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Monday, December 31, 2007
Fukuda’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, a former foreign minister, inadvertently strengthened the argument for a formal apology by the Government of Japan to the Comfort Women and others. To be sure, he is no liberal, nor particularly sympathetic to how history has affected Japanese foreign policy. However, he and apparently others are concerned about foreign relations and foreign threats, especially if they are extra-terrestrial. By voicing these fears, Machimura exposed the Kono Statement for the informal, personal declaration that it is.
On December 18th, the Chief Cabinet Secretary quibbled publicly with a Cabinet Decision [kakugi kettei] that stated “the existence [of UFOs] has not been confirmed.” Machimura added at his announcement of the Decision that “The government’s answer is extremely pro forma. Personally, I believe that there must be such things. Otherwise, those [Nazca lines *] can’t be explained.” The Chief Cabinet Secretary was clearly talking out of turn and personally. Although his Statement may have captured the sentiment of many of his fellow Diet members, it does not carry the legal weight or credibility of a Cabinet Decision.
The UFO Cabinet Decision was an official, formal Cabinet answer to a written question by DPJ Councilor Ryuji Yamane (Saitama Prefecture) on December 10th “with Regard to Unidentified Flying Objects” and transmitted to the Cabinet on December 12th. The Cabinet, which according to the Constitution is Japan’s Chief Executive, spoke for the country that it is unsure whether UFOs exist. Yamane also said in his question put to the government, "It is an urgent task to carry out work on confirmation, given the incessant reports of UFO sightings as well as national concerns and interests." This was the same procedure back in March that produced a Cabinet Decision saying that there had not been and would not be a Cabinet Decision for the Kono Statement, which was a 1993 statement by the then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Kono apologizing to the Comfort Women.
It is rare for a Chief Cabinet Secretary to interject his own opinions when presenting an official Cabinet Decision. Japan’s press was more bemused by Machimura’s belief in space aliens than this insubordination to the Fukuda Cabinet. It is also rare for a Chief Cabinet Secretary to voice an opinion that is not sanctioned by the cabinet he represents. In 1993, Mr. Kono gave his statement of apology to the Comfort Women in between two Cabinets (Miyazawa and Hosokawa). He had no cabinet to represent and his statements were only personal.
For those awaiting apologies from the Government of Japan, the UFO Cabinet Decision and the Machimura Statement are as confusing as they are confirming. It is confusing that something as minor as rumored space invaders can get full Cabinet attention and a kakugi kettei, while survivors of real invasions by Japan cannot. Yet, the recent pronouncements also confirm that a mere statement by a Chief Cabinet Secretary can be brushed aside as superfluous and lacking authority if it is not backed by a kakugi kettei.
*The Nazca Lines are a series of mysterious giant drawings of animals and other figures on an arid plateau in southern Peru, believed to have been created during the Nazca culture which flourished around the years 100-800.
posted by Mindy Kotler at 10:37 AM
Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's visit to Beijing has shown that Japan and China have almost completely overcome the chilly bilateral relations caused by then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine, Japan's war shrine.
The two countries' leaders agreed on the importance of pushing a "mutually beneficial strategic relationship" in such fields as the economy, energy and environmental protection. President Hu Jintao will visit Japan next spring. It is significant that in his meeting with Mr. Fukuda, Mr. Hu characterized current bilateral ties as "good relations in which improvement and development are happening."
During a joint press conference with Premier Wen Jiabao, Mr. Fukuda said, "At no time in the two counties' long history have they had so much power to contribute to the world's development and stabilization as now. We have great responsibility." Both Japan and China must take a cue from Mr. Fukuda's words and cooperate to minimize friction and promote stabilization in East Asia and other regions.
Mr. Hu suggested proper handling of the issues related to historical perception by "using history as a mirror as we move toward the future." Mr. Fukuda's televised speech at Beijing University will certainly help lay a foundation for improving bilateral relations at both the government and grass-roots levels. He said, "Only when one has the courage and wisdom to look squarely at one's past and to examine oneself whenever necessary can one avoid making mistakes in the future."
But Mr. Fukuda did not budge on the issue of Taiwan's referendum in March on a bid to join the United Nations under the name of "Taiwan." He said Japan "will not support a unilateral move to change the current situation," avoiding the phrase "will oppose" — a phrase demanded by China. As to the bilateral dispute on oil and gas exploitation rights in the East China Sea, only the continuation of consultations was confirmed. Japan and China must do their best to prevent the issue from becoming a stumbling block to their bilateral relations.
Monday, Dec. 31, 2007
By KAHO SHIMIZU
Staff writer
ANALYSIS: 'THE COMING OF SPRING'
JINAN, China — Shinzo Abe's trip to China as prime minister in October 2006 was dubbed "the ice-breaking trip" to mend diplomatic relations damaged by predecessor Junichiro Koizumi. Then came Premier Wen Jiabao's "thawing-ice visit" to Japan last April.
Now relations have reached what Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda described as "the coming of spring" during his first official trip to China from Thursday to Sunday.
Relations between the region's two powerhouses were chilled during the five years Koizumi was in office because of his annual visits to contentious Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines convicted Class-A war criminals.
Fukuda's four-day visit was full of events marked by exceptional hospitality, including a joint news conference Friday by Fukuda and Wen — believed to be the first held together by the two countries' leaders — and playing catch with a baseball on Saturday.
Japanese flags were raised along the streets near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, and at the hotels in Beijing and Shandong Province where Fukuda stayed.
Analysts are amazed at how dramatically bilateral ties have improved in such a short period. But at the same time, they see the friendly mood demonstrated at the top level as an indication both governments are trying to keep strong public emotions — that can quickly overheat — under wraps.
"This time, there is a welcoming mood among Chinese people and we see Hinomaru flags flying there," said Zhu Jianrong, a professor of Chinese studies at Toyo Gakuen University in Tokyo. It was only less than three years ago that the Japanese flags were burned in a series of massive anti-Japan rallies in China over the Japanese government's authorization of a revisionist history textbook, he said.
During Fukuda's meetings first with Wen and then with President Hu Jintao, both sides agreed to cooperate on a variety of issues ranging from the environment, energy and personnel exchanges, including between the Chinese military and the Self-Defense Forces.
A senior Foreign Ministry official said before Fukuda left on his trip that the wide-ranging discussions on the agenda were indicative of the two countries sharing broad areas of common interest.
"There was a time when there was almost no dialogue between the leaders of the two nations. Holding continuous discussions is important to build mutual trust," the official said. "Media reports focus too much on specific bilateral issues such as the row over gas exploration rights in the East China Sea, but the two countries' relations are not only about that."
Indeed, Fukuda and Wen avoided focusing too much on disputes. Instead they stressed the importance of improving Japan-China relations for the development of Asia and the world.
Toyo Gakuen's Zhu said that Japan and China had enough of sour relations and their negative impact on both countries as well as other Asian countries when Koizumi was in office between 1996 and 2001.
During Friday's joint news conference with Wen, Fukuda acknowledged that there are problems between the two nations but said he will never let them damage the overall bilateral relationship.
"The leaders of Japan and China are well aware that bilateral relations could easily turn out differently depending on their attitude toward each other," Zhu said.
He added that they are making efforts to reach a higher stage where they can maintain friendly relations even if there are obstacles.
The gas and oil exploration rights in the East China Sea will be a litmus test on how they can overcome long-standing differences without damaging relations.
The two sides have agreed on joint development but remain far apart on the location as the dispute involves differences over where each nation's sea boundaries lie.
Another senior Foreign Ministry official said Tokyo and Beijing have made progress in defining the area for joint development but were not able to reach an accord this time.
