Cablegate: Japanese Morning Press Highlights 11/30/09

VZCZCXRO2308
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #2723/01 3340150
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 300150Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7821
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//
RHMFIUU/USFJ //J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/CTF 72
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 9975
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 7626
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 1437
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 4790
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 8134
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2031
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 8700
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 8157

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 11 TOKYO 002723

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: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 11/30/09

INDEX:

1) Top headlines
2) Editorials
3) Prime Minister's daily schedule (Nikkei)

Futenma issue:
4) Nagashima says MOD to seriously consider plan to move Futenma
replacement facility runways farther offshore (Asahi)
5) SDP on edge over Futenma relocation (Mainichi)
6) Prime Minister meets with Okinawa Governor (Yomiuri)
7) Hatoyama admits he met with Okinawa Governor (Mainichi)

Defense & security:
8) Okada tells Foreign Ministry to examine dispatch of several
hundred SDF personnel to Sudan PKO (Sankei)
9) MSDF and Chinese navy hold first joint exercise (Nikkei)

North Korea:
10) Hatoyama asks Chinese Defense Minister for cooperation on
abduction and nuclear issues (Nikkei)
11) Kim Jong Il took his third son on inspection tour of countryside
(Mainichi)
12) Trilateral conference issues statement calling for early return
of abductees (Tokyo Shimbun)

Economy:
13) Plant and equipment investment down 17 PERCENT (Nikkei)

Opinion:
14) Asahi poll: 50 of 100 major companies report deflation; 26 say
economy recovering (Asahi)
15) Nikkei poll: Cabinet support at 68 PERCENT (Nikkei)
16) Kyodo poll: 74 PERCENT unconvinced by explanation of fake
contributions; 77 PERCENT give high marks to budget screening
(Tokyo Shimbun)

Secret accords:
17) Blue-ribbon commission on secret accords holds first meeting
(Yomiuri)
18) GOJ to change tack in lawsuit on "secret agreement" on Okinawa's
reversion to Japanese administration (Tokyo Shimbun)
19) Foreign Ministry's internal investigation did not find documents
on secret nuclear pact on reintroduction of nuclear weapons after
Okinawa reversion (Nikkei)
20) Prime Minister plans to change govt.'s stance if existence of
secret nuclear pacts is confirmed (Asahi)

Space:
21) Fourth intelligence-gathering satellite launched (Yomiuri)

Politics:
22) Land Minister Maehara discloses plan to submit to regular Diet
session bill to clarify Japanese sovereignty over outlying islands
(Sankei)

Foreign relations:
23) Japan to exchange views regarding Hague Convention with France
(Nikkei)

Articles:

TOKYO 00002723 002 OF 011

1) TOP HEADLINES

Asahi:
19 prefectures halt or scale down electronic application system

Mainichi:
Man admits he is person in image from ATM security camera in
connection with murder of female college student in Chiba

Yomiuri & Tokyo Shimbun:
Government to include measures to deal with yen's rise, stock falls
in second extra budget under prime minister's instruction

Nikkei:
Government to enable workers to pay defined contribution pension
plans

Sankei:
Prosecutors to question DPJ lawmaker Ishikawa over falsified
donation reports by Ozawa's office

Akahata:
Okinawan people adamantly opposing relocation of Futenma airfield
within prefecture

2) EDITORIALS

Asahi:
(1) Japan should step up efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism in
cooperation with U.S.
(2) Drastically review current academic examinations

Mainichi:
(1) Abolition of provisional tax rates: Carefully design an
environment tax
(2) Reduction of academic examinations: Full examination and
improvement measures needed

Yomiuri:
(1) New strategy necessary to increase jobs

Nikkei:
(1) Review wage regulations while taking economic situation into
consideration
(2) Recall might undermine Toyota's reputation

Sankei:
(1) Examination of documents on nuclear secret pacts: Pour energy
into strengthening deterrence of Japan-U.S. alliance
(2) AIDS report: Hopes finally in sight

Tokyo Shimbun:
(1) COP15: Carefully nurse small buds of U.S.'s and Chinese targets
for cutting midterm greenhouse gas emissions
(2) Toyota should use recall as opportunity to review "safety"

