Showing posts with label YS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YS. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Govt in fix over Futenma air base / Must please both Okinawa Pref., U.S. over controversial relocation plans
Risa Kato, Takeo Azuma and Satoshi Ogawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers
While it has been agreed that U.S. military forces stationed in Japan will be largely realigned by 2014, the government is now in the difficult position of trying to satisfy both the U.S. government and Okinawa prefectural government over the biggest issue surrounding the realignment--the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan in the prefecture.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone visited Naha and held talks with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima over the issue.
During the meeting, which was open to the media, Nakaima again demanded that the central government modify the Japan-U.S. agreement on the relocation of the air station to the coastal area of Camp Schwab in Nago in the prefecture.
At the start of the meeting--held in the governor's reception room and attended by about 50 reporters--Nakaima said: "Seventy-five percent of the U.S. military facilities in Japan are concentrated in Okinawa Prefecture. I've asked [the government] to reduce the excessive burden on Okinawa."
Regarding the relocation of the air station, he said: "The government should pay considerable attention to local residents [in the area earmarked for the relocation]. For example, I believe [the new facilities] should be constructed as far off the coast as possible."
Nakasone asked for the governor's understanding over the realignment and relocation, saying: "The U.S. forces' realignment is very important. Implementing the realignment [as agreed between Japan and the United States] will ease the burden on the prefecture's residents."
The prefectural government is concerned about noise and other issues that will be caused by the new facilities to be relocated near Camp Schwab.
The noise issue can be resolved by constructing the facilities off the coast, but this could potentially harm the maritime environment, giving the central government another headache to deal with.
At a press conference at a hotel in Naha after the meeting, Nakasone was asked about Nakaima's request to construct the new facilities farther from the planned site. "It'll be difficult to change [the plan] without appropriate reasons," Nakasone said.
Since March last year, the government has been studying the impact of the planned new facilities on the coastal area of Camp Schwab and is expected to submit to Nakaima this spring an outline on the results of the environmental assessment and draw up a final report before the end of autumn.
The central government will decide upon a specific site for the planned facilities soon.
The governor has the power to authorize a project to reclaim land from publicly owned waters.
To complete the relocation before the agreed deadline of 2014, the central government needs the governor's permission to reclaim land as early as possible, but whether the government can obtain Nakaima's blessing for the plan is uncertain.
Before his meeting with Nakaima, Nakasone visited the coastal area of Camp Schwab. During the visit, he encountered demonstrators protesting against any relocation to the area, highlighting the sensitivity of the issue in the prefecture.
Meanwhile, the final agreement between Japan and the United States over the realignment of the U.S. military forces, completed in May 2006, defines the realignment as a package of plans, each of which cannot be modified individually.
If the air station relocation fails, it would hamper other parts of the agreement, such as the relocation of a section of the U.S. Marine Corps troops stationed in Okinawa Prefecture to Guam and the handover of sites and facilities used by the U.S. forces in the prefecture.
The government also is worried that failure of the realignment could damage ties with the United States.
The Foreign Ministry is hopeful the air station relocation issue will not cause the prefecture to be the focus of further disputes between the two countries.
Nakasone's latest visit to Okinawa is believed to have been a diplomatic signal to U.S. President Barack Obama's administration that Japan is eagerly engaged in the realignment issue.
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U.S. opposition
While acknowledging Nakaima's position on the importance of maintaining the Japan-U.S. security framework, the government also is trying to find a way to review the bilateral agreement and move the planned facilities to an offshore location more remote than that mentioned in the agreement, without influencing the ongoing environment assessment.
However, the U.S. government is highly unlikely to accept any review of the agreement because it had to approve it despite opposition from the U.S. Marine Corps and other concerned bodies.
Opposition against the realignment lingers within the U.S. military because it is believed it will make it difficult for the marines to respond swiftly to an emergency situation on the Korean Peninsula when a unit of combat troops currently stationed in Okinawa is transferred to Guam.
Reigniting the Futenma issue is akin to "opening a Pandora's box," a source close to the U.S. government said.
Last year, Tokyo proposed a modified plan to Washington that would see the air station facilities constructed at a site about 50 meters offshore from the agreed site of the coastal area of Camp Schwab. However, a U.S. government official instantly dismissed the proposal, saying it was impossible to inform U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates of the proposal.
A Defense Department official said any review of the final agreement would mean the relocation of Futenma Air Station could not be completed earlier than 2014, adding that Japan is responsible for relocating the air base in line with the agreement signed between the two countries.
(Feb. 3, 2009)
Clinton visit likely in Feb.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
WASHINGTON--U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton likely will visit Japan in mid-February on what is expected to be her first overseas trip in her new role, Japanese and U.S. government sources said Sunday.
Final arrangements are under way for a foreign ministerial meeting between the two countries, the sources said. The United States' top diplomat will visit South Korea following her trip to Japan, with India and China also touted as candidates for a visit.
Clinton reportedly chose to make Japan her first port of call after learning of growing concern in Japan that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama "is focused on China and will be less concerned about the Japan-U.S. alliance than the administration of [former President George W.] Bush," according to a diplomatic source.
In making a visit to Japan, Clinton is believed to want to clearly express the new administration's plans to put priority on strengthening the alliance.
At her confirmation hearing with the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Jan. 13, Clinton said, "Our alliance with Japan is a cornerstone of American policy in Asia."
Regarding the Obama administration's stated top foreign policy priority of restoring public order and aiding reconstruction in Afghanistan, Clinton is expected to convey during her visit that she expects Japan to shoulder a reasonable burden as a U.S. ally.
During the foreign ministerial meeting, the two countries will confirm a strengthening of solidarity regarding the North Korean nuclear issue, and sign an agreement to relocate U.S. marines stationed in Okinawa Prefecture to Guam as part of the realignment of the U.S. military in Japan.
Clinton plans to visit Europe in early March to attend a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization foreign ministers.
(Feb. 3, 2009)
Monday, February 2, 2009
Does Ozawa want to be PM? / LDP, some DPJ members question party leader's desire for top job
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Does Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa actually want to be prime minister if his party wins the next House of Representatives election?
Despite his expressed willingness to assume the reins of government, some observers of the Nagatacho political scene question the opposition leader's intentions, pointing to a history of behavior by Ozawa that makes them skeptical of his desire to take the center of the nation's political stage.
Speaking at a news conference after a meeting of the party's Iwate prefectural chapter on Saturday, Ozawa said, "If I stay on as DPJ president, and the DPJ or the DPJ-led opposition wins a majority of seats in the next general election, I must fulfill my responsibility."
