Monday, April 12, 2010
JAPAN: Hatoyama heads to nuke summit, separate chats
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama left Monday for a two-day visit to Washington to attend a summit on nuclear security to be hosted by President Barack Obama and meet bilaterally with other leaders on the sidelines of the event.
Hatoyama plans to chat with Obama during a banquet for the Nuclear Security Summit scheduled for Monday evening, as they will be seated next to each other, but no formal meetings were arranged for the two leaders.
Hatoyama plans to chat with Obama during a banquet for the Nuclear Security Summit scheduled for Monday evening, as they will be seated next to each other, but no formal meetings were arranged for the two leaders.
JAPAN: Daughter, 3, in coma; mother held for abuse
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) A 27-year-old woman in the city of Fukuoka was arrested Monday on suspicion of critically injuring her 3-year-old daughter by pushing her off a table to the floor.
Shiho Yamasaki, unemployed, told investigators she knocked her daughter down late Sunday night at their home "in the heat of the moment." The girl had been standing on the 35-cm-high table.
Shiho Yamasaki, unemployed, told investigators she knocked her daughter down late Sunday night at their home "in the heat of the moment." The girl had been standing on the 35-cm-high table.
JAPAN: Aid shouldn't give JAL unlevel field, group says
Japan Airlines Corp., restructuring under a ¥900 billion government-backed plan, shouldn't allow the aid to distort competition, the International Air Transport Association said Monday.
"Restructuring has to be fast and painful," IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani said in Tokyo. "They have to cut costs."
"Restructuring has to be fast and painful," IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani said in Tokyo. "They have to cut costs."
JAPAN: NUMMI's idled thousands feel betrayed by auto duo
FREMONT, Calif. — Workers have expressed grave disappointment in General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. after the closure of their joint venture in California left 4,700 without jobs.
In operation for 25 years, New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. churned out its last Toyota Corolla on Thursday.
In operation for 25 years, New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. churned out its last Toyota Corolla on Thursday.
JAPAN: Kan: Tax hike doable, just needs proper sell
The government is ready to increase taxes to reduce the massive public debt, Finance Minister Naoto Kan indicated Monday, saying the only catch is to present it in a way that will convince voters.
"It is not just a case of Japan. But politicians, whether they are in the ruling or opposition camps, (face the) trauma (of losing) an election if they speak about a tax hike," Kan said at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.
"It is not just a case of Japan. But politicians, whether they are in the ruling or opposition camps, (face the) trauma (of losing) an election if they speak about a tax hike," Kan said at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.
CHINA & US: China Interested In California's High-Speed Rail
April 12, 2010
by Stephanie Martin
The Chinese rail ministry is in talks with the state government in California to both build and finance a link between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The high-speed rail project needs private financing of up to $12 billion. California is talking to other countries that have high speed rail as well.
TRANSCRIPT
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
And here's another possible Chinese export to the U.S.: high-speed rail. Beijing has built thousands of miles of high-speed rail lines in China. Now it wants to offer its expertise to California.
From member station KQED, Stephanie Martin reports.
STEPHANIE MARTIN: China's railway ministry is currently in talks with California and General Electric to help build and finance a high-speed route linking San Francisco to Los Angeles.
Mr. JEFFREY BARKER (Deputy Director, California High-Speed Rail Authority): We don't have high-speed rail in the United States, and so we want to borrow the expertise from those who do.
MARTIN: The California High-Speed Rail Authority's Jeffrey Barker says the state wants to learn as much as possible about existing systems.
Mr. BARKER: And on their end, I think it benefits them to keep apprised of where we are in our process because, of course, other countries, you know, want to do business with California when we finally build a high-speed rail.
MARTIN: But before it can do that, it needs money - between $10 and $12 billion in private financing. The Chinese have offered to provide capital, though no word yet on how much. They've drawn up preliminary plans to license Chinese technology to GE and to supply engineers.
The University of California Berkeley's William Garrison is an expert on high-speed rail. He says a partnership with the Chinese would likely mean speedy construction and a good price.
Professor WILLIAM GARRISON (University of California, Berkeley): So the benefit would be the Chinese would produce it at less cost than we would produce it. We'll be busy producing something else that we can make more money from.
MARTIN: California is also talking with other countries that have high-speed rail, but it will need to decide a contract winner soon. The state wants to have its system up and running by the year 2020.
For NPR News, I'm Stephanie Martin in San Francisco.
CHINA & US: At Summit, Diplomacy Plays Out On The Sidelines
April 12, 2010
TRANSCRIPT
ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Robert Siegel.
