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Viewing cable 08TOKYO2378, DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 08/29/08

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08TOKYO2378 2008-08-29 07:52 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Tokyo
VZCZCXRO1416
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #2378/01 2420752
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 290752Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6903
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 1971
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 9608
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 3349
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 7744
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 0189
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5105
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 1098
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1424
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TOKYO 002378 
 
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 08/29/08 
 
INDEX: 
 
(1) DPJ President Ozawa busy with preparations for Lower House 
election (Asahi) 
 
(2) Prologue of political realignment (Part 1): Secession of DPJ 
members to deal blow to Ozawa's strategy of taking over political 
helm (Yomiuri) 
 
(3) LDP National Vision Project Headquarters: Former Secretary 
General Nakagawa steps up his offensive, playing up his 
determination to continue reform (Mainichi) 
 
(4) High hurdles lie ahead for plan to establish consumer agency 
(Asahi) 
 
(5) Cabinet Office makes budget request totaling 300.8 billion yen, 
up 18 PERCENT , for development of Okinawa (Mainichi) 
 
(6) U.S. government documents dated 1971 specify Japan-U.S. 
agreement not allowing Japan to monitor air within 50 meters of 
visiting nuclear-powered submarine (Okinawa Times) 
 
(7) Environment ministry's proposal for integrated market for 
trading for carbon emissions credits obtained in various ways, 
including assistance to developing countries, use of biofuels 
(Mainichi) 
 
(8) Prime Minister's schedule, August 28 (Nikkei) 
 
ARTICLES: 
 
(1) DPJ President Ozawa busy with preparations for Lower House 
election 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Slightly abridged) 
August 28, 2008 
 
It has now become certain that Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) 
President Ichiro Ozawa will be reelected for his third term 
uncontested. Ozawa is now busy with preparations for the next House 
of Representatives election. He plans to start in early September 
the first selection of the party's candidates to run in the Lower 
House election. He has no intention to hesitate to replace 
candidates who are unlikely to win the race. He will focus on 
shaking up the New Komeito, which is key to the dissolution of the 
Lower House, as well as on cooperating with non-Liberal Democratic 
Party forces. 
 
Ozawa stressed in a rally hosted by Rengo (Japan Trade Union 
Confederation) on the night of Aug. 26 in Tokyo: 
 
"The DPJ gives top priority to the daily lives of people and to 
putting an end to the wasteful use of tax money. However, the 
LDP-New Komeito coalition attaches importance to the protection of 
bureaucrats and politicians and favors tax hikes. So, political 
change is the only way for Rengo to realize its goals." 
 
Ozawa then sought Rengo's support for political change. 
 
Ozawa ordered the party to conduct a survey on Aug. 24 and Aug. 31 
to assess the situations of nationwide constituencies. Soon after 
 
TOKYO 00002378  002 OF 009 
 
 
Ozawa receives the results of the survey in early September, the DPJ 
will start screening unofficial candidates. 
 
The DPJ has already informally picked 245 candidates. Ozawa has set 
the goal of winning at least 150 of the 300 district seats. He plans 
to use funds mainly for contests in the single-seat constituencies. 
He has ostensibly said that he never said that he would replace 
candidates, but he has told his aides that the number of the 
candidates should be narrowed down to 200. 
 
Ozawa will resume his nationwide stumping tour in late September. He 
said: "The party will provide physical and financial support to its 
candidates." A person close to Ozawa explains what he meant: "It 
means that he will not make any campaign speeches for candidates who 
have no chance to win." 
 
DPJ Vice President Hajime Ishi was surprised at Ozawa's remark: "I 
don't mind running in Tetsuzo Fuyushiba's Hyogo No. 8 constituency." 
Ozawa made this remark on Aug. 13, when Ishii pointed out that the 
New Komeito had gained power in the ruling camp. 
 
Ishii then responded, noting: "It would be better for you to run for 
the election in Tokyo." He said this because Ozawa had implied his 
candidacy for the Tokyo No. 12 constituency. 
 