Indeed, since September, when he was elected for a third term as DPJ president, Ozawa has begun to more openly express his willingness to seek the premiership.
One political observer said this represents a shift for Ozawa who in 1991 declined a request by his political mentor and then LDP Vice President Shin Kanemaru, chairman of what was then the party's largest faction, to run to succeed Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu as LDP president.
During the administrations of Prime Ministers Morihiro Hosokawa and Tsutomu Hata, formed by several parties but which excluded the LDP and the Japanese Communist Party, Ozawa flexed his political muscle as a de facto leader, earning himself a reputation as the man really pulling the strings.
Asked why Ozawa had begun to express a willingness to become prime minister, a close aide said, "Because he felt there was a need to give the impression he has changed his political style in preparation for the next lower house election."
But deep-rooted skepticism remains about Ozawa's real willingness to do so, with one DPJ lawmaker saying his behavior often bears little resemblance to that of an aspiring prime minister.
The most recent example was Ozawa's decision not to represent the party in interpellations of Prime Minister Taro Aso over his policy speech in a plenary lower house session Wednesday, despite the likelihood the current session will be the last chance for lower house debates as an election must be called no later than September. Ozawa reportedly refused a direct request by party executives to lead his party's interpellations.
Meanwhile, in meetings with foreign dignitaries, Ozawa has asked DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama to represent him so he can devote time to campaigning around the country ahead of the next general election. Ozawa also reportedly told Hatoyama on Jan. 20 that he would not visit the United States until the DPJ assumes power.
Ozawa's health problems, dating back to 1991 when he was hospitalized after a heart attack, also have cast a shadow over his political activities. Ozawa was hospitalized in 2006 for medical checkup after becoming party president and recently he has been regularly absenting himself from lower house plenary sessions or party meetings saying that he has a cold.
Ozawa's behavior, which many argue is unworthy of a would-be prime minister, is providing fodder for attacks by the LDP. Makoto Koga, who chairs the party's Election Strategy Council, criticized Ozawa on Saturday at a meeting in Fukuoka Prefecture, saying that if he intended to become prime minister, he should have represented his party in interpellating Aso over his policy speech.
"His failure to do so means his party doesn't deserve to be the largest opposition party," Koga said.
DPJ supporters also are concerned about whether Ozawa will want to become the face of Japan should the DPJ take over the helm of government.
During a meeting organized by DPJ Vice President Katsuya Okada in his constituency in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, on Jan. 25, one supporter voiced concern.
Okada responded by saying, "It's reasonable for Ozawa to become prime minister if the DPJ wins the next election." But another supporter still questioned Ozawa's health, saying: "Ozawa's health is a worry for us. He's always being seen [on TV] wearing a mask."
One DPJ executive said he was concerned Ozawa might try to install a defector from the LDP as prime minister in a nod to his old kingmaker ways.
But a DPJ lawmaker close to Ozawa denied this was a possibility, saying, "He'll serve as prime minister for at least a year...He'll only transfer power to a successor after he's laid the foundations for ensuring that a DPJ-led government will be able to stay in power."
(Feb. 2, 2009)
LDP ex-staffer peddled influence / Nakagawa aide introduced FSA official to associate of shady accountant
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa's former secretary, who is believed to have made financial gains with the help of an accountant involved in the former Goodwill Group Inc.'s corporate acquisition scandal, introduced a senior Financial Services Agency official in 2007 to a former construction company president who had dealings with the accountant, it has been learned.
The former president of the firm formerly known as Sennennomori Inc. in Minato Ward, Tokyo, and which changed its name to Toho Global Associates in April last year, allegedly asked the agency official whether the company's listed status on the second section of the Osaka Securities Exchange was at risk due to various problems the firm was facing. The president was told that the problems did not warrant OSE delisting under the agency's criteria.
The 51-year-old certified public accountant, who allegedly received about 18 billion yen from GWG in the acquisition of a temporary staff agency in 2006, used part of the money to buy Mobile Judge, a cell phone research company, at an unusually high price. The government-paid secretary, who previously had invested in Mobile Judge, then reportedly made 6.6 million yen by selling the company's shares.
It is believed the secretary rewarded the accountant for the profit by introducing the FSA official to the construction firm president.
The accountant also used part of the 18 billion yen to buy shares in the construction company, after which the president ran the company according to the accountant's instructions.
According to sources, the company started experiencing many problems beginning in September 2007. For example, the OSE criticized the company's unpreparedness in information disclosure, and the company's debts exceeded its assets in its midterm earnings report that year. The president became worried his company might be delisted, so he contacted Nakagawa's secretary through someone close to Mobile Judge. On the afternoon of Nov. 19 that year, he met the secretary to discuss the matter at Nakagawa's office at the Diet members' office building in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
On the same day, the secretary introduced the president to the senior FSA official, who agreed to meet the president at the agency. At their meeting, which also was attended by another agency official in charge of the issue, the senior official reportedly told the president that his company's case did not warrant delisting and that he should consult the OSE if he was still worried. When the president subsequently visited the OSE to explain his company's situation, he apparently showed the senior FSA official's business card, saying the official was his acquaintance.
It is quite unusual for a senior FSA official, whose agency supervises the nation's stock exchanges, to be consulted with a firm on its potential delisting.
The senior agency official admitted he met the president and Nakagawa's secretary.
"My understanding was that he [the president] wanted my opinion on the criteria for delisting a company. I had known the secretary for a long time, but if his request had been to speak to the stock exchange about the case, I wouldn't have agreed to the meeting," the senior agency official said.
The secretary, who retired from Nakagawa's office in December, said he did not remember the case very well.
In a statement, Nakagawa's office said: "We hear it was not a consultation on how to avoid delisting but just on which documents were needed for the process. It would be regrettable if it invited misunderstanding."
At one point, the accountant acquired about half of the construction company's outstanding stock issues, using the money he acquired from GWG. But it is believed he later sold most of the shares.
(Feb. 2, 2009)
Obama to lift China talks to new level
Satoshi Ogawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent
WASHINGTON--The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has decided to launch a new comprehensive strategic dialogue with China that includes high-level discussions on political, economic and security issues, it was learned Sunday.
"We believe that comprehensive bilateral exchanges at the senior-most levels are vital to the creation of a more positive, cooperative relationship between the U.S. and China," a ranking State Department official told The Yomiuri Shimbun.