The two sides hope to do so by spring, at the time of Hu's planned visit to Japan.
Fukuda also made a concession about Taiwan by saying for the first time that he would not support a planned referendum in Taiwan in March on seeking United Nations membership.
Fukuda's personal background has helped to warm relations with China. When his father, Takeo Fukuda, was prime minister about 30 years ago, the elder Fukuda spearheaded an effort to sign the 1978 Japan-China bilateral peace and friendship treaty.
Wen and Hu raised this story several times during Fukuda's visit, conveying their amity as they cited the old saying that "Chinese people who drink water will never forget the kindness of people who worked hard to dig a well."
Sino-Japanese ties appear to be entering one of their best periods, but Satoshi Amako, dean of the graduate school of Asia-Pacific studies at Waseda University in Tokyo, said a solid foundation still hasn't been built.
He said the Fukuda administration's policy on Asia has yet to be put to the test, and relations with Beijing will be affected by how long Fukuda remains in power.
"Despite efforts by Japan and China to deepen ties, the relationship between the two countries is still fragile and includes various delicate problems that can easily turn into confrontation," Amako said.
Monday, Dec. 31, 2007
Kyodo News
Documents have been found showing that defense equipment trading firm Yamada Corp., already embroiled in payoff scandals, was to pay or has paid $300,000 to an organization linked to a major Japanese defense figure for helping the company win contracts with two U.S. defense firms in 2006, according to sources.
The documents point to exchanges of money between Yamada and the organization linked to Naoki Akiyama, executive director of the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange, the sources said. The center has Diet members as directors.
Akiyama has denied the allegation.
The special investigative squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office has obtained the documents, the sources said.
The prosecutors suspect it has associations with the Yamada payoff scandals involving former Yamada executive Motonobu Miyazaki and former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya, they said.
The documents were apparently drawn up shortly before or after Miyazaki formed Nihon Mirise Corp., another defense trading house, as a result of conflicts with the owners of Yamada in September 2006 and started working to deprive Yamada of its sales rights in Japan.
The documents also state that Yamada had asked some Diet members with ties to the defense industry to call on two former senior U.S. government officials to back Yamada's bid to keep the contracts with the two U.S. firms over the right to sell airplane engines and other defense equipment in Japan and that the requests had been met, the sources said.
The documents show that $100,000 has yet to be paid to the organization as a reward for influencing one former senior U.S. official and that $200,000 has been paid to the group concerning another U.S. official, according to the sources.
Miyazaki has been indicted over corporate embezzlement and arrested for allegedly giving bribes to Moriya, the former vice defense minister. Moriya has been arrested for allegedly accepting the bribes.
The prosecutors have also searched the Japan-U.S. center, established under the auspices of the Foreign Ministry in 1968, over its suspected involvement in the payoff scandal.
Former Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma and some other lawmakers close to the defense industry are directors at the center.
Investigative sources have said that Yamada is suspected of paying about ¥100 million to the center in an attempt to serve as a subcontractor in a project to remove poison gas shells left in Fukuoka Prefecture by the Japanese military.
Akiyama issued a statement Saturday saying: "Neither the center nor any other group associated with me, nor I myself, have received ¥100 million as business cooperation fees. Such things have not been confirmed, but even if they are true, what is wrong with getting money?"
The House of Councilors foreign affairs and defense committee is scheduled to summon Akiyama as an unsworn witness Jan. 8.
Monday, Dec. 31, 2007
Kyodo News
Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, asked executives of the All-Japan Prefectural and Municipal Workers Union and the Japan Teachers Union in October to push the Social Democratic Party to integrate with the DPJ, party sources said Sunday.
The proposal went up in smoke when Ozawa temporarily offered to resign due to the furor when he considered in early November forming a grand coalition with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, according to the sources.
Ozawa's move was aimed at giving the DPJ a majority in the Upper House and putting as much pressure as possible on Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, the sources said.
Senior SDP lawmakers rejected Ozawa's proposal, saying his idea to absorb the SDP was arrogant.
However, the two labor unions, which support both the DPJ and the SDP, expect the two opposition parties to eventually integrate, the sources said.
As Ozawa is still willing to pursue the plan, his proposal may come up again following the next general election of the House of Representatives, they said.
The proposal was presented by Ozawa to the top leaders of the two unions at a meeting at a Tokyo restaurant Oct. 29, the sources said.
12/31/2007
BY TAKETSUGU SATO, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, wrapping up a four-day visit to China, indicated he will reshuffle his Cabinet ahead of the Jan. 18 start of the ordinary Diet session.
Fukuda told reporters he would make his decision early in the new year. He arrived home late Sunday.
There have been growing calls within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party for an early Cabinet reshuffle in the lead-up to the ordinary Diet session which will discuss the fiscal 2008 budget bills.
Fukuda indicated he will not dissolve the Lower House for a snap election before the Group of Eight (G-8) summit of leading nations to be held at the Hokkaido resort of Lake Toyako in July.
Following the abrupt resignation of his predecessor Shinzo Abe, Fukuda took power in September and allowed most of Abe's Cabinet members to retain posts.
Kisaburo Tokai, minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology, and Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba were new faces.
Influential politicians such as former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori had been urging Fukuda to name a new Cabinet with his own choices before the ordinary Diet session.
The current extraordinary Diet session will close on Jan. 15.
The main opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) plans to hold a party convention on Jan. 16. The LDP will hold its convention on Jan. 17.
The ordinary Diet session will convene the following day.
Taking into account those scheduled events, Fukuda will likely reshuffle his Cabinet on Jan. 13 or 14.
But that could change if Fukuda runs into problems gaining passage of a new bill aimed at resuming Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean.
The bill to enable the Maritime Self-Defense Force to restart refueling operations in support of U.S.-led anti-terrorism activities in and around Afghanistan is under deliberation at the Upper House. It has already passed the Lower House.
The ruling coalition aims to enact the bill in the current extraordinary Diet session by overriding expected rejection in the Upper House, where the opposition camp holds a majority, through second-time voting in the Lower House, where it holds a two-thirds majority.
Fukuda indicated he wanted to delay dissolving the Lower House until after the G-8 summit.
"We have to enact the (fiscal 2008) budget first (at the ordinary Diet session). Then, we will have the summit meeting in the summer. As host nation, we have to fulfill that responsibility. I doubt that there will be enough time for dissolving (the Lower House for election) before then," Fukuda said.
On the government's plan to maintain the gasoline tax, which Minshuto opposes, Fukuda said "great confusion would occur" if the opposition party had its way.(IHT/Asahi: December 31,2007)
12/31/2007
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
Scandal-tainted defense trading company Yamada Corp. apparently planned to bribe two former senior Bush administration officials to ensure it remained an agent for U.S. defense equipment makers, sources said.
The plan was outlined at an in-house meeting of the Tokyo-based company in autumn 2006, according to the sources close to Yamada.
The Asahi Shimbun also obtained a document which said Yamada arranged for an influential member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to ask two former senior U.S. government officials to urge two U.S. defense manufacturers to maintain contracts with Yamada.
The document was apparently compiled at Yamada around November last year.
It came soon after former Yamada executive Motonobu Miyazaki, 69, quit the firm. He has been rearrested on suspicion of offering bribes to former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya.
He started up his own defense equipment trading company, Nihon Mirise Corp., in September last year. The two companies were competing head-to-head to gain contracts to act as an agent for firms such as General Electric Co. (GE), which makes jet engines for CX transport aircraft used by the Air Self-Defense Force.