MICHELE NORRIS, host:
And I'm Michele Norris.
And we begin this hour with what President Obama has called the top threat to U.S. security: loose nuclear material. World leaders gathered in Washington today to figure out how to secure it all - some 500 tons of plutonium and 1,600 tons of highly enriched uranium.
NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
MICHELE KELEMEN: President Obama began his day by meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah, who came here with one key issue on his mind, how to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. The Jordanian king has been encouraging the Obama administration to put some ideas on the table, including a clear endgame. A senior Arab official says there is growing frustration in the region about the lack of progress. The written statements that followed President Obama's meeting with the Jordanian king did not give any indication that the president is ready to offer bold new initiatives. News did emerge from President Obama's meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Victor Yanukovych. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says Ukraine will remove all of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium by 2012.
Mr. ROBERT GIBBS (White House Press Secretary): This is something that the United States has tried to make happen for more than 10 years. The material is enough to construct several nuclear weapons. And this demonstrates Ukraine's continued leadership in nonproliferation and comes in an important region where we know a lot of highly enriched uranium exists.
KELEMEN: The Obama administration is hoping that more countries will come forward with specific ways to secure nuclear material to keep it out of the hands of terrorists.
In the president's side meetings, another major theme is how to keep Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. That was a central topic for Mr. Obama as he sat down with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao. A handful of demonstrators stood outside the heavily guarded convention center.
(Soundbite of protestors)
KELEMEN: Tibetans and followers of Falun Gong protested the Chinese leader's visit. But analysts say the meeting shows that the two presidents have gotten over a rocky period in their relationship. The Obama administration avoided issuing a report, recently, that could have cited China as a currency manipulator. And the Chinese seem to have moved on from their criticism of the Obama administration for selling more arms to Taiwan and hosting the Dalai Lama. It's not clear yet whether President Obama can get China to sign on to tough sanctions on Iran, something the U.S. wants to do this month.
Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.
CHINA: US teenager set to scale world's highest peak
A 13-year-old American boy is to try to become the youngest person to scale the world's highest peak, Mount Everest.
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TRAVEL: Report: Airline industry performance up
The performance of the airline industry improved in 2009, compared with the previous year, according to an annual report released Monday.
S. KOREA: Korea grand prix track construction on time
Organisers of the Korean Grand Prix assure Formula 1 officials the track will be completed in time for the race in October.
JAPAN: Japan whalers blame Sea Shepherd harassment
The last ship of Japan's Antarctic whaling fleet sailed home Monday with the lowest catch in years, a shortfall whalers blamed on high-seas clashes with the militant environmental group Sea Shepherd. The mother ship the Nisshin Maru sailed into Tokyo harbour, the last of the five harpoon ships to come home after they set sail in November, its hull splattered with blood-red paint thrown by the protesters. The fleet's catch of 507 whales was down sharply on last year's cull of 680 and below the target of about 850, said Japan's Fisheries Agency, which blamed a total of 31 days of harassment by the Sea Shepherd group. (AFP)
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TRAVEL: Fees a fix for 'out of control' carry-ons?
Last week's announcement of a carry-on fee for Spirit Airlines customers has some travelers hoping other carriers will follow to reduce the number of people who bring overstuffed bags and "hog" the overhead space.
BEIJING, CHINA: Beijing adopts staggered working hours to ease traffic pressure
More than 810,000 Beijing residents have been asked to start work half an hour later to alleviate the city´s traffic jams.
CHINA: Australia refloats China ship stranded off Barrier Reef
A Chinese coal ship that ran aground near the Great Barrier Reef sparking fears of an ecological disaster is refloated.
CHINA: President Hu leaves for nuclear summit in Washington
2010-4-12
Source: Xinhua
Chinese President Hu Jintao left Beijing this morning for the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit on April 12-13 in Washington at the invitation of the US President Barack Obama.
Hu will deliver a speech stressing the importance of nuclear security and clarifying China's policy on the issue. Hu will meet with Obama on the sidelines of the summit.
Up to now, leaders or representatives from 46 countries, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the European Union (EU), and other international organizations have confirmed their attendance.
"We hope common ground can be increased between all participants, and that they will pay greater attention to nuclear security, and work together to safeguard international peace and security," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said last week.
China also hoped the summit would push international cooperation to ensure safety of nuclear materials and facilities, as well as the peaceful use of nuclear energy, according to Cui.
After the nuclear meeting, Hu will attend the second summit of the BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China - scheduled for April 15- 16 in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia.