Several sources familiar with the matter said previous ministerial-level and lower-level discussions had been unable to bring about political decisions on the Chinese side. The Obama administration would like to upgrade the bilateral discussions to periodic dialogues through mutual visits by Vice President Joe Biden and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, the sources said.
The new strategic dialogue is aimed at qualitatively changing the focus of U.S.-China relations from economic matters to a more diverse range of issues, a U.S. diplomatic source said. As such, the new dialogue is expected to include military matters.
Two types of "high-level" bilateral dialogues had started under the previous administration of George W. Bush: a ministerial-level strategic economic dialogue (SED) led by then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, and periodic senior official-level talks involving the deputy U.S. secretary of state and a vice foreign minister of China.
However, the Obama transition team decided to sweep a broom through Washington's China policy during the course of reviewing the strategy, a Democratic Party diplomatic affairs official said.
Past U.S.-China dialogues have not produced satisfactory results and thus a dialogue is needed with higher ranking Chinese officials who have the authority to make a wide range of political decisions, the official said.
During the administration of Bill Clinton, the then U.S. president visited China and regular talks were held between the U.S. vice president and the Russian prime minister. Obama's diplomatic team apparently was keen to replicate this strategy and had been toying with the idea of upgrading China dialogues from the start of the presidential election campaign.
A regular Biden-Wen dialogue is now quite likely, sources said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hinted during at a press conference last Tuesday that change was needed in the U.S. approach.
"We need a comprehensive dialogue with China," she said. "The strategic dialogue that was begun in the Bush administration turned into an economic dialogue."
In forging a more comprehensive approach, Clinton added, she will work with her colleagues in the White House, Treasury Department and elsewhere in the government.
However, Michael Green, former senior director for Asian affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, has warned that the establishment of a strategic dialogue between the U.S. vice president and the Chinese premier could unsettle some of Washington's allies.
"It creates the image of a bipolar condominium in Asia, which will be deeply unsettling for Japan, [South] Korea, Australia, India and other democratic allies and partners," Green said.
(Feb. 2, 2009)
Sunday, February 1, 2009
U.S. list of graves of 6,000 POWs found
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A list containing the names and burial sites of about 6,000 Japanese servicemen who died after being taken prisoner during the Pacific War has been found at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
It states that burial grounds are located across a wide area, with sites in places such as Hawaii, Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Okinawa Prefecture.
The list likely will prove valuable in efforts to find remains and identify people who died in war zones in southern areas of the Pacific War theater--places where little progress has been made so far in identifying remains.
The list was drawn up in March 1952 by an intelligence agency concerned with U.S. prisoners of war.
While there may be some duplication, the names of 5,979 Japanese servicemen and civilian military employees have been written in the Roman alphabet on the list.
The 400 or so page list details the unit, rank and POW number of each person, as well as the date and cause of death, and the name of the burial site. "Documents listing the burial grounds of POWs have never been found before," a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry official said.
Most of the burial grounds are located at U.S. military bases.
Volunteers at a Saga Prefecture-based nonprofit organization, the Association that Promotes Peace and Reverence for World War II Casualties, work to return the remains of the dead and their belongings to their families. In July last year, the association received a report from a resident of the Palo municipality on the Philippine island of Leyte that stated the "U.S. military buried Japanese soldiers [there]."
This prompted the association to request Nichimy, a Tokyo-based firm that deals with matters such as investigating U.S. military documentation, to look into the report.
Nichimy found the list after examining tens of thousands of documents, including battle reports from Leyte, at the archives between August and November last year. It also unearthed a map showing the locations of burial grounds in Palo.
The association plans to post the names and other listed details on its Web site and appeal for information. Association members also plan to visit Palo in April with the aim of finding the remains of servicemen who died after being taken prisoner.
(Feb. 1, 2009)
Nakagawa's ex-secretary reportedly made 6.6 mil. yen from shady deal
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A certified public accountant used part of the money he is alleged to have swindled the former Goodwill Group Inc. (GWG) out of to buy another company, helping a then secretary of former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa profit from his investment in the company, The Yomiuri Shimbun has found.
The cell phone research company, Mobile Judge, based in Minato Ward, Tokyo, was acquired at an unusually high price by the accountant, helping Nakagawa's former secretary, who sold his shares in the Tokyo company, to make a profit of 6.6 million yen.
A source close to the accountant told The Yomiuri Shimbun that the accountant and others believed it would help to have a connection with the former LDP secretary general.
In the previously reported fraud case, the 51-year-old accountant allegedly siphoned off about 18 billion yen from a total of 88.3 billion yen GWG paid the Corinthian Fund for a temporary staff agency in October 2006.
The accountant later set up the GW Fund using part of the 18 billion yen he took from the deal.
In July 2007, the accountant bought 301 shares in Mobile Judge using the new fund. He bought the shares at 600,000 yen each from seven individual stakeholders in the business at a total cost of 180.6 million yen, giving him a shareholding of 50.1 percent.
Mobile Judge had been set up in February that year with investment including that of Nakagawa's then secondary secretary.
When the firm was established, the government-paid secretary obtained 24 shares in it at 50,000 yen per share. He later earned a profit of 6.6 million yen by selling 12 of the shares at a time when the corporate value of the company had risen 12 times despite sales of only 1.26 million yen and a registered ordinary loss of 31.18 million yen.
The accountant claims he decided to acquire Mobile Judge despite the high price after hearing from the Tokyo company that it had unofficially been awarded business contracts under the government's Information Grand Voyage project.
However, a source close to the accountant admitted that helping the then secretary and other investors make a profit was one of the purposes of the corporate acquisition.
"If we can make a connection with a powerful politician's secretary by buying [the company], this will give us peace of mind should one of the companies we invest in get into trouble."
The Grand Voyage project was launched by the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry to revitalize the nation's information technology industry by assisting development of information search and analysis technology.
About three weeks after Mobile Judge approached the GW Fund asking it to acquire it, the company officially received an order for about 100 million yen to test an online poll system.
After this order, however, the company started to struggle.
In July last year, the accountant did a share swap of Mobile Judge's shares for those of another IT company. But this deal resulted in losses for both the accountant and other investors, because the IT firm went bankrupt about a month later. Mobile Judge itself also went out of business in November.
The secretary resigned as a government-paid secretary in February last year, and quit Nakagawa's office last month.
In a recent interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun, the former secretary said, "On a friend's recommendation, I bought the shares in Mobile Judge for investment purposes."
He added: "All I was told was that the company was working on projects with a promising future and that I'd be able to sell the company's shares at a high price. I don't even know which company [Mobile Judge] was sold to."
