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Cablegate: Daily Summary of Japanese Press 06/20/07-1

Published: Wed 20 Jun 2007 08:22 AM
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PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #2784/01 1710822
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 200822Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4668
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/USDOJ WASHDC PRIORITY
RULSDMK/USDOT WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5//
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMHBA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI
RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA//
RUALSFJ/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA//J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/CTF 72
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 4052
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 1633
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 5208
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 0769
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 2465
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 7509
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 3560
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 4677
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 TOKYO 002784
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR E, P, EB, EAP/J, EAP/P, EAP/PD, PA
WHITE HOUSE/NSC/NEC; JUSTICE FOR STU CHEMTOB IN ANTI-TRUST DIVISION;
TREASURY/OASIA/IMI/JAPAN; DEPT PASS USTR/PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE;
SECDEF FOR JCS-J-5/JAPAN,
DASD/ISA/EAPR/JAPAN; DEPT PASS ELECTRONICALLY TO USDA
FAS/ITP FOR SCHROETER; PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR;
CINCPAC FLT/PA/ COMNAVFORJAPAN/PA.
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA
SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 06/20/07-1
INDEX:
(1) Poll on political attitude 2
ARTICLE:
(1) Poll on political attitude
ASAHI (Page 18) (Full)
June 19, 2007
Questions & Answers
(Figures shown in % age)
Q: To what extent are you interested in Japan's politics now?
Very interested 31
Somewhat interested 51
Not very interested 16
Not interested at all 2
Q: Do you trust Japan's politics?
Trust very much 2
Trust somewhat 39
Don't trust very much 49
Don't trust at all 9
Q: Would you like Japan's politics to change?
Would like it to change very much 44
Would like it to change somewhat 48
Wouldn't like it to change very much 6
Wouldn't like to change at all 0
Q: What's your view of politics now?
It's inseparable from my daily life and job 62
It's not very related to my daily life and job 34
Q: Do you think politics must be interesting?
Yes 27
No 67
Q: Do you think politics is a drama?
Yes 18
No 78
Q: Do you think politics now is like a TV wide show?
Yes 54
No 39
Q: Which one between national politics and local politics are you
more interested in?
National politics 55
Local politics 37
Q: Which one between national politics and local politics do you
think affects your daily life greatly?
TOKYO 00002784 002 OF 007
National politics 52
Local politics 38
Q: Which election are you most interested in?
Gubernatorial election 19
Mayoral election 17
House of Representatives election 34
House of Councillors election 2
Prefectural assembly election 4
Municipal assembly election 14
Q: Yubari City, now a failed entity saddled with a huge amount of
debts, is trying to turn its finances around. Are you interested in
this fact?
Very interested 28
Somewhat interested 52
Not very interested 13
Not interested at all 2
Q: Do you think the financial failure of Yubari City is a peculiar
case?
Yes 10
No 84
Q: Are you concerned about your municipality's financial situation?
Very concerned 24
Somewhat concerned 43
Not very concerned 26
Not concerned at all 2
Q: Would you like to do something so as not to worsen your
municipality's financial situation?
Would like to do something 28
Would like to leave it to the mayor and assembly members 52
Q: Which political party do you support now?
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 34
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto) 17
New Komeito (NK) 4
Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 3
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto) 2
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto) 0
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon) 0
Other political parties 0
None 39
Q: (Only for those who picked a political party to support) Are you
a consistent supporter of that political party?
Yes 36
No 23
Q: (Only for those who picked a political party to support) Do you
think you will continue to support that political party from now on
as well?
TOKYO 00002784 003 OF 007
Yes 34
No 24
Q: Aside from the political party you gave now, if there is any
political party you like, pick as many as you like.
LDP 11
DPJ 16
NK 7
JCP 5
SDP 7
PNP 4
NPN 2
Other political parties 1
None 18
Q: (Only for those who answered they do not support any political
party) Have you ever supported a political party?
Yes 16
No 21
Q: (Only for those who answered they do not support any political
party) Do you think you will support a political party in the
future?
Yes 14
No 19
Q: Which political party do you like now? If any, pick as many as
you like.
LDP 7
DPJ 9
NK 1
JCP 3
SDP 2
PNP 1
NPN 0
Other political parties 1
None 21
Q: Is there any political party you wouldn't like to support? Pick
one or more, if any.
LDP 22
DPJ 15
NK 41
JCP 47
SDP 25
PNP 19
NPN 19
Q: Do you think the existence of political parties is important for
Japan's politics?
Yes 53
No 40
Q: Do you think the existing political parties have been playing
their expected roles?
TOKYO 00002784 004 OF 007
Yes 10
No 83
Q: If there is a political party you support, would you like to
become a member of that political party?
Yes 17
No 73
Already a member 2
Q: If there is a political party you support, would you like to
contribute money to that political party?