Yamada managers discussed around autumn 2006 strategies on how to maintain their contracts with the U.S. firms.
According to one source at the meeting, a senior executive said, "I will use money to persuade two former senior U.S. government officials" to help Yamada.
The document obtained by The Asahi Shimbun is titled "Support activities to secure agent (contracts) with GE and Northrop Grumman Corp."
In part, it states, "To maintain Yamada's agent contracts with GE and Northrop Grumman, I had a defense-lobby lawmaker ask two former senior U.S. government officials to act in (Yamada's support)."
It later reported, "The two former senior U.S. government officials asked top executives of the two firms to support Yamada, and so we still have contracts with the two firms."
Yamada imported parts made by Northrop Grumman and used in the ASDF's E-2C surveillance aircraft. The document also described paying a group affiliated with Naoki Akiyama, executive director of the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange. The LDP lawmaker is one of its directors.
He denied making any request of former U.S. government officials on Yamada's behalf. "I have never made such a request. It's a lie. I was never asked by Yamada to do so," the lawmaker said.
Akiyama also denied involvement.
When contacted by The Asahi Shimbun, the office of one of the former U.S. government officials refused to comment.
GE said it cannot reveal details of contracts and that it knows nothing about any alleged requests by the former U.S. government officials. Northrop Grumman officials also did not reveal details of its contracts, nor the content of negotiations. Yamada did not reply to questions sent by The Asahi Shimbun.(IHT/Asahi: December 31,2007)
12/31/2007
A "great leap forward" in Japan's bilateral ties with China seems to be the key phrase of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's diplomacy with China. His predecessor, Shinzo Abe, visited Beijing in October 2006 to "break the ice" in what were then frosty bilateral relations. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Japan "melted the ice." Fukuda is apparently keen to build on this momentum so that ties further advance.
China gave Fukuda a red carpet welcome, showing that its leaders are also keen to see further progress in bilateral relations. Wen stood alongside Fukuda during the first-ever joint news conference of Japanese and Chinese leaders. President Hu Jintao, the head of state, held a banquet to welcome Fukuda. That in itself was also unusual.
Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine badly soured ties between Tokyo and Beijing. At one point, ties hit their lowest level since the two countries normalized their diplomatic relations in 1972. Behind this diplomatic tension was intensifying rivalry between the two countries over China's emergence as a major economic power that threatens to overshadow Japan's leadership. Repairing the fissure in bilateral relations should be welcomed.
Relations between the two Asian giants began their leap forward many years ago, driven mainly by expanding economic links. Their political ties, however, were poisoned by mutual distrust between the leaders and wild waves of nationalism. But the political atmosphere between the two capitals has finally calmed down and the improvement of political ties has steadily advanced.
Fukuda's visit did not lead to a settlement of the high-profile dispute over gas fields in the East China Sea, which remains a pending point in bilateral ties. But there is no reason to be pessimistic. It is obvious that diplomatic slogans are not enough to solve such a sticky issue. Diplomacy means finding ways to sort out conflicting interests of nations through tenacious negotiations. And that's a role and responsibility of political leaders. The current leaders of the two countries deserve credit for their commitment to dealing with the dispute in a pragmatic manner without allowing it to develop into a bitter conflict fueled by nationalistic sentiments.
Fukuda's visit produced agreements between the two nations on plans for cooperation in a wide range of areas including environmental protection and energy conservation. But it also highlighted subtle differences between Tokyo and Beijing on the issue of Taiwan.
What is notable about Fukuda's remarks in China is that he stressed the two Asian powers share responsibilities for the development of Asia and the world. This was apparently his call for bilateral cooperation in the context of issues such as North Korea, Myanmar (Burma), Pakistan, global warming and poverty in Africa. Beijing should respond to Fukuda's call. Such cooperation between the two countries in tackling these and other challenges is worthy of the description of a "great leap forward in the Japan-China relationship."
Fukuda delivered a speech at Peking University on Friday that was televised across China. Concerning Japan's wartime acts, Fukuda said Japan will "face up to" its past and "pass down" the history to future generations. He also referred to the need for serious soul-searching on past mistakes and humble efforts to show consideration for victims. We hope Fukuda's message will have reached the hearts of many people in China.
Fukuda also emphasized that politicians should not be swayed by emotional arguments that could tend to surface on both sides from time to time. This comment was meant as a reflection on how the bilateral relations deteriorated recently and should be taken seriously as words of warning.
Fukuda was slated to visit the city of Qufu in southeastern Shandong province, which is regarded as the birthplace of Confucius, an ancient Chinese thinker (whose philosophy deeply influenced Japanese culture). Japan and China have a long history of cultural exchanges. By making a trip to a place linked to this history, Fukuda probably wanted to show that the bilateral relations have not always been about conflict. Hu promised to visit Japan around the time of the cherry blossom season. Hu should talk with Japanese citizens and visit local areas as well.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 29(IHT/Asahi: December 31,2007)
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan has at last submitted to the House of Councillors its alternative to the government's bill for a new Antiterrorism Law to resume the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean and the upper house has begun debate on the DPJ's bill.
While the DPJ has presented its bill as a proposal for action by Japan in the war against terrorism, its plan will never win support and understanding from the international community.
The DPJ initially intended to put off submitting its alternative bill during the current extraordinary Diet session, but changed its policy at the direction of party leader Ichiro Ozawa in an effort to fend off criticism that the party has an irresponsible attitude. The DPJ is likely to consider having the upper house debate its bill in parallel with that of the government and postpone the voting on the government's new antiterrorism bill at the upper house.
If the government's bill is not voted on by the upper house, the ruling bloc intends to pass it into law via a two-thirds majority vote by the ruling coalition in the House of Representatives in mid-January. If that happens, the DPJ is considering claiming that the ruling parties forced the bill through the Diet without sufficient deliberations, according to sources.
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DPJ's obstruction tactics
But the claim seems strange. It is the DPJ that intentionally delayed drafting and submitting its alternative bill. The DPJ should not be allowed to put off passage of the government's new antiterrorism bill at this stage for parallel debates on the alternative bill or other reasons.
The early resumption of the MSDF's refueling mission is expected by more than 40 countries participating in the war on terrorism as well as five nations that had been receiving fuel from the MSDF--Britain, France, Germany, Pakistan and the United States.
In the first place, the contents of the DPJ's bill are very unrealistic and problematic.
The DPJ's bill specifies support measures for Japan to take in Afghanistan in two fields. One is to improve security through such measures as disarmament of illegal militia groups and their social integration. Another is to provide humanitarian and reconstruction assistance, such as restoration of roads, water supply and farm lands and provision of medical services.
But the support measures to improve security are almost the same as those for which the Foreign Ministry already has begun to provide financial support. For example, the ministry held an international conference on disbanding militia groups and reintegrating militiamen back into civilian society in June in Tokyo.
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Unrealistic expectations
In the DPJ's bill, the humanitarian and reconstruction assistance measures will be implemented on condition that a ceasefire agreement has been reached and local residents' livelihoods and safety are not threatened. But currently in Afghanistan, fighting continues between the Afghan government and the once-ruling Taliban and there has been a spate of terrorist suicide attacks. There is no area in the country that meets such conditions.
In the end, the DPJ's bill effectively offers nothing as an alternative to the MSDF's refueling mission that was suspended following the expiration of the Antiterrorism Law on Nov. 1.
However, there are noteworthy points in the DPJ's bill. It outlines the basic direction for development of a permanent law to dispatch Self-Defense Forces personnel overseas, while it allows SDF personnel to use arms when doing so is essential for fulfilling their duties.
