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The Yomiuri Shimbun
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda decided Thursday that he would reshuffle his Cabinet on Friday, according to sources.
Fukuda is to make a final decision on what would be the first reshuffle under his administration after meeting with New Komeito leader Akihiro Ota on Friday morning.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura likely will remain in his current position, the sources said.
The reshuffle is expected to be drastic, with more than half of Cabinet members likely to be replaced, according to the sources.
The prime minister also intends to reshuffle key Liberal Democratic Party posts whose terms expire in September.
Fukuda, who is suffering from low Cabinet approval ratings, made his decision to reshuffle the Cabinet under pressure from LDP members, the sources said.
But observers warn that if the reshuffle fails to boost his administration, there could be calls from New Komeito members and other lawmakers for him to step down.
Fukuda told reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday night: "I've had a number of thoughts [about the reshuffle] and have [some ideas] in mind."
"In Friday's meeting [with Ota], I'd like to have talks on the political schedule in the near future and other matters. I'm going to decide everything there," Fukuda said. "What's on the agenda is how to tackle policy issues, so I'd like to talk [with Ota] on things such as what framework we should have," he added.
Machimura and Fukuda held talks for nearly two hours at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday night.
New Komeito likely will retain one post in the Cabinet, sources said, adding that the party is set to seek the replacement of Construction and Transport Minister Tetsuzo Fuyushiba.
(Aug. 1, 2008)
Yoshinari Kurose Yomiuri, Shimbun Correspondent
WASHINGTON--The U.S. Board of Geographic Names reversed its change of the sovereign status of the disputed Takeshima islets from "nondesignated sovereignty" to "South Korea" on its Web site in response to strong opposition from Seoul, a White House Asia adviser said Wednesday.
Dennis Wilder, the U.S. National Security Council's senior director for Asian affairs, said President George W. Bush instructed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to reconsider the earlier nondesignated sovereignty determination.
The United States has concluded there was no appropriate reason at this time to change the listing of the islets from "South Korea" to "nondesignated sovereignty," prompting the latest change.
According to news reports from South Korea, South Korean Ambassador to the United States Lee Tae Sik directly asked Bush on Tuesday to reverse the board's designation change.
The South Korean government indicated it would bring up the issue during a summit meeting between South Korean President Lee Myung Bak and Bush, scheduled to be held in Seoul on Wednesday.
When it was discovered the U.S. board had changed the islets' listing from "South Korea" to "nondesignated sovereignty" on its Web site, South Korea carried out a military training exercise in the sea around the islets Wednesday to express its opposition to the change.
The earlier change was expected to prompt South Koreans to stage large rallies during Bush's visit.
Bush is believed to have made the move to calm Seoul's reaction by respecting its intentions ahead of his South Korean tour. He also realizes a good relationship between the United States and South Korea is indispensable in dealing with the North Korean nuclear development issue.
Wilder said Washington did not take either the Japanese or South Korean side over sovereignty disputes, adding the United States believes the two countries should make diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue.
Both Japan and South Korea are U.S. allies in East Asia.
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Machimura: We won't overreact
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Tokyo has taken a calm approach to the redesignation. Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said in a press conference Thursday m orning: "We shouldn't overreact to what one U.S. government organization does. W e don't consider the redesignation of the islets' status on the board's Web s ite to represent a change of stance by Washington [over the territorial d ispute]." Machimura denied any plans by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to ask for Bush to c hange the listing again.
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Seoul welcomes redesignation
Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent
SEOUL--South Korean President Lee Myung Bak's spokesman Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday released a written comment welcoming the reversing of the designation of the disputed Takeshima islets -- known as Dokdo in South Korea -- on the U.S. Board of Geographic Names Web site. The statement said: "[The change is] the result of restored Korea-U.S. alliance and trust between the two nations. The unexpectedly swift action can be attributed in particular to President George W. Bush's understanding of the sentiment of the Korean people and the profound trust and friendship between the presidents of the two nations."
(Aug. 1, 2008)
Jul 31 01:45 PM US/Eastern
TOKYO, Aug. 1 (AP) - (Kyodo) — Defense equipment trader Yamada Corp. transmitted a total of about $100,000, or 10 million yen, in 2006 to Naoki Akiyama, a senior official of a Foreign Ministry-linked organization arrested last week on tax evasion charges, sources familiar with the case said Thursday.
Prosecutors suspect Yamada sent the cash to thank Akiyama, 58, for supporting negotiations with M Ship Co., a San Diego-based military equipment manufacturer, over a sales agent contract for high-speed vessels, which the U.S. company said it has not signed, the sources said.
The prosecutors also suspect that the cash may have been concealed income for Akiyama, executive director of the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange, who is known to be well-connected to politicians and defense contractors both in Japan and the United States, they said.
It was also found that a former senior U.S. official close to Akiyama called M Ship in advance to introduce Yamada to the U.S. company, according to the sources.
Akiyama visited M Ship in 2006 with executives of Yamada International Corp., a U.S. subsidiary of Yamada, for negotiations over the sale of high-speed vessels suitable for operations in coastal areas, the sources said.
M Ship admitted it had received a call from the former senior U.S. official, a director of Akiyama's Japan-U.S. center.
M Ship said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Yamada for market research in Japan, but that it has not signed an agent contract with the Japanese company.