Akahata:
(1) Plunge scalpel into wasteful spending in next fiscal year's
budget

3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei)

TOKYO 00002723 003 OF 011

Prime Minister's schedule, November 29

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
November 30, 2009

morning Spent at official residential quarters
13:33 Met Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano and Deputy Chief
Cabinet Secretary Koji Matsui; joined by National Strategy Minister
Naoto Kan, Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii, Administrative Reform
Minister Yoshito Sengoku, Senior Vice Finance Minister Yoshihiko
Noda, and Senior Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office Motohisa
Furukawa
18:15 Dined with Matsui and Cabinet Office adviser Oriza Hirata at
Chinese restaurant Ryuen in Nishi-asakusa
21:52 Arrived at official residential quarters

4) "I am seriously looking into" shifting to a offshore plan, says
Parliamentary Defense Secretary Nagashima

ASAHI (Page 2) (Full)
November 29, 2009

Defense Ministry Parliamentary Defense Secretary Akihisa Nagashima
on Nov. 28 held a press conference in Oita City. Referring to
switching from a plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air
Station (Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture) to Henoko, Nago City, in
the same prefecture, to an offshore plan, Nagashima said that the
ministry is seriously looking into that option. Okinawa Governor
Hirokazu Nakaima is calling for the offshore plan as a condition for
him to accept the relocation plan.

Nagashima pointed out that Governor Nakaima is sticking to a plan to
shift to an offshore plan and to disperse Futenma functions until
the relocation work is over. He indicated his view that the
Japan-U.S. working group should discuss this possibility, noting,
"If the premise is to implement the existing plan, the governments
of Japan and the U.S. should make efforts to make these to
modifications in good faith."

5) SDP nervous about Futenma issue

MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full)
November 30, 2009

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has become nervous about what
decision the government will make on the issue of relocating the
U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City, Okinawa
Prefecture. In the party, which has proposed relocating the airfield
out of the prefecture or even outside the nation, many of its
lawmakers elected from Okinawa and its supporters have begun to
assert that if a settlement is reached on relocating the facility
within the prefecture, the party should break away from the
coalition government. If the leadership gives priority to remaining
in the coalition, the party could be break up.

A group of 100 SDP local chapter members and others yesterday
visited the planned relocation site in a coastal area of the Henoko
district of Nago City and other areas. After visiting the site, SDP
Secretary General Yasumasa emphasized in a press conference in Nago
City: "If the government takes local voices into consideration, it
naturally should not decide to construct the alternative facility in
the waters off Henoko."

TOKYO 00002723 004 OF 011

A senior party member commented: "Local supporters have told me that
if the party makes a compromise on the Futenma relocation issue,
they will not support the SDP in the next House of Councillors
election. I would like the government and the Democratic Party of
Japan to understand the seriousness of the current situation."

6) Hatoyama meets Nakaima

YOMIURI (Page 1) (Abridged)
Eve., November 28, 2009

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama met yesterday morning at his office
with Okinawa Prefecture's Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima on the pending issue
of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in the
prefecture, sources have revealed. Nakaima explained the situation
in Okinawa over the Futenma relocation issue and asked Hatoyama to
settle the issue at the earliest possible time. Hatoyama did not
clarify when he will make a decision over the Futenma relocation or
where to relocate Futenma airfield, according to the sources.
However, Hatoyama himself has begun to explore a settlement of the
issue, so the issue will likely enter the final phase of
coordination for a conclusion by the end of the year.

7) Hatoyama admits he met with Okinawa governor

MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full)
November 30, 2009

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama admitted last night that he had
unofficially met with Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima on Nov. 27.
He told reporters in Tokyo: "It is true that I met him." According
to Hatoyama, they exchanged views mainly on the issue of relocating
the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City, Okinawa
Prefecture, but the prime minister stopped short of detailing their
conversation.

Hatoyama and Nakaima are scheduled to meet again at the Prime
Minister's Official Residence this morning.

