Japanese Newspapers :: Saturday, February 28, 2009

Daily Yomiuri Online  Click

• Nonregular workers axed hits 158,000
  (Daily Yomiuri Online) (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Saturday, February 28, 2009)
  Nonregular workers who have lost their jobs or will become unemployed during the October-March period number 157,806 throughout the country, more than five times the corresponding figure in late November, a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry survey showed Friday. continued ...


• Tissue from Bikini Atoll N-test victim uncovered
  (Daily Yomiuri Online) (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Saturday, February 28, 2009)
  HIROSHIMA--A science laboratory in Hiroshima is in possession of tissue samples believed to be from a Japanese sailor who died soon after being exposed to radiation during a U.S. hydrogen bomb test in 1954, it has been learned. continued ...


• YIES / Collective self-defense concept 'must be redefined'
  (Daily Yomiuri Online) (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Saturday, February 28, 2009)
  OSAKA--The nation's right to collective self-defense should be reinterpreted in the context of strengthening Japan-U.S. relations, Shotaro Yachi, former administrative vice foreign minister, said Friday, in a wide-ranging lecture on Japan's international position. continued ...

The Asahi Shimbun  Click

• Japan, China to discuss extradition
  (The Asahi Shimbun) (IHT/Asahi: Saturday, February 28, 2009)
  BY TORU HIGASHIOKA, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
  Japan and China will likely agree to start negotiations on extraditing suspects and transferring convicts, as well as on cooperation in search and rescue operations in the East China Sea, government sources said. continued ...


• Koizumi: A has-been or still a threat?
  (The Asahi Shimbun) (IHT/Asahi: Saturday, February 28, 2009)
  BY NORIHITO SATO AND KOJI SONODA, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
  The hugely popular Junichiro Koizumi may have retired as prime minister just over three years ago, but he could still be a man to watch. continued ...


• EDITORIAL: End the power vacuum
  (The Asahi Shimbun) (IHT/Asahi: Saturday, February 28, 2009)
  An important moment has arrived for the nation's hopelessly deadlocked political situation. On Friday, the Lower House passed the government-drafted budget for fiscal 2009, along with related bills, and sent them to the Upper House. continued ...

The Japan Times  Click

• Lower House passes ¥88 trillion budget
  (The Japan Times) Saturday, February 28, 2009
  ¥2 trillion cash handout bill set for OK next week
  By KAZUAKI NAGATA and MASAMI ITO, Staff writer
  The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc passed the ¥88 trillion fiscal 2009 budget bill and related legislation Friday through the Lower House, paving the way for implementing the biggest initial budget ever by the March 31 end of the fiscal year. continued ...


• Aso short of excuses for delaying election
  (The Japan Times) Saturday, February 28, 2009
  By MASAMI ITO, Staff writer
  Friday's passage of the fiscal 2009 budget and related bills through the Lower House was bittersweet for Prime Minister Taro Aso, who still faces the dilemma of when to call a general election. continued ...


• Nakagawa's jet cost ¥41 million
  (The Japan Times) Saturday, February 28, 2009
  By TAKAHIRO FUKADA, Staff writer
  Say you want to fly to Rome on a chartered jet. What would it cost? The answer: About ¥6.83 million per person, round trip. continued ...


• Power of words eludes politicians
  (The Japan Times) Saturday, February 28, 2009
  Japan's sloganeering leaders are tone deaf to the possibilities of persuasive speech
  By MASAMI ITO, Staff writer
  Japanese prime ministers aren't known for the impact they make with their words, or straight talk with the public. continued ...


• Fukuda salutes Japan Pavilion
  (The Japan Times) Saturday, February 28, 2009
  SHANGHAI (Kyodo) Former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Takamori Yoshikawa, senior vice minister at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, lay the cornerstone of the Japan Pavilion at the Shanghai World Exposition on Friday. continued ...


• Bill to let firms sue foreign states OK'd
  (The Japan Times) Saturday, February 28, 2009
  Kyodo News
  The government approved a bill Friday that sets the rules for Japanese companies that want to file civil lawsuits against foreign governments. continued ...


• Plea made for Japanese in N. Korea
  (The Japan Times) Saturday, February 28, 2009
  The mother of Takeshi Terakoshi, who disappeared while fishing in the Sea of Japan in the early 1960s and has since been living in North Korea, asked the government Friday to help him acquire unrestricted passage between Japan and North Korea. continued ...


• EDITORIAL: Mr. Obama's vision
  (The Japan Times) Saturday, February 28, 2009
  Technically speaking, U.S. President Barack Obama's address to a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday was not a state of the union speech. The president has been in office a little more than a month and he felt that was not enough time to render a judgment on the state of the nation. In fact, the speech he gave to Congress and his constituents was indistinguishable from such presidential addresses. It noted the severe challenges that the country faces and outlined his vision to deal with them. The key pillars of his agenda reflect those identified in his campaign and the speech itself echoed his inaugural address Jan. 20. The question is whether Mr. Obama has the muscle to get his program through a balky Congress — and whether events will derail his ambitious plans. continued ...

The Mainichi Daily News  Click

• Japanese foreign minister in China for talks
  (Mainichi Japan) Saturday, February 28, 2009
  BEIJING (AP) -- Japan's foreign minister arrived in Beijing on Saturday for talks on a joint energy project, but was expected to avoid further inflaming a controversy over the ownership of an uninhabited chain of islands claimed by both countries. continued ...


• Aso backtracks on not reading newspapers, says he reads articles with bylines
  (Mainichi Japan) Saturday, February 28, 2009
  After publicly announcing that he didn't read newspapers, Prime Minister Taro Aso has now told the House of Representatives Budget Committee that he does read articles carrying the reporters' names. continued ...


• Japanese government ordered to pay 5.6 billion yen for U.S. warplane noise
  (Mainichi Japan) Saturday, February 28, 2009
  TOKYO (AP) -- A court ordered the Japanese government to pay 5.6 billion yen ($57.7 million) to compensate people whose lives are disrupted by the noise of warplanes at a U.S. air base on the southern island of Okinawa, the Defense Ministry said. continued ...


• Sign of the Times: Time to say goodbye to groggy politics
  (Mainichi Japan) Saturday, February 28, 2009
  Only former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa will ever know the truth behind his groggy press conference. Or perhaps he himself isn't aware of what really happened. Regardless, mixing medication and alcohol is dangerous. Don't drink if you're taking meds, and don't take meds if you're going to drink. continued ...

FOCUS: Massacre anniversary shows rift in Taiwan, fear of China

Feb 28 2009 21:45
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan, Feb. 28 KYODO

Lin Lee-tsai was just 2 years old when Nationalist Party (KMT) troops jailed her father, a mid-level official in this southern port city. Weeks later, a family acquaintance unearthed his corpse in a shallow mass grave, his hands still tied behind his back.

''Government records said he was labeled a thug and shot, execution-style,'' 63-year-old Lee said, adding that her mother was so devastated she later committed suicide.

Lee's father, and indirectly her mother, were victims of ''228,'' a KMT massacre of Taiwanese triggered by a riot in Taipei on Feb. 28, 1947.

Freshly arrived from the Chinese mainland, where they were losing a civil war to the communists, the Nationalists ruled Taiwan with an iron fist, spurring the public to rise up.

The Nationalists reacted by launching a months-long crackdown, detaining, torturing and killing locals, sometimes at random. In all, KMT forces killed some 20,000 people.

More than six decades later, ''228,'' now a public holiday, epitomizes the social rift in Taiwan between its majority, Han Chinese those who trace their lineage to the island, and its minority, the ''mainlanders'' who fled with the Nationalists to the island in the 1940s and their descendents.

But the schism runs beyond the social, carving up the political landscape between the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party and the KMT, with the DPP competing for locals' hearts and minds, while the KMT espouses a Sinocentric ideology popular among many mainlanders.

