Cablegate: Japanese Morning Press Highlights 11/10/09

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SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 11/10/09

INDEX:

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

Politics:
4) Bill would grant local suffrage only to permanent foreign
residents from countries with which Japan has diplomatic relations
(Asahi)
5) Diet debate (Yomiuri)

Futenma saga:
6) Hatoyama says Futenma decision difficult because Okinawa's people
are divided on the issue (Asahi)
7) PM says Futenma relocation issue will not present a major problem
during summit (Mainichi)
8) Kanagawa Governor Matsuzawa calls for early resolution of Futenma
issue (Mainichi)
9) Hatoyama says Futenma relocation will not be a major topic at
Japan-U.S. summit (Nikkei)
10) Govt. increasingly concerned about rising tide of anti-base
sentiment in Okinawa (Yomiuri)

Foreign relations:
11) U.S. President to have lunch with Emperor on Nov. 14th
(Yomiuri)
12) Foreign Ministry to observe closely U.S.- North Korea talks
(Nikkei)
13) DPJ rapidly increasing contacts with China (Sankei)
14) President Obama, PM Hatoyama to agree to deepen U.S.-Japan
alliance (Asahi)

Defense & security:
15) Defense Minister orders reexamination of shifting MSDF ships
from refueling mission to Somalia offing (Sankei)
16) Japanese and Indian defense ministers agree to strengthen
defense cooperation (Mainichi)
17) SDP Party Secretary General says hit-and-run incident symbolizes
the reality of the U.S. military presence in Okinawa (Mainichi)
18) U.S. Army staff sergeant identified as owner of car involved in
fatal hit-and-run accident in Okinawa (Okinawa Times)

Opinion:
19) Yomiuri poll: Cabinet support drops 8 points to 63 PERCENT
(Yomiuri)

Articles:

1) TOP HEADLINES

Asahi, Yomiuri, Sankei, and Tokyo Shimbun:
Government Revitalization Unit decides to review requested spending
for 447 projects in FY 2010 budget, including payments to medical
institutions and sympathy budget

Mainichi:
Japan, U.S. adrift (Part 1): Bilateral alliance at crossroads;
Futenma relocation issue out of control; "winter period," "danger
zone"; distrust in Japan continuing

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Nikkei:
Honda, Nissan, and other Japanese automakers to cut numbers of
models on domestic market to focus on global strategic cars

Akahata:
JCP's Koike criticizes government for its failure to eliminate the
medical insurance system for people 75 and older before Upper House
Budget Committee

2) EDITORIALS

Asahi:
(1) Global economy: Stay on alert against new imbalance
(2) Discrimination against illegitimate children: Children's rights
must be equal

Mainichi:
(1) Decentralization committee's final advice: Discussion of tax
system required for regional autonomy
(2) Democratization essential for Myanmar (Burma)

Yomiuri:
(1) 20th anniversary of end of Cold War: How should a new world
order be built?
(2) Toyota withdraws from F1: Difficult decision based on
environmental considerations

Nikkei:
(1) Country needs swift growth policy that does not rely excessively
on fiscal measures
(2) Reform for regional autonomy must be implemented

Sankei:
(1) 20 years since collapse of Berlin Wall: Alliances essential for
regions still gripped by Cold War structure
(2) Granting voting rights to foreign residents: Constitutionality
must be discussed thoroughly

Tokyo Shimbun:
(1) Futenma relocation: Have Okinawa's voices reached the Hatoyama
cabinet?
(2) 20 years since end of Cold War: Time to look at new wall

Akahata:
(1) Business circles' budgetary requests too self-centered

3) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei)

Prime Minister's schedule, November 10

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
November 8, 2009

10:06 Went to the supermarket MEIDI-YA Hiroo Store with his wife
Miyuki.
10:57 Arrived at his official residential quarters.
14:37 Met Minister for Abduction Issue Nakai.
15:08 Met Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirano and Deputy Chief Cabinet
Secretary Matsuno.
18:04 Met National Strategy Minister Kan, Hirano, Finance Minister
Fujii, and Administrative Reform Minister Sengoku.
19:57 Met Kan, Fujii, Sengoku, Land and Transport Minister Maehara,

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Senior Vice Finance Minister Minezaki, Senior Vice Minister of the
Cabinet Office Furukawa, and Matsui, joined by Hirano.