8) Foreign minister looking into dispatch of several hundred SDF
troops to Sudan for PKO

SANKEI (Page 3) (Excerpts)
November 29, 2009

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has instructed Foreign Ministry
officials to study the possibility of having several hundred
Self-Defense Forces (SDF) troops participate in the United Nations
Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) as part of UN peacekeeping operations
(PKO), sources said yesterday. The Foreign Ministry and the Defense
Ministry have already started coordination on this plan. The
Hatoyama administration has decided to halt the Maritime
Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in
January. Under such a situation, the administration aims to push for
Japan's personnel contributions with its proactive participation in
PKO.

Japan dispatched Ground Self-Defense Force engineering troops to
East Timor for PKO for about two years from 2002. The Foreign
Ministry is also looking into resending troops to that nation.

TOKYO 00002723 005 OF 011

9) Japanese, Chinese defense chiefs agree on first joint naval drill
between MSDF and Chinese Navy

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
November 28, 2009

Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa held talks with his Chinese
counterpart, Liang Guanglie, on Nov. 27. The two defense leaders
agreed on a plan to conduct the first joint naval search-and-rescue
drill between the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) and the Chinese
Navy. They also formulated a nine-point joint statement centering on
a plan to begin troop-level exchanges envisaging joint exercises in
2010 between the Ground Self-Defense Force and the People's
Liberation Army. The two countries also plan to exchange information
on UN peacekeeping operations (PKO).

During the talks, Kitazawa expressed concern over China's rapid
military buildup, saying: "There is a shortage of information on the
possession of equipment, records on procurement, the deployment and
organization of mainstay troops, and the breakdown of the budget."
In response, Liang simply said, "We have been working hard to
increase transparency."

10) Premier asks for Chinese cooperation on abduction and nuclear
issues involving North Korea

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
November 28, 2009

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Nov. 27 met with Chinese National
Defense Minister Liang Guanglie at the Prime Minister's Official
Residence (the Kantei). The prime minister during the meeting asked
for his cooperation for a settlement of issues involving North
Korea, such as the abduction of Japanese nationals by that nation
and its nuclear development program. Defense Minister Toshimi
Kitazawa, who met Liang after that, said, "North Korea is attaching
importance to bilateral talks with the U.S. The national defense
minister told me that North Korea would return to the Six-Party
Talks, once bilateral talks with the U.S. are held."

11) North Korean internal document shows Kim Jong Il's third son
accompanied him on regional inspection tour in late April

MAINICHI (Top play) (Abridged)
November 29, 2009

Shoji Nishioka in Beijing

An internal document obtained by Mainichi Shimbun shows that the
third son of North Korea's General Secretary Kim Jong Il, Jong Un
(Chinese character of last syllable changed from "un" to "gin" (both
pronounced as "un" in Korean)) is officially recorded as having
accompanied his father on a regional inspection tour in late April.
This is the first time that Jong Un's accompanying the General
Secretary on an inspection tour has been substantiated by a
document. The document itself indicates that "this is the first
public document making an announcement related to Comrade General
Kim Jong Un," which shows that the recording of his activities has
begun as part of efforts to prepare for his succession.

The document was drafted during Kim Jong Il's visit to Wonsan, a
major city in the southeast of the DPRK, to give on-site

TOKYO 00002723 006 OF 011

instructions. It is dated "April 26, the 98th year of Chuche (2009)"
and is entitled "Conversation with Activists at Wonsan Agricultural
University while Giving On-site Instructions," containing remarks by
Kim Jong Il on that occasion.

Kim praised the university as "a significant university representing
the zealous accomplishments of the Great Leader (the late President
Kim Il Song) and my mother Kim Jong Suk." He also said: "I came with
General Kim today" and "The Wonsan Agricultural University has
become a glorious university serving the Great Leader, mother Kim
Jong Suk, myself, and General Kim," thus conveying the presence of
Jong Un.

12) International parliamentary union issues joint statement on
early return of North Korean abduction victims

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 3) (Slightly abridged)
November 29, 2009

Hiroki Hayashi in Chang Mai

The "International Parliamentary Union on North Korean Refugees and
Human Rights," consisting of members of parliament from Japan, the
U.S., South Korea, and other countries, held its sixth general
meeting in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand on Nov. 28 and adopted a
joint statement demanding the early return of the victims of North
Korea's abductions, among other things, before ending its
proceedings.