Prosecutors have been investigating Akiyama on suspicion of tax evasion which has emerged as part of investigations into a high- profile bribery scandal involving former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya and Yamada.
Thu Jul 31, 1:08 PM ET
TOKYO (AFP) - The US Navy has fired the captain of the first US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be stationed abroad after a fire onboard hurt dozens of sailors and raised alarm in host Japan.
The USS George Washington is set to arrive in late September in Yokosuka, a naval hub near Tokyo, despite public protests in the only nation to have suffered nuclear attack.
The US Navy, releasing details of an investigation, said that a fire in May in waters off South America was caused when crew smoked near improperly stored flammable liquids.
A Navy statement on Wednesday said it was relieving Captain David C. Dykhoff as commanding officer due to "a loss of confidence in his ability to command and his failure to meet mission requirements and readiness standards."
One sailor suffered first- and second-degree burns, while another 37 were treated for minor injuries, the Navy said.
The carrier needed 70 million dollars in repairs at a dockyard in San Diego, delaying its arrival in Japan, it said.
US diplomats and military officials visited the Japanese foreign ministry Thursday to explain the incident and said that the fire did not affect the safety of the nuclear equipment.
Shinichi Nishimiya, head of the North American affairs section, said he regarded the US investigation as "thorough and objective," according to a foreign ministry statement.
He said the punishment against the commanding officer showed US sincerity in enforcing discipline, although he urged US officials to take measures to prevent another incident, the statement said.
Japan agreed to accept the USS George Washington despite objections from residents around the Yokosuka base either opposed to nuclear weapons in principle or concerned about nuclear accidents.
Japan relies on nuclear technology for one-third of its electricity needs but has seen a series of accidents at plants that have dented confidence in safety.
The USS George Washington will replace the diesel USS Kitty Hawk, which is being retired from service.
The United States argued that it must deploy its best carrier in Yokosuka due to East Asia's tense security situation.
The United States, which dropped two atom bombs on Japan at the end of World War II, is now the closest ally of the Asian economic power and deploys more than 40,000 troops in the country.
But relations have recently been strained by a series of crimes committed by US servicemen in Japan.
By Channel NewsAsia's Korea Bureau Chief Lim Yun Suk
Posted: 31 July 2008 2233 hrs
SEOUL : As tension heightens between South Korea and Japan over the disputed islands - called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japan - the battle has moved on to the Internet.
Netizens from both countries have started to wage war against one another to defend the islets claimed by both sides.
Japanese web users accused the Koreans of claiming the islands illegally, but the Koreans fought back, saying that it was all based on false facts. And Korean netizens said they are not stopping here.
VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea), a civic group with more than 15,000 members in Korea and abroad, is planning to create a handbook explaining the facts and South Korea's views on the disputed island, in several languages.
The handbooks will be distributed for free to all netizens around the world.
"We can reach areas that are not accessible to embassies and diplomats. So we can actively spread the information about Dokdo to more places and people," said Im Hyun Sook, a researcher at VANK.
The South Korean government is being criticised for not doing enough to promote the island as a South Korean territory, and there are rising concerns that Japan is doing a better job in claiming its right to the island.
However, South Korean netizens are determined not to give in, and will keep fighting until they claim victory. - CNA /ls
Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, August 1, 2008
The USS Kitty Hawk pulled into Pearl Harbor on Tuesday after finishing its last exercise before a scheduled decommissioning, the U.S. Navy said.
The aircraft carrier stood in for the USS George Washington, which could not participate in July’s Rim of the Pacific, the largest naval exercise in the world, due to a recent fire.
The 47-year-old Kitty Hawk was part of Task Force 170 and served as a command platform during the RIMPAC exercise, the Navy said.
The aircraft carrier will now head back to the States for decommissioning next year.
The Navy had planned to turn over all Kitty Hawk duties to the George Washington during a June ceremony in Pearl Harbor, but the plan was delayed when a fire damaged electrical cabling and components in about 80 of the aircraft carrier’s 3,800 spaces.
The George Washington is being repaired in San Diego and could still reach Yokosuka, Japan, to replace the Kitty Hawk by early fall, Navy officials have said.
About 20 to 30 foreign military servicemembers worked aboard the Kitty Hawk as liaison officers during the exercise, the Navy said.
Overall, more than a dozen nations — 35 ships, six submarines, more than 150 aircraft and over 20,000 servicemembers — participated in the 21st biennial RIMPAC, according to the Navy.
Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, August 1, 2008
NAHA, Okinawa — A 34-year-old American civilian employee on Camp Foster was sentenced Wednesday to two years in a Japanese prison, suspended for three years, for smoking marijuana and inhaling a stimulant.
James R. Biggins, a GS-5 ranked civilian employee for the Installation Personnel Administrative Center, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to the charges. Japanese police confiscated 0.28 ounces of marijuana from Biggins’ Ginowan home and arrested him on June 12. The raid followed the arrest of a suspected Japanese drug dealer.
Judge Toru Miyao said the court decided to suspend the sentence because Biggins showed remorse and it considered that Biggins has a wife and three children to support.
Whether Biggins will continue to work at Camp Foster is still to be determined, officials said.
Biggins will be subject to an administrative hearing or a review by the command to determine his future on Okinawa, spokesman 1st Lt. Judd Wilson said in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes on Wednesday.
No hearing dates were announced.
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