Discussions among the BRIC countries are expected to center on the need for changes in global institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, and on updating the regulation of financial markets to avoid another global crisis.
China hoped the summit participants could discuss global issues in spirit of mutual benefit, so as to facilitate the recovery of world economy, safeguard the four nations' common interests and advance cooperation.
At the invitation of President Lula of Brazil, President Chavez of Venezuela and President Pinera of Chile, Hu will pay a state visit to Brazil and Venezuela respectively from April 14 to 17 and from April 17 to 18 and make a working visit to Chile on April 18.
During his Latin America tour, Hu will hold talks with Lula, Chavez and Pinera to further friendly relations and deepen cooperation of mutual benefit with the three nations.
Hu's entourage includes Ling Jihua, member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; Wang Huning, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee; State Councilor Dai Bingguo; Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi; Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission Zhang Ping; Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong; Commerce Minister Chen Deming; Vice Foreign Ministers Li Jinzhang and Cui Tiankai and Director of the President's Office Chen Shiju
THE KOREAS & CHINA: S Korea detains 'refugee hunter'
A South Korean man who allegedly hunted North Korean refugees in China is arrested in Seoul, reports say.
CHINA: No parole for Chinese activist Hu
One of China's most prominent human activists, Hu Jia, has his request for medical parole rejected, his wife says.
KYOTO, JAPAN: Kyoto Gov. Yamada elected to third term, determined to 'revitalize' Japan
KYOTO -- Kyoto Gov. Keiji Yamada secured his third term after defeating a challenger backed by the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) in the prefecture's gubernatorial election on Sunday.
Yamada, who received unofficial backing from the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito, said he was determined to revitalize Japan.
"I will set about prefectural politics with determination to revitalize Japan, starting from Kyoto," he said.
Yamada, who received unofficial backing from the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito, said he was determined to revitalize Japan.
"I will set about prefectural politics with determination to revitalize Japan, starting from Kyoto," he said.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
RUSSIA: Russia cast as nuclear security leader despite flaws
Sunday, April 11, 2010; 6:16 PM
By Steve Gutterman, ReutersWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The nuclear security summit starting on Monday is a chance for Russia to promote itself as a global leader on the crucial issue, but experts say Moscow must do more to safeguard its own big stocks of bomb ingredients.
Almost two decades after the Soviet collapse spawned nightmares about the seizure of nuclear materials from poorly guarded facilities or theft by desperate employees, Russia says its nuclear materials are reliably protected.
It has recast itself as a champion of nuclear security worldwide, initiating an international treaty against nuclear terrorism that came into force in 2007 and joining the United States in creating a global grouping to set strategies.
Following last week's signing of a nuclear arms reduction treaty with President Barack Obama, the summit gives Russian President Dmitry Medvedev another chance to portray his country as a linchpin of international security.
"Russia wants to be seen as a leader, with the U.S. and other countries, of the global effort to prevent nuclear terrorism," said Matthew Bunn, a nuclear expert at Harvard University. "And they are a leader, in important ways."
But despite dramatic improvements in the protection of Russia's nuclear materials, funded in large part by billions of dollars in U.S. assistance, experts say threats remain.
"To say this problem was left behind in the 1990s would be wrong," said Vladimir Chuprov, Greenpeace Russia's energy projects chief. "Russia remains a risk zone in terms of the physical security and physical protection of nuclear materials."
The most glaring gaps have been fixed, vastly reducing the chances of a break-in at one of the 235 buildings across Russia where highly enriched uranium or plutonium separated from spent fuel are kept. There are also more than 100 weapons-related sites, including temporary areas such as rail transfer buildings.
INSIDER THEFT
"You don't have gaping holes in fences anymore," Bunn said, or "no detector at all to set off an alarm if someone is carrying plutonium out in their suitcase."
But the potential for theft by insiders -- who have been involved in all explained thefts of highly enriched uranium or plutonium -- is still a concern, particularly in a country where corruption is widespread.
Imperfect accounting for nuclear materials is a related weakness, he said, and some materials are protected with "wax or lead seals that are pretty much the same technology Louis XIV was using to seal his letters."
Many sites are guarded by inexperienced and poorly paid Interior Ministry conscripts, and official complacency is also a potential problem.
"One key question is whether the Russian government will really assign the resources needed to sustain the security measures that have been put in place for the long haul," Bunn said.
Like the 'New START' treaty Medvedev and Obama signed on Thursday, joint efforts to improve nuclear security showcase cooperation between the Cold War foes in tackling the threatening legacy of their nuclear arms race.
