The Japan Times, 1 October 2007 Journalist was shot at point-blank ...

The Japan Times, 1 October 2007 

Journalist was shot at point-blank range 

The Japanese video journalist killed during the bloody crackdown on protesters in 

Myanmar last week was shot at point-blank range, an autopsy has found. Kenji Nagai, 50, 

was among at least nine people killed Thursday when soldiers fired automatic weapons 

into a crowd of prodemocracy demonstrators in Yangon. He was on contract with APF 

News, a Tokyo-based video news service. The autopsy confirmed video footage of the 

crackdown aired Friday in Japan that showed a soldier pushing a man identified as Nagai 

to the ground and shooting him at close range. The autopsy suggests the soldier clearly 

intended to kill the journalist. 


Sanctions on North Korea to be extended six months 

The government will extend Japan's economic sanctions on North Korea for another six 

months because there has been no progress in the abduction issue, Chief Cabinet 

Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said Sunday. "There is basically no progress" on 

resolving the abductions of Japanese by North Korean agents, Machimura, the 

government's top spokesman, told reporters. "We are not in a situation in which we can 

stop or ease the sanctions." The government may review the policy if any progress is 

made, but it currently intends to extend the sanctions, he said. The sanctions, including a 

ban on North Korean-flagged ships from entering Japanese ports, were extended earlier 

this year through mid-October. They were originally imposed in October 2006 in 

response to a North Korean nuclear test. 


Hundreds demonstrate in Tokyo against junta 

An estimated 700 Myanmarese and Japanese staged a march Sunday in Tokyo to protest 

the Myanmar junta's crackdown on prodemocracy demonstrations. Shouting demands 

that the military government stop the violence and free detained prodemocracy leader 

Aung San Suu Kyi, the demonstrators marched for about an hour toward the Myanmar 

Embassy. Some of the marchers held photos of Kenji Nagai, the Japanese journalist who 

was shot dead Thursday while covering a demonstration in Yangon. Participants, some 

wearing ethnic Myanmar clothing, demanded that the Japanese government and the 

United Nations put pressure on the junta. 

The Chosun Ilbo, 1 October 2007 

Roh to Cross Border on Foot for Summit 

President Roh Moo-hyun will cross the Military Demarcation Line on foot when he 

enters North Korea on Tuesday for the inter-Korean summit. This is according to 

Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung, who was speaking at a policy review conference in 

his office at the government complex in Seoul on Sunday. "The second batch of the 

summit preparation team has reported that it has agreed with North Korea on President 

Roh and the First Lady crossing the MDL on foot, accompanied by the 13 official 

entourage members," Lee said. "The president and his entourage crossing the MDL on 

foot will be an historic and impressive moment," Lee added. "I hope this will serve as an 

historic occasion to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula."


Inter-Korean Summit: Kim Jong-il's Calculation 

Many private doubts have been expressed in Washington about the wisdom of holding an 

inter-Korean summit in the waning months of a presidential term, but there is little reason 

to be surprised. There is inherent unpredictability in a meeting between a high-stakes 

gambler (Roh Moo-hyun) and a shrewdly poker-faced survivor (Kim Jong-il). Both 

leaders have their own motives for making high-risk wagers against long odds. In the end 

the summit is a gamble worth taking, but neither leader is ultimately likely to win. Kim 

Jong-il???s decision to pursue a summit is designed to further his own tactical and 

strategic objectives. These include a desire to influence South Korea's presidential 

elections, to distract from North Korea's denuclearization commitments, to affirm the 

status quo through mutual recognition and acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear state, 

and to benefit domestically from having South Korea???s leader pay tribute to Kim Jongil 

at home. 

The Asahi Shimbun, 2 October 2007 

Fukuda tries to mollify Minshuto in policy speech 

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's policy speech Monday was filled with apologies, a plea 

to opposition parties for "sincere" discussions and a push to make people feel good about 

politics. But his speech at the Diet, highlighting "warm-hearted politics," lacked specific 

deadlines for key policy decisions, such as revising the taxation system. Fukuda started 

his speech by apologizing to lawmakers and the public for the nearly three weeks of Diet 

inaction brought about by the sudden resignation of Fukuda's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, 

and the subsequent Liberal Democratic Party presidential election. Fukuda promised to 

"make every effort for a sincere handling of Diet affairs." 


New anti-terror bill set to go before current session of Diet 

A controversial anti-terror bill on which Shinzo Abe staked--and lost--his leadership is 

set to go before the current extraordinary session of the Diet, ruling coalition officials 

decided Tuesday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, Foreign Minister 

Masahiko Komura and Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba met Tuesday morning to discuss 

the timing of submission of the bill, which will permit the Maritime Self-Defense Force 

to continue its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. It remains to be seen if the bill can 

be passed in the Diet without an extension of the session, which is scheduled to end Nov. 

10. A draft of the bill was presented later Tuesday to a project team of ruling coalition 

officials. Once the team has given its OK, the government will finalize writing the bill. 


Sizing up China: New Chinatown caters to a new generation of immigrants 

This is part of a series on the growing influence of China in bilateral relations as well as 

Chinese communities in Japan. Tokyo's Ikebukuro district has no colorful arches or 

lanterns like the ones that adorn the established Chinatowns in Yokohama, Kobe and 

Nagasaki. But once you step out of JR Ikebukuro Station from the north exit, you are 

assailed by the unmistakable sounds, sights and aromas of a new Chinatown in the

making. The bright yellow and red signs of food retailers Zhiyin (FriendVoice) and 

Yangguangcheng (Sunshine Group) vie for people's attention. Chinese conversation can 

be heard everywhere, on the street or inside stores, from early in the morning until late at 

night. 


7 Thorny Issues for the Inter-Korean Summit 

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il are to 

discuss a range of issues involving the two countries under the theme of ??peace, 

prosperity and unification.?? But the agenda covering issues that affect national 

sovereignty and international agreements is a minefield. The nuclear problem President 

Roh said on Sept. 11 the North Korean nuclear impasse ??is being resolved?? and 

raising the subject at the summit would be like asking for a fight with the North Korean 

leader. It looks like Roh will not seriously raise the subject. The South Korean 

government appears to a certain degree have accepted North Korea??s determination to 

resolve the nuclear impasse through dialogue with the United States. But one South 

Korean government official said some form of agreement on the nuclear problem would 

be reached since it is a core issue a large majority of South Koreans hope will be 

discussed at the summit. 


Taking the Roh Moo-hyun Show to Pyongyang 

An old saying has it that you can only do well and exercise your power abroad if all is 

calm and peaceful at home -- a lesson that a person from a noisy and dysfunctional home 

can??t accomplish much in society. The same applies to a country. If the leadership 

puts the country into turmoil with corruption and fosters a society whose members feud 

and clash, it cannot expect to be treated well abroad, nor can they acquit themselves well. 

It's impossible for such a country to conduct proper diplomacy. Many people watching 

President Roh Moo-hyun go to Pyongyang early in October will feel that way. A 

president with less than three months left in his tenure whose closest aides are being 

grilled by the authorities about corruption scandals; a politically sterile president devoid 

of a ruling party to lead, whose de-facto party is torn asunder: seeing such a president 

make a grand entrance in Pyongyang is rather pitiful. 


Okinawa may defeat textbook censorship 

Education minister Kisaburo Tokai indicated Tuesday his ministry may let history 

textbook publishers continue saying the army forced civilians to commit mass suicide 

during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. The ministry had issued orders in March to strike 

such references, prompting a massive public outcry in Okinawa. "If textbook publishers 

apply for revisions (to retain the references), we may screen them again," Tokai said, 

adding he has ordered the ministry to deal with the issue and try to soothe Okinawa's 

outrage. Responding to Tokai's statement, some publishers already started preparing to 

revise their textbooks to reinsert the references on the army's role in the mass suicides,

sources said. 


Reporter's slaying was accidental: Myanmar 

Top Myanmar officials have told Deputy Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka that the fatal 

shooting of journalist Kenji Nagai in Yangon was "accidental," the Foreign Ministry said 

Tuesday. The ministry said Nagai's body was to leave Myanmar on Wednesday and 

arrive at Narita International Airport on Thursday via Bangkok. APF News Inc. President 

Toru Yamaji, who was in Yangon, will accompany the body, the ministry said. Nagai 

was on contract with the Tokyo-based video news provider. In meetings Monday with 

junta officials in Myanmar's new capital, Naypyitaw, Yabunaka demanded an 

investigation into the shooting, allegedly perpetrated at point-blank range by a security 

officer, and asked that Nagai's video camera be returned. 


Gas emission reduction steps to be reassessed as Kyoto deadline looms 

The government will reassess by March its steps to counter global warming so it can 

come closer to attaining its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals under the Kyoto 

Protocol, officials said Tuesday. The government will consider reinforcing existing 

measures and making sure they are properly carried out, as well as detailing new steps to 

be taken, because Japan is expected to fall between 1.5 and 2.7 percentage points short of 

its reduction target under current measures, the officials said. Under the 1997 Kyoto 

Protocol, Japan is required to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 6 percent from the 

fiscal 1990 level by fiscal 2010. At a meeting Tuesday of the Global Warming Prevention 

Headquarters, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who heads the panel, asked his Cabinet to 

work on international and domestic strategies to strengthen measures the government can 

take as a whole. 


EDITORIAL: Fukuda's policy speech 

There was no catchy slogan, nor any new initiative. In a word, Prime Minister Yasuo 

Fukuda's policy speech to the Diet on Monday was "plain." Usually, a new prime 

minister addressing the nation for the first time would list up his administration's policy 

goals and promise to fulfill them. In that sense, Fukuda's speech fell short of our 

expectations. The prime minister cannot claim to have presented a comprehensive image 

of what his administration hopes to achieve. But coming after two somewhat flamboyant 

administrations under Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe, Fukuda may have intentionally 

highlighted his characteristic conciliatory stance as a political moderate. Still, it could 

also be that Fukuda was in no mood to celebrate the start of his administration with an 

ambitious to-do list. The Upper House is controlled by the opposition and there is no way 

the ruling coalition can easily pass bills into law by itself. 


Two Koreas ??Fine-Tuning?? Views on Peace for Summit 

President Roh Moo-hyun holds a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on 

Wednesday. To enable them to issue a form of joint peace declaration for the Korean

Peninsula, officials from the two Korean governments are fine-tuning their views. The 

South Korean government has reportedly suggested that the declaration carries the 

resolve of both Koreas to reduce military tension and build an inter-Korean economic 

community. President Roh Moo-hyun puts the top priority on establishing a permanent 

peace on the Korean Peninsula during his trip to the North, which begins Tuesday. At a 

ceremony marking the 59th Armed Forces Day, he said there can be no mutual prosperity 

and unification without permanent peace. 


Roh Walks Across Forbidden Line 

President Roh Moo-hyun crossed the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea at 9:05 

a.m. on Tuesday, the first time a South Korean commander-in-chief has walked across 

the MDL since the country??s division in 1953. The car carrying Roh and first lady 

Kwon Yang-suk stopped 30 m from the yellow line dividing the two Koreas at 8:59 a.m. 

The first couple stepped out of the car and walked across into the North. Roh delivered an 

address to the nation and took pictures with the first lady before crossing the line. 

??I??m excited since I??m going to do an important job today. There is nothing 

conspicuous out here. But this simple line is the barrier that has divided the Korean 

Peninsula for the last half century. This line has caused so much suffering to Korean 

people and has hampered the development of the nation,??he said. 


N.Korea Won't Declare Nuclear Weapons This Year 

North Korea has made it clear in six-nation talks that it will report its nuclear programs 

but not its nuclear weapons by year's end. After the six-party talks came to an end 

Sunday, the chief North Korean negotiator Kim Kye-gwan reportedly said, "We can't 

declare nuclear weapons this year, because if we do it at this stage, our nuclear weapons 

technology level will be revealed." He hinted North Korea wants to keep its nuclear 

weapons as the last bargaining chip for the negotiations. The higher the technology level, 

the easier it is to produce nuclear weapons even with a small amount of plutonium, an 

official involved in the six-party talks said. That makes it possible to guess the 

technology level a country has achieved by looking at the number of nuclear weapons it 

possesses. 


Hatoyama rips into Fukuda, wants poll 

Yukio Hatoyama, secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, officially launched 

the opposition's battle Wednesday against Yasuo Fukuda in the Diet, pressing the new 

prime minister to dissolve the Lower House and call a general election. As he stepped up 

to the plate as the DPJ's lead-off hitter to quiz and criticize the policy speech Fukuda 

delivered Monday, Hatoyama first took a swing at Fukuda's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, for 

"abandoning his government suddenly." Hatoyama said Fukuda should dissolve the 

Lower House because of the results of the July Upper House election, in which the DPJ 

scored a major victory.


Tokyo may cut Myanmar aid over reporter's slaying 

The government may reduce official development assistance to Myanmar further in 

retaliation for the death of a Japanese video journalist gunned down during a 

demonstration for democracy last week, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said 

Wednesday. Topping the list is a ¥552 million project to build a training center at a 

university in Yangon, where journalist Kenji Nagai was shot during the junta's violent 

crackdown on protesters, Komura said. The two countries have been planning to 

exchange a formal written agreement on the training center in the near future. It is one of 

the few major ODA projects Japan has been considering for Myanmar. "We have already 

limited our economic assistance to humanitarian projects, but we will screen them 

further," Komura said. 


The road to Myanmar passes through Beijing 

NEW YORK ?? Three hard facts set the boundaries for the talks that United Nations 

negotiator Ibrahim Gambari is undertaking as he shuttles between Myanmar's ruling 

generals and the detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. First, despite the heroic 

leadership of the Buddhist clergy and the prodemocracy community, almost 50 years of 

military misrule and terror tactics have worn down Myanmar's people, who will likely 

find it hard to maintain their defiance unless there are obvious splits among the ruling 

generals or widespread desertions among ordinary soldiers. Second, Myanmar's generals 

know that they face a stark choice: Either maintain power or risk imprisonment, exile, 

and possible death. In their eyes, this leaves them with virtually no choice but to hold on 

to power at all costs. 


Can Fukuda improve ties with China? 

HONG KONG ?? China and Japan celebrated the 35th anniversary of the 

establishment of diplomatic relations on Saturday with glittering diplomatic receptions 

and an exchange of congratulatory messages by leaders of the two countries. While these 

formalities would have been held in any event, they held special significance this year 

because of the inauguration of a new prime minister in Japan who is much better 

disposed toward China than his two predecessors. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who 

was sworn into office Sept. 25, is the son of Takeo Fukuda, who was prime minister 

when Japan and China signed their peace and friendship treaty in 1978. For that reason 

alone, he would have been hailed by China as an old friend. But the new prime minister 

is known as a moderate in foreign affairs who wants solid relations with China and South 

Korea, in addition to maintaining a strong alliance with the United States. 


Roh Declines Kim Jong-il's Offer to Stay On 

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il met at the 

Baekhwawon State Guesthouse in Pyongyang for some four hours on Wednesday. 

During the summit, they discussed extending their talks by one day. In the second session

that began at 2:45 p.m., Kim made the surprise suggestion that Roh return Friday instead 

of Thursday. Referring to forecasts of bad weather, Kim suggested Roh enjoy a leisurely 

luncheon with him on Thursday before returning home a day later. South Korean experts 

speculated the suggestion may have been prompted by fears that rain in Pyongyang might 

cause cancellation of the mass gymnastics propaganda performance "Arirang" scheduled 

for Wednesday evening. 


New Six-Party Agreement Confirmed 

China, the host country of six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear problem, on 

Wednesday confirmed a joint statement agreed on in Sunday??s latest round of the 

denuclearization talks but left for the governments to endorse. It requires North Korea to 

disclose all its nuclear programs and disable its nuclear facilities by the end of the year. 

The statement says that the U.S. will keep its promise to strike North Korea from its list 

of terror-sponsoring states in parallel with North Korean denuclearization steps, based on 

a consensus achieved in working talks last month. That suggests that if Pyongyang fulfills 

all denuclearization requirements by late this year, the U.S. will strike the North from the 

list at around the same time. 


Inter-Korean Summits Should Be Normalized 

Cheong Wa Dae and ruling party officials are crediting this inter-Korean summit with 

paving the way for regular meetings between the leaders of the two countries. It appears 

they are referring to the fact that summits have taken place during two successive 

administrations. But what??s just as important as regular summits is the need to 

normalize them. The inter-Korean summits got off to an abnormal start, having been 

arranged through the illegal remittance of money, while there was an unprecedented 

delay just one day before it was supposed to take place. And in Pyongyang, the South 

Korean president was left unprotected by his bodyguards at one point, while the North 

Koreans demanded he pay homage to the burial place of former North Korean leader Kim 

Il-sung, which was not on the agreed itinerary. The second summit has numerous 

problems that make it far from normal too. During talks on Wednesday afternoon, North 

Korean leader Kim Jong-il suddenly asked President Roh Moo-hyun to stay one more 

day. Last time, the North Korean leader??s request to postpone the summit without 

explanation led to widespread speculations. 