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
November 9, 2009

07:57 Arrived at the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei).
09:01 Attended Upper House Budget Committee session.
12:02 Met Foreign Minister Okada, Defense Minister Kitazawa at
Kantei, with Hirano and Matsuno present. Hirano and Matsui stayed
behind.
13:01 Attended Upper House Budget Committee session.
17:05 Met Cabinet Intelligence Director Mitani at Kantei.
18:01 Attended Government Revitalization Unit meeting. Met
Decentralization Reform Promotion Committee Chairman Niwa with
Internal Affairs Minister Haraguchi present.
20:06 Arrived at his official residential quarters.

4) Diplomatic ties as guideline in granting local suffrage to
permanent foreign residents

ASAHI (Page 1) (Full)
November 10, 2009

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is looking into submitting to
the ongoing extraordinary Diet session a bill granting local
suffrage to permanent foreign residents. The gist of the
lawmaker-hosted legislation was revealed on Nov. 9. The legislation
targets residents from countries with which Japan has diplomatic
relations or areas with which Japan is regarded as having such
relations. The party has no intention of employing reciprocity to
limit foreign residents eligible for the new regulation to those
from countries that grant a similar right to permanent Japanese
residents in their countries. Eligible for local suffrage are
special permanent residents, meaning those from Japan's former
colonies, such as the Korean Peninsula, and their descendants, and
general permanent residents, who have obtained permanent resident
status as a result of living in Japan for a certain set period of
time or marrying a Japanese.

The legislation, however, limits those who are eligible for the new
regulation to the nationals of countries with which Japan has
diplomatic ties or to those from areas that are regarded as having
such ties with Japan. Special permanent foreign residents will be
limited for the time being to nationals of South Korea, with which
Japan has diplomatic relations, and to people with an affiliation
with Taiwan, with which Japan has active interchange but no
diplomatic ties. There is a strong possibility that those with roots
in the Korean Peninsula and their descendants may be ineligible
under the new regulation if they do not have South Korean
nationality.

The legislation is similar to a proposal made in 2008 by the DPJ's
League of Diet members who support the promotion of local suffrage
for permanent foreign residents, for which Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama served as advisor and Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada served
as chairman.

5) Gist of cabinet ministers' responses to interpellation on foreign
policy issues at Upper House Budget Committee on November 9

YOMIURI (Page 15) (Full)

TOKYO 00002598 004 OF 012

November 10, 2009

Elimination of nuclear arms

Kenzo Fujisue (Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)): What is your
thinking on the elimination of nuclear arms?

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada: The problem of nuclear arms is one
of the major issues facing mankind. The reason why U.S. President
Obama's speech in Prague touched the heart of people all over the
world is because the perception that (nuclear weapons) are a major
threat is widely shared. Japan, as the only atomic bombed country,
should take pragmatic steps, one by one, toward the elimination of
nuclear arms.

Fujisue: We ask that you place emphasis on the ideals of the
Japanese Constitution.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama: I think it is a really wonderful
thing that the Constitution of Japan affirms the right to live in
peace. I would like to convey the message of the pacifist
constitution in the process of eliminating nuclear weapons, which
constitute the most serious threat.

Masaaki Taniai (New Komeito): Please reiterate your determination to
eliminate nuclear weapons.

Hatoyama: Japan has the capability to possess nuclear arms, but it
is determined not to possess (nuclear arms) from a moral
standpoint.

U.S. Forces Japan realignment

Fujisue: I would like you to consider Iwo Jima as a relocation site
for the U.S. Marines' Futenma Air Station.

Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa: There are places on Iwo Jima that
are geologically unstable, and each year, people go there to collect
the remains (of people who died during World War II). We are
currently looking at various options for Futenma relocation.

Fujisue: (The Prime Minister) should participate in the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference in May.

Hatoyama: It will depend on the Diet schedule, but personally, I
would like to go to the conference.

East Asian community

Fujisue: There should be a long-term plan.

Okada: A concrete picture (of the East Asian community) should not
be determined now. We should start with what is possible. We can
proceed with the economic areas, such as energy, the environment,
and personnel exchanges. It is actually better not to have a
long-term plan.

Fujisue: How about advocating lasting peace in Asia?

Okada: When we think of the East Asian community, the Japan-U.S.
alliance is an important prerequisite. The bilateral alliance will
play the role of ensuring regional stability for some time.

TOKYO 00002598 005 OF 012

Hatoyama: I think the greatest security measure is to guide
countries and peoples toward a feeling of goodwill through
cooperation. We will develop a framework capable of contributing to
peace in East Asia in the pursuit of this goal.