Some 40 participants from 11 countries, including Japan's Minister
for the Abduction Issue Hiroshi Nakai, attended the general meeting.
This is the first time that a Japanese cabinet minister has attended
the meeting. It is believed that this is meant to publicize the
Hatoyama administration's positive stance on the abduction issue and
to obtain the cooperation of other countries by presenting the
abductions as a human rights issue.

13) Capital spending for current fiscal year dips 17 percent:
survey

NIKKEI (Top play) (Lead para.)
November 29, 2009

The capital spending trend survey (1,598 companies' modified plans)
for fiscal 2009, conducted by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, has found
that the amount of capital spending in all industry sectors had
dropped 17.6 percent from the track record of fiscal 2008. The
figure is down 2.7 percent from the initial plans, marking the
largest fall since 1990, the year when data for comparison with the
initial plans became available. The management environment has
improved. For instance, a number of upward revisions of estimated
business performances have been made. However, the future of the
economy is unclear due in part to the current sharp appreciation of
the yen. Many companies, mainly leading manufacturers, such as auto
makers and home appliance makers, are becoming increasingly cautious
about making investment.

14) Poll of leading 100 companies: 50 recognize deflationary trend;
26 see economy is turning around

ASAHI (Page 1) (Excerpts)
November 29, 2009

TOKYO 00002723 007 OF 011

In a poll of leading 100 companies throughout the nation conducted
by the Asahi Shimbun, 26 replied that the economy is indicating
signs of picking up, up one from the previous survey carried out in
June. Fifty companies said that although increased exports and the
government's stimulus measures are producing effects, the economy is
sinking into a deflationary trend with prices continuing to drop due
to sluggish consumption. Few companies plan to hire more personnel.
There is a growing concern that the economy is sinking into a
double-dip recession, in which the economy once again deteriorates
due to the strong yen and the deflationary trend, while the recovery
of the economy is not being felt, because it is not creating jobs.

Forty-eight companies praise Hatoyama administration

The poll is carried out twice a year. It was carried out from Nov. 9
through Nov. 20, before the sharp appreciation of the yen kicked in
-- the yen temporarily tested 84 against the collar. The poll, which
targeted 50 manufacturing and nonmanufacturing companies
respectively, was conducted on a face-to-face basis, in which CEOs
were, in principle, interviewed.

Concerning current economic conditions, a total of 52 companies
replied "the economy is turning around moderately" or "the economy
is on the standstill, although some sectors are showing rosy signs."
The rapid economic plunge, which kicked in last fall, is gradually
coming to a halt. However, the views of pollees on the present
economic conditions are harsh, with Sumitomo Rubber Industries
President Tetsuharu Mino noting, "Although the economy might have
picked up, it has just recovered to the level before the
recession."

Regarding the measures the Hatoyama administration has taken so far,
48 companies replied that they deserve a certain degree of score.
Support for new measures, such as a goal to cut greenhouse gases,
was visible. On the other hand, many respondents called on the
government to map out a mid-term economic growth strategy. Nippon
Oil Corporation Chairman Fumiaki Watari said, "Its effort to display
leadership in removing wasteful spending deserves high scores.
However, as it has not yet come up with a growth strategy, companies
remain unable to develop an investment plan."

15) Poll: Cabinet support at 68 PERCENT

NIKKEI (Page 1) (Abridged)
November 30, 2009

The approval rating for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his
cabinet dropped 5 percentage points from October in a public opinion
survey jointly conducted by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and TV Tokyo on
Nov. 27-29. The disapproval rating for the Hatoyama cabinet rose 3
points to 24 PERCENT . A total of 75 PERCENT approved of the
Hatoyama cabinet's screening of budget requests to ferret out
wasteful spending. Meanwhile, 57 PERCENT disapproved of the
Hatoyama cabinet's way of addressing the current high yen and low
stock prices, almost double the proportion of those approving of
it.