There also are mounting calls within the government and ruling parties to change the criteria for allowing SDF personnel to use arms and for establishment of a permanent law on overseas SDF deployments. After the government's new antiterrorism bill is passed into law, both ruling and opposition parties should seriously discuss these issues and seek common ground.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 31, 2007) (Dec. 31, 2007)
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Cabinet Office is planning to devise a strategy to attract more tourists to Okinawa Prefecture from China and South Korea, as part of measures to promote the prefecture's economic development, according to sources.
The office will establish an exploratory panel in the summer to look into appropriate methods for attracting tourists according to the target country, region and age group.
The strategy, including the planning of its implementation and how it will be advertised, will be finalized by the end of fiscal 2008. A budget of 48 million yen will be set aside for the project in fiscal 2008.
The number of visitors to Okinawa Prefecture reached a record of about 5.6 million in 2006, but foreigners accounted for only about 92,000 among them, prompting the office to establish the new panel, which will conduct market research in various places in South Korea and China. The office plans to have the panel look into tourists' preferences for accommodation, gourmet food and prices, and use the findings as basic data for creating its strategy.
In China, where the number of wealthy people has been increasing rapidly, the research will look into preferences among people living in southern regions and cities including Shanghai that are relatively close to Okinawa Prefecture, and also those in Beijing and the northeastern area of China.
The survey will also analyze the success of world-renowned beach resorts it will consider to be direct competitors, such as Hawaii and Guam. (Dec. 31, 2007)
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's apparent intention to reshuffle his Cabinet and top Liberal Democratic Party posts in mid-January has mainly been prompted by concerns over the sagging approval ratings of the current administration.
The proposed timing of the reshuffle apparently reflects Fukuda's belief that it will be difficult to carry out a cabinet reshuffle once the ordinary Diet session is convened later in January.
As the Diet schedule is very tight in January, some ruling party members fear a cabinet reshuffle at this time may actually weaken the prime minister's power to unite LDP members under his leadership. For this reason the prime minister has said he will carefully judge whether a reshuffle should be carried out.
Tadamori Oshima, chairman of the LDP's Diet Affairs Committee, made it clear Saturday that he would keep a careful eye on Fukuda's next steps.
"First of all, we have to ensure the passage of a bill to compensate victims of drugs tainted with the hepatitis C virus and a new antiterrorism bill during the current Diet session. It's up to the prime minister whether a cabinet reshuffle will take place," Oshima said.
A senior New Komeito official said: "It's the prime minister's decision. Our party will make no demands."
Among the senior LDP members strongly calling for a cabinet reshuffle is former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.
Mori met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura on Thursday at the Prime Minister's Office to convey his opinion that a reshuffle was necessary.
Mori also met with Makoto Koga, chairman of the LDP Election Strategy Council, and Mikio Aoki, former chairman of the LDP caucus in the House of Councillors, to exchange opinions on the issue.
"The prime minister should form the cabinet of his choice and in so doing appeal to the public," Mori reportedly said.
As the current Cabinet was formed in the immediate wake of the sudden resignation of Fukuda's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, many of the Cabinet ministers were merely reappointed.
But as many of Fukuda's policies on security and social welfare issues differ subtly from Abe's, Mori and some other LDP members believe the Cabinet should be reshuffled as soon as possible to clarify Fukuda's own policy stance.
Lawmakers predict the next ordinary Diet session will be a stormy one with the possibility of a dissolution of the House of Representatives over the next fiscal year's budget and related bills.
This is one of the reasons why Fukuda is considering the option of a cabinet reshuffle before the next ordinary session starts.
Many in the ruling parties believe any change is made, it should be a major reshuffle. A senior LDP member in the upper house said, "If a reshuffle does take place, only a large-scale change would make sense."
Some ruling party members have urged the replacement of Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe because of his handling of the public pension record fiasco, while also criticizing Yoshimi Watanabe, state minister for administrative reform.
However, a sizable number of hurdles need to be cleared before a cabinet reshuffle can occur. Unless cabinet candidates are carefully screened for potential scandals, the reshuffle could lead to a new money scandal.
A senior ruling party member said, "As long as the prime minister keeps talking about a reshuffle, his political influence will increase, but once the reshuffle is actually over, the number of people feeling dissatisfied with him will snowball."
(Dec. 31, 2007)
Dec 30 05:11 AM US/Eastern
TOKYO, Dec. 30 (AP) - (Kyodo)— Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda returned to Japan on Sunday after a four- day trip to China where he met with the leadership and visited regional areas as part of efforts to further improve bilateral relations that have begun to blossom after hitting a low several years ago.
Fukuda wrapped up his trip with a visit Sunday morning to the hometown of ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius and a tour of the World Heritage site, "Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion" in Qufu, Shandong Province.
After the tour, he said in looking back on his stay in China it was a "very substantive visit" that made him realize that the two nations may be able to perform with a strength that is bigger than just the two combined if they cooperate with each other.
"We said let's cooperate with each other, and the Chinese leadership fully agreed on this point so we want to advance Japan-China relations in that direction from now," he told reporters. "For that, I think the people of both countries need to deeply understand each other."
His excursion to Qufu -- a two-hour drive from Jinan where he spent Saturday night -- on the final day of his trip was meant to enhance bilateral relations by seeing and understanding various features of the other country.
"Visiting Qufu where Confucius grew up and spread his teachings...I thought that I have truly arrived at the starting point of culture 2,500 years ago," Fukuda told reporters after the tour which included a traditional Confucian dance performance.
"It was a deeply impressive visit," he said, adding it is meaningful that the teachings of the ancient thinker are still alive today in Japan and other parts of the world. "It feels like visiting the past for renewal."
While the Japanese leader was treated to warm and exceptional hospitality by the Chinese hosts during his visit which has been described as heralding the arrival of spring in the two countries' ties, he comes home to face continued political stalemate involving the divided Diet in which the opposition bloc controls the House of Councillors.
Fukuda, who places emphasis on Asian diplomacy, apparently hoped to demonstrate the importance he attaches to Japan's wide-scoped relationship with China through his trips to regional areas, including Tianjin where he visited an economic development district Saturday.
In Fukuda's separate meetings Friday with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, the leaders of the two countries agreed to enhance bilateral relations and reaffirmed their plan for Hu to visit Japan next spring, specifying the timing as that when cherry blossoms bloom.
Aside from meeting China's political leaders in the capital, the prime minister, accompanied by his wife Kiyoko, also visited an elementary school there that has been designated to cheer for the Japanese national team during next summer's Beijing Olympics.
Fukuda's trip, which came three months after he took office, was the first to China by a Japanese prime minister since his predecessor Shinzo Abe visited Beijing in October last year to warm ties chilled for years under Junichiro Koizumi.
While serving as prime minister from 2001 to 2006, Koizumi made annual visits to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, where 14 Class-A war criminals are enshrined along with the war dead, despite strong protests from China and other countries that suffered Japanese wartime aggression.
China is Fukuda's third overseas destination as prime minister, after his visits to the United States in mid-November for talks with U.S. President George W. Bush and to Singapore later that month to attend regional summits hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Fukuda last traveled to China in August 2003 when he was chief Cabinet secretary, in a rare overseas trip for someone serving in the post of top Japanese government spokesman.
By Teruaki Ueno 47 minutes ago
QUFU, China (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda concluded a feel-good visit to China on Sunday with a stop at the birthplace of Confucius, but the outlook for better relations could be dampened by his dwindling domestic clout.
Fukuda, whose father clinched a landmark peace treaty with Beijing as prime minister in 1978, received red-carpet hospitality from Chinese leaders, but was unable to settle a bitter row over natural resources in the East China Sea.