That divide was on full display Saturday, the 62nd anniversary of the massacre, as Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, of the KMT, addressed a hostile crowd of victims' families at a Kaohsiung 228 memorial.

Hecklers drowned out Ma's speech as victims' family members walked out in protest. Behind a flower-festooned podium, Ma faced a sea of banners demanding apologies and compensation from the KMT.

''More apologies and more reimbursements won't bring back loved ones, whose lives were priceless, as is the love between family members,'' Ma said, adding, ''I can only be still and listen.''

Ma represents the conciliatory attitude in the KMT toward ''228'' in a bid to heal the rift between locals and mainlanders.

But recent calls by KMT legislators, some aligned with Ma, to annul Feb. 28 as a day of rest and slash funding to the Memorial Foundation of 228, dedicated to supporting victims' families and historical research, have outraged many.

''At its core, the KMT today is the same as the KMT of Chiang Kai-shek,'' said Lee, who now leads the Taiwan 228 Care Association, a nonprofit that also assists victims' families.

Chiang led the KMT in its civil war against the communists in China and served as Taiwan's top leader until his death in 1975.

More generally, ''228'' also represents a flashpoint between the ruling and opposition camps over the thorny and more fundamental issue of Taiwan's sovereignty.

The opposition, led by the DPP, insists on Taiwan's independence from China, which has claimed the self-ruled island as its own since the two sides split in 1949. In recent decades, Beijing has squeezed the island's international space, leaving it without U.N. representation and only 22 diplomatic allies, mostly small developing countries.

For its part, the KMT officially supports eventual unification with China. For now, however, the KMT, and Ma especially, advocates maintaining the status quo for fear of provoking Beijing into attacking the island to achieve unification on its terms.

''The main lesson of 228 is that Taiwan's contact with China, historically, has been a painful experience,'' said Yang Chen-long, director of the Memorial Foundation of 228.

In 1947, the KMT troops responsible for the brutal security sweep came directly from mainland China to quell the uprising.

''And so, Taiwan must be independent from China. But Ma is taking us too close to Beijing,'' Yang added, referring to Ma's ''China-friendly'' policies.

Since taking office last year, Ma has ushered in warming ties with Beijing by toning down pro-sovereignty rhetoric and initiating talks with the mainland. Those negotiations have culminated in sweeping pacts on direct transit and tourism links across the Taiwan Strait.

Ma said Taipei must next hammer out an economic agreement with Beijing akin to a free trade agreement, but opponents have slammed that idea as a key step toward political unification, a charge Ma denies.

''For us, 228 sums up the result of contact across the strait, and at the speed Ma is taking us closer toward China, we'll be subsumed by the mainland in no time,'' Yang said. ''We're very afraid.''

==Kyodo

Japan foreign minister flies into Chinese storm

Sat Feb 28, 2009 6:33am EST
By Lucy Hornby

BEIJING (Reuters) - Japan's Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone flew into a diplomatic storm on Saturday, arriving in Beijing one day after China made stern representations over official remarks about disputed islands in the East China Sea.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso had said in parliament on Thursday that the uninhabited islands -- claimed by Japan as the Senkaku and by China as the Diaoyu -- were Japanese territory and thus covered by the Japan-U.S. security alliance, Japan's Kyodo news agency has reported.

Nakasone, visiting China for the first time since becoming foreign minister last September, echoed on Friday comments by a U.S. State Department official that the alliance was applicable to the islands, Xinhua news agency said.

"We have lodged stern representations to Japan again and required the United States to clarify reports on the issue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement on the ministry website (www.mfa.gov.cn).

"Any words and deeds that bring the Diaoyu islands into the scope of the Japan-U.S. Mutual Cooperation and Security Treaty are absolutely unacceptable to the Chinese people," Ma said.

Japanese Foreign Ministry media secretary Kazuo Kodama acknowledged that the islands were a "sensitive issue," but said that Nakasone hoped to begin negotiations with the Chinese to turn a political agreement last summer over resource development in the East China Sea into a more formal international treaty.

"This is a sensitive issue for the people in China, and maybe in Japan, but ... we would like to see progress," Kodama said.

Ma said the Diaoyu and adjacent islets have been Chinese territory since ancient times and China held "indisputable" sovereignty over them.

Ma also urged the two countries to realize the sensitivity of the issue and proceed with discretion to avoid damage to the interests of China-Japan and China-U.S. relations and regional stability.

It was the second time in three months Sino-Japanese ties have been strained by the long-running dispute over the islands, which may lie near potential oil and gas reserves.

On June 18, the two countries agreed to joint development of the northern waters of the East China Sea and on Japanese participation in an oil field, known as Chunxiao or Shirakaba, which the Chinese side has already begun developing.

During his two-day visit Nakasone is to meet his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi later on Saturday and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday.

North Korea, cooperation in the face of the economic crisis, climate change and strengthened extradition treaties are all on the agenda, Kodama said. The Japanese side will also urge faster resolution of a Chinese investigation into tainted dumplings.

Taiwan and Japan agreed during talks in Taipei on Thursday and Friday to share any urgent information about fishing boat activity and to let a pair of non-governmental agencies hash out any disputes, Taiwan's foreign ministry said.

In June a Taiwan fishing boat collided with a Japanese coastguard vessel and sank off the Japan-controlled islands, also claimed by Taiwan as Tiaoyutai. Japan held the Taiwanese captain for investigation.

After the incident, Taiwan's normally pro-Japan government lashed out at Tokyo, demanding an apology.

(Additional reporting by Ralph Jennings in TAIPEI and Benjamin Kang Lim in BEIJING; Editing by Paul Tait)

China says places importance on ties with Japan

Feb 28 07:24 AM US/Eastern

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (AP) - (Kyodo) — Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told his Japanese counterpart Hirofumi Nakasone on Saturday that his country places importance on ties with Japan, as they began talks expected to cover issues ranging from North Korea's possible missile launch to bilateral disputes.

Nakasone arrived in Beijing earlier in the day for a two-day stay, which a Japanese diplomatic source has characterized as part of a series of high-level bilateral exchanges expected this year.

"The Chinese government places great importance on Sino-Japanese relations," Yang said at the outset of the talks at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, which was open to the press.

"There are various issues in bilateral relations, and there are also important issues for the international community," Nakasone said, referring to issues that need to be tackled.

"I hope to hold close contacts so that we can further promote strategic and mutually beneficial relations," he said.

Among the topics of the talks was expected to be North Korea's plan to launch what it calls a communications satellite. The global community worries the object may actually be a long-range ballistic missile.

A missile firing is certain to raise tensions in the region, and Japan has urged North Korea to refrain from carrying out the launch. China, North Korea's traditional ally, has also indicated its wish that Pyongyang not go ahead with the plan.

The Japan-China talks also come at a time when the six-party negotiations for denuclearizing North Korea remain stalled due to sharp differences over ways to verify North Korea's nuclear activities.

China is the host of the multilateral dialogue that also groups the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia.

On the bilateral front, the long-standing territorial dispute over islets in the East China Sea may be taken up.

China issued a stern protest against recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso that the islets are Japanese territory and fall under the security alliance between Japan and the United States.

The islets, known in Japan as Senkaku and in China as Diaoyu, are claimed by China, Japan and Taiwan.

Among the agreements the two governments have been working on that was expected to be announced after the foreign ministerial meeting is bilateral exchanges of about 1,500 teachers over three years.

The two ministers were also expected to agree to launch negotiations for the conclusion of two treaties for bilateral cooperation in the criminal and judicial fields.

Nakasone's visit is expected to be followed by further bilateral exchanges, including a visit to Japan in late March by Li Changchun, the fifth-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party.