Nakagawa's office told The Yomiuri Shimbun: "These are just the personal dealings of a former secretary. But it's extremely regrettable that they have caused [public] misunderstanding."
(Feb. 1, 2009)
Lawmaker allegedly misappropriated secretary salaries
The Yomiuri Shimbun
YOKOHAMA--Part of salaries given to three state-paid secretaries for Tetsundo Iwakuni, a Democratic Party of Japan member of the House of Representatives, were used to pay salaries of other members of his staff, a former private secretary to the lawmaker said.
At a press conference at the Kanagawa prefectural government office last week, Yuji Hironaka, 28, said that a portion of the salaries for Iwakuni's state-paid secretaries had been used to pay the salaries of other staff, adding that his state-paid secretaries had been forced to "donate" part of their salaries to the legislator.
Hironaka had served as Iwakuni's private secretary from June to December.
Iwakuni had previously said he was retiring from politics after serving out his current term.
Regarding a 2007 annual income and expenditure report that included a 1.2 million yen contribution to Iwakuni from his chief public secretary, Hironaka said, "I heard [Iwakuni's chief public secretary] say, 'I was reluctant [to donate money to Iwakuni] but I had to, because [I felt pressured to do so].'"
"I believe the law on salaries paid to the secretaries of Diet members, which forbids the inducement of contributions from government-paid secretaries, was breached," Hironaka added.
In December, DPJ headquarters received a complaint from Iwakuni's secretaries about his failure to pay them bonuses.
"The salaries of the three government-paid secretaries were diverted and used to pay the salaries of seven staff including three additional staff members," Hironaka said.
When Hironaka and other private secretaries requested payment, Iwakuni reportedly told another of his public secretaries that such secretaries were just a formality and there was no need to pay them their full salaries.
Hironaka and another public secretary resigned in late December.
When questioned about the allegation, Iwakuni denied the allegations, saying they had been the result of a misunderstanding.
(Feb. 1, 2009)
Friday, January 30, 2009
Aso, Obama agree to hold summit soon
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Prime Minister Taro Aso agreed with U.S. President Barack Obama in a telephone talk Thursday to arrange through diplomatic channels a summit meeting soon, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The government hopes to realize the face-to-face talks before the April 2 meeting in London of leaders of the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging economies to discuss ways to deal with the global economic crisis.
According to the ministry, Aso talked with Obama in English for about 10 minutes without the help of an interpreter in the morning.
Aso congratulated Obama on his inauguration as president, and Obama expressed his gratitude, the ministry said. The leaders reportedly agreed to cooperate in dealing with issues including the global recession stemming from the U.S. financial crisis and fighting terrorism while working to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance.
Aso succeeded in obtaining a promise from Obama to cooperate on the issue of getting North Korea to give up its nuclear programs and the issue of the abduction of Japanese nationals to North Korea, the ministry said.
The two leaders also agreed that their countries should work together on dealing with global issues such as climate change, energy issues and aid to African countries.
(Jan. 30, 2009)
Ex-PCI execs found guilty of bribery
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Tokyo District Court on Thursday found former top officials of Pacific Consultants International (PCI) guilty of bribing a high-ranking official of the government of Vietnam in connection with an official Japanese government development assistance project in the country.
Presiding Judge Toshihiko Sonohara said, "The defendants could undermine the trust in our country's official development assistance (ODA) projects because they padded bills for contracts so they could use the extra revenue to hand out bribes."
The defendants had been charged with violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Law, which bans bribing foreign government officials. The defendants are former PCI board director Haruo Sakashita, 62; former PCI Managing Director Kunio Takasu, 66; former PCI Hanoi office chief Tsuneo Sakano, 59; and PCI as a corporate entity.
The court sentenced Sakashita to two years in prison, suspended for three years. Takasu was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for three years; Sakano was sentenced to 1-1/2 years in prison, suspended for three years; and PCI was fined 70 million yen. Prosecutors had sought 2-1/2 years imprisonment for Sakashita, two years imprisonment for Takasu and Sakano and a 100 million yen fine for PCI.
The PCI case follows another foreign government official bribery case in which former top officials at engineering company Kyudenko Corp. were given a summary order to pay fines by the Fukuoka Summary Court in 2007 for giving sets of golf clubs worth about 800,000 yen to high-ranking Philippine government officials. The result of the latest case marked the first time defendants were sentenced after prosecutors had sought a trial rather than a summary procedure over a bribery case involving a foreign government official.
According to the ruling, PCI had given Huynh Ngoc Si, director of Ho Chi Minh City's project management unit, bribes totaling about 2.43 million dollars (about 280 million yen based on exchange rates at the times the bribes were given) on seven occasions since about January 2002, in exchange for awarding consulting contracts to PCI in connection with trunk road construction projects in the city. The ruling pointed out that giving cash to foreign government officials had become a normal practice at the firm.
According to the ruling, Sakashita and other defendants gave Si 600,000 dollars (about 66 million yen) in bribes in December 2003 and 220,000 dollars (about 26 million yen) in bribes in August 2006.
Former PCI President Masayoshi Taga, 63, who had been indicted for the violation of the law and fraud, is now on trial separately from the other defendants.
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Vietnam plans to indict Si
By Norimasa Tahara
Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent
BANGKOK--Vietnamese authorities recognized allegations involving official development assistance-financed road construction projects in Ho Chi Minh City as a criminal case in December, and plan to indict Huynh Ngoc Si, the director of Ho Chi Minh City's projects management unit, on suspicion of receiving a large amount of money in bribes from Pacific Consultants International (PCI), according to sources.
According to sources close to the Vietnamese government, the country's prosecutors likely will carry forward procedures for Si's indictment based on the ruling in Japan.
In mid-November last year, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung mentioned the bribery allegations, saying that the country would deal with the case based on Vietnamese law. The remarks prompted the country's authorities to take action on the case.
About one week after the prime minister's remarks, the Ho Chi Minh City Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam suspended Si from duty, paving the way for authorities to investigate him. While Si is said to have been hospitalized due to health problems, the probe into the case is still under way, the sources said.
According to sources in Hanoi, Vietnam plans to take action over the case in accordance with Japan's request for it to settle the case by freezing some ODA projects.
It is highly likely that Si will be prosecuted.
(Jan. 30, 2009)
Tough calls await on antipiracy use of weapons
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The government embarked Wednesday on preparations to dispatch Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers to protect Japanese vessels and other ships connected with Japan from pirates in waters off Somalia, issuing an order for maritime policing operations, government officials said.