Yes 13
No 81
Already a contributor 1
Q: If there is a political party you support, would you like to
volunteer for that political party's political activities or
election campaigns?
Yes 30
No 63
Already a volunteer 2
Q: If there is a political party you support, do you think you will
vote for that political party's candidate for sure?
Yes 51
No 45
Q: Do you think you are a floating voter with no particular party
affiliation?
Yes 47
No 46
Q: (Only for those who answered "yes") Why?
Because I can't find out any political party I'd like to support 14
Because I often change a political party I'd like to support 3
Because I don't want to be bound up with any specific political
party 9
Because I don't like the existence of political parties 5
Because I choose a political party to vote for in each election 10
Because I'm not interested in politics itself 3
Q: In the political world, the words "conservative" and "reformist"
have been used for a long time. What's your image of the
"conservatives"?
Good image 17
Bad image 24
No image 51
Q: What's your image of the "reformists"?
Good image 29
Bad image 11
No image 50
Q: Do you think it is appropriate to use the words "conservative"
and "reformist" now as a yardstick to explain political stances?
TOKYO 00002784 005 OF 007
Yes 30
No 58
Q: Do you think it is appropriate to use the words "right wing" and
"left wing" now?
Yes 18
No 71
Q: Do you think it is appropriate to use the words "dovish" and
"hawkish" now?
Yes 19
No 70
Q: Do you think it is appropriate to use the words "antireformer"
and "reformer" now?
Yes 28
No 61
Q: What's your impression of words politicians use in the Diet or
press conferences as you see them on TV? Which is closer to your
feeling?
Clear-cut 5
Equivocal 87
Q: Do the words politicians use get to your heart?
Yes 5
No 86
Q: Do you think politicians now make much of "words"?
Yes 11
No 80
Q: Do you think politicians these days do not make much of their
words and they are apt to play up themselves with their behavior,
fashion, and other factors?
Yes 56
No 36
Q: Do you think voters are affected by the behavior and fashion of
politicians and other factors rather than their words?
Yes 50
No 43
Q: Do you look forward to the upcoming election for the House of
Councillors?
Very much 15
Somewhat 35
Not very much 32
Not at all 13
Q: When you choose a political party and a candidate to vote for in
elections for the House of Representatives and the House of
Councillors, how much do you weigh what they have actually done in
TOKYO 00002784 006 OF 007
the past?
Very much 28
Somewhat 53
Not very much 13
Not at all 2
Q: How much do you weigh the policies and campaign pledges of
political parties and candidates?
Very much 30
Somewhat 49
Not very much 14
Not at all 2
Q: How much do you weigh the competence and attractiveness of
political party heads?
Very much 22
Somewhat 48
Not very much 22
Not at all 4
Q: How much do you weigh the competence and attractiveness of each
candidate?
Very much 30
Somewhat 52
Not very much 11
Not at all 2
Q: If you meet a candidate or shake hands with that candidate at the
time of an election, do you think you would like to vote for that
candidate?
Yes 10
No 83
Q: If you are asked by someone you know to vote for a certain
candidate or political party, do you think you would like to vote
for that candidate or political party?
Yes 7
No 86
Q: In recent elections, there were more manifesto-type campaign
pledges. Do you think you would like to read them?
Yes 59
No 34
Q: Do you think manifesto-type campaign pledges will change Japan's
elections?
Yes 39
No 48
Q: What do you think about voting in elections?
It's a public obligation 41
It's a public right 52
TOKYO 00002784 007 OF 007
Q: What do you think about abstaining from voting?
It's not good 51
Can't necessarily say so 44
Q: What % age do you think is needed for the minimum turnout of
voters so that those elected can be recognized to represent the
voting population?
10 % or so 0
20 % or so 0
30 % or so 3
40 % or so 7
50 % or so 21
60 % or so 29
70 % or so 22
80 % or so 8
90 % or so 2
Q: Do you support lowering the voting right to the age of 18 %
Yes 38
No 51
Q: Do you think it would be better for Japan's politics to change
government from time to time?
Yes 52
No 37
Polling methodology
The survey was conducted by mailing the questionnaire form to a
total of 3,000 voters chosen across the nation on a stratified
two-stage random sampling basis. A total of 339 voting blocs were
selected so as to epitomize the nation's electorates at large, and
nine persons were picked on average from each voting bloc's
register. The questionnaire form was sent on April 5 and was sent
back from a total of 2,223 persons before the final deadline set at
May 14. Valid answers were from 2,166 persons, excluding answer
sheets left blank or filled out by those not subject to the survey.
The retrieval rate was 72 % . In the breakdown of respondents,
males accounted for 44 % , with females at 53 % . The total % age
does not become 100 % because those left unfilled accounted for 3
% . In the breakdown of age brackets, persons in their 20s
accounted for 11 % , 30s-16 % , 40s-16 % , 50s-20 % , 60s-17 %
, 70 and over-17 % .
DONOVAN
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