Other visits to China by Prime Minister Aso and Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada are also under consideration.

U.S. reiterates stance that treaty with Japan extends to Senkakus

Feb 28 06:23 AM US/Eastern

TAIPEI, Feb. 28 (AP) - (Kyodo) — The United States reiterated Saturday that the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty extends to the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, as Japan, China and Taiwan traded barbs over sovereignty over the East China Sea islets.

"The Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security signed by Tokyo and Washington in 1960, which states that it applies to the territories under the administration of Japan, does apply to the island," said Larry Walker, a spokesman for the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei.

But Walker said the United States reserves judgment on ultimate sovereignty of the islands, which have been under Japanese administrative control since the reversion of Okinawa to Japan from U.S. administrative rule in 1972.

"U.S. does not take a position on the ultimate sovereignty of the islands. We expect the claimants to resolve the issue through peaceful means and among themselves," he said.

The comments came as China expressed Thursday "strong dissatisfaction" over remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso that Japan and the United States will work together to deal with any attack by a third country on the disputed islets, claimed by China, Japan and Taiwan.

The islets are Japan's territory and thus subject to the security alliance between Japan and the United States, Aso said.

"The islets are China's territory, and China holds indisputable sovereignty over them," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement posted on the ministry's website.

Taiwan also slammed Aso's remarks, with its Foreign Ministry saying Friday the islets are part of its territory.

The islets, whose surrounding waters are rich in fish and possibly oil and natural gas deposits under the seabed, are a longstanding bone of contention between Beijing, Tokyo and Taipei.

Beijing refers to them as the Diaoyudai, while Taipei calls them the Tiaoyutai.

MOFA reiterates claim over Diaoyutai isles

By Jenny W. hsu
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Feb 28, 2009, Page 3

SOVEREIGNTY: The US recently concurred that the disputed island chain fell under the auspices of a Japan-US security treaty, saying it supported a peaceful solution

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday reiterated Taiwan’s claim of sovereignty over the Diaoyutai island chain.

The MOFA statement came two days after Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said during a trip to the US that the island chain was included in a Japan-US security treaty.

The US concurred with Japan, saying that because the archipelago was part of the territories administered by the Japanese government, “the treaty does apply” to the Diaoyutais.

Known as Senkaku in Japanese, the archipelago in the East China Sea has been a bone of contention between China, Japan and Taiwan, who all assert territorial claim over the islands.

On Wednesday, Aso said the Diaoyutai islands were part of Japan’s territory and fell under the protection of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security signed by Japan and the US in 1960.

“The government will not waiver from the stance that the Diaotyutais are part of Republic of China [ROC] territory. The ROC has rightful claim over the [the island chain],” MOFA Deputy Minister Andrew Hsia (夏立言) said when asked by the press about the issue.

Taiwan’s response came one day after the Chinese Foreign Ministry lodged a vehement protest against Aso’s assertion.

Claims over the island chain have been a constant source of friction between Taiwan and Japan. Last June, a Taiwanese fishing boat was sunk by a Japanese coast guard patrol ship while operating within the disputed region.

The Japanese later apologized for the incident and agreed to pay compensation.

Meanwhile, Hsia said that the 16th round of fisheries talks between Japan and Taiwan currently being held in Taipei would not be affected by the controversy.

“We fully understand both sides hold different views on the Diaoyutai issue. But we also hope that both sides can shelve those differences for now and strive to resolve the fishing rights issue,” he said.

In a telephone interview with the Taipei Times, American Institute in Taiwan press officer Lawrence Walker said: “The US’ position on the issue is longstanding and has not changed.

“The US does not take a position on the ultimate sovereignty of these islands. We expect the claimants to resolve the issue through peaceful means among themselves,” he said.

Walker said that the islands have been under Japanese administrative control since the reversion of Okinawa in 1972. Therefore, Article 5 of the 1960 treaty, which states that it applies to the territories under the administration of Japan, “does apply” to the islands.

Meanwhile, MOFA last night said Japan and Taiwan agreed to resolve the dispute through peaceful means at the conclusion of the 16th round of fishery talks held in Taipei yesterday.

Both sides also agreed to set up a reporting mechanism to respond to emergency disputes and boost communication between the fishery industries in both countries.

China: 'US On Japan's Side' Comments Irk Beijing

2009-02-28 12:27

BEIJING, CHINA: Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone arrives here Saturday (28 Feb) with China-Japan relations once again under strain over the Diaoyu Islands dispute.

After two years of relative calm and improving ties, tension was stoked between the two East Asian giants when Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said on Thursday (26 Feb) that Tokyo would call on the United States to help it defend the islands.

Beijing fired back almost immediately, issuing a statement to express "strong dissatisfaction" over Aso's claims.

He had said in Parliament that the island chain, known as Senkaku in Japan, is 'part of Japan's sovereign territory'.

'Therefore, they should be protected under the Japan-US security pact' if they are to be invaded by another country, he added.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement on the ministry's website that Beijing "has already lodged stern representations with the Japanese side".

"The Diaoyu Islands...have been China's territory since ancient times, and China possesses indisputable sovereignty. Any words and deeds by Japan attempting to change the fact are futile, and China stands firmly opposed to it," he added.

Nakasone escalated the war of words when he told Kyodo News Friday (27 Feb) that the US also recognises Japanese jurisdiction over the islands. Hence, it is only appropriate for the islands to be covered by the Japan-US security alliance.

The dispute over the uninhabited islands, which are controlled by Japan, has been a long-running source of tension between the two countries.

Both Asian rivals are angling for sovereignty over the islands, which would earn either of them the right to tap rich undersea oil reserves in the area.

The tensions eased under Aso's predecessor Yasuo Fukuda when he signed a deal last June with Chinese President Hu Jintao for joint exploration of gas reserves near the islands.

The agreement was the high point of Sino-Japan ties, which took a turn for the better in 2006 after five years of chill over former Japanese premier Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. That shrine honours Japan's war dead, including 14 top war criminals from World War II.

But in the last three months, both sides have started trading accusations of encroachments on the islands.

"Japan has been worried about closer Sino-US ties under the new Obama administration and it wants to ensure that Japan remains the closest ally of the US in Asia," said international relations expert Liu Jiangyong of Qinghua University.

"That is why Aso openly declared that the US will defend Japanese interests in the Diaoyu Islands. He is also saying it with one eye on elections in Japan. It is very irresponsible of him to say that."

Japan's influential Asahi Shimbun tried to downplay tensions before Nakasone's visit, citing government sources as saying the trip will focus on an extradition treaty and joint search and rescue operations in the East China Sea.

During his two-day visit, Nakasone is also expected to discuss the transfer of convicts with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. If a treaty is signed, it would allow Japan to ship Chinese prisoners - who accounted for about 30% of foreign prisoners in Japan in 2007 - back to China, reducing the load on Japanese jails.

But Chinese netizens have focused only on Aso's claims over the Diaoyu Islands, and are already baying for blood. "It has been so many years since we fought a proper war. Let's fight a good one now, boost domestic consumption and the people's morale," said one. "It's timely to fight now with the American and Japanese economies in trouble."

(PEH SHING HUEI/ The Straits Times/ ANN)
MySinchew 2009.02.28

Sign of the Times: Time to say goodbye to groggy politics

Only former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa will ever know the truth behind his groggy press conference. Or perhaps he himself isn't aware of what really happened. Regardless, mixing medication and alcohol is dangerous. Don't drink if you're taking meds, and don't take meds if you're going to drink.

Upon a close look at the particulars of the incident, I was reminded of a "rakugo" (Japanese comic storytelling) story called "Somin no taki" (Somin's Waterfall).