Free trade agreement (FTA)

Fujisue: Please develop a FTA strategy.

National Strategy Minister Naoto Kan: It is necessary to give due
consideration so that (the FTA) will not be disadvantageous for
agriculture and other domestic sectors, but basically, the (DPJ's)
manifesto says that we will actively promote negotiations. Japan, as
a country that thrives on free trade, should make efforts toward
signing FTAs.

6) Futenma relocation issue: "It is difficult to make a decision,"
says prime minister

ASAHI (Page 4) (Full)
November 11, 2009

The Okinawan people's calls for relocating the U.S. Marine Corps'
Futenma Air Station (Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture) outside the
prefecture have intensified since the Democratic Party of Japan
(DPJ), which advocates a review of the relocation site, took the
reins of government. At a prefectural rally to oppose the relocation
of Futenma Air Station within the prefecture, a number of lawmakers
of the ruling party called for relocating the facilities outside the
prefecture. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who has yet to come up
with his policy direction, is being put in an increasingly difficult
position.

The prime minister on Nov. 9 conveyed his personal struggle to the
press corps: "I find it very difficult to make a decision, because
the wishes of residents of Okinawa are not unanimous. Expectations
(for relocation outside the prefecture) may develop further as time
elapses. I would like to gain the understanding of the people of
Okinawa for my decision by coming up with a policy direction that
will reduce their burden."

However, expectations for the prime minister, who advocates a review
of the relocation site, are beginning to turn into distrust. That is
because the cabinet has yet to take specific actions toward moving
the Futenma functions out of the prefecture, although some still pin
their hopes on the prime minister making relocation outside the
prefecture possible.

People's New Party Secretary General Mikio Shimoji's speech
supporting the prime minister given at the prefectural rally drew
boos from participants. Shokichi Kina (Upper House member), the
chief of the DPJ Okinawa Chapter, who takes the position of
supporting the Hatoyama cabinet, issued a strong warning, saying
that he would not allow the Futenma functions to be relocated to
Henoko, Nago City, as currently planned.

Provided that the prime minister opts to approve the Japan-U.S.
agreement pact, those oppose the pact are bound to activate their
opposition campaign. Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada on a TV talk
show on the 8th touched on the possibility of putting off making a
decision until early next year, saying, "We intend to reach a

TOKYO 00002598 006 OF 012

decision by the end of December. However, there may be a delay."

7) Hatoyama: Futenma issue will not be a focus in Japan-U.S. summit

MAINICHI (Page 3) (Full)
November 10, 2009

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama met at the Prime Minister's Official
Residence with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, Defense Minister
Toshimi Kitazawa, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano
yesterday to discuss what approach Japan should take in the
Japan-U.S. summit meeting scheduled for Nov. 13. On the issue of
relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan
City, Okinawa Prefecture, they reaffirmed that the prime minister
will make a final decision after Okada and Kitazawa take sufficient
time to examine the existing relocation plan. Hatoyama told
reporters last evening: "In the summit meeting, the Futenma issue
will not be a major focus."

In reference to a rally held in Ginowan City on Nov. 8 in protest
against the planned relocation of the Futenma airfield within the
prefecture, Hatoyama said:

"The residents of Okinawa must have very complicated feelings. ...
We must avoid hurting their feelings as a result of trying too hard
to achieve results quickly. This issue is too complicated to easily
reach a conclusion by the end of the year."

8) Kanagawa governor explains his earlier statement as intended to
call for early settlement of Futenma relocation issue

MAINICHI (Page 3) (Full)
November 10, 2009

Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture Shigefumi Matsuzawa, who chairs the
Base-Hosting Governors' Association, made a statement backing an
existing deal between Japan and the U.S. in the package of plans to
realign U.S. forces in Japan. This statement elicited a strong
reaction from local residents in Okinawa calling for moving the U.S.
Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City, Okinawa
Prefecture, out of the prefecture. In response, the governor gave
this explanation yesterday: "There is a misunderstanding. I did not
mean to say that the relocation of the Futenma airfield (to Nago
City in Okinawa) is the best option," in replying to questions by
reporters at the Foreign Ministry, which he visited to make a
request concerning the problem of noise created by Atsugi Air Base
in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Matsuzawa explained that his statement was intended to call for an
early resolution of the Futenma relocation issue. He said: "I wanted
to say that if the issue becomes protracted, the efforts to reduce
(Okinawa's) base burden might come to naught."