LDP OKs extension of sanctions on North Korea 

The Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday endorsed extending part of the government's 

economic sanctions on North Korea for another six months from Oct. 14, citing the lack 

of a breakthrough in the abduction issue. The Cabinet is expected to formalize the 

extension Friday, officials said. The sanctions to be extended are included in a set of 

punitive measures Japan slapped on North Korea following its nuclear and ballistic 

missile tests last year. The LDP's joint panel on foreign affairs, trade and transport OK'd 

the extension. "Despite some progress in the North Korean nuclear issue, there is none in

the abduction issue," Tsuyoshi Takagi, who heads the party's foreign affairs division, told 

the meeting. Kenichiro Sasae, head of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs 

Bureau, took part in the meeting and called on LDP lawmakers for support. 


Slain journalist's body brought home from Myanmar 

NARITA, Chiba Pref. (Kyodo) The body of video journalist Kenji Nagai, killed last week 

while covering a demonstration in Myanmar, was brought home Thursday morning. "He 

came back home at last, one week after the incident," said Toru Yamaji, president of 

Tokyo-based APF News Inc., who accompanied the body. Nagai, who was 50, was on 

contract with the video news provider. Nagai's corpse was taken to a Tokyo hospital, 

where his parents viewed the body. The Metropolitan Police Department performed an 

autopsy to investigate the cause of death. His parents traveled to Tokyo on Wednesday 

from their home in Ehime Prefecture. A tearful Yamaji, 46, said he would like the video 

camera back that Nagai was using when he was shot Sept. 27 while standing in front of 

security forces near the Sule Pagoda in Yangon. It is believed the victim was gunned 

down by a soldier. 


Opposition takes fight to Upper House 

Azuma Koshiishi, chairman of the Democratic Party of Japan's caucus in the Upper 

House, threatened Thursday to submit a censure motion against Prime Minister Yasuo 

Fukuda and warned him against fighting the opposition camp in the chamber out of spite. 

"(The opposition parties) can submit a censure motion against the prime minister, and 

what is more, we can approve it" in the Upper House, Koshiishi said. He also accused 

Fukuda of cowardice by pointing out that he hadn't dared run in last year's Liberal 

Democratic Party presidential election against Shinzo Abe for fear of losing, as Abe was 

very popular at that time and assured of winning the race. After Abe's abrupt resignation 

in September, most of the LDP factions moved quickly to support Fukuda this time 

round. 


No U.S. orders ban Japan fuel in Iraq: General 

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) There are no instructions forbidding U.S. warships from taking 

part in Iraq missions after taking on fuel from Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels 

supporting antiterrorism campaigns in and around Afghanistan, a senior U.S. military 

officer said Wednesday. Asked in a news briefing about the existence of such 

instructions, Brig. Gen. Robert Holmes, the U.S. Central Command's deputy director for 

operations, said: "None that I am aware of. . . . Clearly I am not aware of those 

instructions." But he added that he didn't know whether any U.S. warships had actually 

participated in Iraq missions after being refueled by MSDF vessels. A Japanese peace 

group said last month that the logbook of the U.S. oiler Pecos and other materials 

suggested the MSDF ship Tokiwa illegally provided logistic support for the war in Iraq 

by indirectly supplying oil to the carrier USS Kitty Hawk, which took part in the war. 

The Chosun Ilbo, 5 October 2007

Inter-Korean Declaration Focuses on Economic Projects 

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on 

Thursday signed a declaration for advancement of South-North Korean relations, peace 

and prosperity, wrapping up Roh's three-day visit to the North. The declaration is an 

eight-point agreement. In the political and military areas, it envisages declaring the 

Korean War over and seeking a summit of the four parties involved to make that happen, 

holding frequent inter-Korean summits to discuss pending issues, holding inter-Korean 

prime ministers' talks in Seoul and inter-Korean defense ministers' talks in Pyongyang in 

November, and establishing a special ??peace and cooperation zone?? in the West 

Sea and a joint fisheries zone. 


Roh Gets 'Third-World Treatment' in Pyongyang 

President Roh Moo-hyun is being honored with a level of protocol North Korean leader 

Kim Jong-il reserves for leaders from the developing world, former senior North Korean 

officials said Wednesday. A former senior North Korean official who defected to the 

South said, "If he were to give the highest level of protocol to a foreign leader, Kim Jongil 

would go to the airport to welcome him, visit him at Baekhwawon State Guesthouse on 

the day of his arrival, and attend a dinner in his honor at the Mokrangwan restaurant in 

the evening." 


Oct. 4 Declaration Must be Thoroughly Examined 

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il signed a 

declaration on Thursday. Its characteristic of the declaration is the long list of aid to 

North Korea promised by South Korea, whose president, with essentially two months left 

in office, will not be able to live up to it. The list of aid, which does not clarify when and 

how it will be delivered, is actually a long and expensive list of obligations that will fall 

on the shoulders of the next president and the South Korean public. At the same time, the 

only mention of the North Korean nuclear problem in the declaration is that both sides 

will cooperate so that the Sept. 19, 2005 statement of principles and the Feb. 13 

agreement from this year can be implemented smoothly to resolve the nuclear problem on 

the Korean Peninsula. There is no phrase that even mentions the dismantling of North 

Korea??s nuclear weapons program. It makes one wonder whether any meaningful 

discussion even took place between the two leaders over the matter. 


Ruling bloc, in rare twist, hands MSDF bill to opposition 

The ruling coalition Friday submitted to the opposition camp the draft of a new bill to 

continue the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in 

support of antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan ?? a key goal of Prime 

Minister Yasuo Fukuda in the current Diet session. The government plans to introduce 

the new bill, which will narrow the scope of the ongoing mission of MSDF vessels, as the 

current special law enabling the mission expires Nov. 1. But with only weeks to go 

before the current law's expiration, it is certain the MSDF mission will have to be halted

until the new legislation is approved by a divided Diet. With the Upper House now 

controlled by the opposition camp, the ruling coalition took the rare step of presenting the 

draft to the opposition parties before adopting a final version of the bill. 


Fukuda won't forsake Taiwan for China: experts 

TAIPEI (Kyodo) Taipei's relations with Tokyo will remain strong despite jitters in 

Taiwan over whether new Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will distance his country from 

the embattled island, experts say. Like Shinzo Abe, his predecessor, Fukuda is expected 

to seek improved relations with Beijing as prime minister, but at what cost ?? if any 

?? to Taiwan, is a question that now looms large in Taipei. "People say that (Fukuda) is 

good to China," said David Wang, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry spokesman. "However, we 

don't speculate on such matters." Despite anxiety as to future relations with Japan, the 

self-ruled island claimed by Beijing has little to fear beyond a "time-out" in high-level 

meetings, said Luo Chi-cheng, a Japan watcher and director of the independenceadvocate 

Taiwan Thinktank. 


Deadly bird flu virus mutation discovered 

Japanese and Vietnamese scientists have identified a mutation of an H5N1 avian flu virus 

that can grow in the human upper respiratory tracts. "Although effective human-tohuman 

transmission of this virus has not yet occurred, the potential of the virus to acquire 

the ability is evident," said the researchers, who published their findings in the October 

issue of the U.S. journal PLoS Pathogens, which was released Thursday. The group of 

nine scientific researchers, led by professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of 

Tokyo, also found that the virus can spread by coughing and sneezing, signaling a 

potential for human-to-human transmission. "We believe another mutation may be 

necessary (for the virus) to cause a pandemic," Kawaoka said. "As more humans are 

infected, the greater the chance that the mutation will evolve." 


Mr. Fukuda tests the water 

After a virtual recess following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Sept. 12 resignation 

announcement, Prime new Minister Yasuo Fukuda and the opposition are squaring off 

against each other in the Diet. The opposition camp says that since the prime minister 

does not have the people's mandate, his first job should be to dissolve the Lower House 

for general elections. Rejecting this demand, Mr. Fukuda says his job is to respond to the 

people's distrust of politics by concretely dealing with the various problems. In his policy 

speech Mr. Fukuda put forward his basic political idea of "autonomy and living 

together." He also said that by pushing "politics with warmth," which will address policy 

issues closely related to the people's lives, he would like to build a "country of hope, free 

from anxiety." Replying to questions by Mr. Yukio Hatoyama, secretary general of the 

Democratic Party of Japan, Mr. Fukuda said that through sincere dialogue the ruling and 

opposition camps can work out measures that will be beneficial to the people, even if the 

situation is difficult.


Bizarre ruling against newspapers 

The Tokyo District Court recently ruled that three newspapers libeled a doctor at Tokyo 

Women's Medical College Hospital by publishing a wire service report. But it acquitted 

the news agency that dispatched the article. This bizarre ruling carries the danger of 

greatly hampering newspaper reporting activities. Akita Sakigake Shimpo, Jomo 

Shimbun (in Maebashi) and Shizuoka Shimbun had published a July 2002 Kyodo News 

article about the death of a 12-year-girl following a heart operation at the hospital in 

2001. The doctor who performed the operation was arrested by the Metropolitan Police 

Department and charged with professional negligence resulting in death. His criminal 

trial continues in Tokyo High Court. 


S.Korean Businesses Wary of Investing in North 

Amid suggestions from all sides for what should be discussed at the inter-Korean summit 

that starts Tuesday, businesses have been short of ideas. They say it is too early to 

propose concrete measures for inter-Korean economic cooperation because North Korea 

lacks both the infrastructure and the institutional and legal framework to protect South 

Korean investment there. Some say putting any detailed economic projects on the table 

would be pointless since it is unclear what suggestions or demands North Korea will 

make. Some businesses are also wary of joining any inter-Korean economic collaboration 

since that could damage their global reputation. As a result, Korea??s four leading 

conglomerates are taking a wait-and-see attitude. 


How Will the Inter-Korean Summit Impact the Elections? 

With President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il signing the 2007 

Joint Declaration on Thursday, various meetings between the two Koreas are lined up. 

The Dec. 19 presidential elections in South Korea are just around the corner, making it 

likely that the results of the inter-Korean summit will become embroiled in political 

controversy. In November, the first meeting between the prime ministers of the two 

Koreas will be held in Seoul, while defense ministerial talks will take place in 

Pyongyang. Ministerial talks and meetings between economic cooperation committees 

and lawmakers are also possible in the near future. 


Opposition Finds Inter-Korean Declaration Wanting 

The ruling camp welcomed a declaration signed by President Roh Moo-hyun and North 

Korean leader Kim Jong-il at the three-day inter-Korean summit, which ended on 

Thursday. But the conservative main opposition Grand National Party, while 

acknowledging the president??s efforts for permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, 

said it fell short of expectations. United New Democratic Party spokesman Lee Nak-yon 

hailed the declaration as a ??landmark attempt to achieve the establishment of 

permanent peace on the peninsula and mutual prosperity of the two Koreas through

economic cooperation.?? UNDP presidential hopefuls were also positive. Frontrunner 

Chung Dong-young called it a ??symbol of the Korean Peninsula age,?? which 

would ??usher in peace and economic prosperity.?? Former Gyeonggi governor 

Sohn Hak-kyu said the declaration would provide ??a big opportunity?? for the two 

Koreas to achieve unification. Former premier Lee Hae-chan called it a 

??milestone?? on the way to a new age on the Korean Peninsula. 


Advancing the study of Japan in Britain 

LONDON ?? On Thursday, at the Japanese Embassy in London, the Great Britain 

Sasakawa Foundation and the Nippon Foundation announced a series of new grants 

designed to further the development of Japanese studies in Britain. These grants will 

provide valuable support for Japanese studies programs at British universities as well as 

encourage the development of new programs at universities that have been aiming to start 

them. The grants are intended to fund new posts for up to five years. Universities 

receiving the grants will be expected to show that they will find alternative sources of 

money to maintain the new posts beyond that. The grants are thus not intended as a 

permanent subsidy. The annual budget for the five-year program will amount to a 

maximum of £500,000. One of the major aims of the program will be to ensure that 

scholars are trained to fill teaching and research posts needed to maintain a healthy 

program of Japanese studies in the future. The grants will also help broaden the nature of 

Japanese studies in Britain. 


92% of public interested in global climate change 

More than 90 percent of the public is concerned about global warming, according to a 

recent government survey. An Environment Ministry official said Saturday that the high 

rate of interest could be a reflection of this past sweltering summer and the impact of 

former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth," an award-winning 

documentary warning against global climate change. The survey, conducted by the 

Cabinet Office, found that 92.3 percent of the respondents expressed interest in the issue, 

up from 87.1 percent in a previous poll in July 2005. It is the first time the figure has 

topped 90 percent since the government began asking people about global warming in 

polls starting in November 1998. In the latest poll, 7.3 percent said they are not 

interested, down from 11.9 percent in July 2005, while 0.4 percent said they do not know, 

down from 1.0 percent. 


Junta will receive retribution 

As a Myanmar citizen, I would like to apologize to the citizens of Japan for the utterly 

wrong action of the government of Myanmar late last month. I am sure the regime did not 

know what it was doing, for it has been doing wrong after wrong for two decades now. It 

does not know the value of human life. I am sure the regime must suffer for what it has

done to all of us, including Japanese video journalist Kenji Nagai. Retribution is 

inevitable whether we want it or not, as it is the law of nature. I would like to reiterate 

that I and all of Myanmar's citizens sincerely give our condolences to Nagai's parents and 

other relatives. We are really ashamed of our government and will pray for Nagai's soul. 

May his soul fly to heaven! 


A gamble in Pyongyang 

It is too early to tell whether South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun can call his trip to 

North Korea last week a success, but North Korean leader Kim Jong Il must be happy 

with the visit. The summit choreography appeared to confirm his status as the senior 

leader on the Korean Peninsula, and the summit declaration gave him virtually everything 

that was on his pre-visit wish list. More important is the Korean public's reaction: If Mr. 

Roh gets a bump in the polls and boosts the prospects of the progressive candidate in the 

December presidential ballot, then both men will be able to call the summit a success. 

But the real measure of success is follow-through on its terms. The meeting of the two 

Korean heads of state was only the second in history. Mr. Kim Dae Jung first made the 

trek north to Pyongyang in 2000, a visit that was heralded at the time as inaugurating a 

new era on the Korean Peninsula. But tears of joy gave way to anger when it was 

revealed that Mr. Kim had paid hundreds of millions of dollars for the privilege. 


U.S.-N.Korea 'Orchestra Diplomacy' in the Works 

The New York Philharmonic Orchestra is in talks with North Korea about a first possible 

concert in Pyongyang with the encouragement of the U.S. State Department. Some 

observers on Sunday speculated that "orchestra diplomacy" might do for Washington- 

Pyongyang relations what "ping pong diplomacy" did to normalizing U.S.-Chinese 

relations in the 1970s. In a press release last Thursday, the New York Philharmonic said 

it was planning such a concert with the encouragement of the State Department. A group 

led by Zarin Mehta, the orchestra??s president, arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday 

accompanied by a Statement Department official. They have since been discussing a 

possible concert with North Korean officials. Mehta will reportedly stay in Pyongyang 

until Monday. 


Finance Exec. Sees Potential in N.Korea's Eyes 

When Hana Financial Group Chairman Kim Seung-yu was in Pyongyang for the inter- 

Korean summit as a representative of the financial sector, he was most impressed by the 

faces of North Korea's women. "I was surprised to see how many North Korean women 

have had double eyelid cosmetic surgery," Kim said. "I commented on it to Hyundai 

Business Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun, and she said the surgery is booming 

among North Korean women." Kim paid keen attention to the appearance of the women 

of the North because he believes it's possible to divine the state of a nation's economy by 

how its women tend to their appearance. "The fact that women are interested in cosmetic 

surgery means they don't have to worry about bread-and-butter issues," he said. "Finance 

has to follow the real economy, so I saw a possibility for the South's finance industry to

advance into the North." 


Increasing Rain Changing Korean Lifestyles 

Yoon Sung-won, a 35-year-old office worker, has stopped watching weather forecast 

since there are more gloomy than fine days and the accuracy of weather forecasts by the 

Korea Meteorological Administration is not all it??s cracked up to be. Instead, she 

always carries a small umbrella in her handbag. While she usually likes bright colors, 

these days she often wears dark trousers in fear of soiling her clothes with muddy water. 

She often selects enameled shoes which do not get wet to go out. Choi Soo-hyun (26) 

also works in an office. Once she washed her car at least once a week, but recently she 

has stopped since she doesn't know when it will rain. "I decided to live free and easy by 

enjoying the rain," she says. At weekends, when it rains, she often goes to a cafe with allround 

windows to watch the downpour. 


Memos confirm secret Okinawa pact 

Recently uncovered U.S. documents confirm there was a secret agreement allowing U.S. 

nuclear weapons to be brought into Japan in emergency situations in exchange for 

Okinawa's reversion to Japan in 1972. While the secret pact has already been revealed in 

various books and accounts, this is the first time its existence has been confirmed in 

official U.S. documents connected to the people directly involved in the negotiations. The 

Japanese government has repeatedly denied claims about the secret pact. The documents, 

dated Nov. 12 and 13, 1969, were written by White House National Security Adviser 

Henry Kissinger to President Richard Nixon. The memorandums were declassified in 

2005 and recently discovered in the U.S. National Archives by Takashi Shinobu, a 

professor of Japan-U.S. diplomatic history at Nihon University. 