16) Poll: 74 PERCENT unhappy with Hatoyama's account on his
fund-managing body's falsified political fund reports

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 1) (Abridged)

TOKYO 00002723 008 OF 011

November 30, 2009

In a telephone-based nationwide public opinion survey conducted by
Kyodo News on Nov. 28-29, a total of 74.9 PERCENT answered "no"
when asked if they thought Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's account
of his fund-managing body's falsification of political fund reports
was convincing. The figure rose 6.9 percentage points from the last
survey conducted about a month ago. Meanwhile, 77.3 PERCENT
approved of the Hatoyama cabinet's screening of budget requests from
all government ministries and agencies in the process of compiling
the budget for next fiscal year.

The Hatoyama cabinet's support rate was 63.7 PERCENT , remaining at
nearly the same level as in the last survey, 61.8 PERCENT .The
disapproval rating was 25.1 PERCENT , up 2.2 points from the last
survey.

In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the ruling
Democratic Party of Japan stood at 45.0 PERCENT , up 1.6 points from
the last survey, while the opposition Liberal Democratic Party was
at 16.2 PERCENT , down 4.9 points. The New Komeito was at 4.1
PERCENT , the Japanese Communist Party at 2.4 PERCENT , the Social
Democratic Party at 2.1 PERCENT , the Your Party at 1.4 PERCENT ,
the People's New Party at 0.3 PERCENT , and the New Party Nippon at
0.4 PERCENT . "None" accounted for 27.8 PERCENT .

17) Blue-ribbon panel on nuclear pacts goes into action

YOMIURI (Page 2) (Excerpts)
November 28, 2009

A panel of experts tasked with verifying the Foreign Ministry's
internal investigation into the secret pacts that reportedly exist
between Japan and the United State, including one on the
introduction of nuclear weapons, held its first meeting at the
ministry on Nov. 27. "Although diplomacy is inseparable from
secrets, leaving questionable elements unresolved to the end of time
does not serve the national interest," University of Tokyo Professor
Shinichi Kitaoka, who chairs the panel, said in the opening
statement. Later in the day, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told
reporters at the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei), "If
the truth comes to light, there is a possibility that the government
will make a decision that is different from the one in the past."
Hatoyama thus expressed a plan to alter the government's stance that
has consistently denied the existence of secret pacts after the
panel's verification work is over.

The panel plans to analyze the diplomatic documents produced by 1989
when the Cold War ended and interview former senior Foreign Ministry
officials as necessary with an eye to producing by the end of next
January a report on, among other matters, whether or not the secret
agreements exist.

The investigation will cover four points, including: (1) the
introduction of nuclear weapons (under a pact reached) during the
conclusion of the revised Japan-U.S. Security Treaty in 1960, and
(2) Japan's shouldering the cost of returning land to its original
state during the revision of Okinawa in 1972.

18) GOJ to change tack in lawsuit on "secret agreement" on Okinawa's
reversion to Japanese administration

TOKYO 00002723 009 OF 011

TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 27) (Excerpts)
November 30, 2009

The hearing for the administrative lawsuit concerning the disclosure
of documents relating to the so-called "secret agreement" reached
between the Japanese and U.S. governments in relation to Okinawa's
reversion to Japanese administration will take place at the Tokyo
District Court (presided by Justice Norihiko Sugihara) on Dec. 1.
The government has informed the plaintiffs that it will change its
hitherto position that "there was no secret agreement and no such
documents exist" and withhold entering a plea of guilty or not
guilty.

The government is changing its position on two of the three
documents subject to a request for disclosure. It is believed that
this is in light of Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada's order to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to investigate whether the secret
agreement exists. Bunroku Yoshino, 91, former director general of
MOFA's North American Affairs Bureau, is scheduled to take the
witness stand on Dec. 1 and admit the existence of the secret
agreement. The government is likely to be forced to change its
official position of denying the existence of this agreement.

MOFA is currently investigating the following four secret
agreements: agreement on the introduction of nuclear arms during the
revision of the Japan-U.S. security treaty, U.S. Forces Japan
operational plans in a contingency on the Korean peninsula,
agreement reached at the time of Okinawa's reversion on the
re-introduction of nuclear arms in a contingency, and agreement on
Japan's paying for expenses to restore military base land in Okinawa
to its original state.