At the same time, the government is to come up with a new bill covering antipiracy measures. In either case, the issue of how weapons should be used will become a focal point.
The MSDF is likely to face tough decisions over the use of weapons on its antipiracy mission in waters off Somalia.
Prime Minister Taro Aso said Wednesday night at the Prime Minister's Office that it was a matter of course for the government to do its utmost to safeguard the lives and property of Japanese people.
"We'll prepare a formal legal framework [for antipiracy measures], but [until a new law is established], the MSDF will initiate maritime policing operations," he said.
The government will shortly dispatch a research mission to Djibouti and other littoral nations in the area to select ports for MSDF destroyers to call at, and will also start studying other concrete measures.
The government is likely to issue an order for maritime policing operations at the beginning of March after it maps out plans including guidelines for the escorting of ships and for MSDF antipiracy drills, the government officials said.
It hopes the antipiracy mission in waters off Somalia will have begun by the end of March, they said.
The maritime policing operation will be the third of its kind to be conducted by the MSDF, but the first in open seas.
Meanwhile, the government and ruling parties will start working on a new bill of antipiracy measures, with the aim of submitting it to the Diet at the beginning of March.
Under the regulations of maritime policing operations, the MSDF only limited use of weapons and is not allowed to protect foreign-registered vessels with no connection to Japan.
"Basically, MSDF antipiracy measures should be dealt with under a new law," Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Wednesday.
The ruling parties Wednesday held a meeting of an antipiracy project team and started looking into the content of the bill.
Regarding the use of weapons during maritime policing operations, the MSDF is allowed to shoot directly at pirate ships that ignore orders to stop within Japanese waters, according to the Japan Coast Guard Law.
However, in waters off Somalia, the MSDF will only be allowed to shoot directly at a pirate ship when it must defend itself from hostile fire or if it must embark on an emergency evacuation operation.
When a pirate ship approaches an MSDF destroyer, MSDF officers will have to make a tough call on whether they can shoot at the ship. The government and ruling parties plan to enable the MSDF to protect foreign-registered ships with no connection to Japan under the new law, the government officials said.
They are also to study relaxing restrictions on the use of weapons. But New Komeito Secretary General Kazuo Kitagawa showed a cautious stance during a press conference Wednesday, saying: "The possibility of an armed conflict arising with a pirate ship is small. [And should a pirate ship approach,] they are able to fire a warning shot."
(Jan. 30, 2009)
Boys find artillery shell, bring it to primary school
The Yomiuri Shimbun
NAHA--Two sixth-grade boys found an unexploded artillery shell on their way to Shonan Primary School in Haebarucho, Okinawa Prefecture, and brought it to the school's entrance, it has been learned.
According to the Ground Self-Defense Force's Naha base, the unexploded artillery shell is a U.S.-made 90mm shell with no fuse. The Naha base said that it could explode even though it does not have a fuse.
The two boys found the shell on the side of a road about 100 meters from the school at about 8 a.m. on Wednesday, picked it up and carried to a spot near the school's entrance, where they left it. They then told teachers about their finding, the school said. The teachers contacted the city board of education.
GSDF officers later arrived to disarm and remove the shell.
(Jan. 30, 2009)
Aso goes on defensive in policy speech
Aya Igarashi and Makoto Miura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers
Prime Minister Taro Aso cast aside the combative approach he exhibited immediately after taking office and embraced a strategy of defense when he delivered Wednesday's policy speech to the Diet.
The question remains, though, with this speech in which he vowed to make steady progress in implementing policies, can Aso effectively put a bad patch of difficulties in managing his administration behind him and regain the initiative in battling against the opposition camp?
During Aso's speech in the House of Representatives plenary session, the prime minister called for cooperation from the opposition parties while casting a look to his left toward the seats of opposition party members.
"What the public wants is not confrontation for the sake of it, but politics that quickly produces results," Aso said in the speech.
But Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa, seated toward the back of the hall, sat with his eyes tightly shut and registered no reaction to Aso's words. Aso looked calm as he finished his speech, but the applause from lawmakers around him was sparse.
In the policy speech he delivered in September soon after taking office as prime minister, Aso referred to the DPJ 12 times. He directed a string of questions at the DPJ to counter the position of the opposition camp and provoke it.
Four months later, this confrontational stance seems to have vanished.
During Wednesday's speech, Aso never mentioned the DPJ by name. He read from a prepared script in subdued tones except when he raised his voice to say, "I'm going to actively hold discussions with the opposition parties."
When reporters asked about the difference between the two speeches after Wednesday's Diet session, he coolly replied, "I've had no change of heart."
But it is obvious the dramatic changes in the political circumstances surrounding Aso over the past four months have led to a change in the style and content of his speeches.
When he delivered his previous policy speech last autumn, Aso planned to quickly dissolve the lower house for a general election. Accordingly, ruling party members were sure to unconditionally shower the prime minister with praise for openly expressing a hostile attitude toward opposition parties, since he would be the face of the Liberal Democratic Party in the election.
But Aso later decided to postpone the dissolution of the lower house due to the worldwide financial crisis. Furthermore, due to repeated slips of the tongue by the prime minister, the Aso Cabinet's approval ratings in Yomiuri Shimbun surveys has halved from 49.5 percent at the time of its launch to 20.4 percent.
Yoshimi Watanabe, a former state minister for administrative reform who recently bolted from the LDP, reacted to the latest speech, saying, "I sense he's even lost the power to provoke [the opposition parties], with his approval ratings as low as they are."
Securing a recovery of his Cabinet's approval ratings will not be an easy task for the prime minister. For the time being, all he can do is wait for an opportunity to go on the offensive, while emphasizing his reformist credentials by forging ahead with civil service and other reforms, and through smooth diplomatic activity.
Recently, Aso has placed particular importance on administrative reform.
In Wednesday's speech, Aso showed his enthusiasm about administrative reform by saying, "As I'm going to ask the public to take on a larger burden, it goes as a precondition that we should steadily implement administrative reforms and thoroughly eliminate wasteful government spending."
As Aso plans to raise the consumption tax rate in fiscal 2011, he believes he will not be able to win public support for the move unless he clearly shows his determination to carry out reform and provide a road map to that end.
Aso also hopes this strategy will counter the DPJ, which is likely to make reform of the nation's bureaucracy an election pledge.
But a government source said that implementing administrative reform runs the risk of becoming a "double-edged sword" for Aso.
By the end of the month, Aso plans to compile a timetable of public servant system reforms to be tackled by 2012 and to submit related bills to the Diet by the end of March.
