Cablegate: Tokyo Media Reaction - Afghanistan

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PP RUEHFK
DE RUEHKO #0020 0060200
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 060200Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8536
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
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INFO RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 8172
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 1985
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2516
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 8606
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS TOKYO 000020

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 - AFGHANISTAN

1. LEAD STORIES: All Wednesday morning Japanese
national dailies led with reports on Finance Minister
Fujii's apparent desire to step down for health
reasons, with the papers predicting that his
resignation would deal a heavy blow to the Hatoyama
administration ahead of the planned start of Diet
deliberations on the fiscal 2010 budget.

2. "U.S. Shaken" On the finding that the perpetrator of
the fatal terrorist bombing in Afghanistan on December
30 turned out to be an al-Qaeda-affiliated operative
disguised as a CIA agent, the conservative Sankei wrote
(1/6): "The 'infiltration' of a terrorist into a U.S.
intelligence entity has dealt a heavy blow to the Obama
administration, which is being put in a difficult
situation over the war on terrorism in Afghanistan."

ROOS

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