Regarding the overall plan to realign U.S. forces in Japan,
Matsuzawa said in a speech on Nov. 5 during his visit to the U.S.:
"I hope the realignment will be promoted based on a deal (reached
between Japan and the U.S.)" But the participants in a rally held in
Ginowan City on Nov. 8 against the planned relocation of the Futenma
facility within the prefecture decided to protest the governor's
statement.

9) Hatoyama: Futenma issue will not take center stage in Japan-U.S.

TOKYO 00002598 007 OF 012

summit

NIKKEI (Page 1) (Full)
November 10, 2009

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama yesterday indicated that the issue of
relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa
Prefecture would not take center stage in a Japan-U.S. summit
meeting set for Nov. 13. In replying to questions by reporters at
the Prime Minister's Official Residence, he said: "I would like to
take up pending bilateral issues and Afghanistan and other global
issues."

Over the Futenma relocation issue, there is a difference in views
between Washington and Tokyo. The U.S. side has called for an early
agreement on the current plan to transfer the Futenma facility to a
coastal area of U.S. Camp Schwab, while the Japanese government has
proposed reviewing the plan. In the upcoming summit meeting, the two
leaders are expected to discuss such issues as civilian aid for
Afghanistan and to skip an in-depth discussion of the Futenma issue.
The government will adopt in a cabinet meeting today a package of
fresh Afghanistan support measures worth 4 to 5 billion dollars over
the five years starting in 2010. Hatoyama plans to inform President
Barack Obama of the package during their meeting.

10) Government concerned about growing anti-base sentiment over
Futenma issue

YOMIURI (Page 3) (Full)
November 10, 2009

The government is becoming increasingly concerned about growing
opposition to the U.S. bases among people in Okinawa ahead of U.S.
President Barack Obama's visit to Japan on Nov. 13. Rallies were
held on Nov. 7-8 opposing the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps'
Futenma Air Station within the prefecture. In addition, a fatal
hit-and-run accident, in which a U.S. service member is suspected of
involvement, occurred on Nov. 7. This might cause anti-base
sentiment to intensify.

A senior Defense Ministry official voiced his concern on Nov. 9 by
saying: "The longer the settlement of the Futenma issue is delayed,
the more momentum the anti-base movement will gather, making it
difficult to relocate the air station."

Asked on Nov. 9 by the press corps at the Prime Minister's Official
Residence (Kantei) about the anti-base movement, Prime Minister
Yukio Hatoyama indicated that it signifies the complex feelings held
by people of Okinawa. However, he did not seem ready to take action
to bring the situation under control. At the same time, the Prime
Minister indicated that discussions will not be focused on the
Futenma issue during the Japan-U.S. summit to be held on Nov. 13,
saying, "Given the current situation in Japan, I don't think it will
be a major item on the agenda."

11) Luncheon for Emperor, President Obama likely to be held on Nov.
14

YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full)
November 10, 2009

The governments of Japan and the United States decided yesterday on

TOKYO 00002598 008 OF 012

the basic schedule for President Barak Obama's visit to Japan on
Nov. 13-14.

President Obama will arrive in Tokyo on the afternoon of the 13th
and hold talks with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama later on that day
at the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei). After the
meeting, the two leaders will hold a joint press conference. The
Prime Minister will then host a dinner party for the President.

Arrangements are being made for the President to deliver a speech on
the U.S.'s Asia policy in Tokyo on the morning of the 14th and to
attend a luncheon with the Emperor.

12) Japan, South Korea to carefully observe course of U.S.-North
Korea talks

NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
November 10, 2009

Foreign Ministry Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director General
Akitaka Saiki yesterday held talks with South Korean special
representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs Wi
Sung Lac. The two officials agreed that Tokyo and Seoul will
carefully observe the course of the upcoming talks between the
Unites States and North Korea with an eye on the resumption of the
Six-Party Talks.

13) DPJ forging closer relations with China; group of Diet members'
secretaries to hold party with PRC diplomats on November 13

SANKEI (Page 5) (Full)
November 10, 2009

It was learned on Nov. 9 that a group of secretaries of Democratic
Party of Japan (DPJ) Diet members will hold a party with Chinese
diplomats at the PRC embassy in Motoazabu, Tokyo, on Nov. 13. The
group accepted an invitation from the Chinese Embassy. Around 20
officials of the secretaries' group and 20 PRC diplomats will attend
the party. The DPJ is also holding the third meeting of the "council
for consultations on exchanges," its body for regular consultations
with the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Nov. 10-11 in Tokyo. The
two sides are forging closer relations rapidly.