Somin Yokoya is a renowned sword handguard carver whose apprentice, Sosaburo, has skill but is a horrible drunk. Disowned by his master, Sosaburo is wandering aimlessly when he is discovered by the proprietor of an inn, who sees potential in the carver's skills and takes him in. One day, the innkeeper obtains a commission for Sosaburo from the lord of Kishu Domain to carve a waterfall on the handguard of a small knife.

Sosaburo dives into the job with enthusiasm. But there's just one problem. He can't work unless he's drunk. Only when he's tipsy can he do good work, he insists, and ignores the innkeeper's advice to do otherwise.

Sure enough, the lord is not pleased with Sosaburo's workmanship, refusing twice to accept the carvings he produced while he was drunk.

Turning over a new leaf, Sosaburo goes on a fast, purifies himself, and makes another attempt to create something that will be to the lord's satisfaction. Sosaburo's efforts prove worthwhile, for the lord accepts the handguard, and real water begins to spray from the carved waterfall.

That's pretty much the plot of the story. What's worthy of note is the attitude of the innkeeper, Matsube Iwasaya. He scolds Sosaburo, who, not having learned his lesson, keeps getting drunk, and tells him to get out if he isn't willing to clean up his act. Still, when the second of Sosaburo's carving attempts is delivered to the lord, the innkeeper secretly engages in a purification ritual in which he drenches himself with cold water, appealing to the gods for Sosaburo's success. When Sosaburo swears that he will commit ritual suicide by disembowelment if his third attempt is rejected by the lord, the innkeeper, too, vows that he will commit suicide with him if that happens.

While the innkeeper is Sosaburo's strongest supporter, he pushes Sosaburo away when he behaves inappropriately. He doesn't cover for Sosaburo's behavior, but ultimately is prepared to take his own life. He has a solid understanding that the indiscretions of someone he has taken under his wing are his own.

If only politicians had the same conviction. Rakugo stories are rarely made into comics, so we can't blame the manga-loving Prime Minister Taro Aso for not being familiar with the story. Still, this type of plot is not uncommon in period dramas. A subordinate's bungles are one's own bungles. It's a notion that no doubt even finds its way into manga.

Incidentally, the dictionary defines grogginess as "A type of impaired consciousness. A spasmodic unconscious state caused by such things as hysteria, epilepsy, and chronic alcoholism characterized by a narrowed field of consciousness, misconceptions, illusions, and an inability to grasp the big picture, which results in inappropriate behavior." This explains why Nakagawa would drink someone else's water, lose sight of a reporter, and slur his speech.

The thing is, though, "a narrowed field of consciousness" and "an inability to grasp the big picture" resulting in "inappropriate behavior" is not a problem that is unique to Nakagawa. They appear to be widely shared characteristics of Japanese politicians.

Their field of consciousness is abysmally narrow. They have chronic tunnel vision and lack an understanding of the world beyond them, which is why they make statements and take actions based on "misconceptions and illusions." What is considered nonsense in the real world is to them common sense. Slips of the tongue are dubbed real intentions, reckless remarks are considered wise sayings, and irresponsible remarks are praised as insightful opinions. These are the people who make up politics, and still they insist that "the quality of politics is a reflection of the quality of voters." Please.

Kudos to the lord who twice rejected Sosaburo's work. The first time, he slammed the carved handguard against the floor. The second time, he threw it into a pond.

But the lord of a domain was privileged. If things didn't work out with one carver, there were plenty of others to choose from. He had countless choices, and didn't need to put up with a craftsman he didn't like.

The same cannot be said for voters. No matter how discerning voters may be, there's not much they can do if their choices are restricted. If we do not vote on account of the limited selection, however, we fail to protect democracy. We don't have the option to refuse acceptance, like the lord did. So what's to be done?

There's not much we can do. All we can hope for is that our political craftsmen engage in some self-reflection. Sosaburo, the carver, stopped drinking and fasted for 21 days. He stood under a waterfall during that time to drill its image into his head. It was only after all that that he was able to carve a real waterfall.

That's the least our politicians can do. Maybe if they did that much, some clarity will wash over their groggy minds.

Apparently, the worst thing the audience can call out to a rakugo performer is "mattemashita!" (we've been waiting!) -- a phrase audience members of traditional performing arts often shout at popular performers when they appear -- the moment he gets up to leave after finishing his act. We're waiting for the moment we get to hurl those nasty words at our politicians. (By Noriko Hama, Professor at Doshisha University)

(Mainichi Japan) February 28, 2009

U.S. pairs B-2 bombers, F-22s in Guam for first time

By Jim Wolf Jim Wolf – Fri Feb 27, 6:10 pm ET

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – The United States has begun operating two types of radar-evading aircraft, a bomber and a fighter, for the first time together in the Pacific, the head of U.S. air forces in the region said on Friday.

The pairing of advanced B-2 bombers and F-22 fighters in the region follows what the United States and its allies suspect are preparations by North Korea to test fire a long-range Taepodong-2 missile capable of striking U.S. soil.

North Korea said on Tuesday it planned to launch a satellite on a rocket as a part of a peaceful space program.

Air Force General Howie Chandler, commander of U.S. Pacific Air Forces, said the deployment was not designed to deliver a political message. But the move showcases an element of advanced U.S. military power in the Pacific at a time of tension over North Korea.

Chandler said the B-2s had been sent as part of a rotational bomber presence operating from Guam's Andersen Air Force Base since 2004.

The F-22s were brought from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska to take advantage of better winter flying weather, he added.

"So the opportunity to deploy them both together came together for us," he said in a brief interview at a symposium on air warfare hosted by the U.S. Air Force Association in Orlando, Florida. "And it's a good opportunity for them to train together."

Guam is a U.S. territory about 3,400 miles southwest of Hawaii. Its Andersen Air Force Base is a major operational hub for U.S. forces in the Pacific.

Four Northrop Grumman Corp B-2 bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri replaced a rotational B-52 bomber unit on February 25 on Guam, said Colonel Donald Langley, a spokesman for Chandler, who is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.

A typical bomber rotation lasts four months, he said.

"It just so happens that this is the first time" such a presence overlapped with the F-22s, built by Lockheed Martin Corp.

Lockheed Martin has said it would start closing down the F-22 production line next week unless President Barack Obama opts to buy more than the 183 aircraft now on order.

(Editing by Andrew Gray)

YIES / Collective self-defense concept 'must be redefined'

The Yomiuri Shimbun

OSAKA--The nation's right to collective self-defense should be reinterpreted in the context of strengthening Japan-U.S. relations, Shotaro Yachi, former administrative vice foreign minister, said Friday, in a wide-ranging lecture on Japan's international position.

Yachi, currently special envoy of the government, said at a meeting of the Yomiuri International Economic Society in Kita Ward, Osaka, that reinterpreting the concept of the right to collective self-defense should be a focus of discussions about Japan-U.S. relations, along with research into a bilateral free trade agreement.

Prime Minister Taro Aso's administration should pursue flexible realism in diplomacy, according to Yachi, who cited the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan as an example of how such an approach can succeed.

"The mission cost only slightly more than 2 billion yen last year, and the international community highly valued our contribution. It was very cost-efficient," he said.

"It's essential that diplomats in the 21st century pursue their nations' interests while ensuring consistency with the interests of the international community," Yachi said.

Regarding Japan's relationship with China, Yachi reiterated the importance of mutually beneficial strategic relations across a range of areas, including the environment. He said: "We must be prepared to show China the way toward becoming a responsible world power."

(Feb. 28, 2009)

Japan ordered to pay $58M for US warplane noise

By MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Writer
Friday, February 27, 2009
12:33:00 a.m. Saturday February 28, 2009 in Pacific/Guam

(02-27) 06:33 PST TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- A court ordered the Japanese government to pay 5.6 billion yen ($57.7 million) to compensate people whose lives are disrupted by the noise of warplanes at a U.S. air base on the southern island of Okinawa, the Defense Ministry said.

