Cablegate: Tokyo Media Reaction - Iraq

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P 020350Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
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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

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