
concerned for their cooperation." This was the first time for Hu to 
refer to the torch relay in Nagano after the event. He made the 
above remark in response to Nakasone's remark: "I hope the Beijing 
Olympics will be a success." On his planned visit to Japan starting 
on May 6, Hu stated: "I am looking forward to visiting Japan and 
meeting with Japanese people. I hope that China and Japan will 
cooperate in making efforts to establish a strategic 
mutually-beneficial relationship." 
 
7) President Hu to Nakasone: "Japan, China, South Korea should 
promote" prosperity in Asia 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 30, 2008 
 
Tetsuya Fujita, Beijing 
 
Visiting former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone yesterday met with 
Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Great Hall of the People in 
Beijing. Nakasone has proposed that Japan, China, South Korea hold a 
summit meeting. Nakasone sought Hu's understanding for his proposal, 
noting, "If realized, it would serve as a forum to help bring peace 
and stability to the world, as well as to give a message to the 
world. 
 
Hu said: "If the three countries stand together, it would have a 
good effect on ASEAN and create momentum for East Asian countries to 
prosper together. " He added, "I want to strengthen economic and 
trade cooperation with Japan, China, South Korea, as well as other 
Asian countries." In the remarks, Hu apparently had in mind the 
concept of creating an East Asia community. 
 
Nakasone expressed the expectation for the success of the Beijing 
Olympics. Hu, speaking of how the recent riots in Tibet will affect 
the Olympics, said firmly: "A variety of views exist, but we are 
firmly united to strictly observe our way of thinking and strive to 
make the Olympics a success." 
 
 
TOKYO 00001177  006 OF 011 
 
 
8) Japan, China likely to forgo settlement of issue of joint 
development of gas fields with both sides still wide apart over 
subject sea areas for such cooperation 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
April 30, 2008 
 
The Japanese and Chinese governments are expected to forgo an 
agreement they had planned to reach before President Hu Jintao's 
visit to Japan on May 6 on the pending issue of jointly developing 
gas fields in the East China Sea. One major reason is because both 
sides are wide apart over what will be the subject sea areas for 
such development. The Japanese government wants to prevent 
negotiations with China on this matter from backsliding and hopes to 
reach an accord on basic principles of the joint development, as 
well as on the timing for settling the issue during the Japan-China 
summit meeting on May 7. Whether the Chinese government will respond 
to Japanese overtures, however, remains to be seen. This was 
revealed by several informed sources. 
 
Although neither Japan nor China has officially linked the joint 
development issue to Hu's visit to Japan, both countries in fact 
wanted to reach a settlement before Hu's visit. 
 
In 2003, China embarked on exploring the gas fields in waters near 
the median line, incurring objections from Japan. Both countries 
have been looking for ways to settle the issue through the joint 
development of the fields. 
 
According to officials concerned, the Japanese government has 
determined that sea areas across the median line should be subject 
to joint development and has offered a plan for such cooperation in 
more than one location in both sea areas. The Chinese government has 
responded to discussion of this plan, but it has not accepted it 
completely. Bilateral talks on what to do about the gas fields China 
has singly pursued, such as the Chunxiao gas field (whose Japanese 
name is Shirakaba), have been stalled. 
 
In the meantime, both sides have agreed to follow a two-stage 
formula to promote joint development: (1) Both countries will 
exchange a letter of agreement at a time when a general framework 
for the joint development, such as sea areas for the joint 
development, is determined; and (2) afterwards, they will launch 
working-level talks in order to sign a bilateral treaty that would 
stipulate details of the joint development. Japan and China are also 
discussing ways to distribute profits from the joint development in 
proportion to their respective investment shares. Chinese Foreign 
Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu told a news conference yesterday: 
"We'd like to swiftly reach a settlement that will be acceptable to 
both sides." 
 
9) Eminent persons' meeting suggests creating a trilateral FTA among 
Japan, China, ROK as swiftly as possible 
 
NIKKEI (Page 1) (Excerpts) 
April 29, 2008 
 
Tetsuya Fujita, Beijing 
 
The meeting of the Japan-China-South Korea eminent persons 
(sponsored by Nikkei, New China News Agency, and Joong-an Ilbo), a 
forum for experts in political, economic, and academic circles to 
 
TOKYO 00001177  007 OF 011 
 
 
discuss cooperative ties among the three countries, yesterday ended 
by issuing a set of proposals. The proposals stressed the need for 
Japan, China, and South Korea to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) 
as quickly as possible. The report also suggested that financial and 
monetary cabinet members and central bank governors from the three 
countries gather on a regular basis. 
 
The meeting since its first session in 2006 has proposed that Japan, 
China, and South Korea hold a summit meeting on a regular basis. The 
three countries are expected to hold the first round of regular 
summit meeting possibly this fall. Referring to this outlook, some 
participants in the eminent persons' meeting noted that that was the 
result of the discussions at the eminent persons' meeting. 
 
China and ASEAN have signed an FTA, but negotiations on an FTA among 
Japan, China, and South Korea have stalled, and trade liberalization 
among the three countries have been delayed. Once Japan, China, and 
South Korea, which are neighbors in Northeast Asia, conclude an FTA, 
a significant level of economic effect would emerge. The eminent 
person's meeting in its proposals called for a breakthrough in the 
current stalemate. 
 