The Fukuoka High Court ruling doubled the 2.8 million yen compensation awarded in 2005 to the people living around Kadena Air Base, and upheld the appeals of 5,540 residents, Defense Ministry spokesman Katashi Toyota said.

The plaintiffs said the noise from aircraft at the Kadena base exceeded bearable levels and caused insomnia and other psychological pain. Tokyo has long insisted the noise levels are bearable and do not cause health problems among nearby residents.

"The court did not fully understand the government position," Toyota said, adding that the ministry would "examine the ruling carefully" and decide whether to appeal the ruling.

Judge Yoshinori Kawabe said the Japanese government was liable to pay compensation in the case because it failed to press Washington to reduce the noise. Tokyo "has a strong political responsibility to reduce the noise pollution," Kawabe said.

But the court added the government would not be responsible to compensate the plaintiffs in any future noise complaints.

Calls to the U.S. Air Force public relations office at Kadena were not answered late Friday.

The court rejected demands that the U.S. military stop conducting early morning and night flights, saying the Japanese government has no authority to suspend U.S. military aircraft flights.

Japan hosts about 50,000 U.S. troops, with two-thirds of them on Okinawa, about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) southwest of Tokyo. Residents of Okinawa have long complained about crimes associated with U.S. troops, as well as noise and pollution from the U.S. military bases on the island.

Japanese Newspapers :: Friday, February 27, 2009

Daily Yomiuri Online  Click

• Explain antipiracy mission / Govt should get public on board before dispatching MSDF ships
  (Daily Yomiuri Online) (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Friday, February 27, 2009)
  Hidemichi Katsumata / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer
  Taking the Maritime Self-Defense Force's first antipiracy map exercise as a good opportunity, the government should seek support and understanding from the public over the planned antipiracy mission in waters off Somalia. continued ...


• Court rejects suit seeking name erasures from Yasukuni
  (Daily Yomiuri Online) (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Friday, February 27, 2009)
  OSAKA--A lawsuit demanding the names of 11 people who died in battle during World War II be erased from Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo was dismissed Thursday by the Osaka District Court, which in its ruling cited the shrine's constitutional right to religious freedom. continued ...


• New Komeito tight-lipped on LDP leadership
  (Daily Yomiuri Online) (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Friday, February 27, 2009)
  New Komeito members have been complaining about being led up a dead end while the approval ratings of the Cabinet of Prime Minister Taro Aso have been dropping. continued ...

The Asahi Shimbun  Click

• Families lose suit on Yasukuni
  (The Asahi Shimbun) (IHT/Asahi: Friday, February 27, 2009)
  OSAKA--The district court here Thursday rejected a request from nine family members of war dead to have the names of their loved ones removed from the register at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honors those who fell in battle. continued ...


• Nakagawa phone game a sleeper hit
  (The Asahi Shimbun) (IHT/Asahi: Friday, February 27, 2009)
  A mobile phone game poking fun at former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa has become a sleeper hit. continued ...


• Police: Live ammo was in package
  (The Asahi Shimbun) (IHT/Asahi: Friday, February 27, 2009)
  FUKUOKA--Police have determined that live rifle ammunition was indeed mailed to a local station here of Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK), investigative sources said. continued ...


• Vox Populi, Vox Dei: Beneath the cover, Aso rule is like a bad book
  (The Asahi Shimbun) (IHT/Asahi: Friday, February 27, 2009)
  There are various reasons for picking up a book, but recently I heard many people are buying them because they are attracted to their dust jackets. In other words, instead of looking at what is written inside, they are choosing books because they like the covers. In an apparent attempt to cash in on the trend, bookstores are displaying stacks of recommended books with eye-catching dust jackets featuring photos of actors, among other things. continued ...


• EDITORIAL: Obama's policy address
  (The Asahi Shimbun) (IHT/Asahi: Friday, February 27, 2009)
  In his first policy speech before Congress on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama declared: "We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before." continued ...


• EDITORIAL: Japan-U.S. summit
  (The Asahi Shimbun) (IHT/Asahi: Friday, February 27, 2009)
  The first summit between Prime Minister Taro Aso and U.S. President Barack Obama was held amid skepticism. continued ...

The Japan Times  Click

• Suit fails to remove 11 from Yasukuni
  (The Japan Times) Friday, February 27, 2009
  Collective enshrinement of war dead survives
  OSAKA (Kyodo) The Osaka District Court on Thursday shot down a lawsuit calling for Yasukuni Shrine continued ...


• Trader tried WMD-linked export to North
  (The Japan Times) Friday, February 27, 2009
  YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) The Kanagawa Prefectural Police raided a Tokyo trading house Thursday on suspicion of attempting to export a machine part to North Korea that could be used for weapons of mass destruction, investigative sources said. continued ...


• Concern grows as N. Korea prepares 'satellite launch'
  (The Japan Times) Friday, February 27, 2009
  The Associated Press
  North Korea has built an underground fueling facility near a key launchpad, a news report said Thursday, making it harder for spy satellites to detect signs that a missile is being prepared for launch. continued ...


• Teachers lose suit over anthem fallout
  (The Japan Times) Friday, February 27, 2009
  HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) The Hiroshima District Court rejected a lawsuit Thursday filed by current and retired teachers seeking the nullification of disciplinary actions imposed on them for refusing to stand and sing "Kimigayo," the national anthem, at school ceremonies. continued ...


• SDF to be allowed to fire at pirates threatening civilian ships
  (The Japan Times) Friday, February 27, 2009
  Kyodo News
  The Self-Defense Forces will be allowed to open fire on pirate boats defying warnings to stop approaching civilian vessels under a provision to be included in the planned antipiracy bill, a project team of the ruling coalition agreed. continued ...


• Kato bets on August election if Aso can hang on
  (The Japan Times) Friday, February 27, 2009
  By MASAMI ITO, Staff writer
  Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Koichi Kato said Thursday that if Prime Minister Taro Aso retains power, the Lower House general election will likely be held in August after the Group of Eight summit in July. continued ...


• Foreigners' crimes down again in '08
  (The Japan Times) Friday, February 27, 2009
  Kyodo News
  Crimes committed by foreign visitors to Japan fell for the third consecutive year in 2008 to a total of 31,280 offenses, down 12.6 percent from the previous year, the National Police Agency said Thursday. continued ...


• Yosano stays silent on stimulus, tax cut rumors
  (The Japan Times) Friday, February 27, 2009
  By TAKAHIRO FUKADA, Staff writer
  Striking a fine balance between economic countermeasures and long-term fiscal reconstruction should be a key government goal, newly appointed Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano said Thursday. continued ...


• 'Temp' protests warp face of egalitarian Japan Inc.
  (The Japan Times) Friday, February 27, 2009
  Fallout from firing contract workers underlines dangers of new culture of convenience
  By YURI KAGEYAMA, The Associated Press
  Fired engine plant worker Kouichirou Fukudome shouts slogans with dozens of protesters outside truck maker Isuzu's towering headquarters, all demanding they get their jobs back. continued ...


• Deterioration outpacing predictions
  (The Japan Times) Friday, February 27, 2009
  Bloomberg
  Bank of Japan Policy Board member Tadao Noda said the economy is deteriorating more than the central bank forecast last month as the global recession triggers unprecedented drops in exports and output. continued ...


• EDITORIAL: Mr. Aso goes to Washington
  (The Japan Times) Friday, February 27, 2009
  Prime Minister Taro Aso met with U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday in Washington, just a week after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, during her visit to Tokyo, invited him to meet with the president as the first foreign leader to be invited to the White House since Mr. Obama came to power. continued ...

