VZCZCXRO3611
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #1203 1230350
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 020350Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3934
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RHHMHBA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI//N541// PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA// PRIORITY
RUHBANB/OKINAWA FLD OFC US FORCES JAPAN CP BUTLER JA PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/USFJ PRIORITY
INFO RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 7591
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 9975
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 5956
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 8186
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 1270
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3128
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 2264
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 9145
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 9639
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS TOKYO 001203
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: TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - IRAQ
1. LEAD STORIES: Top stories on Friday morning included
a plan by the ruling parties to draft a bill to
prohibit child pornography by blocking net users'
access to child pornography sites.
2. "U.S. Paying Price for Shiite-Oriented Policy" The
moderate Yomiuri's Cairo correspondent wrote (5/2):
"Five years have passed since President Bush declared
on May 1, 2003 an end to major combat operations in
Iraq. However, there is no sign that the combat
involving U.S. troops will come to an end in Iraq.
Although al-Qaeda and other groups of Muslim extremists
have been ousted, the number of U.S. military and Iraqi
civilian casualties in the battle with Shiite militias
has been increasing since March. A 'cold war' has
broken out between the U.S. and Iran, which exercises
its influence over Shiites in Iraq....The U.S.
eliminated Sunnis, who had supported the regime of
Saddam Hussein, and helped establish a government led
by Shiites. Although the U.S. has made achievements
since last year in mopping up al-Qaeda by having Sunnis
cooperate with U.S. operations, the U.S. is still
paying the price for its Shiite-oriented policy. The
bitter reality is that Iran, which holds a large number
of anti-U.S. Shiites, holds the key to the
stabilization of Iraq."
DONOVAN