However, the National Personnel Authority has refused to transfer its functions to a new cabinet-controlled entity in charge of personnel and management affairs relating to public servants, apparently judging Aso's political influence to be on the wane.
(Jan. 30, 2009)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
MSDF told to prepare for mission off Somalia
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The government on Wednesday formally decided to dispatch Maritime Self-Defense Force ships to protect Japanese vessels and other ships carrying Japanese nationals or cargo from pirates in waters off Somalia, government officials said.
Following a meeting of the Security Council of Japan held at the Prime Minister's Office, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada ordered the MSDF to prepare for the antipiracy mission under Article 82 of the Self-Defense Forces Law, the officials said.
The government and the ruling parties have defined the latest move as an emergency measure and are eyeing the establishment of a new law regarding general antipiracy measures.
They plan to submit a bill to the Diet in the beginning of March to enable the MSDF to conduct an antipiracy mission off Somalia, according to the officials.
"I want you to prepare for the mission and thoroughly fulfill your duty," Hamada told Takashi Saito, head of the SDF's Joint Staff Office, and Keiji Akahoshi, MSDF chief of staff, on Wednesday morning.
The government plans to create rules of engagement for MSDF units containing guidelines for escorting ships, dealing with pirates and regulations on the use of weapons and other related matters, the officials said.
To prepare for the mission, the MSDF will choose two destroyers to be dispatched and will carry out antipiracy exercises. The MSDF also will set up an improved system of communication between escort vessels and the ministry.
Following these preparations, the government likely will approve an order to be issued by the defense minister to initiate maritime policing operations at a Cabinet meeting in the beginning of March. This will enable the dispatch of MSDF ships to waters off Somalia.
MSDF officials are expected to begin the mission by the end of March, they said.
The two destroyers will protect Japanese-registered vessels, foreign-registered vessels run by Japanese operators and foreign-registered vessels that carry Japanese nationals or Japanese cargo.
The Construction and Transport Ministry is expected to select the vessels to be protected, giving due consideration to the importance of each vessel.
The destroyers will be authorized to issue orders to stop to pirate ships and conduct on-the-spot inspections as the need arises.
The Police Duties Execution Law will be applied regarding the use of weapons by MSDF officials.
(Jan. 29, 2009)
FLAGGING JAPAN-U.S. ALLIANCE / Unceasing effort vital for mutual trust
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The following is the last installment of a three-part series on the future of Japan-U.S. security relations in the wake of the inauguration of the new U.S. administration of President Barack Obama.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
When the major opposition Democratic Party of Japan held a party convention Jan. 18, Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima delivered a congratulatory speech as a guest of honor.
In the speech, she spoke enthusiastically about the importance of a joint struggle by opposition parties against the ruling camp.
Fukushima, however, abruptly changed the subject in the speech, saying, "Our party is against the idea of sending Self-Defense Forces personnel for the purpose of battling pirates off Somalia."
She went on to say, "We're determined to say No to that idea even if legislation is passed to pave the way for such SDF dispatches overseas," adding, "This is because nothing should be considered more precious than human lives."
It appeared most DPJ members attending the convention were put off by the SDP leader's remarks.
There are many DPJ lawmakers who have been pointing out the need for this country to work out and implement measures to handle the piracy issue.
In a press conference after the DPJ convention, party President Ichiro Ozawa, in reply to a question about Fukushima's remarks, said he thought it necessary for Japan to take some sort of antipiracy steps, adding quickly: "The issue of whether the SDF should be used [for helping solve the piracy problem] is a separate matter." Many in the political world are concerned that if a ruling coalition were formed as a result of the next general election, debates on Japan's contribution to the international community by means of SDF activities would most likely become hopelessly mired.
The current ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, for that matter, has fallen short of swiftly handling measures relating to the nation's security.
Regarding what countermeasures Japan should take against the Somali pirates, New Komeito has remained wary about plans to send Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to the waters in question, as the LDP's junior ruling coalition partner has conventionally been skeptical about deploying SDF troops overseas.
Those Liberal Democrats whose opinion carry weight on defense issues, including Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, have taken a negative attitude toward the government-proposed dispatch of MSDF vessels to the waters off Somalia, because they are dissatisfied with the limitations that have currently been imposed on the use of weapons by SDF members in the event of a contingency.
The result is that Japan has lagged behind China and South Korea in tackling the problem of Somali pirates.
Given that the international community, especially the United States, has been urging Japan to expand its role in making contributions to the common good, the combination of either the LDP and New Komeito or the DPJ and SDP seem wobbly when it comes to the need to deal with security issues without delay.
The new administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, meanwhile, has dramatically transformed U.S. defense policy, as epitomized by the president's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.
As far as Japan-related security issues such as realignment of U.S. forces in this country are concerned, Washington is expected to follow its conventional approach, partly because Robert Gates has retained the post of defense secretary he held in the administration of President George W. Bush.
In dealing with the issue of relocating functions of U.S. Marines' Futenma Air Station in the densely populated city of Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, to Camp Schwab in the prefecture, for instance, it is quite unlikely that the United States will accept the demand from the Okinawa prefectural government for having two planned runways in the camp built further off the coast than agreed upon by the Japanese and U.S. governments in 2006.
Worthy of note in this connection is that James Jones, national security adviser to Obama, is on record as saying in 2001 when he was commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, in response to Japanese government requests to ease the burden of the presence of U.S. forces on Okinawa Prefecture, that most major maneuvers of the U.S. forces had already been carried out "in areas other than Okinawa."
Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima, who made a trip to the United States shortly after the turn of the year, told a press conference in Washington on Jan. 9, "I have conveyed our view to the U.S. side that its refusal to move the runways even an inch further off the coast can never be accepted."
Should Okinawa Prefecture remain dead set against the 2006 Japan-U.S. accord on the Futenma relocation plans to the extent of having the entire program for the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan start again from scratch, the mutual trust between Japan and the United States--the core of the bilateral alliance--will be imperiled.
The Japan-U.S. alliance marks its 50th anniversary next year.
As demonstrated by the historical fact that the Anglo-Japanese Alliance that was effected in 1902 was invalidated about two decades later in 1923, there can be no guarantee of the Tokyo-Washington pact persisting perpetually.
Constant effort on both sides is a prerequisite for ensuring the pact continues.
The wisdom and magnanimity of the two countries are now being tested.
(Jan. 29, 2009)
ANALYSIS / Aso policy speech unpersuasive
Kohei Kawashima / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
In his first policy speech during the ordinary Diet session, Prime Minister Taro Aso emphasized his determination to come up with economic stimulus measures. But by failing to present a specific course of action to achieve his policy aims--including how to quickly achieve consensus in the divided Diet--his words lacked persuasiveness.