The Mainichi Daily News  Click

• Aichi public employees must repay almost 250 million yen over slush fund scandal
  (Mainichi Japan) Friday, February 27, 2009
  NAGOYA -- Some 781 Aichi prefectural employees will be reprimanded and nearly 250 million yen returned to government authorities in the wake of a slush fund scandal, it was decided Thursday. continued ...


• Nakagawa's chartered flight to Rome cost taxpayers 41 million yen
  (Mainichi Japan) Friday, February 27, 2009
  Former finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa's recent flight to Rome, where he famously appeared drunk at a news conference following a G-7 meeting, set taxpayers back a cool 41 million yen, it has been learned. continued ...

U.S. - Japan Alliance

Video about Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, on her first overseas trip as Americas top diplomat, discussing the importance of one of the United States most important partnerships in the region. Provided by Air Force News.



dvidshub
February 27, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKPbZQmGeVU

Prime Minister Aso picked as worst post-war prime minister: Shukan Bunshun

2, 27. 2009

Taro Aso was ranked first in the list of "worst post-war prime ministers," the Sukan Bunshun weekly magazine said in its Feb. 26, 2009 issue. Ranked second was Sousuke Uno, while Yasuo Fukuda was ranked third, Yoshiro Mori was fourth and Shinzo Abe was fifth. Junichiro Koizumi and Kakuei Tanaka were ranked sixth and ninth, respectively. The magazine said Prime Minister Aso was selected as the first worst prime minister leaving far behind other prime ministers. Some of the reasons for this were that he does not know the hardships facing the ordinary people, he has not carried out any meaningful policy, and his words are totally unreliable. Former Prime Minister Koizumi sharply lost his popularity because the disparity between the rich and the poor widened while he was in office, according to the magazine. The ranking was decided by a group of intellectuals and 2,000 other people surveyed.

Court awards damages to residents near U.S. Kadena base, nixes ban

Feb 27 03:47 AM US/Eastern

NAHA, Japan, Feb. 27 (AP) - (Kyodo) — The Fukuoka High Court on Friday awarded about 5.62 billion yen in damages to noise-hit residents around the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, the largest amount of compensation the Japanese government has ever been ordered to pay in an aircraft noise suit involving a military base or a civilian airport.

But the high court's Naha branch turned down the residents' demand for a ban on night-to-early morning flights at Kadena base.

The three-judge high court panel also rejected another demand by the plaintiffs for damages for their future suffering from aircraft noise at the base.

The amount of damages awarded topped the 4.04 billion yen which the Tokyo High Court ordered the Japanese government in July 2006 to pay in an aircraft noise suit involving Atsugi base outside Tokyo. The base, located in the cities of Ayase and Yamato in Kanagawa Prefecture, is jointly used by the U.S. Navy and Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force.

On Friday, Presiding Judge Yoshinori Kawabe acted on appeals against a lower court decision in February 2005 that awarded the plaintiffs about 2.8 billion yen in damages but rejected the residents' demand for a night flight ban.

Kadena base is the largest U.S. air base in East Asia with two 3,700- meter runways. Some 200 U.S. warplanes, such as F-15 fighters, AWACS early warning planes, and transport and tanker aircraft, are deployed there.

It covers a vast space of about 200,000 square kilometers which stretches through three municipalities in Okinawa Prefecture -- the city of Okinawa and the towns of Kadena and Chatan.

In Friday's decision, Judge Kawabe expanded the scope of areas of noise levels subject for compensation to 75 decibels or more as measured in the weighted equivalent continuous perceived noise level from the 85 db in the lower court ruling.

Under the WECPNL measurement, the noise levels roughly stand at 80 db in a subway train and 70 db in a noisy office or street. The Japanese government sets the permissible noise level at 70 db or lower for residential areas, and 75 db or lower for commercial and industrial districts.

The plaintiffs are residents of two cities, two towns and one village around Kadena base who live in areas whose noise levels range from 75 db to 95 db.

The high court said residents in areas with noise levels at around 75 db and 80 db are also exposed to intense noise, saying the maximum tolerable limit is 75 db.

In turning down the plaintiffs' demand for a night flight ban, the high court said the demand for a night flight ban is unreasonable as the state of Japan has no authority to restrict operations of U.S. warplanes.

Judge Kawabe also threw out the plaintiffs' demand for a night flight ban on the part of the United States, saying the United States is out of the range of Japan's civil jurisdiction.

On Feb. 17, 2005, the Okinawa branch of the Naha District Court awarded about 2.8 billion yen in damages to residents who live in areas with noise levels at 85 db or more. It rejected demands for damages from residents who live in areas with noise levels at 75 to 80 db.

Both the plaintiffs and the government filed an appeal against the lower court decision.

Separate from the 5,500 plaintiffs, about 900 residents first sued the government in 1982 for damages and a night flight ban at Kadena base. The Fukuoka High Court ordered the government in 1998 to pay 1.37 billion yen in damages to residents, a decision that has already been finalized.

The Japanese government has asked the United States to share the burden but Washington has refused.

The current group filed their suit in March 2000.

Japan court rules over anthem dispute

Posted: 26 March 2009 2308 hrs

TOKYO: A Tokyo court on Thursday rejected a damages suit by teachers who were reprimanded for refusing to stand and face the flag to sing the national anthem, which they said praises Japan's militarist past.

The Tokyo education board has since 2003 ordered public high school teachers and staff to stand in front of the national red-sun flag and sing "Kimigayo" ("Thy Reign") in praise of the emperor at school ceremonies.

The group of 171 public high school teachers and staff claim the board breached the constitution when it verbally reprimanded them and, in one case, docked a plaintiff's pay, for failing to follow the directive.

But Tokyo District Court presiding judge Shigeru Nakanishi said it was reasonable to ask teachers to take part in uniform school activities and found the punishments did "neither force any particular philosophy nor ban any".

Teachers' unions have argued that respecting the national anthem harks back to the nation's militarism under the late Emperor Hirohito, who was considered divine during World War II.

Tokyo is led by Governor Shintaro Ishihara, an outspoken conservative. The plaintiffs said they would appeal the ruling.

Japanese Newspapers :: Thursday, February 26, 2009

Daily Yomiuri Online  Click

• Aso, Obama hold first talks / Leaders pledge to work together to help stabilize Afghanistan
  (Daily Yomiuri Online) (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Thursday, February 26, 2009)
  Hiroaki Matsunaga / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
  WASHINGTON--Prime Minister Taro Aso and U.S. President Barack Obama met for the first time Tuesday and agreed that Tokyo would take part in a review of Washington's strategy on stabilizing Afghanistan. continued ...


• Obama calls Japan 'great partner' / New president's approach shows departure from Bush's unilateralism
  (Daily Yomiuri Online) (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Thursday, February 26, 2009)
  Satoshi Ogawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent
  WASHINGTON--In Tuesday's talks between Prime Minister Taro Aso and U.S. President Barack Obama, Obama called Japan a "great partner," indicating the United States would jointly form strategies with Japan to cope with global issues, according to sources. continued ...


• U.S.-Japan Economic Forum lecture looks at global recession
  (Daily Yomiuri Online) (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Thursday, February 26, 2009)
  Kenichi Okumura / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer
  OSAKA--Securing open trade and effective financial markets is key to overcoming the current economic crisis, according to a President Emeritus of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan in a lecture at the Kansai Economic Federation in Kita Ward, Osaka, in mid-February. continued ...


• U.S. President Barack Obama's first address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress
  
  (Daily Yomiuri Online) (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Thursday, February 26, 2009)
  The following is the entire text of U.S. President Barack Obama's first address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday. The text was released by the White House. continued ...


• Editorial: Active diplomacy needed to boost Japan-U.S. ties
  (Daily Yomiuri Online) (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Thursday, February 26, 2009)
  Continuing multilayered cooperation in broader fields will do much to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance significantly. continued ...