Permanent SDF law should set dispatch principles: Ishiba 

Japan needs a permanent law that lays out the basic rules for dispatching the Self-Defense 

Forces overseas, instead of enacting short-term special laws for each mission, newly 

appointed Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in a recent interview. "We should set 

basic principles and rules to decide under what conditions we will send (SDF units) 

overseas," said Ishiba, a noted expert on defense issues. "Enacting a special law each time 

is problematic." Due to strict legal restrictions under the war-renouncing Constitution, the 

Diet has enacted a number of special ruling coalition-sponsored laws to dispatch SDF 

units overseas. Deliberations over those laws have stirred controversy each time, 

including the law for the Maritime Self-Defense Force's logistic support mission in the 

Indian Ocean to back up antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan, and another 

law that sent Ground Self-Defense Force troops to Iraq on a humanitarian assistance 

mission. 


Getting Japan's politics wrong 

Western media have reported Japan's new prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, as drab and

unexciting and even as "lukewarm pizza." But anyone who watched him during his more 

than three-year stint as chief Cabinet secretary would know that he has a sharp mind and 

a laid-back sense of humor. We are now discovering that he also has a quiet 

determination. If he is unexciting, it is because he realizes the virtue of conciliation rather 

than confrontation. Just a few years back, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi was dubbed 

"cold pizza" by some Western media. In fact, to anyone who knew him, he was open and 

warmhearted. Even if you did not know him, his willingness to ignore the United States 

and have Japan approve the global ban on lethal land mines suggested that he was not 

your ordinary insensitive, power-grabbing Japanese politician ?? that he had a heart 

and a soul. None of that got much mention in the Western media. 


Ex-farm ministry official arrested for taking bribe 

OSAKA (Kyodo) Kiyoshi Morimitsu, a former official in the agriculture ministry, was 

arrested Sunday on suspicion of having a rice importer pay for his travel expenses in 

return for information on a government tender for imported rice, police said. Also 

arrested were Naoyuki Omoto, 58, an executive of the Tokyo-based rice importer Andre 

Far East Inc., and employees Koji Suyama, 29, and Hisataka Yamamura, 62, for 

allegedly bribing Morimitsu. Morimitsu has admitted to the basic allegations. The police 

intend to launch an investigation into the firm because its account was used to pay for the 

travel expenses. Morimitsu is suspected of asking the company to cover about ¥360,000 

in bills for an inspection tour he made to the U.S. in September 2005 in return for 

information that was not to be released for another month, according to the police 

investigation so far. 


Multilateral Summit ??Would Mark Start of Peace Process?? 

Foreign Minister Song Min-soon on Sunday said any meeting of the parties to the Korean 

War to declare the war formally over after more than 50 years ??is contingent on the 

denuclearization process?? in North Korea. Commenting on a reference in last 

week??s inter-Korean declaration to ??having the leaders of the three or four parties 

directly concerned convene on the Peninsula and declare an end to the war?? before 

leaving Incheon International Airport on a Europe trip, Song said, "A declaration to end 

the war can be made at the end of peace talks, or such a declaration itself can mark the 

beginning of talks on a peace formula." Asked if the expression ??declare an end to the 

war?? in the declaration that ended last week??s inter-Korean summit meant the 

beginning of talks on a peace framework to replace the armistice," Song said, "You can 

say that if it materializes in the near future." In other words, any summit of the parties to 

the Korean War would likely mark the beginning of talks on ending the war rather than 

an immediate declaration of peace. 


Supporters Foil Raid on UNDP Frontrunner's Office 

Police attempted a raid on the campaign office of United New Democratic Party 

presidential contender Chung Dong-young on Sunday, part of their investigation of 

whether a district councilor loyal to Chung hired college students to register electoral 

college members for the party primary stealing identities including that of President Roh 

Moo-hyun. But violent resistance from 20 members of Chung??s camp, who 

denounced the raid as a politically motivated scheme by pro- Roh forces to ??suffocate 

the presidential contender,?? foiled the raid. Police withdrew an hour and 50 minutes 

after they arrived at the campaign office. Chung, who emerged as the surprise frontrunner 

in the primaries, protested. ??Not even past authoritarian governments did this kind of 

thing,?? he said. Supporters claimed rival presidential hopeful Lee Hae-chan, a Roh 

loyalist and former premier, was behind the raid. 


Full resolution of abductee issue not required by U.S. 

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The United States will not insist on a full resolution of the 

issue of North Korea's past abduction of Japanese nationals as a condition for removing 

Pyongyang from its list of terrorism-sponsoring states, diplomatic sources said Monday. 

While Tokyo has been asking Washington not to delist North Korea until all abductees 

are returned, the United States is putting greater emphasis on how cooperative the North 

will be, such as in giving additional explanations about the fate of eight abductees, 

including Megumi Yokota, as the criteria for judging the abduction issue resolved and 

removing Pyongyang from the list, said the sources. The approach highlights Japan's 

concerns that the United States could move to take North Korea off the blacklist as the 

six-party nuclear talks make progress even in the absence of tangible movement to 

resolve the abduction issue. 


Japanese abductee issue is over, Kim told Roh 

SEOUL (Kyodo) North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told South Korean President Roh Moo 

Hyun in last week's summit that there are no more Japanese who have been abducted to 

the country, according to a South Korean professor who was a member of the delegation 

to Pyongyang. Yonsei University professor Moon Jung In, who is an adviser to Roh and 

accompanied the president to Pyongyang for summits with Kim, said Roh raised the issue 

of Japanese kidnapped to the reclusive state in the 1970s and 1980s during the talks with 

Kim. However, the North Korean leader simply answered that the issue is over, Moon 

said in a briefing to foreign journalists. Japan believes some Japanese taken to North 

Korea decades ago may still be alive in the reclusive country. Roh delivered a message to 

Kim from Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda that is believed to have touched on the 

kidnapping issue. But Kim's only response appeared to be that there are no more Japanese 

abducted in the country and that the issue was closed, according to Moon. 


Funeral held for slain journalist Nagai

A funeral service was held Monday in Tokyo for Japanese video journalist Kenji Nagai, 

who was shot dead late last month while covering a crackdown by Myanmar's junta on 

the democracy movement. A portrait of Nagai, 50, taken on assignment in Jordan, was 

displayed on an altar covered with white flowers, as his parents and other mourners paid 

their last respects. The approximately 1,000 mourners offering incense at the altar 

included more than 70 Myanmarese democracy advocates living in Japan. "Mr. Nagai 

showed by his example that we have to go even to dangerous places," Toru Yamaji, 

president of Tokyo-based video news provider APF News Inc., said in a memorial 

address. "We will inherit his determination." Nagai, hailing from Imabari, Ehime 

Prefecture, was on contract with APF News. 


Getting Japan's politics wrong 

Western media have reported Japan's new prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, as drab and 

unexciting and even as "lukewarm pizza." But anyone who watched him during his more 

than three-year stint as chief Cabinet secretary would know that he has a sharp mind and 

a laid-back sense of humor. We are now discovering that he also has a quiet 

determination. If he is unexciting, it is because he realizes the virtue of conciliation rather 

than confrontation. Just a few years back, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi was dubbed 

"cold pizza" by some Western media. In fact, to anyone who knew him, he was open and 

warmhearted. Even if you did not know him, his willingness to ignore the United States 

and have Japan approve the global ban on lethal land mines suggested that he was not 

your ordinary insensitive, power-grabbing Japanese politician ?? that he had a heart 

and a soul. None of that got much mention in the Western media. 


U.S. Considering Massive Food Aid to N.Korea 

After agreeing to the supply of heavy fuel oil to North Korea, the U.S. is also considering 

giving it large-scale food aid, chief presidential secretary for national security Baek Jongchun 

said Monday. In a meeting with media editors, Baek said, "The U.S. is considering 

giving a considerable amount of food aid (to the North) purely from a humanitarian 

viewpoint. I understand that there will be a bilateral meeting to discuss this matter.?? 

On Sunday, a diplomatic source in Washington said now six-party nuclear talks are on 

the way to disabling North Korea's nuclear facilities, the U.S. is pushing for direct supply 

of food aid to the North. But the U.S. has reportedly not yet decided how much food it 

will supply. The World Food Program estimates that North Korea suffered a shortage of 

800,000 tons of food last year. Washington has informed Pyongyang of a plan to send 

officials to monitor food distribution there, and the response was reportedly positive. A 

U.S. official said it was ??uncertain?? whether North Korea will ultimately accept 

the request for some monitoring of distribution, but ??consensus has already been 

reached?? in principle. 


N.Korea Mouthpiece Foresees Kim-Bush Summit

A meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il 

is on the horizon after last week??s inter-Korean summit, a North Korean mouthpiece 

in Japan said Monday. The Chosun Shinbo, the organ of the pro-Pyongyang General 

Association of Korean Residents in Japan or Chongryon, said the end of the Korean War 

will be declared in the near future considering progress in six-way talks on the North 

Korean nuclear programs. A face-to-face meeting between Kim and Bush ??is 

approaching,?? it added. The daily claimed the U.S. was ??decisively 

responsible?? for the division of the Korean Peninsula and half a century of military 

tension between the two Koreas. In a special report on the latest inter-Korean summit, the 

Chosun Shinbo said it was the first time the heads of the two Koreas agreed on promoting 

a multilateral summit to declare the end of the ??fratricidal war.?? 


The Sky Is the Limit in U.S. Ties With N.Korea 

The trend in the U.S. administration appears to favor reconciliation with North Korea to 

the point where almost everything is possible provided the North is faithful to its 

denuclearization commitment. U.S. officials are talking about striking North Korea from 

the list of state sponsors of terrorism by the end of the year, while also seeking 

reconciliation in various other sectors. It is reminiscent of nothing so much as the Clinton 

administration in its final days seven years ago, when then-U.S. secretary of state 

Madeleine Albright visited Pyongyang and Vice Marshal Cho Myong-rok of North Korea 

visited Washington. Some observers speculated president Bill Clinton would meet with 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang. 


Cabinet OKs North Korea sanctions extension 

The Cabinet approved plans Tuesday to extend economic sanctions on another six 

months, the Foreign Ministry said. The sanctions ?? first imposed last October after 

North Korea's nuclear test and extended in April for six months ?? were to expire in 

mid-October. The extension marks the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 9 atomic test. The 

sanctions include closing Japan's ports to North Korean ships and banning the import of 

North Korean goods. The Cabinet approved the extension despite North Korea's 

agreement last week to disable its main nuclear complex by the end of the year, because 

Pyongyang has yet to take concrete steps to disable its nuclear programs, a Foreign 

Ministry spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity. 


A role for Japan in Myanmar 

HONG KONG ?? If any good is to come from the murder of cameraman Kenji Nagai 

on the streets of Yangon, it must be that Japan recovers its moral voice. So far there has 

been a small stirring of conscience and murmurs that aid may be cut as a mark of 

dissatisfaction with the murderous Myanmarese military regime. This is a start, but is not

sufficient. As a country with a strong Buddhist culture that understands the savagery that 

military rule can bring and has suffered mass killings from fire-bombings and nuclear 

weapons, Japan has a unique standing. As a country that then renounced war and 

eschewed military might to show great economic enterprise and recover from the ashes of 

war, Japan is singularly placed to offer moral leadership. This could be a prelude to 

discovering its own 21st century role in the world. Having said that, it will require a leap 

of imagination that Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa and 

the bureaucrats of all the relevant ministries have been lacking. Perhaps Sadako Ogata, as 

the head of Japan's aid organization, a former professor at a Christian university and a 

leading United Nations official, can remind the politicians to think of Japan's global role 

as the first Asian power to join the industrialized world. 


Ozawa's Afghan gambit rejected 

Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura on Tuesday rejected Democratic Party of 

Japan President Ichiro Ozawa's suggestion that Japan participate in NATO's International 

Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is "a very dangerous area and can 

be called a combat zone," Machimura said during a session of the House of 

Representatives Budget Committee. "Based on the Constitution (which prohibits the use 

of force), we cannot support" Ozawa's opinion that Japan should participate in ISAF 

activities, he said. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner New 

Komeito have been desperate to extend the special antiterrorism law that allows the 

Maritime Self-Defense Force to refuel multinational ships in the Indian Ocean in support 

of Operation Enduring Freedom-Maritime Interdiction Operation. The special law expires 

Nov. 1. 


Lee Myung-bak Unveils Inter-Korean Cooperation Plans 

Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak on Monday unveiled his 

policies for inter-Korean economic cooperation. In a speech before the J-Global Forum 

2007, Lee vowed to put investment rather than unilateral aid at the heart of inter-Korean 

economic cooperation. Policies include substantial measures to boost economic 

cooperation across the border and in Northeast Asia. Lee said his government would 

establish a consultative body with the North to build an inter-Korean economic 

community provided Pyongyang disables its nuclear facilities this year and scraps its 

nuclear programs next year. The consultative body would serve as a channel to discuss 

his North Korea plan, which would seek to help the North achieve a per-capita national 

income of US$3,000. Lee originally announced the plan in broad outline in February as a 

preview of his diplomatic and security policies. 


Lee Myung-bak Promises New 'Development Era' 

Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak on Sunday said Korea 

should ring in a new era of development following industrialization after 1963 and 

democratization since 1987. Speaking at a press conference at party headquarters in 

Yeouido, Seoul to mark 100 days until the presidential election, Lee vowed to bring a

development program that will help the country join the ranks of advanced nations. Lee 

said the key points at stake in the presidential election are development and 

reconciliation, with Koreans calling for economic reinvigoration and national unity. He 

declared the remaining 100 days a ??grand march?? to win the presidential election 

and take power. ??The failed government should be replaced by a competent force who 

can facilitate the development of the nation,?? he said. Lee denounced Cheong Wa 

dae??s decision to file charges against him for defamation as ??an example of thirdrate 

politics.?? He said the president and presidential candidates have to respect the 

law, adding he would accept the summons of prosecutors if necessary. 


China Insists on Role In Korea Peace Process 

China has made it clear that it is entitled to a role in any summit on replacing the 

armistice that still halts hostilities on the Korean Peninsula with a permanent peace 

framework. President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il needled 

China by agreeing to work for a summit of ??the three or four parties directly 

concerned?? to declare an end to the war. China is a signatory to the armistice along 

with the U.S. and the two Koreas. Beijing on Tuesday also reiterated a permanent peace 

mechanism can only come once North Korea completes the denuclearization process. 

??China, as an important nation in Northeast Asia and also a contracting party to an 

armistice agreement of the Korean War, will go on playing an active role in the 

process,?? Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters Tuesday. 

??Establishing a peace mechanism serves the interests of the people of the Korean 

Peninsula and the peace, stability and development of the region. China is supportive of 

the establishment of such a peace mechanism.?? 


Lee Myung-bak Wants to Liberalize Education 

Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday vowed to give 

complete autonomy to colleges and universities in recruiting new students if elected 

president. He also promised to complement standardized education in high schools by 

??excellence in education." Lee was speaking at a press conference at his party's 

headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul called to announce five ??action programs?? 

intended to reduce private education costs by half. Lee envisages university admissions 

autonomy in three stages, with the first being to let colleges freely take students' school 

records or College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the national college entrance exam 

scores into consideration. The second stage envisages reducing the number of CSAT 

exam subjects drastically to reduce the burden on students, and the third gives full 

autonomy to colleges once they are ready to recruit new students on their own and the 

systematic groundwork has been laid.


Afghan SDF mission constitutional, Ozawa says 

Ichiro Ozawa, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, said Wednesday the Self- 

Defense Forces' participation in NATO's International Security Assistance Force in 

Afghanistan would not violate the Constitution, contrary to the claims of the Liberal 

Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling coalition, which has rejected his proposal. During 

a news conference, Ozawa pointed out that Japan is a signatory of the U.N. and activities 

authorized by that body, including the ISAF, should not, therefore, be viewed as 

unconstitutional. "Japan became a member (of the U.N.), promising to answer to its every 

possible demand, to give its full cooperation," Ozawa said. If joining the ISAF activities 

is unconstitutional, "that would make (Japan) a liar. That would mean that Japan's 

Constitution and the U.N. Charter are inconsistent." 


'Silly summit' produced serious results 

LOS ANGELES It sure opened up as one big oddball of a summit. For starters, the 

maximum leader of the northern half of the divided Korean Peninsula shows up on the 

first day in his trademark khaki casual suit that makes him look like some puffy Veterans 

of Foreign Wars figurine out of a 1950s department store catalog. And then the leader 

from the bottom half of Korea steps onto the summit stage in Pyongyang looking as stiff 

and glazed as a celebrity waxwork from Madame Tussauds in London. These are the pair 

of political peculiarities who now represent the communist North of Korea and the 

industrialized South, and it was they who just concluded what was but the second Korean 

summit since the Peninsula's division. So, Josef Stalin versus Franklin Roosevelt this was 

not; it was North Korean leader Kim Jong Il versus South Korean President Roh Moo 

Hyun, which, for all appearances, at times looked more like Abbott versus Costello than 

anything else. 