Iran's defiant nuclear program is not a focus of the summit but will likely be discussed on the sidelines. Russia has signaled it could support new sanctions against Tehran but would not back measures it considers misdirected or overly harsh.
(Editing by Philip Barbara)
JAPAN: Cherry blossoms teach us the value of life
Students have a party under cherry trees.
April 12, 2010
(Mainichi Japan)
The Japanese are famously fond of cherry blossoms, and this writer is no exception. The Japanese people would somewhat obligingly advise a foreigner that the best time to visit Japan is "at the time of the cherry blossoms." They certainly have a point, to the best of my judgment.
Every year, from the end of March to the beginning of April, even the otherwise reserved and quiet go out into the parks, and have a beer and sake drinking spree with their friends, families and colleagues, under the blossoming cherry trees. The ritual of "hanami" (literally, "flower admiration") has taken firm root in the Japanese psyche, and only the very obstinate can escape the allure of the merry-making.
Children under cherry trees on their first day at primary school.
The timing in the year is perfect. The overwhelming majority of Japanese schools begin the academic year in April. The sight of new pupils entering school for the first time under the bloom of cherries is a favorite national image. New recruits start working in April, too. For many people, therefore, the time of hanami coincides with another turn of the page in the great book of life, and conjures up emotions deep and subtle, not necessarily incurred solely through the disinhibiting effects of consuming alcohol.
The blooming of cherry blossoms also signifies the end of winter and the beginning of warmer weather. The new prospects in life, and the feeling that various wondrous forms of life are going to emerge in the coming months, produce a cocktail of sentiments that can only be dispelled by having an open-air party under the famous national flower, many of my compatriots would feel.
Before the reader makes the premature and hasty judgment that hanami is only a pretext for drinking (which it certainly is!), its cultural significance must be stressed. In Japan, the cherry blossoms are appreciated not only for their good looks but also for their metaphorical value. The Japanese culture traditionally took the essence of being to reside in the transition, rather than the permanence, of existence.
Cherry blossoms come to full bloom within a relatively short period and then start to perish. The very transience of the beauty of cherry flowers has always been a source of inspiration to the people of Japan, giving birth to waka poems, stories, drawings and paintings, and recently, a series of popular songs loved by younger generations.
Cherry pink in vivid contrast with green of new foliage.
The hanami festivities, although they are certainly occasions for celebrating life, can also remind us of our own mortality. To observe the cherry blossoms displaying their peak beauty and then fading away is a great lesson on the powers of the procession of time, which nobody among us can resist. The hidden agenda of the hanami festivities, therefore, is "memento mori" ("remember death" in Latin).
Kajii Motojiro, a Japanese writer famous for short novels of poetic prose, once wrote that "a dead body is buried under the cherry tree in full bloom."
So that time of the year comes again. The cherry blossoms are here to teach us the value of life. Enjoy the time as it passes, and embrace your precious lives. Have a cup of sake, and share the joys with your loved ones. (Story and photos by Kenichiro Mogi)
The author at Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto at cherry blossom time
Author's profile:
Kenichiro Mogi, born in Tokyo in 1962, is a neurologist now working as a senior researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories and as a cooperating professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology graduate school. He also appears regularly on television and radio to discuss the workings of the human brain.
RUSSIA: Russia blamed for fueling unrest in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan's deposed president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, left, looks on as supporters deliver speeches in the courtyard of his family home. (Sergei Grits/associated Press)
Monday, April 12, 2010; A01
By Philip P. Pan
BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN -- Less than a month before the violent protests that toppled the government of Kyrgyzstan last week, Russian television stations broadcast scathing reports portraying President Kurmanbek Bakiyev as a repugnant dictator whose family was stealing billions of dollars from this impoverished nation.
The media campaign, along with punishing economic measures adopted by the Kremlin, played a critical role in fanning public anger against Bakiyev and bringing people into the streets for the demonstrations that forced him to flee the capital Wednesday, according to protest leaders, local journalists and analysts.
"Even without Russia, this would have happened sooner or later, but . . . I think the Russian factor was decisive," said Omurbek Tekebayev, a former opposition leader who is now the No. 2 figure in the government.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has denied that Moscow played any role in the uprising, and leaders of the movement to oust Bakiyev insist they received only moral support. But the Kremlin had made no secret of its growing displeasure with Bakiyev, and over the past few months it steadily ratcheted up the pressure on his government while reaching out to the opposition.