While drafting the policy speech, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura recommended that Aso quote historical events so the speech would be favorably compared with U.S. President Barack Obama's recent inauguration speech, in which the new president quoted Thomas Paine--considered an ideological pillar of U.S. independence.
However, Aso did not take this advice and instead decided to deliver a short, punchy speech, limiting its length to about 8,470 characters in an attempt to convey his messages in a series of concise phrases.
Aso's was the second-shortest policy speech since 1982, when then Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki delivered a speech about 7,400 characters long.
Aso expressed his determination to adopt policies to prop up the economy, quoting specific figures, such as economic stimulus measures worth 75 trillion yen. He also vowed to create jobs for 1.6 million people.
However, these goals will not be easy to achieve in the present economic climate.
The draft policy address had stated that drastic tax reforms, including changes to the consumption tax, would be implemented from fiscal 2011. However, the original wording was watered down to "legislative measures [necessary for the tax reforms] will be taken by fiscal 2011," in light of objections to raising the consumption tax within the Liberal Democratic Party.
Though the prime minister intends to incorporate the consumption tax hike in his policy manifesto for the upcoming House of Representatives election, observers say it will be extremely difficult to coordinate opinions within the ruling party.
In contrast to September's policy address, when he adopted a confrontational stance against the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, Aso's latest speech called for cooperation from the DPJ, saying, "The public wants policymakers to act swiftly."
However, despite the intensifying confrontation between the ruling parties and the opposition bloc, the prime minister has yet to present concrete measures to promote levelheaded deliberations in the Diet and achieve a consensus between the two sides.
In addition to a strong message, such as his statement, "I won't run away [from difficulties]," at the end of the policy address, Aso also will need a slew of carefully considered strategies.
(Jan. 29, 2009)
MSDF antipiracy dispatch faces questions
Hidemichi Katsumata Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer
Although an outline of operational guidelines for a Maritime Self-Defense Force antipiracy mission off Somalia has been revealed, questions remain over the planned dispatch of MSDF vessels under the Self-Defense Forces Law.
For example, the law does not allow the MSDF to safeguard foreign ships carrying cargo unrelated to Japan if it initiates maritime patrol operations under Article 82.
"We aren't going to get rid of all the pirates," said an MSDF senior official. "But we'll deter pirate attacks and ensure the security of Japan-related ships."
The government needs to set guidelines on what kind of specific activities MSDF personnel will be permitted to carry out and the degree to which they will be involved in policing activities.
"We understand our task," the official added.
The outline was put together through discussions between MSDF officials and The Japanese Shipowners' Association, which is led by President Hiroyuki Maekawa, who also is the president of Kawasaki Kisen Ltd. The outline features a convoy system in which commercial ships will be accompanied by two MSDF vessels--one in front and one behind.
According to the outline, the MSDF also plans to allow merchant ships to be escorted by its destroyers. In this type of convoy, ships will sail in a line at intervals of one nautical mile (about 1.8 kilometers). If the number of ships to be protected totals six or seven, the length of a convoy--including MSDF destroyers--will stretch for 10 nautical miles. The MSDF therefore also plans to study the feasibility of a two-line convoy system, sources said.
However, commercial ships are not accustomed to sailing in convoys and have no experience traveling with destroyers.
In addition, most Japan-related vessels are ships owned by subsidiaries of Japanese companies. Few of the ships to have escorts are likely to be Japanese-registered vessels and commercial ships with Japanese crew members.
Most crew members of Japan-related ships are Filipinos and Malaysians. This has raised concern over communication in the event of an emergency.
===
Choppers to play part
Destroyer-borne helicopters are likely to play a significant role in surveillance activities for the convoys.
The helicopters will be equipped with 7.62-millimeter machine guns, and members of the MSDF's Special Boarding Unit will aboard. When an MSDF destroyer spots a suspected pirate ship, it will warn the pirate ship via radio not to approach the convoy.
"If [the ship] doesn't continue to approach the convoy, the MSDF will ignore the unidentified ship and concentrate on escorting the convoy," one MSDF senior official said. "But if the warning is ignored, we'll fire warning shots."
Pirates are usually armed with automatic rifles. But some of their ships are equipped with antitank rockets with ranges that reportedly exceed one kilometer. Therefore, MSDF destroyers will need to fire warning shots to prevent unidentified ships from entering an area within one nautical mile of a convoy.
The MSDF plans to use helicopters' machine guns and destroyers' main guns to fire warning shots. However, the shots are likely to bounce, depending on sea surface conditions.
"A warning shot should be fired when an unidentified ship comes within at least 2,000 to 3,000 meters of a convoy," an MSDF official said.
Ten years ago, the MSDF fired warning shots against North Korean-spy vessels off the Noto Peninsula at a distance of three kilometers.
===
Convoys to protect specific ships
In the current circumstances, Japanese and Japan-related ships sailing through the Gulf of Aden try to ensure their safety by sailing close to convoys with military escorts from France or other countries.
Once the MSDF begins its antipiracy mission, it is likely many foreign ships will adopt the same tactic.
Article 82 of the law, on which the MSDF antipiracy dispatch is based, stipulates that ships the MSDF can protect are limited to:
-- Japanese-registered ships.
-- Foreign-registered ships operated and controlled by Japanese shipping companies.
-- Foreign-registered ships carrying cargo being transported to Japan.
The Defense Ministry will receive a notice issued by the Japanese Shipowners' Association and conveyed by the Construction and Transport Ministry about each ship to be escorted by the MSDF prior to its departure for pirate-infested waters.
The MSDF is not allowed to protect ships that are not Japanese or Japan-related. If such ships are attacked by pirates within the range of the MSDF, the MSDF flotilla will dispatch a helicopter to contact other countries' naval fleets and ask them to rescue the ship.
The inadequacy of current laws affects how the MSDF fleet will handle foreign ships.
"There's a limit on what we can do under the current laws," said a senior MSDF officer. "I want the government to properly explain to the public what the MSDF can and can't do."
"During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Navy could not protect the nation's transport convoys," said another senior MSDF officer. "We have to regain the trust of the shipping industry, which was lost during the war."
The first MSDF commercial vessel escort mission is significant because it could serve as a way to clean this historical taint.
(Jan. 29, 2009)
MSDF flotilla to engage in deterrence, warning
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Currently, about 20 countries and organizations are dispatching naval ships and aircraft for antipiracy missions off Somalia. However, there is no central headquarters controlling the participating nations' activities.