Six-party talks make progress 

HONOLULU The joint declaration from the recently concluded round of six-party talks 

in Beijing points to a significant step forward, provided Pyongyang follows through as 

promised with a significant series of denuclearization steps between now and the end of 

the year. As has often been the trend in the talks, however, the most critical issues seem 

to have been kicked down the road and remain subject to further deliberation. The Sept. 

27-30 round of talks ended with a sense of anxiety as the participants reported that they 

needed to bring the proposed agreement on "Second Phase Actions for the 

Implementation of the Joint Statement" back home for final review and approval, raising 

the specter of renewed stonewalling by North Korea. But North Korea's Leader Kim Jong 

Il apparently signed off on the Chinese-produced draft (as did his U.S., South Korean, 

Russian and Japanese counterparts) and the "breakthrough" was subsequently announced 

on Oct. 3. 


Independent Troop Control Will Cost W230 Billion

Last year, the government insisted Korea's takeover of wartime operational control of its 

troops by 2012 would create no additional burden for the country, but that is far from 

truth. The Defense Ministry on Wednesday said it will need an additional budget of some 

W230 billion (US$1=W916) for an increase of 1,420 company and field officers to 

prepare for the takeover of wartime operational control from the U.S. between 2008 and 

2012. "In the second half of 2005, we worked out the National Defense Reform 2020, a 

Defense Ministry official said. At that time, we failed to take into consideration the need 

to reinforce operational capabilities and increase information gathering and analysis 

abilities once South Korea takes over wartime operational control. "But once wartime 

operational control is transferred, U.S. military personnel in charge of the operation and 

maintenance of state-of-the-art weapons systems will also leave. Therefore, we need to 

prepare for this." 


Korea, U.S. Compromise on Troop Control Handover 

In a compromise, Korea and the United States agreed Friday to complete the handover of 

full wartime operational control of Korean troops to Seoul between Oct. 15, 2009 and 

March 15, 2012. The two sides issued a 14-point joint communiqu?? at the end of further 

negotiations after the 38th Security Consultative Meeting headed by Defense Minister 

Yoon Kwang-ung and his U.S. counterpart Donald Rumsfeld. The joint communiqu?? 

also includes the extended deterrence offered by the U.S. nuclear umbrella and confirms 

U.S. commitment to and immediate support for Korea in case of war under the Mutual 

Defense Treaty between Korea and the U.S. This is the first time that extended deterrence 

-- a concept that allows a nuclear-strategic response to deter an attack on the territory or 

troops of allies -- has been included in the SCM communiqu??. The U.S. applies this to 

NATO. 


Changes to Wartime OPCON: Challenges for the ROK Military 

According to an agreement signed by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and South 

Korean Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo, the United States and the Republic of Korea 

have formally agreed that Combined Forces Command (CFC) will be dissolved by April 

17th of 2012. Some political scientists largely individuals without military experience in 

the United States and certainly many academics and politicians on the left in South Korea 

have hailed the move as necessary and useful. In addition, most of these same individuals 

have repeatedly simplified these complicated issues by asserting it will simply be a 

matter of the ROK military buying a lot of equipment and the U.S. maintaining its status 

as an ally, albeit in more of a supportive role. While there are many questions associated 

with this complete and unusual change in command relationships, it is my belief that 

before addressing what South Korea??s military needs to do in its new independent 

role in 2012 one must first address the threat that they will face North Korea. 


Education Policy Should Decide Presidential Election 

The ruling and opposition camps exchanged salvos on Wednesday over Grand National

Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak??s election pledge on education. On 

Tuesday, Lee announced he would give universities autonomy in admissions, while 

building a wide range of independent high schools. Lee was in effect saying he would 

reconsider parts of the Roh Moo-hyun administration??s Three Nos policy of 

forbidding universities from administering their own entrance exams, ranking high 

schools, and accepting donations for admissions. In response, the presidential office of 

Cheong Wa Dae criticized Lee, saying educational policy should not change just to make 

it easier for a few universities to choose new students by lining them up simply according 

to their class rankings. One after another, the United New Democratic Party, the 

Democratic Labor Party and the Democratic Party attacked Lee??s education policy. 

The issue of educational liberalization has emerged as a major point of contention in this 

presidential election. 


Kim Jong-il Should Come Here Next Time: Lee Myung-bak 

Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday called on 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to come to Seoul if there is to be another inter-Korean 

summit. ??According to the principle of reciprocity, chairman Kim should come to 

South Korea for the next inter-Korean summit. If I am elected, the next inter-Korean 

summit will be held somewhere in South Korea, if not in Seoul." In an interview with 

YTN, Lee said South Koreans regarded the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea, which 

is now to be turned into a ??peace zone?? under an agreement reached at the recent 

inter-Korean summit, as a maritime military border just like the Military Demarcation 

Line in the demilitarized zone. "Surely the NLL should be respected as it is until national 

unification," he said. Asked about his views on declaring an end to the Korean War, Lee 

said, "In principle, the end of the war should be declared after North Korea's nuclear 

facilities are dismantled. But I think such a declaration is possible if the parties concerned 

agree and if it is helpful to peace on the Korean Peninsula." 


North Korea envoy open to Fukuda dialogue stance 

PYONGYANG (Kyodo) Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's dialogue-oriented policy 

represents a welcome difference from his hardline predecessor, North Korea's envoy for 

the diplomatic normalization talks with Japan said Thursday. In an interview with Kyodo 

News, Song Il Ho said the North was willing to improve relations with Japan and added 

Pyongyang would not shun discussions with a country seeking dialogue. "Prime Minister 

Fukuda himself has said that he would place more emphasis on dialogue, and this is 

worthy of note," Song said. "We believe this is a different trend from the administration" 

of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe, he said. Song's comments were the first by a senior North 

Korean official on how the country views the new prime minister and his policy toward 

Pyongyang. Fukuda, who took office in late September, has promised a dialogue-oriented 

approach to diplomacy, including issues involving North Korea, marking a shift from 

Abe, who was considered a hardliner.


U.S. denies allegation MSDF supplied fuel diverted to Iraq 

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The United States on Wednesday brushed aside allegations 

that fuel provided by a Japanese vessel was illegally diverted for U.S. operations in Iraq. 

The Defense Department said in a statement that the allegations were "misplaced," days 

after the Pentagon told Tokyo that no U.S. warships taking part in the Iraq war have 

received fuel from Japanese vessels supporting the U.S.-led Afghan mission. A Japanese 

peace group said last month that the logbook of the U.S. oil ship Pecos and other 

materials suggested the Maritime Self-Defense Force ship Tokiwa in February 2003 gave 

illegal logistic support for the war in Iraq by indirectly supplying oil to the aircraft carrier 

USS Kitty Hawk, which took part in the war. A special Japanese law only allows the 

MSDF to provide fuel for foreign vessels taking part in the U.S.-led mission in and 

around Afghanistan, under Japan's pacifist Constitution. 


Rash Words on the Northern Limit Line 

Speaking at a meeting he hosted at Cheong Wa Dae for representatives of political 

parties, President Roh Moo-hyun said the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea, which 

has functioned as the de-facto sea border between the two Koreas, ??was originally a 

limit line for our naval operations. Some people are calling it a 'border?? these days. 

This is a concept that misleads the people.?? He added, ??Under our Constitution, 

the territory of North Korea belongs to South Korea. In this context, calling a line in our 

territory a border confuses me.?? This is mere wordplay. Roh??s remarks will lead 

to a claim that we cannot say that the waters south of the NLL belong to South Korea. 

Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung earlier said the NLL ??is not a border concept?? 

-- and, as suspected, it turn out that Roh is behind the argument. Roh??s logic is the 

same as the North??s. In the armistice which halted the Korean War in 1953, the basic 

principle in dividing jurisdiction over islands in the West Sea was to go back to the 

prewar situation. 


Sohn Wins Second Phone Vote in UNDP Primary 

Sohn Hak-kyu again took first place in the second round of a mobile phone vote in the 

primary of the United New Democratic Party on Thursday, winning 38.4 percent or 

21,359 out of 55,682 valid votes. Ex-Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young, who 

unexpectedly won several rounds of regional votes, came second with 34.6 percent or 

19,288 votes, trailed by former premier Lee Hae-chan with 27 percent or 15,035 votes. 

Chung still leads the pack with 77,417 accumulated votes, ahead of Sohn with 66,859 

votes and Lee??s 50,961. However, analysts say the result of the UNDP primary race 

is unpredictable now Sohn won two straight rounds of phone votes. Mathematically, 

Sohn is behind Chung by just about 10,000 votes, taking the tide at the flood in the final 

stage. There remains a "one shot" primary election with an electoral college of 1.06

million slated on Sunday and a mobile phone vote with 135,000. Turnout was 74.9 

percent on Thursday, better than the 70.6 percent of the first round and more than triple 

the poor turnout of 19 percent in the eight regional polls held so far. 

The China Post, 13 October 2007 

Ship interception naval excercises by 7 countries hosted by Japan in Pacific 

TOKYO -- Ships and aircraft from seven countries began three days of maritime 

exercises Saturday involving the mock interception of weapons of mass destruction, a 

Japanese official said. The Pacific Shield 07 exercises are being conducted as part of the 

U.S.-originated Proliferation Security Initiative, Japan's Foreign Ministry said in a 

statement. They mark the second time Japan has hosted such drills, the first being in 

2004, it said. The current exercises involve 10 ships, six aircraft and personnel from 

Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Britain and the United States, Foreign 

Ministry official Shingo Ito said. Forty countries sent observers, he said. The drills 

involve the mock interception of vessels in Pacific Ocean waters southwest of Tokyo, as 

well as ship boarding and inspection exercises at the ports of Yokosuka and Yokohama, 

also southwest of Tokyo, the ministry said. 


Fukuda could resolve issue over Yasukuni by visiting 

I believe it would be good for Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to visit Yasukuni Shrine 

during the annual autumn festival. I am very well aware that the prime minister himself is 

extremely cautious about the visit. But, objectively speaking, the time is getting ripe to 

resolve the Yasukuni problem. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's strategy of "not 

saying whether he would go (to Yasukuni) or would not go" was successful in its own 

way. Because Abe did not depart from the principled argument that visiting Yasukuni 

Shrine was inherently "correct," such commentators as Shi Ping thought that the Chinese 

had no choice but to restrain their behavior that would provoke Japan since the Chinese 

did not know when the prime minister would make a visit. This strategy of Abe may 

explain why China did not become worked up over such things as the elevation of the 

Defense Agency to a ministry and the referendum law on constitutional revisions by 

resorting to a rhetorical statement that there is resurgence of militarism in Japan. 


Empty gestures on climate change 

U.S. President George W. Bush has been hailed for a decisive change in his thinking 

about climate change. After rejecting the Kyoto treaty early in his presidency, he no 

longer questions the fact of "climate change" and has attempted to claim a leading role in 

the international fight to combat this problem. His latest effort, however, suggests that 

Mr. Bush is more interested in the image of leadership rather than the hard work needed 

to halt and reverse global warming. Mr. Bush is an unlikely convert. He began his 

business career in the energy industry, and has maintained strong ties to it. During the 

2000 presidential campaign, he questioned first the significance of global warming and 

then, when the evidence became unmistakable, the links between it and human activity. 

Upon taking office, he withdrew the U.S. from the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and 

reneged on a campaign promise to impose mandatory reductions in power plants' carbon

dioxide emissions. In the last year, however, as global opinion has shifted and climate 

change has dominated the international agenda, Mr. Bush has come around and 

acknowledged the need for aggressive action. 


Northern Limit Line not a Border: Roh 

President Roh Moo-hyun on Thursday said the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea, 

which has served as the de facto sea boundary off Korea's west coast, ??was originally 

a limit line for our naval operations.?? Some people are calling it a 'border?? these 

days. This is a concept that misleads the people." Roh was speaking at a luncheon he 

hosted at Cheong Wa Dae for representatives and floor leaders of political parties. The 

president said, ??Under our Constitution, the territory of North Korea belongs to South 

Korea. In this context, calling a line in our territory a border confuses me.?? The 

president??s remarks contradict the Defense Ministry??s position that the NLL is the 

de-facto sea border between the two Koreas but support Unification Minister Lee Jaejoung??s 

position that the NLL is not a border concept. Roh said Thursday, ??We 

need to admit that the NLL was drawn unilaterally by (the U.S. and South Korea) with no 

bilateral agreement reached. I suppose they cite the NLL as a reason for their objection to 

inter-Korean economic projects. I??m proposing to delay tackling the NLL issue.?? 


S.Korea 'Taps UN Command on Sea Border' 

The Ministry of Defense and the armed forces have tapped the opinion of United Nations 

Command on whether the upcoming inter-Korean summit should discussing a change in 

the de-facto maritime border between the two Koreas, sources say. The UNC, the largely 

nominal body whose role is to oversee the armistice and which is headed by the U.S. 

Forces Korea Commander, was quoted as pointing out that the Northern Limit Line is not 

a matter the two Koreas can decide by themselves but needs consent from the UNC under 

the conditions of the truce. The UNC is likely to protest if the two Koreas, as the North is 

demanding, begin discussion on redrawing the NLL. A government source on 

Wednesday said top military leaders and the government have recently asked the UNC 

about its view on a change in the NLL, apparently prompted by the approaching summit. 


Maritime WMD drill kicks off with mock chases, inspections 

A three-day maritime drill on preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction 

kicked off Saturday off Oshima Island with personnel, aircraft and naval vessels from 

seven countries participating. The exercises in the Pacific are part of the Proliferation 

Security Initiative, which features joint chases of "suspicious" boats at sea and ship 

inspections at the ports of Yokosuka and Yokohama, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japanese 

officials said. Forty-one countries are taking part, including Australia, Britain, France, 

Japan, New Zealand, and the United States, which all dispatched vessels and aircraft for 

the drill, with Singapore sending personnel. The other countries, including those from

Europe and the Middle East, sent observers. On the first day, the vessels, including those 

from the Maritime Self-Defense Force, chased target boats and had inspectors board them 

in the Sea of Sagami, near the island. 


Defense Ministry concludes no oil supply was diverted to Iraq 

The Defense Ministry has concluded that fuel provided by Japanese vessels in the Indian 

Ocean was not diverted for use in the Iraq war and thus did not violate the mission's legal 

mandate authorizing refueling support only for multinational antiterrorism operations in 

and around Afghanistan, government officials said Saturday. The ministry came to the 

conclusion after examining U.S. logbooks and other related documents on nearly 800 

missions since December 2001 in which Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels supplied 

fuel to foreign ships, the officials said. The ministry is now in the process of determining 

what information can be disclosed and is expected to announce its findings later in the 

week, they said. But the opposition camp, led by the Democratic Party of Japan, is certain 

to pressure the government to disclose more information on the findings to clear up 

allegations by Peace Depot, a Yokohama-based citizen's group, that oil supplied by Japan 

may have been used for U.S.-led operations in Iraq and for purposes other than those 

stipulated by Japan's special antiterrorism law, which authorizes the mission. This may be 

difficult because most of the information is classified data obtained from other countries. 


Korea's Lukewarm Response to Global Warming 

Now the site of one of the world's worst genocides, the Darfur region of western Sudan 

was a plentiful neighborhood until twenty years ago. Blessed with fertile land, black 

farmers welcomed Arab shepherds and they shared water. But rising temperatures in the 

Indian Ocean affected the monsoons and rainfall in the region fell by about 40 percent 

over the past two decades. As the soil dried up, the farmers and shepherds began to battle 

for the remaining green lands. With the resources woes compounded by religious and 

racial conflicts, Darfur has turned into a killing field with 200,000 dead since 2003. With 

the glaciers of the equatorial Andes Mountains in Peru melting at a rapid pace, Peruvians 

face a serious threat to their survival. Without the glacier water that supplies 10 to 20 

percent of the lowland water -- 40 percent during the dry season -- Peru's Pacific coast, 

home to 70 percent of the nation's population, could turn into desert. 


State-owned Companies Get Fatter and Deeper in Debt 

Participants in a debate on Friday by the Korean Society of Public Enterprise pointed out 

that the Roh Moo-hyun administration stalled privatization and restructuring efforts at 

state-owned companies, leading to a bloated workforce and reckless management 

practices. The participants said the next government must draw up a roadmap and pursue 

privatization as soon as possible. The number of employees at state-owned companies 

and public institutions rose from 213,000 at the start of the Roh administration at the end 

of 2002 to around 238,000 over the next four years. That marks a rise of around 25,000 or 

12 percent. At the same time, the total outstanding debt of state-owned companies rose 

from W194.9 trillion (US$1=W918) to W295.8 trillion, an increase of W101 trillion or

52 percent. The cases of inefficiency and waste are endless. Recently, the Ministry of 

Planning and Budget cited in its management evaluation of the Korea Broadcast 

Advertising Corporation an instance where each employee was given a W2 million laptop 

computer to commemorate the corporation??s 25th anniversary. 