The Asahi Shimbun  Click

• Abductee's son seeks answers from former spy
  (The Asahi Shimbun) (IHT/Asahi: Thursday, February 26, 2009)
  BY SATOSHI OTANI, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
  To Koichiro Iizuka, the chance to meet in South Korea with former North Korean spy Kim Hyon Hui is a yearned-for step to help him build an image--piece by piece--of his long-lost mother, abducted by agents of Pyongyang more than 30 years ago. continued ...


• Popular Ozawa shows off his diplomatic colors
  (The Asahi Shimbun) (IHT/Asahi: Thursday, February 26, 2009)
  With his public support ratings climbing, opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa has become a popular figure among foreign governments--and an increasing source of concern for U.S. officials. continued ...

The Japan Times  Click

• Obama urges Japan, China to spur demand
  (The Japan Times) Thursday, February 26, 2009
  WASHINGTON (Kyodo) U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday urged Japan and China to spur domestic demand to help engineer a global economic recovery. continued ...


• DPJ seeking alliance of equals with U.S.
  (The Japan Times) Thursday, February 26, 2009
  By TOKO SEKIGUCHI and TAKASHI HIROKAWA, Bloomberg
  The Democratic Party of Japan, which has a good chance of winning power in this year's election, will seek an alliance with the United States that is less subordinate than that of the last 50 years, a senior DPJ lawmaker said. continued ...


• Aso's White House visit low-key
  (The Japan Times) Thursday, February 26, 2009
  WASHINGTON (Kyodo) Prime Minister Taro Aso and U.S. President Barack Obama broadly agreed to cooperate further on stabilizing Afghanistan in their first meeting Tuesday in Washington, but the visit gave experts the impression the United States isn't investing much in what is widely regarded to be a lame-duck Cabinet continued ...


• LDP and DPJ face off over Aso's White House visit
  (The Japan Times) Thursday, February 26, 2009
  Kyodo News
  Ruling bloc and opposition lawmakers toed their parties' lines Wednesday responding to the first meeting between Prime Minister Taro Aso and U.S. President Barack Obama, in which the two leaders agreed to strengthen the bilateral alliance and do their utmost to spur a global economic recovery. continued ...


• Fall in U.S. Japanese students worrisome
  (The Japan Times) Thursday, February 26, 2009
  By MARIKO KATO, Staff writer
  In a bid to stop the dramatic decline in Japanese studying in the United States, representatives of U.S. colleges and universities met Wednesday with education minister Ryu Shionoya to demand that Japan improve efforts to promote study abroad. continued ...


• Obama urges Japan, China to spur demand
  (The Japan Times) Thursday, February 26, 2009
  WASHINGTON (Kyodo) U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday urged Japan and China to spur domestic demand to help engineer a global economic recovery. continued ...


• Opinion: Barack Obama's Taliban itch
  (The Japan Times) Thursday, February 26, 2009
  By BRAHMA CHELLANEY
  How gun-toting Islamists are expanding their hold on western Pakistan has been laid bare by Islamabad's U.S.-condoned peace agreement effectively ceding the once-pristine Swat Valley to the Taliban to set up a mini-state barely 160 km from the Pakistani capital. The deal came even as Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari warned that the Taliban wants to take over his country. The Taliban's sway on territory on both sides of the British- drawn Durand Line shows that the Afghanistan-Pakistan ("Afpak") border no longer exists in practice. continued ...


• Liberal Democratic parties: up and down?
  (The Japan Times) Thursday, February 26, 2009
  By GWYNNE DYER
  Big crises like the current recession change a lot of things that once seemed to be a permanent part of the landscape. In Japan the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed the country for all but nine months of the past half-century, is about to go over a cliff. continued ...


• Opinion: Clinton gets off to a good start in China
  (The Japan Times) Thursday, February 26, 2009
  By FRANK CHING
  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to China — the most important leg of her trip to Asia, which included Japan, Indonesia and South Korea — went off well, in part because she had indicated publicly ahead of time that differences over human rights would not be allowed to inhibit progress on other matters. continued ...

The Mainichi Daily News  Click

• 9 bereaved family members of war dead lose suit over Yasukuni Shrine enshrinement
  (Mainichi Japan) Thursday, February 26, 2009
  OSAKA -- Nine bereaved family members of war victims lost their suit on Thursday that demanded that the enshrinement of the victims at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo be revoked. continued ...


• Perspectives Yoroku: U.S. entitled to ask Aso for letter of authorization from his people
  (Mainichi Japan) Thursday, February 26, 2009
  Prime Minister Taro Aso's great great-grandfather, Toshimichi Okubo (1830-1878), once visited the White House. As a deputy envoy of the Meiji government-sponsored Iwakura Mission, Okubo -- clad in formal attire and armed with a sword -- met with then U.S. President Ulysses Grant. The president explained the importance of trade to the Japanese delegates who visited Washington. continued ...

Japan opposition's U.S. military remarks draw criticism

Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:34pm IST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's main opposition party leader, who could become prime minister this year, has drawn criticism from the government for saying that he wants a smaller U.S. military presence in the country.

Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa said earlier this week that only the U.S. 7th Fleet should be based in Japan, currently host to about 47,000 U.S. military personnel.

Japan's top government spokesman criticised Ozawa's remark on Thursday.

"The Japanese government thinks that to limit it just to the 7th Fleet is unrealistic," Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said in a news conference on Thursday.

"Is it appropriate for the Democratic Party leader, who is advocating for an administration change, to have such an idea under the current U.S.-Japan security alliance?"

Ozawa has stressed the need for a Japanese security policy more independent of its closest ally, the United States, a stance which some experts say is making Washington nervous.

The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet, comprising around 70 ships and 300 aircraft, operates in the Asia-Pacific region. Twenty-one ships are forward deployed to Japan and Guam and over 10,000 personnel of the 7th Fleet have their home ports in Japan.

Kevin Maher, the consul general in Okinawa, southern Japan, said earlier this week the security environment in the region was not easy and Ozawa did not understand the need for the air force and marines, Japanese media reported. Okinawa hosts the biggest chunk of U.S. troops stationed in Japan.

Ozawa told reporters earlier this week: "If Japan is prepared to take care on its own issues that are relevant to itself, then there is no need for the United States to forward deploy to such an extent in Japan."

Polls show the Democrats may topple the ruling coalition that has ruled Japan for almost all of the past 50 years.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Ozawa during her trip to Asia, where Ozawa told her the U.S.-Japan alliance should be an equal partnership.

Japan opposition's U.S. military remarks draw criticism

Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:34pm IST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's main opposition party leader, who could become prime minister this year, has drawn criticism from the government for saying that he wants a smaller U.S. military presence in the country.

Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa said earlier this week that only the U.S. 7th Fleet should be based in Japan, currently host to about 47,000 U.S. military personnel.

Japan's top government spokesman criticised Ozawa's remark on Thursday.

"The Japanese government thinks that to limit it just to the 7th Fleet is unrealistic," Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said in a news conference on Thursday.

"Is it appropriate for the Democratic Party leader, who is advocating for an administration change, to have such an idea under the current U.S.-Japan security alliance?"

Ozawa has stressed the need for a Japanese security policy more independent of its closest ally, the United States, a stance which some experts say is making Washington nervous.

The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet, comprising around 70 ships and 300 aircraft, operates in the Asia-Pacific region. Twenty-one ships are forward deployed to Japan and Guam and over 10,000 personnel of the 7th Fleet have their home ports in Japan.

Kevin Maher, the consul general in Okinawa, southern Japan, said earlier this week the security environment in the region was not easy and Ozawa did not understand the need for the air force and marines, Japanese media reported. Okinawa hosts the biggest chunk of U.S. troops stationed in Japan.

Ozawa told reporters earlier this week: "If Japan is prepared to take care on its own issues that are relevant to itself, then there is no need for the United States to forward deploy to such an extent in Japan."