There is concern that the purpose of the party for the Diet members'
secretaries and Chinese diplomats is to "ensnare the secretaries to
collect information," according to a Public Security Agency source.
The secretaries have access to information on government meetings
and other matters. An official of the association of Liberal
Democratic Party (LDP) secretaries in the House of Representatives
says, "Under LDP administrations, we had never heard of such a thing
as a party between the party's secretaries and Chinese diplomats
apart from the parliamentary union on Japan-China relations."

The DPJ's "council for consultations on exchanges" was created in
2006 based on an agreement between (then) President Ichiro Ozawa and
PRC President Hu Jintao during Ozawa's visit to China.

Ozawa and Azuma Koshiishi, chair of the DPJ caucus in the House of
Councillors, from the DPJ side, and Wang Jiarui, director of the CPC
International Department, and other officials from the CPC side will
participate in the latest meeting.

TOKYO 00002598 009 OF 012

Ahead of this meeting, Ozawa and Koshiishi treated Wang and other
CPC officials to tempura and sake aboard a houseboat on Sumida River
on the evening of Nov. 8.

Ozawa will also lead a large delegation of DPJ Diet members and
their supporters on a visit to China in December. It appears that
the DPJ's relations will China are likely to be strengthened at
various levels amid the discord in the Japan-U.S. relationship over
the relocation of the U.S. forces' Futenma Air Station.

14) Prime minister, U.S. President to agree at summit to deepen
bilateral alliance

ASAHI (Page 4) (Excerpts)
November 10, 2009

It has been learned that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and U.S.
President Obama at their summit meeting on Nov. 13 will agree to
deepen the bilateral alliance in a multitiered manner, striving to
strengthen ties. The aim is to reinforce cooperative ties on various
issues, including climate change and nuclear disarmament, to which
both leaders are devoting their energies. This was revealed by an
aide to the prime minister.

The prime minister has until today expressed his intention to review
the Japan-U.S. alliance in a comprehensive manner. The outlook is
that although the words Japan-U.S. alliance will be used at the
talks, there will not be discussion of a review of the Japan-U.S.
Security Treaty or the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement."

The Prime Minister had decided to attend the 15th session of the
Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change (COP15) to be held
in Denmark in December. During the meeting he will also call on the
President to take part in the session.

15) Defense minister again issues an order to study option of
sending MSDF vessels to Somalia offing

SANKEI (Page 2) (Full)
November 10, 2009

The Defense Ministry began considering yesterday having Maritime
Self-Defense Force vessels provide fuel to foreign vessels engaged
in antipiracy operations off Somalia after withdrawing the MSDF
vessels from the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. Defense
Minister Toshimi Kitazawa issued an order yesterday. Kitazawa also
issued an order to expedite coordination within the government to
enable Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to convey this policy course to
U.S. President Barack Obama during the Japan-U.S. summit to be held
on Nov. 13. Kitazawa envisages an announcement during the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit meeting to be held
in Singapore staring on Nov. 14.

On Oct. 27 Kitazawa referred to the idea of sending MSDF vessels to
the Somalia offing. But Prime Minister Hatoyama expressed a cautious
stance on the same day, saying, "The activities are basically
different. I'm not considering that. The option requires legislative
measures. A conclusion cannot be reached easily." Social Democratic
Party (SDP) Secretary General Yasumasa Shigeno, too, expressed
displeasure on the same day, saying, "We must restrain the use of
the SDF overseas."

TOKYO 00002598 010 OF 012

But given tense Japan-U.S. relations due to the Futenma relocation
issue and other matters, Kitazawa reissued the order to the Defense
Ministry on Nov. 9, concluding that the use of the SDF is essential
as an alternative support measure. Many U.S. and European vessels on
antiterrorism missions in the Indian Oceans are engaged in
antipiracy operations off Somalia. For this reason, Kitazawa
apparently thought that the idea of sending MSDF vessels to the
Somalia offing would readily be appreciated by the United States.

At the same time, there is a plan to win the support of the SDP and
others by referring to MSDF destroyers as yuai (fraternity) boats.