Ozawa wants to threaten the New Komeito by the rumor that he may run 
in the district of a senior New Komeito member in order to have the 
party reconsider its election cooperation with the LDP. Ozawa 
appears to be aiming at shaking up the New Komeito, which is worried 
about the next Lower House election. 
 
Ozawa's effort to forge election cooperation with non-LDP forces is 
to come down the homestretch. Ozawa has already obtained through 
Upper House member Yoshihiro Kawakami a list of 12 independent 
candidates who may follow Takeo Hiranuma if he forms a new party. 
Most of the 12 are the so-called postal rebels who lost Lower House 
seats. Ozawa is considering the possibility of election cooperation 
with about four of the 12. Like Hiranuma, Kawakami left the LDP 
after voting against the government's postal privatization program 
at the Diet. Kawakami then won his current Upper House seat backed 
by the DPJ in last summer's election. Kawakami met on Aug. 22 with 
former Kochi Prefecture Gov. Daijiro Hashimoto, who has decided to 
run in a national election. 
 
Ozawa has launched full-scale election cooperation with other 
opposition parties: the Social Democratic Party, the People's New 
Party, and the New Party Japan. He is putting in his final efforts 
in building a framework that will result in the ruling camp losing 
its majority in the Lower House. 
 
Asked by reporters about election cooperation, Ozawa explained: "We 
agree on the stance that the LDP-New Komeito coalition government is 
not working for the good of the public." He then stressed: "It means 
that we will bring about a political change by cooperating with any 
party that takes such a political stand." 
 
(2) Prologue of political realignment (Part 1): Secession of DPJ 
members to deal blow to Ozawa's strategy of taking over political 
helm 
 
YOMIURI (Page 1) (Full) 
August 29, 2008 
 
TOKYO 00002378  003 OF 009 
 
 
 
Receiving the information that three House of Councillors members 
from the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) -- Hideo Watanabe, Yasuhiro 
Oe and Yumiko Himei -- will leave the DPJ to form a new party, 
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai, a member of 
the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), now visiting Singapore, 
was feeling good ahead of an economic ministerial with his ASEAN 
counterparts. 
 
Nikai, ostensibly assuming a poker face, said: "It's irrelevant to 
me. They may have made that decision on their own." However, he told 
his aides: "This is the first wave. The second one has been 
prepared." Watanabe and other lawmakers left the DPJ to create a new 
party at the time when President Ichiro Ozawa was certain to be 
reelected for his third term without going through an election. This 
is part of the LDP's "maneuvering" since it was defeated in last 
year's Upper House election. 
 
The LDP's strategy is that if the party wins the Lower House in a 
close race, it will immediately work on the DPJ's Upper House 
members to get them to bolt their party, and that the party to be 
created by Watanabe and other members would become a party to 
attract lawmakers who leave the DPJ. Nikai has fulfilled the 
initiative in carrying out this strategy. Nikai was a former aide to 
Ozawa. He and Ozawa formed the Conservative Party (Hoshuto) in 
ΒΆ2000. 
 
The five members are not enough to put an end to the politically 
divided Diet situation. If the LDP succeeds again in having more DPJ 
Upper House members withdraw from the party, it would gain advantage 
over the largest opposition party in the Lower House election. 
Therefore, attention is now on whether there will be a second wave. 
 
 
Ozawa yesterday formally informed Kan and other executives of his 
intention to run in the presidential election. 
 
The Upper House majority of the Upper House seats are 122. The 
number of the DPJ Upper House members will decrease from 120 to 117. 
Unless the DPJ asks for cooperation from the Japanese Communist 
Party and the SDP, it won't be able to secure a majority of the 
Upper House. The People's New Party, with which the DPJ forms a 
parliamentary group, necessarily takes a concerted action with the 
DPJ. The JCP has seven Upper House members; the SDP, five; and the 
PNP, four. 
 