Kidnapped Japanese student could be freed soon: Iranian official 

KERMAN, Iran (Kyodo) An Iranian government official told Kyodo News on Sunday 

there is information that the kidnapped Japanese student Satoshi Nakamura could be 

released the same day, saying the information is from a local source. The Japanese 

government said it has not confirmed the information about Nakamura, aged 23 and a 

fourth-year student at Yokohama National University. He was kidnapped one week ago. 

A security official in the southeastern province of Kerman suggested Sunday that 

Nakamura, if freed, would be transported to Tehran, saying everything will happen in 

Tehran. He is believed to have been abducted by the drug-smuggling group Shahbakhsh. 

The group has been demanding the release of detained group members as a condition for 

releasing Nakamura. The Japanese government has been seeking cooperation from Iran in 

winning the student's release. Iranian officials are believed to have been trying to 

persuade the group to release him through an intermediary of a tribe. 


LDP's Nakatani calls refueling mission opponents 'terrorists' 

Gen Nakatani, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's security policy panel, 

enraged the opposition camp Sunday by calling opponents of Japan's antiterrorism 

refueling mission "terrorists" in criticizing the camp dissenting against the mission. "Only 

terrorists would oppose this," Nakatani, chairman of the LDP Research Commission on 

Security, said on a Fuji TV talk show, emphasizing a view that it is significant for Japan 

to continue refueling ships of countries taking part in the U.S.-led antiterrorism 

operations in and around Afghanistan. Asked by the program host if he thinks of the main 

opposition Democratic Party of Japan as "a group of terrorists," Nakatani, who was 

director general of the Defense Agency, did not deny it and said, "I cannot understand 

(opposition to the mission)." The remarks drew a strong protest from DPJ Secretary 

General Yukio Hatoyama, who said at a news conference in Wakayama, Wakayama 

Prefecture, "Given that about 30 percent of the public are opposed to the refueling 

activities, it means three in 10 Japanese are terrorists." 


Chung Dong-young Sweeps UNDP Provincial Primary 

Chung Dong-young has consolidated his position as the United New Democratic Party 

frontrunner by winning most of the eight provinces and cities where primary elections 

were held on Sunday. The former unification minister and ex-chairman of the defunct Uri 

Party won an overwhelming victory in Seoul and North Jeolla Province. According to 

party officials, Chung won 83.5 percent of votes in his home province of North Jeolla 

alone and is ahead of second-placer Sohn Hak-kyu by 30,000 votes. He also won all 25 

Seoul districts 7,000 votes ahead of Sohn. Sohn, an ex-Gyeonggi Province governor and 

until recently the sole candidate with measurable public support, won only Incheon in the

metropolitan area by a narrow margin. According to tentative calculations, Chung now 

has 50,000 accumulated votes more than Sohn. To turn the tide, Sohn must win over 70 

percent of votes in mobile phone elections that ended on Sunday, a nigh-impossible task. 

The results of the phone vote are announced on Monday. 


Defense Minister Firm on Northern Limit Line 

Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo has reportedly vowed to remain firm in his determination 

to defend the Northern Limit Line after President Roh Moo-hyun said last week 

regarding the NLL as a border between the two Koreas was a misunderstanding. ??If I 

should ever change my position on this, I'm no longer Kim jang-soo,?? the minister 

was quoted as saying. Kim made the remark to his staff recently, it was claimed Sunday. 

The government drew flak by agreeing at the latest inter-Korean summit to establish a 

??peace zone?? and joint fishing area around the NLL, a matter Kim himself will 

have to discuss in inter-Korean defense ministers' talks slated for November. The 

Defense Ministry is refraining from any official comments on Roh's remarks, apparently 

concerned that any mention of the discrepancy in views would be seen as an act of 

disobedience. The ministry has officially treated the NLL as the maritime border in the 

west sea, and battles provoked by North Korean incursions have claimed South Korean 

lives. 


Captive in Iran said to be safe but yet to be freed 

TEHRAN (Kyodo) Student Satoshi Nakamura was apparently still being held captive in 

Iran despite earlier information that he could be released Sunday. An Iranian Foreign 

Ministry official said Monday the Japanese man is safe but did not elaborate. 

Expectations of a release were high after an Iranian government official said Sunday 

there was information that Nakamura, 23, a senior at Yokohama National University, 

could be released that day, saying the information was from a local source. But the 

deputy governor of the southeastern province of Kerman said later that Nakamura would 

not be freed Sunday night, according to Iran's Fars news agency. In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet 

Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said Monday the government had not received any 

information about Nakamura's release. 


Russia opposes Japan missile defense 

MOSCOW (Kyodo) Russia is concerned about the Japan-U.S. project to develop a 

missile defense system, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a recent 

interview. The project is "a subject of concern from our side," Lavrov said Friday in a 

written response to questions prior to his visit to Japan later this month. "We are opposed 

to the construction of a missile defense system aimed at securing military superiority," he 

said in Russian, arguing the system could be directed at Russian and Chinese strategic 

arms. It is believed to be the first time Lavrov has publicly expressed strong concern over 

the U.S.-Japan defense system. In addition to Russia's opposition to the U.S. project to 

build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, it has become clear that the Kremlin is

also uneasy about the introduction of a missile defense shield by Japan and the United 

States in the Asia-Pacific region. 


How long can Fukuda last? 

Sentaku magazine (October) In forming his Cabinet, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda 

surrounded himself with "heavyweights" of his Liberal Democratic Party ?? powerful 

figures who head their respective intraparty factions. Although Fukuda is older than most 

of them, there is no denying that his lower level of experience makes him look less 

reliable. One of the reasons why the birth of the Fukuda government did not turn out as 

glamorous as he would have liked is that it meant the end of the political style of 

Junichiro Koizumi, who had dominated the minds of a great majority of Japanese 

citizens. Many descriptions characterize the unique way in which Koizumi ruled the 

nation, including near-theatrical performances, populism, the surprising selection of top 

lieutenants, the destruction of intraparty factions, political superiority over bureaucracy, 

and the shift from the public to the private sector. Koizumi's immediate successor, Shinzo 

Abe, failed because he tried to imitate much of what his predecessor did. 


Ex-Uri Chairman Wins UNDP Presidential Primary 

Former Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young was nominated as the presidential 

candidate of the United New Democratic Party at a party convention on Monday. Chung 

won 132,996 votes in a "one-shot" vote in eight locations including Seoul, Gyeonggi 

Province and Incheon on Sunday. He also won 35,846 votes out of about 100,000 valid 

votes cast in the third mobile phone poll and 21,850 votes (44.1 percent) in the public 

opinion polls. As a result, he had a total of 216,984 votes, outdistancing runner-up Sohn 

Hak-kyu by a margin of about 48,000 votes. In Sunday??s vote, Chung took the lead in 

all modes of voting, including polling booths and public opinion polls, with the exception 

of the mobile phone vote. Sohn won a total of 168,799 votes, including 81,243 votes at 

polling booths in eight locations, 41,023 votes in the phone vote and 17,525 votes (35.3 

percent) in the opinion polls. Ex-premier Lee Hae-chan won a total of 110,128 votes, 

including 54,628 votes at polling booths, 28,964 votes in the phone vote, and 10,216 

votes (20.1 percent) in the opinion polls. 


How Presidential Candidates Differ on Economic Policy 

Chung Dong-young, who won the United New Democratic Party's presidential 

nomination on Monday, and Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak 

share the view that top priority should be given to the economy in the next government, 

reflecting voters?? opinion. But while they appear to share some opinions such as the 

need to create more jobs, they disagree sharply on issues like growth vs. distribution, tax 

and real estate policies, and big development projects. Chung wants to model his 

government on welfare states like Sweden and Norway, while Lee looks to implement 

policies based on the American-style market economy.


¥552 million Myanmar aid project nixed 

The government will cancel a ¥552 million project to build a human resource training 

center in Myanmar to protest the recent military crackdown on the democracy movement 

and the killing of a Japanese video journalist, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said 

Tuesday. The training center, which was to have been built within the compound of a 

public university in Yangon, was among a few major infrastructure projects in Myanmar 

being considered for Japanese official development assistance. "We need to show the 

stance of the Japanese government. We cannot take actions that support the military 

junta," Komura said after a Cabinet meeting in which he reported the decision to other 

ministers. Japan has pursued an engagement policy toward the junta, maintaining 

diplomatic contacts and providing humanitarian ODA projects to directly benefit the 

public. But the government has decided to take a harder line, in part because of the 

repeated airing in Japan of footage of the shooting of video journalist Kenji Nagai. 


Foreign investment in Japan negative in 2006 

Foreign direct investment inflows to Japan turned negative in 2006 for the first time since 

1989, affected by divestments by large transnational companies, including Vodafone 

Group PLC, according to a U.N. development agency. The sluggish result was in contrast 

to a surge in FDI inflows to other advanced economies amid an increasing number of 

cross-border mergers and acquisitions, as well as a steady uptrend in other part of Asia, 

including China, the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development said in its annual report 

to be released Wednesday. FDI inflows to Japan fell to minus $6.5 billion last year on a 

net basis, after an inflow of $2.8 billion in 2005. Although $2.3 billion in earnings was 

reinvested in Japan, it was overwhelmed by $8.6 billion in net equity unloading, 

according to UNCTAD's World Investment Report 2007. 


Prepare for any possibility 

For the second consecutive time the government has extended its economic sanctions on 

North Korea another six months from Oct. 14, citing no progress on the issue of the 

abduction of Japanese nationals by Pyongyang. Although the extension was unavoidable, 

the government needs to prepare for its next move given the rapidly changing situation 

surrounding North Korea. In the latest round of the six-party talks on North Korea's 

nuclear-weapons programs, the North agreed to "disable" its 5-megawatt experimental 

reactor and two other facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex and "provide a 

complete and correct declaration of all nuclear programs" by Dec. 31. Although some 

points in the agreement are unclear, Japan must consider how it should respond should 

North Korea follow through with its promise. In such a case, other members of the sixparty 

talks are likely to ask Japan to extend assistance to North Korea. Japan must 

determine whether it can reject such a call by citing a lack of progress on the abduction 

issue. 


A kinder way to tackle climate change

NEW DELHI ?? On Sept. 24, a major event took place in the United Nations with 

about 80 heads of state and heads of government meeting at the invitation of Secretary 

General Ban Ki Moon to discuss the subject of climate change. In his opening address 

Ban said, "Climate change is a serious threat to development everywhere. Indeed, the 

adverse impacts of climate change could undo much of the investments made to achieve 

the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)." Former Secretary General Kofi Annan had 

brought about a remarkable consensus among world leaders to establish the MDG, and 

for the world to meet these by 2015. It is now clear that climate change threatens the 

achievement of these goals, so vital to the well-being of human society and the 

elimination of widespread poverty. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

(IPCC) has brought out three Working Group Reports this year that provide a 

comprehensive assessment of the extent and nature of climate change. 


Lee Boosts Lead, Chung Gains in Latest Poll 

Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak still leads the pack but the 

approval ratings of the United New Democratic Party??s Chung Dong-young are 

rising, according to the first survey since all five parties nominated their presidential 

candidates. In the survey by Gallup Korea at the request of the Chosun Ilbo on Tuesday, 

Lee had a 55.5 percent support rating, up 1.4 percentage points from Sept. 29. The 

opposition nominee remains some 40 points ahead of the runner-up. But after he was 

announced as the presidential candidate at the UNDP convention on Monday, Chung saw 

his approval ratings rise to 16.2 percent, up 9.2 points from 7 percent before the primary. 

Moon Kook-hyun, a former chief executive of Yuhan Kimberly won 5.3 percent, a 1.6 

percentage point rise from the previous poll. The support ratings of Rhee In-je grew 1.5 

points to 3.0 percent after he was chosen as the presidential candidate of the Democratic 

Party. Democratic Labor Party Kwon Young-ghil also received 3.0 percent. 


Desperately Seeking Concrete Plans 

In his acceptance speech on Monday, United New Democratic Party presidential 

candidate Chung Dong-young criticized Grand National Party candidate Lee Myungbak??s 

economic policies as ??jungle capitalism?? insensitive to the needs of the 

underprivileged, saying the policies were designed to ensure prosperity to only 20 percent 

of Koreans while 80 percent would be left out. Lee fought back, saying the nomination of 

Chung by the UNDP made it clear that this year??s presidential election will be a 

choice between an extension of rule by inept, leftwing forces or a change in leadership by 

able and action-minded forces seeking national development. There is still some arguing 

going on over whether Chung is the final presidential candidate of the broad ruling camp, 

but the race for the top office has essentially begun. It is normal that the public should use 

the presidential election to cast their judgment on the performance of the present 

administration as well as the policies and vision offered by the candidates. 


Military Restructuring Underway 

A new Second Army Operations Command will be established on Nov. 1 to take care of 

the defense of the rear including Chungcheong, Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces. It 

marks the start of full-scale restructuring under the Defense Reform 2020 program. The 

current Second Field Army will be disbanded, and so will two Army corps under it. A 

tentatively named First Army Operations Command will be established in 2010 to take 

care of the defense of the front. The Defense Ministry on Tuesday said the Second Army 

Operations Command will be established based on the current Second Field Army's 

structure and located at the current site of the Second Field Army headquarters. It will be 

under the command of Gen. Park Young-ha, the current commander of the Second Field 

Army. 


Ruling bloc's MSDF bill is given to Diet 

The ruling coalition Wednesday submitted to a divided Diet a special bill to enable the 

Maritime Self-Defense Force to continue providing logistic support in the Indian Ocean 

for U.S.-led antiterror operations in and around Afghanistan. The Cabinet-approved 

special antiterrorism bill, which Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda wants passed in the 

current extraordinary Diet session, was first OK'd by the Liberal Democratic Party-New 

Komeito ruling coalition earlier in the day. "I hope the new law will be enacted as soon 

as possible because this mission is in cooperation with the international community," 

Fukuda told reporters after the Cabinet approved the bill. The ruling bloc aims to replace 

the current special law with the new law to enable the MSDF to continue refueling naval 

ships in the Indian Ocean engaged in the multinational but U.S.-led Operation Enduring 

Freedom-Maritime Interdiction Operation. 


Japan presses Iran to secure abductee's freedom 

TEHRAN (Kyodo) Senior Vice Foreign Minister Itsunori Onodera called for "utmost 

efforts" by Iran to secure the release of Japanese college student Satoshi Nakamura, who 

was believed abducted by drug-runners in southeastern Iran earlier this month. "I asked 

that priority be placed on rescuing him safely and was promised (this would be done)," 

Onodera told reporters after meeting with a senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official. The 

Iranian official told reporters that Tehran also hopes to be able to gain Nakamura's 

freedom in order to bring good news to both the Iranian and Japanese people. Onodera is 

also scheduled to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and senior 

Iranian security officials in charge of dealing with the kidnapping of Nakamura, a 23- 

year-old Yokohama National University senior. 


Signs of progress on Pyongyang problem 

HONG KONG ?? What a difference a year makes. Last October, North Korea shocked 

the world by conducting a nuclear test. This month it agreed to disable all its nuclear 

facilities at Yongbyon and to provide a full declaration of its nuclear programs by Dec. 

31. The agreement, announced Oct. 3, is part of a series of actions being taken to

implement a joint statement ?? agreed to in September 2005 by the United States, 

China, Japan, Russia as well as North and South Korea ?? under which Pyongyang 

agreed to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula in return for economic aid and normalized 

relations, particularly with Washington and Tokyo. Implementation of the 2005 accord 

was delayed largely because Washington accused Pyongyang of money laundering. As a 

result, $25 million in North Korean funds were frozen in Macau. While the U.S. thought 

returning the funds would be relatively simple, it took months, delaying implementation 

of the first-phase accords under which North Korea shut down the Yongbyon nuclear 

reactor in return for 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil and its own $25 million. 


Bush Sends Tougher Message to N.Korea 

U.S. President George W. Bush has warned North Korea against failure to fulfill its part 

of a six-nation agreement whereby it is to disable nuclear facilities by the end of the year. 

??There will be consequences to the North Koreans if North Korea renege on their 

promises,?? Bush said in a press conference at the White House. ??They have 

declared that they will show us weapons and get rid of the weapons programs, as well as 

stop proliferation ? If they don't fulfill that which they've said, we are now in a 

position to make sure that they understand that there be consequences.?? Bush made 

the remarks in an apparent bid to deflect criticism that he has made too many concessions 

to the North in the denuclearization talks. The Washington Post and others criticized the 

Bush administration for taking a soft stance toward North Korea to achieve at least one 

palpable diplomatic success. 


Ruling Camp Launches Battle Over Values 

As if by agreement, the presidential candidates of the greater ruling camp have declared 

war on Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak over ??values?? 