After an incident in November in which an Indian Navy warship working alone sunk a Thai fishing boat, the U.S. and British navies established a joint mission unit in January.
As a result, a certain degree of uniformity was imposed on the participating countries, whose chains of command had diverged widely.
Naval actions are categorized into levels ranging from zero to three. Level zero is to deter pirates; Level 1 is to fire warning shots; Level 2 is to capture pirates; and Level 3 is to kill pirates.
A senior MSDF officer said actions on levels 2 and 3 are primarily conducted by the U.S. and British fleets. It is the reason why the MSDF's patrol guidelines prioritize deterrent actions and warning shots.
The participating countries' activities are roughly divided in terms of methods.
One is that naval warships escort commercial vessels by forming a convoy. Another is that warships and aircraft patrol areas of the Gulf of Aden, where piracy attacks often have occurred.
France and China practice the former method, while the United States, Britain, Denmark and Germany utilize the latter.
The European Union's naval fleet, which will soon start full-fledged activities, will protect commercial ships in convoy while also flying patrol aircraft.
According to the Defense Ministry's data, two Chinese Navy ships dispatched in December have been forming convoys with commercial vessels in the same way as the MSDF's guideline. On Jan. 12, the warships escorted four China-related commercial vessels, including a Taiwanese one.
The French Navy lets its special forces personnel board commercial vessels as a charged service, in addition to the fleet's convoy escorting.
The Gulf of Aden, which connects Europe with the Middle East and Asia via Egypt's Suez Canal, stretches about 2,000 kilometers from east to west.
The size of the sea area is close to that of the entire Japanese archipelago, from Hokkaido to Kyushu. About 20,000 ships per year sail through the gulf.
One convoy escort mission takes about three days. The MSDF fleet will continue activities while procuring supplies at nearby ports.
Though a new law is essential to allow the MSDF to cope with emergencies involving pirate attacks on foreign ships, Masahisa Sato, a House of Councillors member of the Liberal Democratic Party said he foresees no immediate problem on that point after he visited the gulf on an inspection tour.
"The participating countries were occupied by actions to protect their own countries' or related vessels. For now, Japan will not be criticized even if the MSDF flotilla escort only Japanese and Japan-related ships," he said.
(Jan. 29, 2009)
POLITICAL PULSE / Foggy seas ahead for MSDF
Tetsuya Harada
The government will send the Maritime Self-Defense Force to waters off Somalia to deal with rampant piracy there, based on the current Self-Defense Forces Law.
The MSDF's mission is in line with the actions of other major countries that have launched antipiracy operations in waters off Somalia where more than 100 pirate attacks were reported in 2008 alone.
The government plans to submit to the current Diet session a bill that would enable the MSDF to clamp down on piracy.
But in view of the urgent need for action in addressing the threat of piracy, the government has decided to invoke a maritime policing provision of the SDF law to send the MSDF at once.
Given that the planned mission will be legally restricted to protecting only Japanese-flagged vessels, flag-of-convenience vessels owned or operated by Japanese firms, and those carrying Japanese nationals or cargo, and the use of arms will be limited to cases of self-defense and emergency escape, concern has been expressed about the effectiveness of the mission.
Prime Minister Taro Aso met with Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada on Friday to confirm that the maritime policing provision of the SDF law would be invoked to provide a legal basis to dispatch MSDF destroyers to waters off Somalia.
With the green light given to the dispatch by the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, New Komeito, on Tuesday, the defense chief ordered the MSDF to start preparatory work the following day.
If things go smoothly, a dispatch order will be issued in or after late February so that the MSDF will be able to start antipiracy activities in late March.
Initially, it was considered difficult to send the MSDF to Somalia because there were so many constraints involved. In August, then Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura of the administration of former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda expressed a negative view of the plan and told Aso, who was a strong advocate of the plan at that time, to think twice about the matter.
A big factor behind the turning of the tide in favor of the dispatch was Aso succeeding Fukuda as prime minister in September.
Hamada had persistently expressed reluctance about the plan, but Aso reportedly won over Hamada by asserting that Japan should do as much as it could.
The change of momentum is also attributable to the fact that the international situation has changed to favor calls for taking action against pirates.
U.S. President Barack Obama has called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and stressed the importance of antiterrorism efforts in Afghanistan since before he took office.
Thus attention increasingly has been focused on antipiracy measures that are connected with antiterrorism operations in the Indian Ocean. Moreover, China already has dispatched warships to the seas off Somalia, and South Korea plans to do so.
"Such a development put Japan in a position in which it is no longer allowed to remain uncommitted," a Foreign Ministry official said.
But many Defense Ministry officials expressed deep concern about the safety of MSDF operations because of the restrictions on the use of weapons.
Weapons can be used to fire warning shots when pirate vessels refuse to comply with an order to stop and to return fire when pirates shoot at an MSDF vessel.
These restrictions are very different from international rules on use of weapons that permit a preemptive attack in the pursuit of fulfilling a mission against pirates when attacks are judged imminent.
In the case of the Self-Defense Forces, they are not permitted to engage in preemptive attacks because the Constitution is interpreted as prohibiting the use of force overseas.
Since the SDF was first sent overseas to take part in U.N. peacekeeping operations in Cambodia in 1992, it has been dispatched overseas several times, including for operations in the Indian Ocean and Iraq, but dispatched SDF troops have never had occasion to fire their weapons.
This is partly because SDF personnel have never been deployed to really dangerous areas.
But the primary reason is because they are not allowed to open fire except in self-defense.
The planned MSDF mission off Somalia will mark the SDF's first full-fledged protection mission.
A high-ranking Defense Ministry official pointed out that the personnel sent to waters off Somalia could become involved in combat, saying: "The [planned] antipiracy operations off Somalia will not engage in such battles as were waged in Iraq, but there will be a higher possibility of the mission being involved in an exchange of fire than in Iraq." Such a concern was behind the cautious stance toward the dispatch plan taken by Hamada until the final moment.
Ships to be protected from pirate attacks by MSDF vessels are limited. But it will be difficult to specify which ships to protect in actual operations. How will the MSDF respond if a foreign ship is attacked when it is not confirmed whether Japanese are on board?
A Defense Ministry official said, "There would be no alternative but for an MSDF ship to cut in to serve as a shield."
At any rate, MSDF destroyers will have to navigate through foggy seas.
Harada is a deputy political news editor of The Yomiuri Shimbun..
(Jan. 29, 2009)
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