There will be no change in the political situation that the JPC and 
SDJ hold a casting vote, even if the DPJ wins in the Lower House 
race, launching an "Ozawa administration." 
 
Whether the Japanese political situation will become increasingly 
chaotic or political realignment will start. 
 
Watanabe described the creation of a new party by only five members: 
"It is a question how a small move we took will spread." 
 
(3) LDP National Vision Project Headquarters: Former Secretary 
General Nakagawa steps up his offensive, playing up his 
determination to continue reform 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
August 29, 2008 
 
TOKYO 00002378  004 OF 009 
 
 
 
The National Vision Project Headquarters (NVPH) of the Liberal 
Democratic Party (LDP), chaired by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, held 
a meeting on August 28 at the party headquarters for the first time 
since the shuffle of the cabinet and the leadership of the LDP on 
August 1. Former Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa, who is acting 
chairman, the top post in essence, has selected as vice chairmen 
those who advocate continuing the reform drive and once served as 
cabinet ministers, such as former State Minister for Administrative 
Reform Yoshimi Watanabe and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa 
Shiozaki. In the shuffle of the LDP leadership, lawmakers who want 
to take a second look at Prime Minister Koizumi's reform policy were 
appointed to key posts, such as Taro Aso becoming LDP secretary 
general. Nakagawa, however, was snubbed. Nakagawa intends to use the 
NVPH as a stronghold for going on offensive. 
 
Nakagawa in a speech indicated a policy of mapping out a mid- to 
long-term vision that reflects the party's manifesto for the next 
Lower House election. He said: "The world is making headway. I want 
to map out a vision that aims at implementing reform, seizing the 
current situation as a good opportunity." The proposed vision will 
likely include such policies as economic, fiscal and political 
reforms. 
 
The meeting was joined by about 70 persons. Watanabe underscored, 
"We must send a message conveying our resolve to continue the reform 
drive." 
 
In accordance with the established practice, Nakagawa had to appoint 
some members of the party leadership to the NVPH's executive posts, 
such as Aso as acting chairman, and Policy Research Council Chairman 
Kosuke Hori, a postal rebel who was reinstated to the LDP, as vice 
chairman. However, he has increased the number of vice chairmen from 
6 to 27 and filled the increased seats with reformists. He appointed 
former Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe, who is linked to former 
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, former Defense Minister Yuriko 
Koike and former special advisor to the prime minister Tatsuya Ito, 
who is close to Nakagawa, to the post. 
 
Nakagawa plans to draft a mid- to long-term vision possibly by 
November. Koike took office as chair of the newly established a mid- 
to long-term vision compilation committee. He also appointed 52 
so-called Koizumi children who were elected as Lower House member as 
vice chairman of the panel. There are 130 vice chairmen in all. 
 
Nakagawa takes the view that it would be impossible to obtain 
support from voters without any party affiliation in urban areas in 
the next Lower House election, unless the party contests the next 
election under the banner of reform. However, his stance is likely 
to cause discord with the leadership, which is negative toward the 
reform policy. 
 
(4) High hurdles lie ahead for plan to establish consumer agency 
 
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full) 
August 29, 2008 
 
A plan to create a consumer agency, one of Prime Minister Fukuda's 
key agenda items, has reached a crucial juncture. The government is 
ready to submit to the upcoming extraordinary Diet session a related 
bill next fiscal year in accordance with its pledge, but the 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is poised to rattle the government 
 
TOKYO 00002378  005 OF 009 
 
 
by preparing a counterproposal. If talks on revising the 
government's bill are broken off, the government will have no choice 
but to take a revote in the House of Representatives. But the New 
Komeito is opposed to using revote. In negotiations on the consumer 
agency bill, like in those on the bill extending the New 
Antiterrorism Special Measures Law, the government may face the risk 
of losing political strength. 
 
Coordination with DPJ difficult 
 
Speaking before reporters at his official residence yesterday, Prime 
Minister Fukuda emphasized the need to find common ground with the 
DPJ, saying: 
 
"We will form an organization that is helpful for consumers and the 
people. I believe that the opposition camp also has a similar idea 
to ours. We would like to cooperate on what both camps can do." 
 