The proposals suggested having a regular meeting of economic 
ministers and central bank governors from Japan, China, and South 
Korea, stressing the need for officials concerned in the three 
countries to work in close cooperation amid growing concerns about 
economic slowdown worldwide due mainly to the subprime mortgage 
issue. 
 
10) Japan proposes monitoring framework as measure to prevent 
financial instability from occurring in Asia 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 3) (Full) 
April 30, 2008 
 
It was learned on April 29 that the Japanese government had proposed 
establishing a new framework for Asian countries' financial 
authorities to monitor their financial systems in concert with the 
aim of preventing major financial instability from occurring in the 
region. 
 
The idea is an Asian equivalent of the Financial Stability Forum 
(FSF) consisting of financial authorities and central banks of 
Japan, the U.S. and European countries. The feasibility of the 
proposal will be looked into at a series of international 
conferences, including a foreign ministerial among Japan, China and 
South Korea to be held in Spain in May. 
 
Turmoil in the international financial market triggered by the 
subprime loan crisis in the U.S. is becoming protracted. Under the 
proposed framework, member countries would aim at dealing with the 
issue in cooperation in order to prevent a similar problem from 
occurring in Asia, including China, where the economy is continuing 
to grow rapidly. 
 
If Japan, China and South Korea reach an agreement, they would call 
on members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), 
such as Singapore, to join. This Asian equivalent of the FSF will be 
joined by financial authorities of Asian countries. The Finance 
Ministry, the Financial Services Agency and the Bank of Japan are 
expected to join from Japan. Members would regularly hold a meeting, 
exchange information and promote international cooperation regarding 
 
TOKYO 00001177  008 OF 011 
 
 
supervising and monitoring the financial market. 
 
To be specific, participants would determine the present state of 
complicated securitized commodities that incorporate non-performing 
loans and subprime loans held by banks in the region. 
 
11) Provisional gas tax rate bill to be readopted in Lower House 
today: Gas price to be increased 25 yen per liter 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top Play) (Lead para.) 
April 30, 2008 
 
The Upper House has failed to take final action within 60 days after 
receipt of the bill amending the Special Tax Measures Law aimed at 
reinstating the provisional rates imposed on such tax items as the 
gasoline tax. As a result, the Lower House at a plenary session on 
the afternoon of April 30 will readopt and enact the bill by a more 
than two-thirds majority vote by the ruling parties, after 
considering the bill as having been rejected in the Upper House in 
compliance with Article 59 of the Constitution. Following passage of 
the bill, the government will adopt at a cabinet meeting a 
government ordinance stipulating May 1 as the date of 
implementation. The provisional gas tax rate of 25.1 yen per liter 
will then be reinstated after a month's hiatus. 
 
The gasoline tax is a tax imposed when products are shipped from 
primary distributors. Since the provisional tax rate is not imposed 
on in-stock items gas stations purchased in April, exactly when gas 
stations will raise prices of the products they sell will vary. 
 
12) DPJ in high spirits engages in outdoor speech-making prior to 
revote on provisional tax rates; Party may block opening of Lower 
House plenary session 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
April 30, 2008 
 
Yesterday the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or 
Minshuto) blasted the government's and ruling parties' policy of 
taking today a revote on a bill amending the Special Taxation 
Measures Law, which would reinstate the provisional tax rates, 
including the gasoline tax. Party executives gave outdoor speeches 
and held emergency meetings of its Diet members. Backed by its 
victory in Sunday's Lower House by-election in the Yamaguchi No. 2 
constituency, the DPJ intends to draw a clear line in its position 
against the government and ruling coalition. The party is 
considering do-or-die resistance measures, possibly blocking the 
opening of a Lower House plenary session today. 
 
Holding up a sign board saying, "Gasoline prices will rise 25 yen," 
DPJ Diet members handed flyers to passersby in Yurakucho, Tokyo 
yesterday. Nine lawmakers, including Deputy President Naoto Kan, 
delivered outdoor speeches there. 
 
Before an audience of approximately 300, Kan stressed: 
 
"In the Lower House by-election, the public's will was shown. The 
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which has continued 
wasting money, is like a spoiled kid. What should be done tomorrow 
is not a revote, but dissolution of the Lower House." 
 
Kan's speech was met by an explosion of applause. 
 
TOKYO 00001177  009 OF 011 
 
 
 
The largest opposition party also held an emergency meeting on the 
evening of the 29th of its special action team to prevent a gasoline 
price hike. About 90 Upper and Lower House members, mainly young 
legislators, attended the meeting. In the session, Diet Affairs 
Committee Chairman Kenji Yamaoka underscored: "The revote is against 
the interests and will of the people. It should never be allowed." 
 
The DPJ will hold this morning a general meeting of all its Diet 
members to confirm the unity to prevent the revote. 
 
Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama, along with the Japanese Communist 
 
SIPDIS 
Party, Social Democratic Party (SDP), and the People's New Party, 
will call on the ruling camp not to take the revote. If the request 
is rejected, the DPJ intends to put up a do-or-die resistance, even 
preventing Lower House Speaker Yohei Kono from entering the plenary 
hall. 
 
13) Ruling parties to review election strategy; Some members calling 
for Prime Minister Fukuda to improve policy image 
 
YOMIURI (Page 4) (Excerpts) 
April 29, 2008 
 
In the wake of the defeat of the candidate of the Liberal Democratic 
Party (LDP) in the Lower House by-election in the Yamaguchi No. 2 
constituency, the ruling parties are now being forced to review 
their strategy for the next House of Representatives election. Some 
in the ruling coalition have called for making clear the policy 
imprint of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. In a meeting last evening of 
the LDP executives, Fukuda stated: "The result of the by-election 
was regrettable. I want you to analyze the result and prepare for 
the upcoming election." 
 
The LDP leadership has analyzed the by-election, in which the LDP 
candidate was defeated by a margin of 20,000 votes, and concluded 
that its candidate had secured the basic votes of the ruling 
parties, since the number of votes obtained topped those secured by 
Shinji Sato, who was defeated by Hideo Hiraoka of the Democratic 
Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) in the 2003 Lower House election. 
However, the party leadership has growing concerns that the reason 
for the failure to increase the number of votes obtained by its 
candidate was an insufficient explanation of policies and poor 
public relations. 
 
The DPJ has expressed from early on its concerns to voters about the 
newly introduced health care system for those 75 and over in local 
newspapers and its policy flyers. The ruling coalition, however, 
distributed its own policy flyers rebutting the DPJ's assertions in 
the middle of campaigning for its candidate. 
 
LDP Election Committee Chairman Makoto Koga said in a meeting of his 
faction on April 28: "We failed to come up with the strategy of 
sending our messages to all voters." 
 
14) Medical associations in 20 prefectures against new medical 
treatment fees for elderly patients (over 75) 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
April 30, 2008 
 
About one month has passed since the health insurance system for 
 
TOKYO 00001177  010 OF 011 
 
 
people aged 75 or older was introduced. Medical associations in more 
than 20 prefectures are against new medical treatment fees for 
elderly patients received by medical institutions form health 
insurance societies, a key measure in the new system. The Ministry 
of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) are desperately trying to calm 
down such moves, while the Japan Medical Association, which approved 
the introduction of the new remuneration system, is also stepping up 
an effort to convince the opponents. The local rebellions, however, 
are unlikely to subside. 
 
The Ibaraki Medical Association (chaired by Katsuyuki Haranaka), an 
active leader in expressing opposition to the new treatment fees, is 
also calling for abolishing the new system itself, one member 
arguing: "It is a contracted medical treatment system that limits 
medical services for elderly patients." In a meeting of the medical 
associations in the Kanto-Koshinetsu District on April 15, Haranaka 
called on participants for their cooperation in the opposition 
movement. 
 
Under the new system, MHLW requires persons aged 75 or older who 
have a chronic illness, like diabetes, to receive medical treatment 
from their regular doctors. If a doctor formulates an annual 
treatment plan for a patient aged 75 or older and continues to 
examine the patient, the doctor will ask for a medical treatment fee 
once a month (6,000 yen, of which the patient pays 600 yen in 
principle). However, even if the patient receives certain 
examinations or treatments several times, the health insurance 
association concerned will pay only 6,000 yen. The introduction of 
the fixed-amount system is aimed to curb medical expenses for 
elderly patients, which have swelled to a total 12 trillion yen, by 
having doctors stop excessive medical treatment. 
 
Even so, prefectural medical associations express concern about the 
possibility that some doctors might not give necessary treatment, 
giving priority to their profits. Aichi, Osaka, Hyogo and other 
prefectures have issued to their members notice calling for exerting 
self-restraint or taking cautious action. Even municipal medical 
associations are also raising opposition to the new remuneration 
system. 
 
15) DPJ demands suspension of U.S. beef imports 
 
MAINICHI (Page 3) (Full) 
April 29, 2008 
 
In the wake of the discovery of specified risk materials from U.S. 
beef, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) on April 28 
called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to 
completely suspend the imports of beef from the United States, as 
well as to conduct on-site inspections of U.S. meat-packing 
facilities. 
 
16) Government to provide yen loans to developing countries under 
reconstruction to assist removal of landmines 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Excerpt) 
April 29, 2008 
 
The government on April 28 firmed up its policy course of actively 
using yen loans to developing countries for the removal of 
landmines. Yen loans have primarily targeted social infrastructure 
projects, such as power generators, dams, and highways. Assistance 
 
TOKYO 00001177  011 OF 011 
 
 
for the removal of landmines has been carried out with small grants 
and technical cooperation. However, bearing in mind the situation 
that landmines have impeded the reconstruction of countries 
following disputes, the government has positioned the disposal of 
landmines as indispensable to the construction of social 
infrastructure, making it possible to provide assistance with yen 
loans. Consideration is being given to provide Angola in South 
Africa with the first tranche since approximately 8 million 
landmines are buried in that country. 
 
SCHIEFFER