-- an apparent bid to avoid the term ??ideology.?? But terminology aside, they are 

portraying it as a battle between Left and Right, competition vs. equality. Lee's camp 

countered the offensive by saying it was a question of ??pragmatism?? and the 

progressive group's arguments are a false ideological contest. United New Democratic 

Party presidential candidate Chung Dong-young attacked Lee??s economic policies as 

??jungle capitalism?? where the weak fall prey to the strong. Chung accused Lee of 

seeking a society where the wealthy 20 percent prosper at the expense of the poor 80 

percent. A Lee aide said ??the battle of values?? has just begun. Moon Kook-hyun, a 

presidential contender and former chief executive of Yuhan Kimberly, said, "In the 

muddy waters of the political arena ready for presidential election campaign, a debate 

about values has started between my own theory of a human-centered real economy and 

candidate Lee Myung-bak's corrupt fake economy designed for the privileged.


Solving Personal Grudges Using Presidential Powers 

In March 2003, a month after he stepped into office, President Roh Moo-hyun began his 

relationship with the news media by saying at a workshop that the press is an unchecked, 

unverified and self-made power. The president said the traditional relationship with the 

press, where the public is at the mercy of reporters, should end. In August 2003, Roh 

brought together the prime minister and all 130 ministers and vice ministers in his 

Cabinet and told them it was a waste of time to maintain good relationships with 

journalists by wining and dining them. No president in the world would start his or her 

relationship with the press with such rude comments. He may have a grudge against the 

press, but this behavior went beyond the acceptable limits of civility. That is how the 

five-year relationship between President Roh and the press started, and that is how it will 

end. In 2004, when faced with mounting opposition to his plan to move the country??s 

capital further down south, Roh accused the country??s major newspapers of fanning 

controversy. 


Japan softens language against North 

NEW YORK (Kyodo) Toning down previous language condemning North Korea over its 

nuclear test last year, Japan acknowledged Wednesday "recent progress" in the six-party 

talks in calling on the U.N. General Assembly to adopt a nuclear disarmament resolution 

calling for sanctions. Instead of "condemning the nuclear test" that North Korea 

proclaimed Oct. 9 last year, the draft resolution Japan introduced to the assembly's first 

committee ?? the Disarmament and International Security Committee ?? included 

the passage "recognizing the importance of implementing United Nations Security 

Council resolution 1718 with regard to the nuclear test." 


U.S. welcomes new refueling-duty bill 

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The United States on Wednesday welcomed a new bill the 

ruling coalition submitted to the Diet aimed at continuing Japan's refueling mission in the 

Indian Ocean to support U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and near Afghanistan. 

"We're very appreciative of the support we've got from Japan in the past on this and 

certainly are glad that they've moved forward with the renewal of the mission, even if 

there are some changes to the exact mandate that's there," State Department spokesman 

Tom Casey told reporters. Earlier in the day, the Japanese government endorsed the bill 

at a Cabinet meeting and immediately submitted it to the Diet. The bill was drawn up to 

replace the current special law, which authorizes a broader scope of operations to support 

U.S.-led antiterrorism efforts. 


Proposal to For Peace Zone 'Came From S.Korea' 

It was the South Korean delegation that first raised the idea of establishing a special 

peace and cooperation zone in the West Sea and proposed defense ministers' talks on the

matter during the inter-Korean summit early this month, it emerged Thursday. The matter 

is controversial since critics believe it will affect the integrity of the Northern Limit Line, 

which has functioned as the de-facto sea border between the two Koreas. Before the 

summit, Seoul vowed it would not raise the NLL issue first but would discuss it if the 

North brought it up. Grand National Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se, a member of the 

National Assembly Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee, obtained a 

confidential document of the National Intelligence Service on agreements reached at the 

summit and classified by who proposed what. 


Seoul Hints at Flexibility on NLL 

South Korea is apparently wavering in its insistence that a planned joint fishing area in 

the West Sea should cover two equal areas north and south of the Northern Limit Line, 

which has functioned as the de facto sea border with North Korea. Unification Minister 

Lee Jae-joung made the potentially explosive remark at an audit of his ministry by the 

parliamentary Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee. Asked about the 

proposed joint fishing area by United New Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Hwa-young, 

the minister said that it could be ??inappropriate?? for the South to call for the joint 

fishing area to extend the same distance from the NLL, or consider itself entitled to a 

same-sized share in the fishing zone under the reciprocity principle. 


DPJ stays on offensive in refueling mission debate 

The Democratic Party of Japan stepped up its criticism Friday of the Maritime Self- 

Defense Force's refueling operation in the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom in the 

Indian Ocean, as the Pentagon admitted it is difficult to trace the fuel provided by 

Japanese vessels. The Defense Department released a statement late Thursday that states 

"the U.S. government believes it has faithfully complied with its agreement" to use the 

fuel from the maritime operation only for the war in and around Afghanistan. The 

Pentagon pointed out that the fuel provided by MSDF vessels to U.S. vessels "is 

commingled with fuel from other sources" in the fuel tanks of ships, and the ships "may 

be engaged in multiple missions." But the Pentagon only said the amount of fuel 

consumed in total by OEF in the Indian Ocean was greater than the amount of fuel 

provided by the MSDF, which would suggest that all MSDF fuel was used strictly for 

vessels whose nations are involved in the antiterrorism operations centering on 

Afghanistan. 


Defense-linked exec grilled over dubious accounts 

Prosecutors are grilling a former executive director of Tokyo-based defense equipment 

trader Yamada Corp. on suspicion of financially damaging the company through shady 

accounting, sources said Friday. The 69-year-old man, who was not identified, left 

Yamada in June 2006 amid fallout with the firm's owner over strategy and founded 

Nihon Mirise Corp. in Tokyo the following September, taking in 20 of his former 

Yamada subordinates into his new defense and aerospace firm. The prosecutors are also 

investigating whether the man created off-the-book accounts through shady accounting

while at Yamada and are probing the flow of funds in his relations with bureaucrats and 

politicians. The man is believed to have had close connections with defense bureaucrats 

and lawmakers influential in defense policy, including former Vice Defense Minister 

Takemasa Moriya, who in August was the source of friction with then Defense Minister 

Yuriko Koike over personnel affairs. She at the time wanted him "retired," the sources 

said. 


Roh in Fresh Attack on GNP Candidate 

President Roh Moo-hyun fired another broadside at Grand National Party presidential 

candidate Lee Myung-bak's policies on Thursday, despite having been rapped over the 

knuckles twice this year for violating his legal obligation to remain neutral. In a special 

lecture for venture entrepreneurs on Thursday, Roh commented on Lee's policies of 

giving priority to growth, reducing taxes and keeping government small. Lee ??is 

making a lot of promises, but he calls for growth, reducing taxes, slashing government 

expenditure, and reducing the size of government. This is a way to destroy people's trust 

in politicians. It will lead to the collapse of politics and eventually to the collapse of the 

country." Roh said the problem of the conservatives was that they ??have no sense of 

justice, no sense of solidarity and no strategy for a sustainable future. They only want 

growth as if by invisible hands. But history shows that it's not true that growth is the 

solution." 


Election Watchdog Must Move Against Roh 

In a speech at an awards ceremony for venture entrepreneurs on Thursday, President Roh 

Moo-hyun said conservatives were opting for a confrontational approach in foreign 

policy. He pointed to Japan and the United States and how constantly they were in 

positions of confrontation. Progressives, by contrast, were closer to peace, he said. But in 

the U.S., it was not the Republican Party but the Democratic Party that started and 

escalated the Vietnam War. It was not the Republican Party but the Democratic Party that 

considered bombing North Korea due to the nuclear crisis. And the same is true for the 

failed invasion of Cuba. But it was the Republicans, not the Democrats, that started 

dialogue with China and paved the way for diplomatic relations. Roh often cites 

inaccurate theories about international politics to support his domestic policies. 


Leading Candidates Clash Over Growth 

Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak and his United New 

Democratic Party rival Chung Dong-young met on Thursday for the first time since they 

won their party nominations. Both gave speeches at the World Knowledge Forum in 

Seoul under the sponsorship of the Maeil Business Newspaper. Their economic policies 

took center stage, with Lee calling for a competitive system to take the lead in the global 

market, while Chung stressed what he called ??non-discriminatory growth,?? a 

policy that takes the less privileged into consideration. Lee summed up his own economic 

policy vision as "building a first-class global nation based on a new development model.


Dalai Lama to visit Japan in November 

The Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, will make a 10-day visit to Japan 

next month at the invitation of Japanese religious groups, informed sources said Saturday. 

The visit, planned for Nov. 14 to 23, might be affected by the recent dispute between the 

United States and China about his much publicized trip to Washington, where he was 

awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday at a ceremony attended by U.S. 

President George W. Bush. China criticized the move as "a violent interference in China's 

internal affairs" that gravely undermined relations between the two countries. The Dalai 

Lama's visit would be the first to Japan since last November, when he came at the 

invitation of a religious group in Hiroshima Prefecture. He gave lectures during his stay 

and held talks with House of Representatives member Yukio Edano of the Democratic 

Party of Japan. Edano heads a nonpartisan group of lawmakers concerned about the 

Tibetan issue. 


Abducted student may be in Pakistan 

TEHRAN (Kyodo) The militant drug smugglers that kidnapped a Japanese student in Iran 

earlier this month have taken him out of the country and possibly into Pakistan, an 

Iranian government spokesman said Saturday. Spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham said 

the hostage, Satoshi Nakamura, 23, is unharmed and in good condition. He also stressed 

that Japan needs to cooperate with Iran's neighbors to win Nakamura's freedom. Iran also 

borders Afghanistan. It is believed the group fled Iran to escape from Iranian police and 

security authorities. Iranian authorities said earlier that they were hopeful Nakamura 

would be released soon, but the latest development could complicate efforts to find 

Nakamura, who was kidnapped Oct. 7. On Friday, the Iranian Students News Agency 

reported that Nakamura had been taken to southern Sistan and Baluchistan Province near 

the Pakistani border, quoting a provincial security official. 


Prosecutors' Allegiance to the President 

The Seoul District Prosecutor??s Office on Friday summoned Grand National Party 

presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak for questioning. The district prosecutor is seeking 

to investigate a defamation charge filed by Cheong Wa Dae against Lee on Oct. 7. At that 

time, Lee mentioned a detailed investigation of him by government agencies and said the 

??center of power?? was pulling the strings from behind the scenes by mobilizing 

the National Intelligence Service and the National Tax Service. The GNP said it would 

reject the summons, saying prosecutors were seeking to influence the presidential 

election by making Lee look like a criminal. Once they have received a written charge, 

prosecutors must continue with an investigation. They cannot deliberately delay the 

investigation simply because the accused is a presidential candidate of the opposition 

party and there are just two months left before the election. 


Who Will Guide Our Economy Through the Storm? 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 2.64 percent or 366.94 points at the New 

York Stock Exchange on Friday, continuing five consecutive days of declines. And in 

international oil markets, the price of West Texas Intermediate surged above $90 a barrel 

at one point, while Dubai crude hit a record high of $79.59. The drop in U.S. stock prices 

and the surge in oil prices are reflections of two major uncertainties the global economy 

is facing. One is a U.S. economic slowdown and the other is rising inflation due to 

increases in raw materials prices. Dark clouds of inflation and economic slowdown are 

forming over the skies of the global economy, which has been enjoying a period of 

??goldilocks?? prosperity over the last several years with high growth without 

inflation. The International Monetary Fund lowered its forecast for 2008 U.S. economic 

growth to 1.9 percent -- that??s 0.9 percentage point lower than the 2.8 percent growth 

the IMF had predicted in July for the world??s largest economy. 


MSDF kept supply error from defense chief 

The Maritime Self-Defense Force knew almost four years ago that the amount of fuel one 

of its vessel provided to a U.S. oiler in the Indian Ocean just ahead of the U.S. attack on 

Iraq was underreported but did not report the error to the defense chief, a top Defense 

Ministry official said Sunday. A Japanese citizens' group pointed out in September, based 

on findings from official U.S. documents, that the fuel provided to the U.S. vessel was 

four times greater than the 200,000 gallons claimed by the Japanese government. The 

Defense Ministry has since acknowledged the error and apologized. The U.S. tanker is 

known to have later refueled the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, which later joined U.S. 

military operations against Iraq, raising concerns ?? denied both by Tokyo and 

Washington ?? that Japanese fuel was used on the Iraqi front when it was intended for 

antiterrorism operations in and near Afghanistan. 


Nukaga tells IMF to cut spending 

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga is calling on the 

International Monetary Fund to conduct drastic spending cuts to turn around the 

Washington-based lender's finances. "Japan strongly requests that the IMF initiate 

significant spending cuts by shedding noncore operations, organization and staff, based 

on a reappraisal of its core competencies and priorities,"Nukaga said in a speech Saturday 

to the International Monetary and Financial Committee, the IMF's policy-guiding panel. 

"The IMF must realize that its credibility is at stake if it simply aims at an uncritical, 

supply-driven maintenance of operations and personnel through increased income 

without any progress on spending cuts," he said. The IMF is facing a growing deficit due 

to diminishing revenues from lending to member countries. 


Potential for Korean progress

HONOLULU ?? "It could have been worse, a lot worse!" This was my initial reaction 

to the Oct. 2-4 summit meeting in Pyongyang between South Korean President Roh Moo 

Hyun and North Korea's "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il. The summit went relatively 

smoothly. The worst fears of many critics (myself included) were not realized, at least not 

yet. While some potential good may even come out of the joint agreement signed by the 

two leaders ?? for instance, the possibility of an examination of military confidencebuilding 

measures ?? there are also some significant potential pitfalls ahead, depending 

on how the North (not to mention the South) chooses to interpret and implement the 

agreement. The economic aspects of the joint statement ?? and it is mostly about 

economics ?? provide a real windfall for Pyongyang. 


Let MSDF refueling law die 

Late last month a gathering in Yokohama remembered the victims of a U.S. military jet 

crash in a residential area 30 years ago. I was stunned to learn that a Japanese Self- 

Defense Force helicopter that had rushed to the scene of the crash flew away with two 

slightly injured U.S. servicemen without looking after nine local residents who were 

injured, some seriously, by the burning Phantom reconnaissance aircraft. The SDF crew 

allegedly did not even bother to call the fire station. Of the injured, two infants reportedly 

died before dawn the next day, and their grief-stricken mother died four years later after 

battling complications from her injuries. Participants at the gathering were shocked and 

angered upon realizing that the SDF's main concern was the U.S. military, not the 

Japanese public. 


Chung Accepts Some Blame for Gov??t Failure 

United New Democratic Party presidential candidate Chung Dong-young on Sunday 

accepted criticism that he should bear responsibility for the failure of the current 

government as a former unification minister and leader of the defunct Uri Party. Chung 

told the Chosun Ilbo that Uri Party failed due to its inability to win public support and he 

was ??intensively reviewing?? the party??s shortcomings. Immediately after he 

won the UNDP??s presidential nomination, the opposition Grand National Party called 

on Chung to take responsibility for the incumbent party??s failure in government. But 

Chung refused to accept that the years under progressive governments led by Kim Daejung 

and Roh Moo-hyun were a ??lost decade??, saying ??deep-rooted evils?? 

in the nation had been cleaned up during the period. 


Gov't in Attempt to Extend Troops' Mandate in Iraq 

The government will submit by Thursday a bill extending the mission of Korean troops in 

Iraq by yet another year to the National Assembly. The bill envisages reducing the

Zaytun Unit??s troops in Irbil, northern Iraq but extending their stay for another year. 

Troops will be reduced from 1,200 to about 600 to 900. Some politicians and activist 

groups oppose the plan, saying the government promised to pull all troops out by the end 

of this year. A government official on Sunday said a security policy coordination meeting 

at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday finalized the bill on delaying the withdrawal until late next 

year. The bill will be submitted to the National Assembly either on Tuesday afternoon or 

on Wednesday. "The plan does not require a decision by a Cabinet meeting but should 

still be reported,?? the official said. Right after the Cabinet meeting, Defense Minister 

Kim Jang-soo will report it to the National Assembly at Gyeryongdae, the Army, Navy 

and Air Force headquarters near Daejeon, where the parliamentary Defense Committee 

will conduct its audit of the Defense Ministry. 


Ex-defense official sought engine deal for trader 

Former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya indirectly asked a Defense Ministry 

official earlier this year to forge a contract with a defense equipment trader for supply of 

a U.S.-made engine for the Air Self-Defense Force's next-generation transport aircraft, 

sources said Monday. The allegation involves Nihon Mirise Corp., a spinoff launched in 

September 2006 by a former senior managing director of defense trading house Yamada 

Corp., with which Moriya has close ties. It is unusual for a top government official to 

intervene in a specific contract with a company. Moriya dismissed the allegation, saying 

he "did not say which engine (the ministry) should choose." Moriya, 63, allegedly 

maintained close relations with the 69-year-old former Yamada executive even after the 

businessman established Nihon Mirise. The ministry held an open bid in August for one 

engine for the transport aircraft, called the CX. 