He thinks it would be possible to reach an agreement with the DPJ, 
because the main opposition is also calling for strengthening 
governance to benefit consumers in stressing the need to give 
priority to the people's daily lives. 
 
But the government bill and the DPJ counterproposal are 
fundamentally different in terms of "philosophy" regarding systemic 
designing. 
 
The government bill proposes establishing the consumer agency in the 
Cabinet Office and suggests that the agency give advice to the 
competent authorities regarding punishment on vicious companies and 
other matters. It also proposes that the new agency should be 
responsible for the areas that have no competent authorities. 
 
In contrast, the DPJ counterproposal proposes installing officers 
responsible for protecting consumer rights outside the Cabinet 
Office, based on the view that if the agency is set up in the 
Cabinet Office, its discretion might be used. Under the DPJ bill, 
such officers would be appointed by the government from the private 
sector and would recommend government agencies and local governments 
concerned on how to respond to complaints from consumers. 
 
The two camps have also different views about what liaison centers 
for consumers should be. Under the government's bill, local 
governments' consumer affairs centers would be networked and the 
government would offer financial support. The DPJ plan proposes 
integrating the consumer affairs centers into national organizations 
and giving the status of part-time public servant to advisors. 
 
State Minister for Consumer Administration Noda emphasized that she 
cannot budge an inch on the plan to establish the consumer agency in 
the Cabinet Office. Regarding the status of local advisors, as well, 
Noda indicated a negative view about the DPJ proposal. She told 
reporters after returning from an on-site inspection of the Shiga 
Prefecture Consumer Affairs Center: 
 
"If advisors are given the status of public servant, disagreements 
might break out between advisors and local public service employees. 
Although the government will offer as much assistance as possible, 
it will be undesirable if the government have the whip hand over the 
consumer affairs centers." 
 
DPJ's Research Council on Human Rights and Consumers Vice Chairman 
 
TOKYO 00002378  006 OF 009 
 
 
Yukio Edano stressed: "It will be more effective to carry out 
surveillance, mediation, and conciliation from outside." Council 
Chairman Yoshito Sengoku also criticized the government's bill, 
remarking: "What about the right, status, and post of an advisor? 
The Fukuda concept does not refer to distributing money, authority, 
and personnel there." 
 
New Komeito cautious about revote tactic 
 
In discussing consumer administration in the upcoming extraordinary 
Diet session, the DPJ intends to first take up the fact that the 
Japanese government did not go public with information about food 
poisoning cases in China involving pesticide-tainted dumplings. The 
main opposition will pursue the prime minister's responsibility, 
claiming: "The Fukuda cabinet's stance is far from giving 
consideration to consumers." The party then intends to watch the 
government's response and public opinion and then decide whether it 
should reject the government bill or urge the government to 
significantly revise its bill in line with the DPJ counterproposal. 
 
If the DPJ refuses to respond to their call for talks on amending 
the government bill or if the talks end in failure, there will be no 
choice but for the government and the ruling coalition to take a 
Lower House revote to force through the government bill. A senior 
government officer insisted: "The consumer agency must be urgently 
established. We should not be hesitant about resorting to the revote 
tactic." 
 
But the New Komeito remains negative about the revote tactic in 
dealing with not only the antiterrorism bill but also the consumer 
agency bill. The junior coalition partner, which aims at dissolving 
the Lower House late this year or early next year, fears that the 
voters would see such an approach as authoritarian management of the 
Diet. A senior New Komeito member flatly said: "We would like very 
much to respond to the prime minister's feeling, but we do not think 
that the bill is worth enough to be forced through." 
 
If the government's priority agenda is fatally dashed, the prime 
minister will unavoidably lose his grip on the party, causing a 
political gridlock. An aide to the prime minister was overheard even 
saying that if the DPJ presented a counterproposal, the government 
would totally accept it. 
 