Polls show the Democrats may topple the ruling coalition that has ruled Japan for almost all of the past 50 years.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Ozawa during her trip to Asia, where Ozawa told her the U.S.-Japan alliance should be an equal partnership.

Japan opposition's U.S. military remarks draw criticism

Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:23am EST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's main opposition party leader, who could become prime minister this year, has drawn criticism from the government for saying that he wants a smaller U.S. military presence in the country.

Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa said earlier this week that only the U.S. 7th Fleet should be based in Japan, currently host to about 47,000 U.S. military personnel.

Japan's top government spokesman criticized Ozawa's remark on Thursday.

"The Japanese government thinks that to limit it just to the 7th Fleet is unrealistic," Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said in a news conference on Thursday.

"Is it appropriate for the Democratic Party leader, who is advocating for an administration change, to have such an idea under the current U.S.-Japan security alliance?"

Ozawa has stressed the need for a Japanese security policy more independent of its closest ally, the United States, a stance which some experts say is making Washington nervous.

The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet, comprising around 70 ships and 300 aircraft, operates in the Asia-Pacific region. Twenty-one ships are forward deployed to Japan and Guam and over 10,000 personnel of the 7th Fleet have their home ports in Japan.

Kevin Maher, the consul general in Okinawa, southern Japan, said earlier this week the security environment in the region was not easy and Ozawa did not understand the need for the air force and marines, Japanese media reported. Okinawa hosts the biggest chunk of U.S. troops stationed in Japan.

Ozawa told reporters earlier this week: "If Japan is prepared to take care on its own issues that are relevant to itself, then there is no need for the United States to forward deploy to such an extent in Japan."

Polls show the Democrats may topple the ruling coalition that has ruled Japan for almost all of the past 50 years.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Ozawa during her trip to Asia, where Ozawa told her the U.S.-Japan alliance should be an equal partnership.

(Reporting by Yoko Kubota; Editing by Valerie Lee)

Japan ruling party needs new leader before vote: MP

Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:18am EST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's ruling party should not fight this year's election with Prime Minister Taro Aso at its helm, a former party No. 2 said on Thursday, underscoring the group's growing frustrations with the unpopular leader.

Aso's support ratings have tumbled ahead of an election that must be held by October, fuelling worries among lawmakers in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) that it could lose power after more than a half-century of almost unbroken rule.

"I don't think we can fight an election under Mr Aso," former LDP secretary-general Tsutomu Takebe told Reuters in an interview.

"He has lost the trust of the people. You can't run a government successfully without the trust of the people."

But Takebe, who served as the LDP's No. 2 under popular former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, added that whether to step down or not would be up to Aso to decide, and that the leader should stay on until parliament passed the budget and related bills.

The budget is likely to be enacted by late March but related bills needed to implement the spending could take longer.

(Reporting by Chisa Fujioka)

Beyond Japan political gloom, a glimmer of hope

Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:18am EST

By Linda Sieg - Analysis

TOKYO (Reuters) - A lame-duck prime minister, a quarrelsome ruling party and a divided parliament where the opposition can delay policy -- investors in Japan have plenty of reasons for pessimism as political gloom adds to economic woes.

But contrarians say the chaos reflects a painful shift to a competitive, two-party system that will improve policy debate in the world's second largest economy, boost transparency and give voters a choice after more than 50 years of one-party dominance.

"I'm confident that in the end, there will be a two-party system. The problem is, transitions are always messy," said Steven Reed, a political scientist at Tokyo's Chuo University.

"There is less corruption ... There is more transparency and there is much more talk about policy. Almost every person who votes will have a choice."

The growing likelihood the opposition Democratic Party of Japan will take power from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has also raised the possibility of a break with a decades-old system in which bureaucrats made policy while helping the ruling party hand out benefits to vested interest groups.

That system worked while Japan's economy was expanding, but critics say it has failed to tackle deep-rooted problems spawned by a shrinking, aging population and slower growth.

"It appears that one essential element of the system -- the LDP -- is headed toward collapse. It is increasingly obvious that it is not capable of change," said Taggart Murphy, a professor of global management at the University of Tsukuba in Tokyo.

"There are some Democrats who are actually thinking hard about Japan's situation. You don't see that kind of thinking in the LDP or among the bureaucrats," he added.

For now, political angst dominates, eroding the value of the yen against the dollar and euro and limiting the positive effect of a weaker Japanese currency on Tokyo shares.

WORLD WAKES UP

Japan's political stalemate is hardly new and does not often make world headlines.

The LDP-led ruling bloc's defeat in a July 2007 election gave opposition parties control of parliament's upper house, enabling them to delay legislation and stall government policies.

Since then, two prime ministers have quit after their public support collapsed and the hugely unpopular incumbent, Taro Aso, is in danger of becoming the third casualty.

But the recent resignation of close Aso ally Shoichi Nakagawa as finance minister after denying he was drunk at a G7 gathering cast a stark international spotlight on the problems.

"The world woke up to two things: the state of the economy, and the fact that the government is doing nothing about it and is probably incapable of doing anything about it because of the deadlock," said Richard Jerram, chief economist at Macquarie Securities (Japan) Limited.

Surveys suggest voters fed up with the parade of premiers and worried the ruling bloc has run out of ideas to fix the economy are likely to put their faith in the Democrats.

That would mean the first change in power since the LDP, formed in 1955, was briefly ousted in 1993 by a coalition engineered by former LDP heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa, now the Democratic Party leader.

Whether the novice Democrats, a mix of ex-LDP members, former socialists and younger conservatives, can perform better is an open question.

"The LDP is exhausted and most voters think they are finished, so the possibility of a change in government is high," said Takeshi Sasaki, a political science professor at Gakushuin University. "But there is uncertainty over to what extent the Democrats can consolidate their policies."

For the LDP, a stint in opposition is probably just what it needs to remake itself into a more coherent, competitive group, Chuo University's Reed said, although the looming defeat could split the party, at least temporarily.

Some in the LDP itself share that view.

"The quality of the party would improve," said upper house lawmaker Hiroshige Seko, who has been active in efforts to reform the party.

"There are some changes that aren't possible while in power."

Short-term, the Democrats' biggest challenge if they win power is likely to be battling bureaucratic resistance to change in how policies, including economic stimulus plans, are forged.

The Democrats argue the entire budget process needs to be reformed so waste is cut and spending plans are more than the aggregate of government ministries' pet projects.

They also promise to end a political decision-making system that has often pitted the ruling party against the cabinet and that analysts say has confused and impeded policy formation.

"The LDP has a system in which there was a dual structure that was split between the cabinet and the party, so they have been unable to give clear instructions to the bureaucrats," said Sadafumi Kawato, a professor at Tohoku University in northern Japan. "The Democrats want to try something different."

(Editing by Dean Yates)

Chartered plane for Nakagawa cost 41 mil. yen

Feb 26 05:12 AM US/Eastern

TOKYO, Feb. 26 (AP) - (Kyodo) — The government spent around 41 million yen to charter an airplane to enable former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa to go to and from Rome to attend the Group of Seven financial meeting, Rintaro Tamaki, head of the Finance Ministry's International Bureau, said Thursday.

Nakagawa, who was forced to step down following his widely ridiculed performance at a press conference in Rome during which he seemed to be drunk, boarded the plane with Tamaki, security officers and his secretaries, Tamaki told the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives.

Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Hiroshi Kawauchi questioned the need to use a chartered plane, saying, "The timetable shows a commercial plane left for Rome two hours after the chartered plane departed Narita international airport."

Kaoru Yosano, who succeeded Nakagawa as finance minister, justified its use, telling the committee, "A finance minister needs to watch parliamentary developments up to the last minute...It was an unavoidable situation."