16) Japan, India agree to step up defense cooperation

MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full)
November 10, 2009

Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa met yesterday at the Defense
Ministry with visiting Indian Defense Minister Anthony. In the
meeting, Kitazawa and Anthony agreed to work out an action plan to
shape a bilateral joint declaration on security cooperation, which
was signed at a Japan-India summit held in October 2008. "Defense
cooperation between Japan and India is an important area," Anthony
told Kitazawa in the meeting. "We want to strengthen this bilateral
relationship," he added.

17) Hit-and-run incident a reality in Okinawa: SDP exec

MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full)
November 10, 2009

Yasumasa Shigeno, secretary general of the Social Democratic Party,
one of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's two coalition
partners, held a press conference yesterday, during which he
referred to the recent occurrence in Okinawa Prefecture of a
hit-and-run incident, which is believed to have been caused by a
U.S. military person's vehicle. "It symbolizes the realities of
Okinawa and we must seek to realign and reduce the presence of (U.S.
military) bases (in Okinawa)," Shigeno said.

18) U.S. Army staff sergeant identified as owner of car involved in
fatal hit-and-run accident in Okinawa

OKINAWA TIMES (Page 1) (Full)
November 10, 2009

In connection with the hit-and-run case of Mr. Masakazu Hokama, 66,
of Yomitan Village, who was found dead in a thicket along a road in
Sobe, Yomitan Village, in which the Kadena Police Station suspected
that it is highly probable he was hit by a car with a Y number
plate, inquiries made by Okinawa Times to parties involved with this
case revealed that the Kadena police had identified the owner of the
Y number car as a male U.S. Army staff sergeant.

It was also learned through inquiries with the sources involved with
this case that the Kadena police moved the impounded car to the
parking lot of the Uruma Police Station on Nov. 9 and determined
through DNA examination that the hair, blood, and other substances
adhering to the car belonged to Mr. Hokama.

According to these sources, the Y number car impounded by the Kadena
police was brought to a garage in the town of Kadena for repairs by

TOKYO 00002598 011 OF 012

a foreign-looking man in his 20s at around 2:00 pm on Nov. 7, some 3
hours before the accident was reported to the police. The windshield
of the impounded car was broken, fragments of glass were found
inside the car, and the front bumper was dented.

The foreign man who brought the car to the garage reportedly said
that the vehicle had sustained damage was from striking a tree. He
said he would pay for the repairs since he could not claim
insurance.

The Okinawa Defense Bureau has requested the cooperation of the U.S.
forces in the investigation of this case. The Kadena police are
making vigorous efforts to ascertain if the staff sergeant who is
being questioned by U.S. Army investigators on a voluntary basis was
actually driving the car and if he was the man who brought the car
to the garage for repairs.

According to Mr. Hokama's family, he normally took a walk in the
area near where his body was found every morning at about 5:00 a.m.
The Kadena police are investigating the case on the assumption that
Mr. Hokama was probably hit by the car in the morning of Nov. 7.
Autopsy by the Kadena police has shown that the cause of Mr.
Hokama's death was cervical spine fracture.

19) Poll: Cabinet support down to 63 PERCENT

YOMIURI (Page 1) (Abridged)
November 10, 2009

The rate of public support for the Hatoyama cabinet was 63 PERCENT
in a telephone-based nationwide public opinion survey conducted by
the Yomiuri Shimbun on Nov. 6-8, down 8 percentage points from the
71 PERCENT rating in the last survey. The nonsupport rate was 27
PERCENT , up 6 points. In the survey, respondents were asked if they
thought Prime Minister Hatoyama has fulfilled his accountability on
his own politics-and-money issue. To this question, a total of 73
PERCENT gave negative answers. Meanwhile, a total of 63 PERCENT
were concerned about cabinet ministers making contradictory comments
on the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air
Station.

Problems related to Hatoyama himself and the conflict of opinions
within the cabinet appear to have led to the decline in the Hatoyama
cabinet's popularity.

In addition, respondents were also asked if they thought the
Hatoyama cabinet has made policy decisions based on its political
initiative. To this question, 55 PERCENT answered "no," with 28
PERCENT saying "yes."

The public was split over the Futenma relocation issue, with 32
PERCENT saying it would be better to modify the plan and 31 PERCENT
saying it would be better to push ahead with the plan in line with
an intergovernmental agreement reached between Japan and the United
States. The proportion of those calling for a substantial change to
the plan was only 19 PERCENT .

In the breakdown of public support for political parties, the ruling
Democratic Party of Japan stood at 43 PERCENT (47 PERCENT in the
last survey), while the opposition Liberal Democratic Party was at
19 PERCENT (17 PERCENT in the last survey).

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