Photo: Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda talks to reporters during a visit to the former residence of Confucius in Qufu December 30, 2007. Fukuda visited the home of Chinese philosopher Confucius on Sunday.
"My visit to China this time was very meaningful. I had in-depth discussions with Chinese leaders," Fukuda told reporters after visiting Qufu in northeastern China, the birthplace of Confucius.
The ancient sage is revered in Japan as well as China.
"There will be nothing good for the region and the world unless Japan and China have cooperative relations."
During the four-day trip, Fukuda spoke to students, chatted with Chinese workers at a Toyota factory and tossed a baseball with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
"The visit is affecting ties positively, although it was not a home-run," said Takeshi Inoguchi, a political science professor at Tokyo's Chuo University.
Japan's Asahi newspaper predicted Fukuda's China summit would eventually help to resolve pending issues.
"There is no need to become pessimistic. Of course one cannot solve difficult issues with just words," Asahi said in editorial.
The English-language China Daily also sounded an optimistic note.
"As bilateral relations turn for the better, the government has been going out of its way to grant preferential treatment to Fukuda," the paper said in editorial.
But Japanese media and analysts said the friendly mood contrasted with a lack of substantive progress on sticky feuds.
The two countries are locked in a long-running dispute over how to exploit natural gas in the East China Sea as they differ on where the dividing line between their exclusive economic zones in the area should lie.
SHAKY GROUND AT HOME
"The gas field issue is one of the biggest concerns for the two countries, but their leaders failed to resolve it," said Yasuhiko Yoshida, a professor of international politics at Osaka University of Economics and Law.
Japan is worried that China, piping gas from an area close to what Tokyo sees as its own economic zone, could siphon resources from geological structures that stretch into the Japanese zone.
Referring to the gas dispute, Japan's conservative Yomiuri newspaper said:
"The fact that Tokyo and Beijing have had such trouble reaching agreement on an issue that impinges on national interests exemplifies the difficulties of building a mutually beneficial relationship."
The leaders of Asia's two largest economies also failed to clear the way to resolve other festering feuds, including mutual mistrust over military build-ups.
With Fukuda on shaky political ground at home, analysts said China was wary of making too much haste in forging closer ties.
"It is difficult for China to move ahead to clinch big deals because Beijing is not sure about the future of Fukuda's political base at home," Inoguchi said.
Voter support for Fukuda, who took office in September after his predecessor abruptly resigned, has fallen below 35 percent in recent media polls from an initial high of 60 percent.
The government's mishandling of millions of public pension records, a bribery scandal involving a former top defense ministry official and a protracted legal battle over compensating hepatitis C patients who were infected through tainted blood products, have hurt Fukuda's image.
"He has his back against the wall at home and therefore he is eager to score diplomatic points," Yoshida said.
Sino-Japanese ties have warmed over the past year after a chill during the 2001-2006 term of Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, who made repeated visits to Yasukuni shrine, seen by many in Asia as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
Fukuda, 71, has vowed not to visit the shrine, where World War Two leaders convicted as war criminals are honored along with war dead, while he is in office.
(Additional reporting by George Nishiyama in TOKYO and Lindsay Beck in BEIJING and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Jerry Norton)
Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007
BEIJING (Kyodo) Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda played five minutes of pitch and catch Saturday with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in perhaps a symbolic show of warming bilateral ties, a day after agreeing to build on recent improvements in relations.
Photo: Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (right) and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao laugh after they played catch with a baseball in the gymnasium of Beijing's state guesthouse Saturday.
Fukuda, 71, dressed in white baseball uniform and wearing a red cap, threw and caught baseballs in a gymnasium at Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse with Wen, 65, also in a red cap and a gray baseball uniform.
The event was squeezed into Fukuda's schedule at his request, made during a light moment with Wen during their talks Friday. Wen replied that he wanted to make time to throw a baseball.
Wen, who has described himself a baseball enthusiast, engaged in the sport with Ritsumeikan University students when he visited Kyoto during his April Japan trip. Wen wore a Ritsumeikan uniform in the gym Saturday.
Later in the day, Fukuda visited a Beijing elementary school, where he was greeted by pupils waving Olympic mascots. He also showed off his skills at calligraphy and folded origami paper.
Fukuda then flew to Tianjin before heading to Jinan, capital of Shandong Province. In Tianjin, he visited a Toyota Motor Corp. plant.
Dec 29 05:51 PM US/Eastern
TOKYO, Dec. 30 (AP) - (Kyodo) — Documents have been found that indicate defense equipment trading firm Yamada Corp., already embroiled in payoff scandals, would pay or has paid a total of $300,000 to an organization linked to a big defense figure as rewards for helping the company secure agency contracts with two U.S. defense makers in 2006, sources close to the matter said Saturday.
The documents point to exchanges of money between Yamada and the organization linked to Naoki Akiyama, executive director of the Japan- U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange, which Tokyo prosecutors suspect has associations with the Yamada payoff scandals involving former Yamada executive Motonobu Miyazaki and former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya, according to the sources.
The documents were apparently crafted shortly before or after Miyazaki formed Nihon Mirise Corp., another defense trading house, as a result of conflicts with the owners of Yamada in September 2006 and started working to deprive Yamada of its sales rights in Japan.
Akiyama said, however, "Such things have not been confirmed, but even if they are true, what is wrong with getting money?"
The documents also state that Yamada had asked some Japanese lawmakers favoring the interests of the defense industry to call on two former senior U.S. government officials to back Yamada's bid to keep the contracts with the firms over the right to sell airplane engines and other defense devices in Japan and that the requests had been realized.
The documents show that $100,000 has yet to be paid to the organization as a reward for influencing one former senior U.S. government official and that $200,000 has been paid to the group concerning another official, according to the sources.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's special investigative squad has already obtained the documents, the sources said.
Miyazaki has been indicted over corporate embezzlement and arrested for allegedly giving bribes to former Vice Defense Minister Moriya, and Moriya was arrested for taking the bribes.
The prosecutors have also searched the Japan-U.S. center, established under the auspices of the Foreign Ministry in 1968, over its suspected involvement in the payoff scandal. Former Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma and some other lawmakers close to the defense industry are directors at the center.
Investigative sources have said that Yamada is suspected of having paid about 100 million yen to the center in an attempt to serve as a subcontractor in a project to remove poison gas shells left in Fukuoka Prefecture by the former Japanese military.
Akiyama issued a statement Saturday saying, "Neither the center nor any other group associated with me, nor I myself, have received 100 million yen as business cooperation fees."
The House of Councillors Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense is scheduled to summon Akiyama as an unsworn witness Jan. 8.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
An executive at defense contractor Yamada Corp. handed about 250,000 dollars from part of the firm's slush fund generated from its overseas business to an executive director of the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange in October last year, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Saturday.
This comes on the heels of the revelation Tuesday that Yamada provided 100 million yen to the center in connection to a project for disposing poison gas shells in China ordered by the then Defense Agency.
Many lawmakers with vested interests in the defense industry serve as directors in the Japan-U.S. exchange organization.
Around October last year,Yamada was in fierce competition against Nihon Mirise Corp., which was established by Motonobu Miyazaki, a former executive of Yamada who has since been indicted, for contracts with the Defense Agency.
It also was discovered that Yamada handed to center director Naoki Akiyama a document addressed to then Defense Agency Director General Fumio Kyuma that asked for Kyuma's support.
This prompted the special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office to look into the money flow between Yamada and the center, suspecting Yamada might have requested Akiyama, who is known as a liaison between Japanese and U.S. defense industries and Japanese politicians, to lobby on behalf of the company.