MSDF knew of oil error since '03 

The Defense Ministry admitted Monday that some Maritime Self-Defense Force officers 

were aware of an underreporting "mistake" concerning the amount of fuel Japan provided 

to the U.S. in 2003 but failed to report it to their seniors for more than four years. The 

ministry called the mishap "a grave problem in civilian control" over the Self-Defense 

Forces and in the evening launched an investigation committee. The fresh scandal for the 

Defense Ministry is expected to make enactment of a bill to extend the controversial 

MSDF Indian Ocean mission more difficult for the ruling bloc, as the emboldened 

opposition will now be in a position to put up greater resistance to prolong deliberations 

during the current Diet session. Initially, top government officials, including then Chief 

Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, stated that 200,000 gallons of oil (around 760,000 

liters) were provided from the MSDF oiler Tokiwa to the U.S. naval oiler Pecos in 

February 2003. The Pecos then provided fuel to the U.S. carrier Kitty Hawk near the 

entrance to the Persian Gulf. 


Presidential Candidates Take Stand on Troops in Iraq 

The United New Democratic Party on Monday formally decided to oppose the extension

of Korean troops?? mandate in Iraq, transforming the matter into a hot topic for the 

presidential election campaign. The Chosun Ilbo looks at what the presidential candidates 

had to say on the issue. The Zaytun Unit's mission in Irbil, northern Iraq, began at the 

request of the U.S. in June 2004 with a contingent of 3,600 troops. The current troop 

level is 1,090. Last year, the National Assembly approved a government plan to extend 

the unit's mission for another year on condition that it added a pullout plan for the end of 

this year. Zaytun troops are mainly participating in reconstruction projects and public 

affairs in Irbil. Zaytun means "olive," the symbol of peace, in Arabic. Grand National 

Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak's camp on Monday voiced no clear position 

for or against the new extension. Asked why, Lee camp spokesperson Park Hyeong-joon 

said, "It's still difficult to make a comprehensive judgment because we haven't seen the 

government's concrete plan on the extension of the unit's mandate yet.?? He said Lee 

will make a careful decision after reviewing the details including the situation on the 

ground. 


Lee Is Testing the Public's Patience Again 

U.S. attorneys representing Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak 

are believed to have filed another request to a U.S. court so they can finish questioning 

Lee??s former business partner Kim Kyung-jun before he is extradited to Korea. But 

an official at the U.S. prosecutor??s office said there is little chance that the request by 

Lee??s lawyers will be accepted. Lee??s lawyers in the U.S. made the same request 

early this month. At the time, Lee told Koreans that Kim should return to Korea quickly 

to face a judge over the share price-fixing scandal he is embroiled in. But as his U.S. 

lawyers filed for another request to let them finish questioning Kim, Lee told Koreans 

that a person who committed a crime in Korea should come to Korea and face 

appropriate measures. Now the same thing has happened again. 


What the Two Koreas Can't Do Alone 

Many Koreans think about the nation at least once In October. Both Foundation Day, 

commemorating Dangun, the mythical father of Korea, and Hangul Day, celebrating our 

alphabet, fall in the month. Korean Day was established of the 5th this year in a bid to 

strengthen the ties of 77 million Korean nationals scattered around the globe. The second 

inter-Korean summit, too, was held early this month, and the papers were full of articles 

related to those commemorative days and events and arguments about the future of the 

nation. Most conspicuous among them is the independent-nation principle again 

emphasized at the summit. The preface says, "Expressing confidence that they can forge 

a new era of national prosperity and unification on their own initiative if they combine 

their will and capabilities..." And paragraph 1 again says, "The South and the North have 

agreed to resolve the issue of unification on their own initiative and according to the 

spirit?? of the one-nation principle.


Pressure on Lee Myung-bak Growing as Extradition Nears 

Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak??s campaign has hit a 

snag in the form of the impending extradition from the U.S. of a former business partner 

at the heart of a financial scandal. A U.S. lawyer for Lee on Sunday sought a second 

motion to delay the extradition of Kim Kyung-jun, ostensibly to question him in 

connection with a civil suit but, according to critics, more likely to delay the impact of 

Kim??s return to Korea on Lee??s campaign. Even Lee aides are apparently 

complaining that the candidate is making things worse with such tactics. Lee has been 

linked to the investment firm BKK, formerly headed by Kim, which is embroiled in a 

stock-price manipulation scandal that cost small investors their savings, but denies any 

involvement. 


Lower House takes up new MSDF bill 

The Lower House began deliberating a bill Tuesday to enable the Maritime Self-Defense 

Force to continue refueling naval ships in the Indian Ocean engaged in counterterrorism 

operations. The mood was tense amid the outcry over the Defense Ministry's 

underreporting of fuel that Japan provided to a U.S. warship four years ago. Prime 

Minister Yasuo Fukuda said during the Lower House plenary session that he has ordered 

the ministry to take firm action against those who mishandled the fuel supply 

underreporting and to ensure such mistakes don't recur. "The fact that Defense Ministry 

officials failed completely to report the mistake to their superiors while knowing (about 

the error) not only damages the trust the public has toward the ministry and the 

paperwork (done by ministry officials), but it is also a problem from the viewpoint of 

civilian control and is deeply regrettable," Fukuda said. 


Don't forget Myanmar 

There is a seeming return to normalcy in Myanmar. Calm has returned to the streets and 

demonstrations are over. The junta has lifted its curfew and ended the ban on gatherings 

of more than five people. Once cordoned-off pagodas have reopened to the public. The 

military junta has appointed a commission to draft a new constitution. There is another 

face to normalcy: fear. Soldiers no longer stand in rows, challenging protesters to defy 

them, but they continue to lurk and watch, ever on the lookout for signs of opposition. 

Ordinary citizens still struggle to make ends meet as prices rise and incomes remain 

stagnant. Now, however, they also know that the government is even prepared to strike 

against monks, a group hitherto thought immune from official violence in a 

predominately Buddhist society. The pursuit of monks into monasteries was the final 

proof of the military leaders' willingness to cross every line to preserve their power. 


Troops in Iraq Will Help Korea-U.S. Cooperation: Roh 

President Roh Moo-hyun on Tuesday confirmed the government decided to reduce 

Korean troops in Iraq from 1,200 to 600 by year's end but extend their mandate for

another year. He added he will seek approval for this from the National Assembly. In a 

statement on the issue, Roh touched on the progress of the six-party talks on North 

Korea's nuclear problem, development in the inter-Korean relations, and efforts to 

improve Pyongyang-Washington relations. "at this time we need close cooperation 

between South Korea and the U.S. more than ever before." He also cited a growing 

possibility of winning economic benefits in Iraq. "If we pull the troops out now, the 

efforts they've so far made there might come to nothing,?? Roh said. "I know that there 

is a large group of dissenters against extending?? the troops?? mandate. ??But 

what is more important at this point is what choice we should make for our national 

interest." 


What's the Logic Behind Opposing Iraq Deployment? 

In a televised speech on Tuesday, President Roh Moo-hyun officially proposed extending 

the deployment of the Zaytun Unit in Iraq until the end of next year, while lowering the 

number of troops from the present 1,200 to 600. The biggest reason the government has 

leaned toward extending the deployment is due to concerns over the impact the scheduled 

year-end withdrawal would have on Korea's alliance with the U.S. Korea needs to 

maintain close relations with Washington since the Korean Peninsula faces the task of 

dismantling North Korea's nuclear program as well as a possible establishment of formal 

ties between Washington and Pyongyang. It is against this backdrop that we need to 

maintain close mutual cooperation with the U.S., while the U.S., which faces many 

difficulties in Iraq, needs the cooperation of Korea. A diplomatic solution at this point 

would see both sides fulfilling the role of alliance partner and creating a common factor 

that serves the national interests of both. 


U.S.-China ties won't mar Japan bond: Schieffer 

U.S. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer tried Wednesday to soothe rising Japanese concern 

about relations with Washington by repeating that Japanese interests will not be 

sacrificed for the sake of China. "Many Japanese seem to fear the U.S. might trade our 

old friendship with Japan for a new friendship with China. That is not going to happen," 

Schieffer told a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. "If . . . Japan 

lost faith in America, or came to the conclusion Japanese interests would be sacrificed by 

us for the benefits of China, then I think Asia would immediately become more 

dangerous for Japan and for America." "We understand that. And we would do 

everything we can to avoid it." Since China has emerged as an economic powerhouse, 

many Japanese critics fear the U.S. may make Beijing its diplomatic priority in Asia. 


Ozawa's main goal still to boot LDP out 

Ichiro Ozawa, a frontline player in national politics for more than 25 years, has again 

become a center of focus. Leading the opposition bloc that controls the Upper House, 

Ozawa, the head of the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition force, is 

arguably the most powerful Diet figure right now after Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.

From his position of strength, aides say Ozawa appears determined to build a powerful 

opposition party and, ultimately, replace the Liberal Democratic Party as the ruling force 

?? a dream he has nurtured since defecting from the LDP in 1993. That year, Ozawa 

shocked the political world by joining the opposition camp, taking 43 followers with him. 

The defection toppled the LDP from power for the first time since its inception in 1955 

and a non-LDP coalition, led by Morihiro Hosokawa, took up the reigns of power. The 

coalition collapsed after only nine months, however, and the LDP returned to power by 

forming a ruling bloc with its longtime archrival, the Social Democratic Party, in June 

1994. The LDP hasn't budged from power since, and that has tormented Ozawa. 


Tokyo Demands Apology for Kim Dae-jung Kidnapping 

Japan on Wednesday called for an apology from the South Korean government for the 

1973 abduction by South Korean agents of then-dissident Kim Dae-jung on Japanese soil. 

Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura was responding to a report by a National 

Intelligence Service truth commission that concluded president Park Chung-hee probably 

at least tacitly approved the abduction. South Korea has not formally acknowledged 

responsibility. "I know that some people believe Japan attempted to find a political 

solution to the incident,?? Machimura said. ??But at the time, Japan made great 

efforts to investigate but failed to find out the truth. It will be never acceptable if South 

Korea keeps holding Japan responsible." He added there is an open file on the incident in 

Japan. It remains to be seen whether Seoul will apologize for having violated Japanese 

sovereignty or whether Japanese authorities will resume their investigation of the 

incident. 


Roh's Views of What's Normal and What's not 

At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Roh Moo-hyun said the merger of briefing 

rooms at government ministries and measures to block press access to government 

officials were steps to turn an ??abnormal?? situation into a ??normal?? one. 

He urged government officials to take a calm and objective approach in dealing with the 

situation so the plan can be completed soon. In other words, he urged all organs of the 

government to play their role in blocking access to the news media. In a democratic 

society, it is ??normal?? for a government to supply as much information as possible 

to the press, which serves as a proxy for the public in asserting their right to know. It is 

also ??normal?? for a government in such a society to guarantee media access to 

government ministries and officials. But the president has driven reporters out of 

government ministries where close to 10,000 public servants work and has mobilized all 

his resources to block media access to government officials. And to him, that is 

??normal.?? 


Fukuda, Merkel agree on shared policy goals

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed Wednesday 

to closely cooperate in mitigating climate change, dealing with North Korea and 

reforming the U.N. Security Council, Japanese officials said. During their 10-minute 

phone conversation, Fukuda also explained that his government is making its "best 

efforts" to have the Diet enact a law that would allow Japan to continue its refueling 

mission in support of antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan, while touching 

on Germany's contributions to the fight against terrorism. Merkel praised such efforts by 

the Japanese government, the officials said. On climate change, the two leaders agreed to 

cooperate toward the Group of Eight summit to be hosted by Japan in Hokkaido next 

July. Global warming is to be one of the main topics there. 


U.S. readies for halt in MSDF help 

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The U.S. is getting ready for the impending suspension of 

Japan's refueling support for antiterrorism operations in and near Afghanistan, a senior 

military official said Wednesday. "We are conducting some planning to mitigate the loss 

of that capacity should that occur," said Maj. Gen. Richard Sherlock of the U.S. Joint 

Staff. The Maritime-Self Defense Force's refueling support in the Indian Ocean is 

expected to halt when the law authorizing the mission expires Nov. 1. "We do understand 

that there's an ongoing debate in the government of Japan with regard to the renewal of 

that mandate or what may occur," Sherlock said. 


Support cluster bomb ban, Norway envoy urges Japan 

Visiting Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Wednesday called for Japan to 

support Oslo's efforts to push forward negotiations for an international ban on cluster 

bombs and also urged Tokyo to remain engaged in helping to improve the current crisis 

in Myanmar. "Having Japan on board will be an extraordinary boost to this effort," Store 

said in an interview, referring to Japan's refusal to support the Norway-initiated 

negotiation process for a ban on the use and trade of cluster bombs. Forty-six of the 49 

nations that attended the February confab hosted by Norway adopted the Oslo declaration 

calling for a treaty banning cluster bombs by the end of 2008. Japan, Romania and 

Poland were the only participating states that said they would not support the declaration. 


A Demand That's Hard to Accept 

At a ground-breaking ceremony for the Taean Enterprise City on Wednesday, President 

Roh Moo-hyun said the people who will run the next administration must express their 

clear stance on the administrative capital, which was being created incompletely. In the 

previous presidential election, President Roh suddenly announced a campaign pledge to 

build a new capital, which he personally said gained him some votes. And right after he 

took office, Roh pushed ahead with that plan without asking for the public's opinion. 

When the Constitutional Court ruled the decision was unconstitutional, the administration 

did not scrap it, but did just the opposite. It simply side-stepped the problem by labeling 

the new capital a ??multi-functional administrative city.?? The president, who made 

a mockery of the Constitutional Court and acted as if he was above the law, is now

demanding the presidential candidates put the final touches on an unconstitutional plan 

by moving even the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae and the National Assembly to 

the new city. 


Different Approaches to Same Promise 

North Korea has violated Clause 2 of the Joint Declaration agreed upon by the leaders of 

the two Koreas, which stipulates that neither side will interfere in the internal affairs of 

the other. From the start, there were concerns that this clause would create a one-sided 

agreement that bars South Korea from raising objections against human rights abuses in 

North Korea, while allowing North Korea to behave just as it has been doing by meddling 

in the South's politics. And that's exactly what has happened. Before the ink even dried 

on the declaration, North Korea resumed its criticism of Grand National Party 

presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak. On Oct. 21, North Korea's state-run broadcaster 

criticized Lee for registering fake residences so his four children would be eligible for 

entry into prestigious elementary and junior high schools. 


U.N.'s Gambari urges Japan to pressure Myanmar regime 

A U.N. envoy hailed talks between detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and a 

newly appointed official of Myanmar's military junta, but said Friday that the meeting 

was just the beginning. "We welcome that," said Ibrahim Gambari, in Tokyo for talks 

with top Japanese officials as part of a six-nation tour to put pressure on Myanmar to end 

its crackdown on democracy advocates. "But it's only the first step, so this should lead to 

early resumption of talks that will lead to tangible results," Gambari said after meeting 

with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. Suu Kyi, under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 

years, met Thursday with retired Maj. Gen. Aung Kyi, who was appointed Oct. 8 as 

liaison minister for the talks under a U.N.-brokered attempt to nudge her and the junta 

toward reconciliation. Some Western diplomats and regime critics in Myanmar remained 

skeptical, noting similar earlier meetings produced nothing and seemed merely aimed at 

easing international pressure on the junta. 


Fire on U.S. Aegis ship in Kagoshima covered up 

YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) Fire broke out in the engine room of a U.S. Aegis-equipped 

destroyer during a friendship port call at Kagoshima last November, but its captain 

ordered his crew to conceal the damage, according to a Navy Times report. Neither the 

Japan Coast Guard nor local Japanese authorities received any information of the blaze 

aboard the USS Halsey, Japanese officials said Friday. The Navy Times reported Monday 

that the fire broke out in the main engine room aboard the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, 

equipped with the sophisticated Aegis air defense system, on the night of Nov. 2 

following an official reception for 40 local Japanese dignitaries. "Some of the sailors 

were too drunk to even don their firefighting gear. During and after the fire, the captain 

remained in his stateroom ?? despite pleas from his officers to take charge of the 

situation," according to the report.


Government at Odds Over Declaring End to Korean War 

Cheong Wa Dae appears to be at odds with the Foreign Ministry over the question of 

what a declaration of an end to the Korean War should amount to, and who should 

declare it. In a nutshell, the presidential office appears to look at a mammoth diplomatic 

task before President Roh Moo-hyun's term expires in four months, and preferably before 

the December presidential election, while the Foreign Ministry is looking to the reality of 

international relations. Presidential chief secretary for national security Baek Jong-chun 

on Wednesday hinted at the prospect of starting negotiations with the U.S. He said a 

declaration of an end to the Korean War in a multilateral summit, envisaged in the Oct. 4 

inter-Korean declaration, ??carries the politically symbolic meaning that the parties 

concerned can now begin peace talks." 


