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FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6268
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
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RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
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RHMFIUU/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA PRIORITY
INFO RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 8017
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1902
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UNCLAS TOKYO 005218
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR I/RF, PA/PR/FPC/W, IIP/G/EA, EAP/PD, R/MR,
EAP/J, EAP/P, PM;
USTR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE;
TREASURY FOR OASIA/IMI;
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA;
CP BUTLER OKINAWA FOR AREA FIELD OFFICE;
PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO JA
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION Q FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 -
TOKYO
LEAD STORIES: All six Tuesday morning papers gave top
coverage to memorial services for the 9/11 victims held
in New York and other places Monday. Most papers said in
inside-page reports that in Tokyo, Ambassador Schieffer
led a memorial ceremony held Monday evening in front of
the US Embassy.
1. There were no immediate editorials or commentaries
concerning memorial services held throughout the US and
elsewhere in the world.
2. "Five years After 9/11: Where is bin Laden" The top-
circulation, moderate Yomiuri's Washington correspondent
Sakamoto wrote (9/12): "Although Tuesday marked the fifth
anniversary of 9/11, the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden,
believed to be the leader of the international terrorist
group al-Qaeda, remain unknown. According to the
Washington Post, the USG has not obtained information
that could help lead to the arrest of bin Laden in more
than two years, making Americans increasingly pessimistic
about the possibility.
3. "Meanwhile, al-Qaeda's number-two man Ayman al-
Zawahiri appeared in a video posted on the Internet
Sunday, showing that he was in good health and warning of
new terrorist attacks. The Washington Post attributed the
failure to locate bin Laden to the CIA's inability to
penetrate al-Qaeda and the declining interest in tracking
him down on the part of the Pakistani government, which
recently concluded a truce with the Taliban-affiliated
groups."
4. "Islamic Forces Gaining Strength" The business-
oriented Nihon Keizai commented (9/12): "It is not only
the United States that has changed after 9/11. A backlash
against the US attempt to eradicate terrorism through
force is spreading from the Middle East, with Islamic
parties gaining strength in national assemblies in
Turkey, Morocco, Kuwait, Jordan, and elsewhere. This
development is deeply altering international relations,
drawing Europe, Russia, and China in as well."
SCHIEFFER