Akiyama is scheduled to be called to appear as an unsworn witness at House of Councillors Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Jan. 8. He is expected to be grilled over the money provided by Yamada.
According to sources, the Yamada executive handed the 250,000 dollars to Akiyama in the United States around October last year, about a month after Miyazaki established Nihon Mirise. The money was a part of a slush fund that Yamada generated from payments from the government after the firm won contracts to provide daily goods to units of the Self-Defense Forces participating in the U.N. peacekeeping operation in the Golan Heights in Syria. The money was kept in a safe at the firm's U.S. affiliate.
After launching Nihon Mirise, Miyazaki aggressively attempted to win General Electric Co.'s agency contract from Yamada by approaching then Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya who has since been indicted on suspicion of taking bribes from Miyazaki. GE produces engines for the Air Self-Defense Force's next-generation C-X transport plane and provides other equipment for the SDF.
As Yamada was eager to stymie Nihon Mirise's move, it also handed the documents calling for Kyuma's help to Akiyama after giving him the money. The document contained a request to help Yamada defend its agency contract with GE and other defense-related interests from Nihon Mirise.
At Yamada's in-house meetings held before and after the money was given to Akiyama, the executive reportedly suggested requesting Kyuma for help, saying, "GE's agency contract will be taken by Nihon Mirise if we do nothing."
Kyuma also is a director of the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange.
As for the 250,000 dollars, a lawyer representing Akiyama told The Yomiuri Shimbun: "Akiyama strongly denies it. He said it never happened."
Kyuma issued a statement via his office, saying: "I never received such a document and was never asked for the request. I've also never received any donations via Akiyama." (Dec. 30, 2007)
Hidetoshi Ikebe / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda hinted Saturday that he has started discussions for a Cabinet reshuffle, possibly in mid-January, in an apparent effort to prop up his increasingly unpopular administration.
Amid mounting calls within the ruling parties for a Cabinet reshuffle, Fukuda is expected to replace mainly ministers who were retained from the Cabinet of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe.
Asked about the timing of the reshuffle by reporters traveling with him at a hotel in Jinan, Shandong Province, Fukuda said, "There're various opinions [about the Cabinet reshuffle] and some of them are reasonable."
"I'll take those opinions on board and think about it next year. It's a blank paper right now," he added.
Observers said, however, Fukuda may reshuffle his Cabinet on Jan. 13 or 14, after an antiterrorism bill is expected to pass through the House of Representatives and become law.
Fukuda's Cabinet was launched late September after Abe's abrupt resignation. Fukuda reappointed 13 of the 17 ministers from Abe's Cabinet.
With the support rate for the Fukuda Cabinet declining due to the poor handling of the pension record fiasco and other problems, members of the ruling parties are strongly calling on the prime minister to make a reshuffle.
The new antiterrorism bill is expected to pass the lower house around Jan. 11 or 12. The current extraordinary Diet session will be effectively adjourned before Jan. 15 when the extended session officially ends.
The Liberal Democratic Party's convention is scheduled for Jan. 17 and the ruling parties at this time plan to convene the ordinary Diet session on Jan. 18. As a result, they are considering a plan to reshuffle the Cabinet on Jan. 13 or 14, sources in the ruling parties said.
However, considering the tight schedule leading up to the ordinary Diet session, Fukuda likely will decide when to reshuffle the Cabinet after taking the political situation into consideration.
Fukuda indicated that he hopes to dissolve the lower house for a general election after the Group of Eight major nations summit meeting in Hokkaido in July.
"Considering various political and policy issues for next year, I wonder if a clear-cut time [for a dissolution] will come so easily. I really have no idea," Fukuda said. "We must pass the fiscal 2008 budget on time. Also, the [G-8] summit will be held in summer. As a host country, we must fulfill our responsibility. I don't think there's time to dissolve [the lower house]."
"We have a greater responsibility to deal with important tasks before considering a dissolution," he added.
As for the relationship with the Democratic Party of Japan, Fukuda stressed the importance of dialogue.
"I would stick to dialogue," Fukuda said. "We need to have debates, but we should not cause inconveniences to the public."(Dec. 30, 2007)
Hidetoshi Ikebe / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
BEIJING--Beijing gave Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda the red-carpet treatment for his first visit to China as the head of government, though Japan and China left for discussion next year practical tasks such as gas field development and cooperation at the Group of Eight summit meeting in July.
During their Friday meeting, Fukuda and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao both intimated that Japan-China relations have entered a new stage, and it seemed that the bilateral "strategic, mutually beneficial relationship" has been further strengthened.
But the two sides did not agree on certain key issues, including how to develop offshore gas fields, which is a serious concern between Tokyo and Beijing.
China offered Fukuda an unusually warm welcome. For example, he was invited to a state dinner with President Hu Jintao, becoming the first Japanese prime minister to do so since Yasuhiro Nakasone 21 years ago. Fukuda and Wen also held a joint press conference and Fukuda's speech delivered at Peking University was aired live on nationwide TV networks.
Japanese government officials said the treatment was an expression of China's high expectations of Fukuda.
Some of this expectation comes from Fukuda having pledged not to visit Yasukuni Shrine and because he is the son of former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, who signed the Japan-China Peace and Amity Treaty back in the 1970s.
But it also is because Fukuda's visit comes after cooled relations caused by then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visiting Yasukuni Shrine were thawed somewhat by a visit to China in October 2006 by Koizumi's successor, Shinzo Abe, and a visit by Wen to Japan in April.
An aide to Fukuda said this visit to China came at a good time to stabilize relations.
The move also is affected by events set to happen next year, which will see both Japan and China holding major international events that require mutual cooperation.
In summer, China will host the Beijing Olympics and Japan will host the annual summit meeting of the Group of Eight major nations in Toyakocho, Hokkaido.
In 2005, when relations with China were at a low point, Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council was blocked by opposition from Beijing.
"At the time, we learned the hard way about China's great influence within the international community," a Foreign Ministry source said.
For Beijing, air and water pollution that are byproducts of the country's rapid economic growth has forced it to try to save energy and better protect the environment with the help of Japan's experience and technology. There also has been much public unrest.
Concerning Fukuda's diplomatic mantra of bolstering the Japan-U.S. alliance while strengthening diplomacy with other Asian nations, Fukuda repeatedly said Friday, "Today, Japan and China have a major presence that affects the future stability and development in Asia."
One of Fukuda's aides, who accompanied him on his visit, explained the remark by saying, "Strengthening Japan-China relations will contribute to stabilizing East Asia and favorably impact the Japan-U.S. alliance."
With moves now entering a crucial stage regarding the disablement of North Korea's nuclear facilities and having Pyongyang report its nuclear programs, coordinated action by Japan and China is a major key to whether the U.S.-led effort to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons can be achieved.
A senior Foreign Ministry official said: "The United States also hopes relations between Japan and China will improve. This also can give Japan greater leverage in its dealings with the United States."
However, there are many risk factors when it comes to improving Japan-China relations.
Though government officials on both sides said the gas field issue saw progress, a resolution is still seen as remote. A source close to the negotiations said, "There is strong insistence that any compromise over territorial and sovereign issues is unacceptable, not only in the Chinese government, but also in the military and among the public."
To give an impression to the public that the gas field negotiations made some, even if nominal, progress, both governments issued Friday a four-point statement that the Japanese Foreign Ministry said was an interim report on the negotiations.
But the statement mainly mentioned efforts to resolve the dispute as soon as possible, merely emphasizing the difficulties in the negotiations.
