Cablegate: Media Reaction Q Eulogies for Former President

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UNCLAS TOKYO 007176

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 EULOGIES FOR FORMER PRESIDENT
FORD - TOKYO

1. QAbe Expresses Condolences Over Former U.S. President
FordQs DeathQ Kyodo Wire Service reported (12/27):
QJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday
expressed his condolences over the death of former U.S.
President Gerald Ford, praising him for being the first
incumbent U.S. president to make an official visit to
Japan. QPresident Ford fully understood the importance of
bilateral relations between Japan and the United States,
Abe said in response to reportersQ questions. QIt is
regrettable that President Ford has passed away and I
send my condolences to his family,Q the premier said.
Ford, who served as the 38th president between 1974 and
1977, visited japan in November 1974.

2. "Ford Cured Wounds of American people" Business-
oriented Nikkei's Washington Bureau chief said (12/28):
"The US was at the bottom when President Ford assumed the
presidency. His primary task was to heal the wounds
American people sustained from the Watergate scandal and
to reinstate confidence in them. In essence, he was
expected to play a role of a psychiatrist... As American
people eventually trusted his straightforward characters,
their distrust in politics also was muted. Ford became a
president by accident but he offered a ray of hope for
Americans. He quietly passed away at a time when the US
is facing such paramount challenges as the war on
terrorism."

3. "Ford Healed Americans" Liberal Asahi's Washington
correspondent stated (12/28): "President Ford was not
originally an ambitious politician. But, he was asked to
become a 'firefighter' tasked with restoring American
people's confidence in Washington, as the US then faced a
national crisis triggered by the Watergate scandal. He
was strongly criticized for pardoning President Nixon,
but Ford was later resurrected for promoting national
reconciliation."

DONOVAN

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