(5) Cabinet Office makes budget request totaling 300.8 billion yen, 
up 18 PERCENT , for development of Okinawa 
 
MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full) 
August 28, 2008 
 
The Cabinet Office on August 27 compiled Okinawa-related budget 
requests for fiscal 2009. It has request a total of 10 billion yen 
as usual for measures to develop northern Okinawa to finance the 
relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan 
City. For the establishment of the Okinawa Institute of Science and 
Technology in fiscal 2012, it requested 14.87 billion yen. The total 
amount comes to 308.06 billion yen, up 17.9 PERCENT , compared with 
the original request for fiscal 2008. 
 
As measures to develop northern Okinawa, 10 billion yen have been 
earmarked for 12 municipalities in the region, including Nago City, 
starting in fiscal 2000. In the past, the implementation of the 
fiscal 2007 budget was put on hold on the basis that talks by 
 
TOKYO 00002378  007 OF 009 
 
 
affected municipalities on the relocation of Futenma functions were 
not going smoothly. 
 
As a tax code-related measure, the Cabinet Office will seek the 
continuance of a special measure to cut the gas tax by 7 yen per 
liter after the reallocation of special road funds for other uses, 
as well. 
 
(6) U.S. government documents dated 1971 specify Japan-U.S. 
agreement not allowing Japan to monitor air within 50 meters of 
visiting nuclear-powered submarine 
 
OKINAWA TIMES (Page 2) (Full) 
August 29, 2008 
 
It was learned yesterday that the U.S. government has documents 
showing that the governments of Japan and the United States had 
agreed in late 1971 that Japan would remain over 50 meters away when 
monitoring radiation in the air of U.S. nuclear-powered vessels 
making port calls in Japan. An official of the Ministry of 
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) that 
monitors radiation levels around U.S. nuclear-powered vessels has 
denied the existence of such an agreement, saying: "Monitoring has 
been conducted within a 50-meter perimeter of U.S. vessels. I have 
never heard of such an agreement." 
 
MEXT does not know existence of documents 
 
Several such official documents exist. Shoji Niihara, a researcher 
of the history of Japan-U.S. relations, found them at the U.S. 
National Archives and Records Administration in 2007. 
 
The content of the Japan-U.S. agreement is mentioned in documents 
dated November 10 and December 10, 1971 that are kept as secret oral 
records strictly for internal use only. They note that Japan is not 
to measure air quality within 50 meters of a U.S. Navy vessel, that 
Japan is not to activate even a radiation measuring device aboard a 
boat within 50 meters of a U.S. vessel, and that the Japanese 
government has the right to monitor air within 50 meters of a U.S. 
nuclear-powered vessel in order to confirm that it is not at risk of 
causing radioactive contamination. The documents are marked "secret" 
in English and "Strictly secret for an indefinite period of time" in 
Japanese. 
 
According to a document written in 1971 by (Stephen P. Dawkins), a 
Department of State East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau officer in 
charge of Japanese affairs, Japan began seeking information on 
radiation of U.S. vessels after an abnormally high level of 
radiation was detected near a U.S. vessel in Yokosuka Port in 1969. 
 
The U.S. side asked Japan not to measure air within a 50-meter 
perimeter, saying that because Japan's measuring device is so 
sensitive that measurement near U.S. vessels would end up revealing 
classified data on the nuclear propulsion plant. The document notes 
that the oral agreement was reached between working-level officials 
of Japan and the United States on August 28, 1971. 
 
Masato Kino, chief of the MEXT Disaster Prevention and Environment 
Office said: "I have never heard that such an agreement exists or 
that provisions were altered later on. There has been no order to 
that effect to the Japan Coast Guard that conducts boat-based 
monitoring." He also indicated that his ministry has received a 
 
TOKYO 00002378  008 OF 009 
 
 
reply from the Foreign Ministry noting that it does not know the 
existence of the documents. 
 