Tsutomu Toichi, senior managing director of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, said, "The only answer to the gas field issue is for [Japan and China] to jointly develop [the fields] from the economic perspective, while shelving points concerning sovereignty."
Regarding climate change, Japan will face a difficult task enticing China, which has refused to accept obligations to cut greenhouse gas emissions, to join a post-Kyoto Protocol framework.
During his summit talks Friday evening with Hu, Fukuda euphemistically demanded China do more to protect the environment.
Fukuda told Hu: "In Japan, all refrigerators and TV sets to be manufactured in the future will be energy-saving models. People can achieve things if they are determined."
Mineo Nakajima, president of Akita International University and an expert in modern Chinese studies, commented: "This visit to China saw Japan's diplomacy toward China expand beyond bilateral frameworks and into East Asian and global ones. It gives a sense of relief also to the United States that channels of dialogue have widened between Japan and China. And I think it increased Japan's diplomatic influence toward the United States.
"As the [U.S.] presidential election is approaching, the United States won't be able to commit to East Asian affairs for the time being. China needs Japan's support for the Beijing Olympics and issues about Taiwan. The Japanese side should fully recognize the situation and insist on addressing problems," he said. (Dec. 30, 2007)
Masayuki Yamauchi / Special to The Yomiuri Shimbun
In carrying out his foreign policy, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has been focusing on Japan's relations with its Asian neighbors, such as China, and the United States. The opposition Democratic Party of Japan, for its part, recently dispatched a large-scale delegation, including many of its lawmakers, to China. However, Japan-China relations have been evolving unevenly--Tokyo has gained no concession from Beijing so far in the bilateral dispute over natural gas exploration in the East China Sea while it has pledged to extend technical cooperation to the Chinese side in the field of environmental preservation. Adding to the mix, we have entered a new era in which the pursuit of Japan-U.S. cooperation is more complex from a global perspective.
One key issue before the Diet is whether Japan should adopt a new antiterrorism law to resume its maritime refueling operations in the Indian Ocean for U.N.-sanctioned international forces fighting terrorism in and around Afghanistan. The mission epitomized Japan's international cooperation with the United States and Asian countries in the Middle East. Nonetheless, by any stretch of imagination, it is hard to believe that the diplomatic theater in this case--the Middle East--comes within Fukuda's sphere.
Two international conferences held in November--one involving Japan and Arab countries and the other participated in by the Arab world, non-Arab countries and international organizations--merit a closer look. The former was the Japan-Arab Conference held in Alexandria, Egypt, almost in parallel with the latter, the Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Md., the first such gathering in seven years. Getting all the parties to sit at the table in Annapolis was possible because of U.S. President George W. Bush's resolve to stabilize the Middle East diplomatic situation in his final year as president of the United States.
Palestinian-Israeli reconciliation--recognizing the sovereign existence of each other--remains a difficult goal to achieve. Looming large are unresolved issues including the final borders between Israel and a projected Palestinian state, Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees and Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Getting all the parties, including Syria and Lebanon, to attend Middle East peace talks for the first time since Madrid in 1991 was remarkable in itself. Indeed, the Annapolis conference can be applauded for reinvigorating the peace process with the participation of about 50 countries and international organizations and coming away with a degree of success--a consensus to reach a permanent peace agreement by the end of 2008.
===
Arabs looking east
The inaugural Japan-Arab Conference was the product of the Japan-Arab Dialogue Forum, whose fifth annual session preceded the conference. The conference was attended by about 200 delegates from 17 Arab countries and about 100 Japanese delegates.
A delegate from Egypt, the host nation of the conference, said the Arabs were keen to learn from former Malaysian Prime Minister Mohamad Mahathir's "Look East" policy and absorb its lessons, given the successful modernization of Malaysia, a member of the Islamic world.
I was impressed by remarks by the number of Arab delegates who said they wanted Japan to engage more positively in the Middle East peace process and that Japan should invest more in the region. They referred to the Arab people's faith in Japan, a country that, unlike West European countries, did not colonize countries in the Middle East or the Arab world.
Four panels at the Japan-Arab Conference discussed politics and foreign policy; economic and fiscal policy; culture and education; and science and technology.
Japan's initiative dubbed "The Corridor for Peace and Prosperity" was lauded as an effort toward resolving the Palestinian issue. The proposal called for establishing an agro-industrial park on the West Bank of the Jordan River through the cooperation of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority to build confidence in the area.
Japan's initiative also earned plaudits at the Annapolis conference, where delegates expressed high hopes for the plan's success.
===
Importance of agenda
In Alexandria, the Arabs reacted positively to Japan's explanation about the rising importance of the Middle East in formulating Japan's foreign policy in regard to the security of Northeast Asia. Japanese delegates touched on the significance of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's maritime interdiction operations as part of the international effort to eradicate terrorism in Afghanistan--and the reasons why the mission was suspended last month. The delegates also spoke candidly to the Arab world--which stretches from the Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea--of their concern about Iran's suspected nuclear development program and uranium enrichment.
Arab delegates to the Japan-Arab Conference, meanwhile, spoke of their hopes that Japan would give more advice to and speak more persuasively with the United States with a view to promoting Middle East peace. It is critical that the government makes it known at home and abroad that the latest phase of Japan's engagement in the Middle East, such as the Alexandria conference, closely entwines with the Annapolis meeting.
While many countries dispatched foreign ministers to the Annapolis peace conference, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura unfortunately had to stay home because the Diet was in session. What is more, on Dec. 17, Japan's representative at a Paris conference of donor countries for the Palestinian Authority was a parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs. Japan should have sent a high-profile politician, such as a former prime minister, on behalf of the foreign minister to those conferences to emphasize its commitment to the Middle East peace process--a priority issue for the Bush administration--as an ally of the United States.
On this occasion, we should reconsider Japan's parliamentary tradition that requires the presence of state ministers in Diet deliberations, a practice that takes precedence over the pursuit of national interests. In contrast, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Israel and the Palestinian territory eight times this year--evidence of Bush's determination to seek a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair participated in the Annapolis and Paris conferences as special envoy of the so-called Quartet group, comprising the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, because he understands how serious the U.S. leader is about the Middle East peace process.
If a high-profile Japanese politician had attended the Annapolis and Paris talks, Tokyo could have proved to Arab and European countries how serious this nation is in contributing to the peace process and confidence building in the Middle East. Japan could have showcased its policy of indirectly supporting the Bush administration's Middle East peace efforts. Missing these opportunities is really unfortunate.
Furthermore, Japan could have used both conferences as a lever to change the U.S. political environment in its favor--such as a pledge by the Bush administration to renew its commitment to Northeast Asian security and support for Japan in resolving the issue concerning the abductions of Japanese by North Korean agents. Such a pledge would be very reassuring, considering that North Korea and some actors in the Middle East have worked together in nuclear development and uranium enrichment.
This begs the question: Does Japan's U.S.-centric foreign policy make sense without giving due importance to the Middle East agenda at a time when Bush's foreign policy focuses mostly on the Middle East, including Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan? Japan has no reason to belittle or ignore the important achievement of its foreign policy toward the Middle East in the 21st century--a shift of emphasis from the oil-based economic development approach to a multitiered relationship, including closer human relations.
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Strategic dialogues essential
The administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi set the ball rolling on the multitiered relationship between Japan and the Middle East. His government invited Israeli and Palestinian representatives to Tokyo in May 2003 for a confidence-building conference, sent three cultural missions to the Middle East and proposed the Corridor for Peace and Prosperity. His successor, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt in late April and early May, and declared the dawning of a new era for Japan-Middle East relations.