19) Documents on secret nuclear pact on reintroduction of nuclear
weapons after Okinawa reversion not found through Foreign Ministry's
internal investigation

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
November 28, 2009

It became clear on Nov. 27 that the Foreign Ministry's internal
investigation has failed to discover any documents on a secret
agreement specifying that the United States is allowed to
reintroduce nuclear weapons into Japan in the event of a contingency
in Japan after Okinawa is returned to the country in 1972. At the
same time, the largest group of documents unearthed by the
investigation were related to a secret nuclear pact
designed to exempt from prior consultations U.S. warships carrying
nuclear weapons calling at Japanese ports and passing through
Japan's territorial waters.

The document on the reintroduction of nuclear weapons into Okinawa
was reportedly signed in 1969 by then Prime Minister Eisaku Sato and
U.S. President Richard Nixon in a small room next to the Oval Office
in the White House. Kei Wakaizumi, a former Kyoto Sangyo University
Professor who conducted talks with the U.S. on Okinawa's reversion
as Prime Minister Sato's emissary, published a book in 1994 in which
he disclosed that he and then National Security Advisor Henry
Kissinger had drafted the documents, along with a photograph of the
documents.

An expert noted: "It is a fact that as an emissary Mr. Wakaizumi
maneuvered behind the scenes, but it cannot be said that the secret

TOKYO 00002723 010 OF 011

pact does not exist simply because (the Foreign Ministry) could not
find the documents."

20) Prime Minister plans to change government's stance if existence
of secret nuclear pacts is confirmed

ASAHI (Page 4) (Excerpt)
November 28, 2009

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama made the following comment regarding
the government's stance on secret Japan-U.S. agreements, including
one on the introduction of nuclear weapons: "There could be a
decision that is different from the one in the past." Thus the Prime
Minister expressed a plan to alter the government's traditional
position denying the existence of secret pacts if the existence of
such is confirmed. Meanwhile, a panel of experts tasked with
verifying the Foreign Ministry's investigation held its first
meeting on the same day.

21) Fourth information-gathering satellite launched successfully

YOMIURI (Top Play) (Excerpts)
Evening, November 28, 2009

An H-2A No. 16 rocket carrying the government's fourth
information-gathering satellite was successfully launched from the
Tanegashima Space Center in Minami-Tanecho, Kagoshima Prefecture, at
10:21 a.m. on Nov. 28. The satellite was confirmed to have reached
orbit. It was the nation's 10th consecutive successful launch of an
H-2A rocket and the 15th successful launch overall.

The new satellite carries the most advanced high-resolution imaging
equipment of all the nation's information-gathering satellites. With
a high-quality digital telecamera, it can identify objects on the
ground as small as about 60 centimeters in size. The total cost of
the satellite, including its launch, is approximately 58 billion
yen. Previous satellites could only see objects at least one meter
in size.

22) New law eyed for conservation of Japan's outlying islands

SANKEI (Page 5) (Full)
November 28, 2009

The government plans to present a bill to the Diet during next
year's ordinary session for a new law that is intended to conserve
Japan's outlying islands, including its southernmost island of
Okinotorishima and its easternmost island of Minamitorishima, in
order to develop undersea resources and protect Japan's national
interests in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters, Land,
Infrastructure and Transport Minister Seiji Maehara said yesterday.

The newly planned law is aimed at maintaining and strengthening
Japan's sovereignty by legally defining the conservation of Japan's
outlying islands, including the two islands.

23) GOJ decides to create panel for consultations with France on the
Hague Convention

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
November 30, 2009

TOKYO 00002723 011 OF 011

The government decided on Nov. 29 to create in early December a
consultative body with France on the Hague Convention governing the
settlement of disputes arising from failed international marriages.
There have been numerous disputes involving one parent returning to
his or her home country with the children, thus preventing the other
parent from seeing them. While Japan is not a member of the
convention, it wants to facilitate the settlement of disputes
through close exchange of information.

Under the Hague Convention, when children are taken away, it is
possible to demand their return and visitation rights from the
country where they are taken. Japan and Russia are the only G-8
countries that have not signed the treaty. The treaty has not been a
major problem so far in Japan since most cases involved Japanese
women married to foreign men returning home with their children.

ZUMWALT

© Scoop Media