Panel Sheds Light on 1980 Crackdown on Buddhists 

The Oct. 27 roundup of Buddhist monks in 1980 was a typical case of the military 

government??s organized suppression of the Buddhists, a Defense Ministry truth 

commission said Thursday. Military leaders decided to suppress Buddhists led by the 

Jogye Order because they refused to cooperate with the new putschist regime and the 

military leaders feared the movement might grow into a pro-democracy group. In the 

incident, the military arrested and investigated 153 monks of the Jogye Order, 

Korea??s largest Buddhist order, and raided a total of 5,731 temples and hermitages 

across the country. The military leaders around the time took all kinds of oppressive 

measures while misleading the public with propaganda that Buddhist temples were 

hotbeds of corruption and banditry. 


U.S., Japan mull 'sympathy budget' 

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi met with U.S. Deputy 

Defense Secretary Gordon England on Friday to discuss increasing Japan's share of the 

costs for hosting U.S. bases and other military matters. During their talks, Yachi and 

England agreed to accelerate ongoing bilateral negotiations on Japan's future payments 

for hosting U.S. military bases in the country, the Japanese officials said. The United 

States is urging Japan to sharply increase its payments for water supplies and utilities 

used at U.S. bases in Japan due to the rising costs of beefing up U.S. military capabilities 

in the Asia-Pacific region in response to North Korea and China. Japan has expressed its 

reluctance to accept the request. The U.S. government is asking for the increase in 

ongoing bilateral negotiations to conclude a new special agreement relating to Japan's 

hosting of U.S. military bases, commonly referred to as the "sympathy budget" in Japan. 


Ishiba set to issue MSDF return order 

Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba will order Maritime Self-Defense Force ships engaged 

in refueling operations in the Indian Ocean to leave the area on Nov. 1, when the special 

antiterrorism law expires, Defense Ministry sources said Saturday. The two MSDF ships

?? a supply vessel and a destroyer ?? will leave waters early on Nov. 2 and return 

home around three weeks later. The ships are supporting antiterrorism operations in and 

around Afghanistan as part of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom, also known as 

OEF-MIO. The government has been trying get the Diet to approve a new antiterrorism 

law to continue the MSDF mission, but it is unlikely to be enacted during the 

extraordinary session because of strong resistance from the opposition bloc. 


Signatures sought to sway Myanmar 

OSAKA (Kyodo) Friends, alumni and colleagues of a Japanese video journalist slain in 

Myanmar last month collected signatures Saturday in front of JR Osaka Station and 

elsewhere demanding Myanmar return his video camera and videotape. The supporters 

for the late Kenji Nagai launched the activities exactly a month after he was gunned 

down at close range on Sept. 27 while covering a clash between security forces and 

prodemocracy demonstrators led by Buddhist monks. Widely broadcast footage of the 

incident appears to show a soldier pushing Nagai to the ground and shooting him. Nagai 

then keeps his camera trained on a soldier while dying on the ground. The camera Nagai 

was holding when he was shot and the videotape in it were not included among his 

personal items when they were handed over to Japan by Myanmar's military authorities. 


U.S. Leaders at Odds over N.Korea-Syria Nuke Connection 

Suspicions over a nuclear connection between North Korea and Syria are dividing the 

Bush administration in the U.S., the New York Times reported Saturday. "A dispute has 

broken out between conservatives and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the 

administration??s pursuit of diplomacy with North Korea in the face of intelligence 

that North Korea might have helped Syria design a nuclear reactor," the daily said. In 

recent days, Vice President Dick Cheney has reportedly urged Rice to reconsider her 

North Korea policy, pointing to the rumor. Rice reportedly countered this by saying that 

President George W. Bush was briefed on the intelligence and issued a statement in 

support of talks with Pyongyang early this month. 


N.Korean Delegation in Hanoi to Study Reform 

A North Korean delegation led by Prime Minister Kim Yong-il arrived in Hanoi last 

Friday to learn about the booming Southest Asian nation's reform policy. Kim met with 

his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung on Saturday and signed agreements 

including a memorandum on cooperation in agricultural science and technology. The 

North Korean delegation the same day visited the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and 

Investment, where they learned about the ministry's policy and had a long discussion on 

economic reform and openness and the direction of economic development. A diplomatic 

source said, "The North Korean delegation will learn about Vitnam's 'Doi Moi' economic 

policies until Tuesday, while visiting Ha Long Bay, Ha Tu Coal plans, Hipong Harbor, a 

logistics center, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's economic capital. Since launching the 

"Doi Moi" policy, the Vietnamese government has been pushing for reform in all sectors,

giving top priority to economic reform. 


Cabinet support falls to 50.2% 

Public support for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda stands at 50.2 percent, 

down 7.6 percentage points from when it was launched a month ago, according to an 

opinion poll released Sunday. The disapproval rate in the Kyodo News poll conducted 

Saturday and Sunday came to 29.6 percent, up four points from the previous month. 

Asked about Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean, 46.4 percent said the effort to 

support the U.S.-led antiterrorism operation in and around Afghanistan should be 

extended beyond its Thursday deadline, a drop of 3.2 points. The rate of respondents who 

said it should not be extended was 42.9 percent, up 3.4 points. Last month, the rate of 

supporters of the extension was 10 points more than that of opponents, but the gap has 

narrowed to 3.5 points. On the government-proposed bill to extend the mission, 45 

percent said they support it, while 39.3 do not and 15.7 percent said they don't know or 

did not respond to the question. 


Fukuda calls for defense discipline 

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Sunday demanded greater discipline among defense 

officials and the Self-Defense Forces following a series of embarrassing revelations 

involving the Defense Ministry. "It is truly deplorable that there have been problems 

concerning maintaining discipline and managing intelligence in recent years," Fukuda 

said during an annual SDF review at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Asaka in 

Tokyo. "We need to maintain strict discipline." Fukuda also urged senior defense 

bureaucrats and senior SDF officers to make more effort to restore public confidence. "In 

particular, those holding executive posts need to be aware that the duty of national 

defense cannot be fulfilled without the people's trust, hence the need to ensure strict 

discipline," he said. 


China and Japan 

Despite recent statistics, China may not ever dominate Japan in the way many alarmists 

fear, but the balance of power between the two countries will undoubtedly continue to 

shift in the near future. The readjustment in relations, though, may occur in unexpected 

ways that are less obvious than government policy statements. In fact, politics may be far 

behind other realms. Recent events show that Japan and China are slowly but surely 

nudging themselves together in many areas where the impact may be more substantial 

than any negotiation between government leaders. Quiet, human diplomacy may run the 

deepest. Around the world, China has started funding the Confucian Institute, a nonprofit 

public learning center promoting Chinese-language and culture studies. 


Ozawa aims for credibility 

Ichiro Ozawa's leadership within the Democratic Party of Japan has become stronger than 

ever following the party's resounding victory in the July 29 Upper House election. Even

those who had thought his leadership would come to an end with that election are now 

increasingly relying on him to lead the party to another victory in the general election of 

the Lower House expected in the not-too-distant future. When former Prime Minister 

Shinzo Abe abruptly announced his resignation, Ozawa was all smiles, showing every 

confidence to reporters that it was his party's Upper House election victory that forced 

Abe to step down. His confidence did not last for long, however, as a number of DPJ 

lower house members paradoxically felt that Abe's resignation came too soon and would 

work against them in the next election. 


Lee Hoi-chang Could Run for Third Time 

Former Grand National Party chairman Lee Hoi-chang just may make a third bid for the 

presidency. Lee Heung-joo, an aide of the former GNP chief, told the Chosun Ilbo by 

phone that Lee regarded defeating the progressive ruling camp in the upcoming 

presidential election a question of life and death. Lee reportedly hopes that GNP 

presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak will continue to enjoy his current sky-high 

approval ratings. But as doubts about his qualification as a winning candidate are 

growing with the extradition of his dubious former business partner Kim Kyung-jun from 

the U.S., the former GNP chairman is mulling ways of helping the party win, the aide 

said. 


Declaration to End the War or to Praise Roh Moo-hyun? 

Addressing confusion within the government over a declaration to end the Korean War 

envisaged in a document at the end of the recent inter-Korean summit, a presidential 

spokesman announced last Friday the Roh Moo-hyun administration would pursue a 

"declaration to begin negotiations to end the war." The declaration that Cheong Wa Dae 

is talking about involves the leaders of the two Koreas, the United States and China 

gathering to announce the end of the war on the Korean Peninsula. On Oct. 24, the chief 

presidential secretary for national security, Baek Jong-chun, said the declaration would 

be a political announcement signifying ??the start of peace talks.?? 


Moriya lists Yamada freebies 

Former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya testified in the Diet on Monday that 

politicians, including an ex-Defense Agency chief, were wined and dined by a former 

executive of defense equipment trader Yamada Corp. Moriya also admitted under oath 

that he had played golf more than 200 times with the executive, Motonobu Miyazaki, 69, 

over the past 12 years. Miyazaki left Yamada and founded the defense-aerospace 

contractor Nihon Mirise Corp., reportedly taking sales staff of the trader in tow in a bid to 

win military procurement contracts. But Moriya, appearing before a special House of 

Representatives committee on antiterrorism affairs, denied that he performed any favors 

for Miyazaki because of their cozy ties. 


Hatoyama in hot water over 'al-Qaida connection'

Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama found himself in hot water Monday after telling 

reporters that he has an acquaintance who was a friend of an al-Qaida terrorist involved 

in the October 2002 bombing in Bali, Indonesia. "A friend of a friend of mine is a 

member of al-Qaida," Hatoyama said during a news conference at the Foreign 

Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, adding the terrorist, who had given the friend 

prior warning not to go near Bali, was suspected of repeatedly entering Japan in the 

following years. Hatoyama made the remark as he was explaining Japan's new 

immigration procedures, which will require foreigners to provide fingerprints and 

photographs upon entering the country. His attempt to illustrate the threat of terrorism in 

Japan drew a strong response among reporters, forcing him to hold another news 

conference later at the Justice Ministry to provide clarification. 


Defense Ministry denies refueling coverup was intentional 

The Defense Ministry denied Monday any organized coverup of the way it mishandled 

information concerning the amount of fuel Japan supplied to a U.S. vessel in the Indian 

Ocean in 2003. But the ministry, in an interim fact-finding report on the problem, 

admitted senior bureaucrats and top Maritime Self-Defense Force brass failed to doublecheck 

original documents when preparing statements in 2003 for then Chief Cabinet 

Secretary Yasuo Fukuda and then Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba. The ministry 

submitted the followup report to both ruling and opposition camps Monday. This report 

was similar to one the ministry released Oct. 22 admitting the MSDF's statement that 

200,000 gallons had been transferred on Feb. 25, 2003, was erroneous. The amount was 

800,000 gallons. The error led Cabinet members at the time to make false public 

statements on the amount. 


Lee Still Way Ahead of Presidential Rivals 

Grand National Party candidate Lee Myung-bak still leads the pack with the approval 

ratings of more than 50 percent a mere 50 days from the presidential election. According 

to a survey by Gallup Korea at the request of the Chosun Ilbo, Lee took first place with 

approval ratings of 53.7 percent, followed by the United New Democratic Partys Chung 

Dong-young with 17.1 percent and Moon Kook-hyun, a former chief executive of Yuhan 

Kimberly, with 9.1 percent. Rhee In-je of the Democratic Party came in fourth with 4.2 

percent and Democratic Labor Party presidential nominee Kwon Young-ghil ranked fifth 

with 3.9 percent. The survey shows that the presidential race has been run by one strong, 

one average and three weak players since the UNDP and Democratic Party selected their 

presidential candidates. Lee saw his approval ratings drop 1.8 points from 55.5 percent in 

a similar Gallup survey conducted two weeks ago on Oct. 16. But he is still ahead of 

second placer Chung by a large margin of 36.6 points. 


Grim Prospects 50 Days Before Presidential Election 

The 17th presidential election is just around the corner. Fifty days hence, Koreans must 

head to the polls and cast their ballots to choose their next president. Under normal 

circumstances, all the presidential candidates should have been chosen by now and they

should be in the final stage of convincing the public of the merits of their campaign 

pledges and the platforms of their respective political parties. But so far, we dont even 

have a clear idea of what exactly lies ahead. During the 2002 election, the ruling party 

decided on a presidential candidate with only 24 days left until election day. And on the 

eve of the presidential election, one of the two presidential candidates of the ruling party, 

who had formed a coalition, ended up splitting. It looks like this presidential election is 

going to be a repeat of the last one. Such events, which would be more appropriate for a 

Third World country, have been happening again and again during Koreas presidential 

elections. 


MSDF duty over, Ozawa tells Fukuda 

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda failed Tuesday to persuade opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa 

to agree on a new antiterrorism bill to enable the Maritime Self-Defense Force to 

continue refueling multinational naval ships in the Indian Ocean. The two did agree, 

however, to hold another closed meeting this week, probably Friday. With the special law 

enabling the MSDF to provide logistic support to the U.S.-led Operation Enduring 

Freedom-Maritime Interdiction Operation set to expire at midnight Thursday, Fukuda 

sought to gain an agreement from Ozawa, head of the Democratic Party of Japan, to 

continue the mission. "Unfortunately, we did not reach an agreement," Fukuda said after 

the meeting, which was initially scheduled to last two hours but ended after about 60 

minutes. Fukuda said he thought it was "good" that the two leaders shared a desire to 

break the political deadlock over the bill, which the DPJ-led opposition camp is against. 


Cabinet rejects wage-hike plan 

The Cabinet said Tuesday it will not raise bonuses and one of the special allowances for 

senior government officials in fiscal 2007. It is the first time in 10 years that the 

government has gone against the recommendations of the National Personnel Authority. 

The Cabinet's decision reflects government concern that a wage hike in senior 

bureaucrats' salaries would trigger public anger amid a series of scandals involving highranking 

officials, including former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya. He is under 

fire for his close ties to a defense equipment trading house. The government also cited 

slack growth in private-sector salaries and severe fiscal conditions as other reasons for its 

decision. In August, the personnel authority recommended that the government increase 

annual salaries, including bonuses, of central government public servants for the first 

time in nine years. 


MSDF ends refueling mission as antiterrorism law runs out 

A Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel supplied fuel to a Pakistani warship Monday in the 

Arabian Sea, the last task of its logistic support mission under the antiterrorism law, 

which expires Thursday, Defense Ministry officials said. Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba 

is expected to order the withdrawal of the MSDF flotilla before the law expires at 

midnight Thursday, the officials said. The halt comes against the backdrop of unresolved 

political debate over whether to continue the refueling support. The ruling coalition wants

to continue the mission, but the opposition camp is strongly resisting it. "I feel relieved. 

We will now just have to fulfill the mission given to us," Capt. Yoshitaka Ojima, who led 

the flotilla, told reporters. The law provides for refueling of foreign ships as part of 

antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan. 


N.Korea Sings New Song of International Relations 

New tones of engagement with the international community are emerging from North 

Koreas official and quasi-official media. Articles stress North Korea in the world", 

"international economic relations", and the need to respect rules in international 

relations." Improvements in the hermit countrys external relations are being touted as 

nothing short of "epoch-making." North Korea experts read this as laying the 

psychological groundwork either for improving relations with the U.S. or for economic 

development through attracting massive foreign investment. The Chosun Shinbo, 

published by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan or Chongryon and 

essentially a Pyongyang mouthpiece, on Tuesday cited one such example of fundamental 

change. 


Another Korean Ship Hijacked Off Somalia 

Another Korean ship was hijacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Mogadishu, Reuters 

reported on Tuesday. Andrew Mwangura, head of the East African Seafarers' Assistance 

Programme, said the Korean cargo vessel was carrying a crew of 22 sailors and was 

hijacked sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, according to Reuters. 

The EASAP is a Kenya-based non-governmental organization devoted to helping sailors. 

Meanwhile, CNN reported Tuesday that the guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke 

is pursuing the Japanese-owned chemical tanker Golden Mori, another ship that was 

hijacked by pirates off the Somali coast on Sunday. 


Another Primary for the GNP? 

Top officials of the Grand National Party reportedly engaged in a fierce argument at a 

supreme council meeting on Monday. Triggering the dispute were comments made in a 

media interview by supreme council member Lee Jae-oh, who is close to presidential 

candidate Lee Myung-bak. He said there are forces within the GNP who are not willing 

to recognize Lee as the partys candidate and that he would not tolerate that. GNP leader 

Kang Jae-sup responded by telling Lee not to use such harsh words, since party unity was 

of utmost importance. Lee shot back by accusing Kang of doing nothing while one 

person was behaving as if he was going to run for the presidency, while another was 

taking part in mountain hikes organized by a GNP faction. Lee was referring to Lee Hoichang 

and former GNP leader Park Geun-hye. After the GNP primary on Aug. 20, Lee 

and Park pledged to work towards party unity. The public applauded. On Sept. 7, Lee and 

Park met face to face and pledged to reconcile their differences and cooperate. In 

retrospect, it's clear the two were just paying lip service.

The Japan Times, 1 October 2007 Journalist was shot at point-blank ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?