Niihara said: "The documents were produced back in 1971. I don't 
know the current situation. Questions remain about the government's 
responses to the latest leak of radiation from a nuclear-powered 
submarine and to the fire aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. 
The government should offer a convincing explanation and disclose 
information." 
 
(7) Environment ministry's proposal for integrated market for 
trading for carbon emissions credits obtained in various ways, 
including assistance to developing countries, use of biofuels 
 
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full) 
August 29, 2008 
 
The outline of the Environment Ministry-sponsored integrated 
domestic market for trading for greenhouse gas emissions credits, 
slated to be implemented on a trial basis in October, was revealed 
on August 28. A major feature of the package is a focus on enabling 
companies to trade in the integrated market greenhouse gas emissions 
credits they have obtained through the use of recyclable energies, 
such as biofuels, or through taking part in various carbon emissions 
reduction projects under the Kyoto Protocol, as well as under a 
domestic emissions-trading system, under which emissions quotas are 
set for leading companies. The aim is to encourage companies to take 
part in emissions-rights trading, using carbon emissions credits 
obtained through various systems. 
 
Prime Minister Fukuda in June announce a plan to open the integrated 
domestic market on a trial basis 
 
According to the Environment Ministry, the following three kinds of 
carbon emissions credits can be traded on the integrated market: (1) 
emissions credits obtained under the domestic carbon emissions 
trading system; (2) emissions credits obtained based on the Kyoto 
Protocol, such as by taking on clean development mechanism (CDM) 
projects designed to help developing countries reduce carbon 
emissions and (3) highly trustworthy domestic carbon emissions 
credits obtained through the use of photovoltaic generation, 
biofuels and recyclable energies, such as, forestry biomass, and the 
carbon off-set system and emissions reduction projects carried out 
by small and medium-size businesses. In all those three cases, if 
carbon emissions were cut more than the targeted level, the balance 
between the targeted amount and the actual amount of emissions will 
be granted as emissions credits. 
 
Of those three trading types, target carbon emissions quotas will be 
set for companies participating under the domestic emissions trading 
system. Companies that have attained their goal through such efforts 
as energy saving, will be allowed to sell surplus quotas for 
greenhouse gas emissions to companies that have failed to do so. 
 
In achieving their goals, companies can use emissions credits 
obtained under the Kyoto Protocol and highly trustworthy domestic 
emissions credits. The integrated market will broker such trading. 
 
According to the Environment Ministry's proposal, related government 
ministries and agencies will establish a target approval committee 
and a system monitoring committee to ensure smooth operations of 
various systems. A third-party verification organization will verify 
 
TOKYO 00002378  009 OF 009 
 
 
individual transactions. 
 
The Environment Ministry hopes to see as many companies as possible 
join the system. 
 
(8) Prime Minister's schedule, August 28 
 
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full) 
August 29, 2008 
 
09:27 
Met Nisshin Food President Ando at the Kantei. Followed by Special 
Advisor Ito. 
 
12:19 
Met Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura. 
 
14:26 
Met Yuzaburo Mogi, Japanese side's chairman of the Japan-South Korea 
Forum, South Korean side's Chairman Kong, and others. 
 
15:05 
Met Foreign Ministry Global Issues Bureau Director General. Later 
met Cabinet Office Vice Minister Yamamoto, and Decoration Bureau 
Director General Fukushima. Yamamoto stayed behind. 
 
16:15 
Met Japan Finance Cooperation for Small and Medium Enterprise 
President Yasui. Followed by Consul General in Manaus Shibazaki. 
 
17:10 
Met Foreign Ministry Vice Minister Yabunaka, Deputy Foreign Minister 
Sasae, and Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director 
 
19:00 
Met at his official residence with incumbent and former defense 
minister Hayashi and Ishiba, members of the Defense Ministry Reform 
Conference, including National Defense Academy President Makoto 
Iokibe, Vice Defense Minister Masuda, and others. Iokibe stayed 
behind. 
 
ZUMWALT