I hope Fukuda will promote strategic dialogues with Egypt and Saudi Arabia through summit or foreign-ministerial talks and other high-level political dialogues. I also hope he will make an official visit to the region as soon as possible. To ensure successful debates preceding next year's Group of Eight summit meeting in Hokkaido over measures to combat global warming and climate change, it is essential to get Middle Eastern countries--the world's major suppliers of fossil fuels--involved in the global process.
The Alexandria conference laid the groundwork for a new partnership between Japan and the Arab world. But we should not feel complacent about the word "East" in the conference's title, which does not necessarily mean Japan alone. From the Arab perspective, the East naturally encompasses Malaysia and Singapore, which are placing growing importance on Islamic financial services. In fact, Malaysia has the potential to serve as a beacon for the Arab world's "Look East" policy. In light of deepening relations between Asia and the Middle East--the growing presence of China and India in the region and the spread of Islamic finance in Asia, for example--Japan should give serious consideration to its Middle East policy.
As host nation of the upcoming G-8 summit meeting, Japan also should attach a greater global perspective to the multitiered relationship with the Middle East--which makes heart-to-heart dialogue possible--by linking the Japan-U.S. relationship to Japan's policy toward the rest of Asia. Japan's Middle East policy is evolving around a pair of political axes. One of them is the Gulf area, whose importance has been rising on the international political stage because of the Iraq war and soaring oil prices. The other axis is the role of Egypt and other Mediterranean coastal countries, which is indispensable for formulating the proposed Corridor for Peace and Prosperity and bringing peace to Palestine. We should not forget the cold reality that Japan's Middle East policy based on the two political axes will have to proceed in tandem with the prime strategic foreign policy agenda of the United States in 2008.
It is unlikely the 21st century will be an era that will allow Japan to function without strategic vision and, instead, indulge in pursuing foreign policy in a narrowly and pragmatically focused manner with developments in its vicinity alone in mind.
Yamauchi is a professor at Tokyo University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences specializing in Islamic area studies and history of international relations, and is also the three-time head of Japan's mission for Cultural Exchange and Dialogue with the Middle East as well as a member of the Japan-Arab Dialogue Forum.
(Dec. 30, 2007)
President Bush and Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan toss around a baseball for the press during a visit to Camp David June 30, 2001.
Click for White House
Last Updated: Saturday, 29 December 2007, 14:55 GMT
Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has played a game of catch with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, during talks to improve Sino-Japanese relations.
The two leaders also played a ball game last April, when Mr Wen visited Japan.
Such scenes would have been unthinkable two years ago when Japan's attitude to its military past soured relations.
Photo: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (R) during their game of catch. The two men also reached agreement on trade co-operation.
Correspondents say the talks have been hailed as a success by both sides, although there is still no agreement on a disputed East China Sea gas-field.
The two leaders donned their baseball uniforms after three days of talks in Beijing.
"I have asked prime minister Wen to play catch with me," Japanese officials quoted Mr Fukuda as saying.
"I'm glad to play with you whenever," Mr Wen is reported to have replied.
Thawing relations
The two men agreed to co-operate on climate change and trade, and to increase youth exchanges between the two countries.
But despite 11 previous rounds of talks, no agreement was reached on the two countries' territorial dispute over lucrative gas fields in the East China Sea.
China does not accept the maritime border which Japan has proposed as a starting point for negotiations.
The two leaders agreed only to raise discussions to vice-ministerial level.
Earlier in his trip, Mr Fukuda visited the ancestral home of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, and toured a Toyota car factory in the city of Tianjin.
Relations between the two countries grew frosty between 2001 and 2006, when Junichiro Koizumi was prime minister of Japan.
Mr Koizumi's decision to visit a controversial shrine dedicated to Japan's war dead - including war criminals responsible for atrocities in China - was greeted with anger in China.
His successors - Shinzo Abe and now Mr Fukuda - have chosen not to visit the shrine, and as a result Beijing has decided to re-start high-level contact with Japanese officials.
Dec 29, 8:14 AM EST
By ANITA CHANG
Associated Press Writer
BEIJING (AP) -- Japan's visiting Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda met schoolchildren and tossed a baseball with his Chinese counterpart Saturday, in some lighthearted moments a day after talks to improve historically strained ties with China's leaders.
Photo: Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, right, and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao stand together after they played catch with a baseball in the gymnasium of Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse Saturday Dec. 29, 2007.
"Prime Minister Fukuda said the spring has come in our relations and after 2 1/2 hours of talks, I truly feel that the spring of China-Japan relations has indeed arrived," said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
Fukuda's China visit, which ends Sunday, has been hailed by both sides as a success and has produced agreements to cooperate on fighting climate change and increase youth exchanges.
Arrangements were being made for China's President Hu Jintao to visit Japan next year - the first such trip by a Chinese head of state in 10 years.
With China-Japan ties often strained by disputes over territory, resources and wartime history, Fukuda's four-day visit - his first as prime minister - apparently marked another turning point toward warmer relations.
"China-Japan relations have never faced this kind of opportunity, and I believe China and Japan should become creative partners to build a better Asia and world," Fukuda said Friday in a speech at Peking University, calling both countries "major presences in the world."
The next day, Fukuda and Wen - wearing full baseball uniforms - played a game of catch after a breakfast meeting at a state guesthouse. The pair laughed, joked and chased stray balls as journalists and a half-dozen Chinese players looked on.
Wen wore a gray jersey from Kyoto's Ritsumeikan University, where he played baseball with students during a visit to Japan in April. The back of the jersey had his name and the number 35 - for the 35th anniversary of Japan-China diplomatic relations. Fukuda, a baseball player in high school, wore a plain red and white uniform.
Fukuda also visited a Beijing elementary school, whose students will cheer for Japanese athletes during the Beijing Olympics, which begin in August. He smiled and waved at about 100 children who had lined the school sports field, bouncing in time to music while waving pompoms, stuffed Olympic toys and Chinese and Japanese flags.
The Japanese leader toured a Toyota plant in the industrial port city of Tianjin in the afternoon. Though the main purpose of his visit was to improve diplomatic relations and discuss thorny issues such as a long-running dispute over gas reserves in the East China Sea, economic ties would not be ignored, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
"China has been developing very rapidly and Japanese investment and Japanese businesses are coming to China," said ministry spokesman Mitsuo Sakaba. "So for expanding Japanese economic and business relations with China, is it is important for Japanese leaders to look on-the-spot at how the local cities are developing."
Talks with Wen and Hu touched on climate change, with Tokyo eager to help China tackle pollution problems that are increasingly felt across the sea in Japan. Officials also discussed North Korea - a close Beijing ally that abducted Japanese citizens during the 1970s and '80s.
North Korea admitted in 2002 it kidnapped 13 Japanese citizens, then sent five home and said the remaining eight were dead. Japan has demanded proof of the deaths, however, and says more of its citizens may have been taken.
No progress was expected on the East China Sea territorial issue, but both Fukuda and Wen said they wanted to resolve it as quickly as possible.
In his Peking University speech, Fukuda referred to Japan's invasion and occupation of China. "I believe we can prevent mistakes in the future only if we properly look at the past, and have the courage and wisdom to repent what we must repent," he said.
Before returning home he will visit Qufu, the birthplace of the ancient philosopher Confucius. The visit is a nod to the influence of Chinese culture in Japan, demonstrating "the common cultural background between the Chinese people and Japanese people," Sakaba said.
Before focusing on Mr Moriya's aides, prosecutors had already questioned more than 100 officials and former officials of the Defense Ministry.
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