Cablegate: Japanese Morning Press Highlights 06/06/08

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PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #1543/01 1580120
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 060120Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4822
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/USDOJ WASHDC PRIORITY
RULSDMK/USDOT WASHDC PRIORITY
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RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA//
RHMFIUU/USFJ //J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/CTF 72
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 0582
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RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 8793
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3745
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0179

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 13 TOKYO 001543

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 06/06/08

Index:

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

International contributions:
4) Government, aware of approaching G-8 Summit, wants to become more
involved in Afghan reconstruction and is sending survey team to seek
projects (Asahi)
5) Assistant Secretary of Defense Shinn hopes Japan will become
involved with PRT in Afghanistan (Asahi)
6) Government to send SDF personnel to the Sudan to serve at PKO
headquarters (Asahi)

North Korea problem:
7) Negotiations to restart Japan-DPRK talks reach final stage, with
hope of achieving visible progress on abduction issue in new round
of talks (Nikkei)
8) New set of talks with North Korea could start as early as
tomorrow (Mainichi)
9) As possible retaliatory measure, North Korea barring Japanese
ships from Rajin port, in northern part of country (Asahi)

10) World food summit ends with a fizzle for Japan, which found
itself out of step with the draft joint statement (Asahi)

11) Prime Minister Fukuda's environmental "vision" may finally have
a mid-term target possibly next week (Nikkei)

12) METI Amari proposes cabinet-level talks to speed up the WTO
round (Asahi)

Political agenda:
13) The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) will file censure motion
against the prime minister after the 11th in order to pass
daily-lives bills first (Asahi)
14) DPJ head Ozawa: Once the censure motion passes, there should be
a general election (Asahi)
15) People's New Party may dissolve Diet alliance with DPJ over BOJ
appointment issue (Tokyo Shimbun)
16) Opposition's bill to scrap the medical system for the elderly
likely to pass the Upper House today (Tokyo Shimbun)

Articles:

1) TOP HEADLINES

Asahi, Mainichi, and Tokyo Shimbun:
383 Finance Ministry officials received money and gifts from taxi
drivers

Yomiuri:
Government to make quicker reports on epicentral quakes starting in
fiscal 2010

Nikkei:
Domestic manufacturers sell 45 PERCENT of goods abroad in fiscal
2007

Sankei:
Civil servant reform bill to clear Diet today; LDP, New Komeito

TOKYO 00001543 002 OF 013

feared being labeled antireform

Akahata:
Bill abolishing elderly healthcare system passes Upper House

2) EDITORIALS

Asahi:
(1) Censure motion: Do not forget about party-head debate
(2) Food Summit: Blueprint necessary for age of food shortage

Mainichi:
(1) New healthcare system for elderly is following a wild path
(2) Food Summit: Countermeasures must be worked out further at Lake
Toya

Yomiuri:
(1) Education spending plan should be more specific
(2) Energy meeting: Soaring oil prices require greater energy
conservation efforts

Nikkei:
(1) Prime minister must uphold po

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