The strategy was a sharp departure from Russia's traditional support for autocratic leaders in its neighborhood. It paid off quickly and dramatically, and it appears to have delivered the Kremlin a rare foreign policy victory.
Not only has Moscow served notice on other wayward autocrats in its back yard -- many of whom also govern Russian-speaking populations that watch Russian television -- it also appears to have gained a greater say over the future of the U.S. air base here, which is critical to supplying the NATO military surge in Afghanistan.
Little more than a year ago, the Kremlin regarded Bakiyev as an ally, promising him more than $2 billion in aid during a visit to Moscow at the height of the global economic crisis.
On the same trip, Bakiyev announced plans to close the U.S. air base, in what was widely seen as an exchange.
Four months later, after Russia had made good on $415 million of its pledge, Bakiyev suddenly agreed to keep the air base open when Washington offered more than three times the original rent. Russian officials, including President Dmitry Medvedev, indicated at the time that they had blessed the decision, but it soon became clear that the Kremlin had been cheated -- and was furious.
"The Russians were upset and angry, not just because of the base but because of his attitude," Tekebayav said.
In November, Russian media reported that Putin upbraided the Kyrgyz prime minister at a summit, asking why the U.S. air base had not been closed and alleging that the Russian aid money had been stolen by Bakiyev's family. In February, Moscow postponed payment of the remaining $1.7 billion of the package, with officials saying publicly that the first tranche had been misused.
In late March, two weeks before the April 7 protests, Russia's Kremlin-friendly television stations and newspapers marked the fifth anniversary of Bakiyev's rise to power in the putsch known as the Tulip Revolution with unusually tough stories about his rule. One paper compared him to Genghis Khan, and Russia's top television station hammered him with multiple reports alleging corruption.
Much of the coverage focused on Bakiyev's son, Maksim, whom he appointed to lead an economic development agency and who had become a lightning rod for opposition charges of nepotism and embezzlement.
In addition to the reversal on the U.S. base, analysts said, the Kremlin turned against Bakiyev because he tried to bring China into a Russian deal to build a hydroelectric dam and to extract rent from Moscow for a Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan. Russian leaders were also upset that Bakiyev's family was buying gasoline from Russia at special prices and selling it to the air base, a scheme worth as much as $80 million per year, Russian media reported.
Alexander Knyazev, a political analyst here with ties to a Moscow think tank, said people began to worry that the Kremlin might expel the estimated 1 million Kyrgyz migrants who work in Russia and send money home to their families. The remittances account for as much as a third of the Kyrgyz economy and at least half of the government's budget, he said.
"Bakiyev was spoiling the relationship, and people saw it," he said. "That's how this protest mood got started."
After the opposition announced plans for nationwide protests, Putin provided a final spark by signing a decree March 29 eliminating subsidies on gasoline exports to Kyrgyzstan and other former Soviet republics that had not joined a new customs union.
When the tariffs kicked in April 1, Russian fuel shipments to Kyrgyzstan were suspended, said Bazarbai Mambetov, president of a Kyrgyz oil traders association. Within days, gas prices in Bishkek began to climb, enraging residents already angry about sharp increases in utility fees.
As the Kremlin leaned on Bakiyev, it also consulted the opposition, hosting its leaders on visits to Moscow, including in the days before the protests. On the eve of the demonstrations, the Kyrgyz prime minister accused one, Temir Sariev, of telling police that he had met with Putin and had won his support for efforts to overthrow Bakiyev.
Sariev, now the interim finance minister, said he never met Putin or told police any such thing. "But I did meet privately with friends," he acknowledged with a smile. "We did discuss the situation in Kyrgyzstan."
Tekebayev, second in command of the interim administration, said Russia's actions were important because they signaled to government officials that Bakiyev could not stay in office, undermining his support in key ministries and regions when the opposition seized control.
"The Russians used to work only with those in power in the former Soviet Union," he added. "But in the last year, they started developing relations with the opposition, like the Americans and Europeans. I think, for the first time, this approach was a success for them."
JAPAN: Fake hospital visits, gangsters and legal action - Fujitsu in an 'un-Japanese' mess
April 12, 2010
Leo Lewis, Asia Business Correspondent
An acrimonious spat in the boardroom of Fujitsu has plunged one of Japan’s most revered companies into an innuendo-laden pantomime of manipulative powerbrokers, fake hospital visits, lawsuits and alleged associations with yakuza gangsters.
The next few days could prove to be even more spectacular. Within the next 24 hours Fujitsu, one of the world’s biggest technology companies, is planning to hold a press conference to face questions over whether it cajoled its president, Kuniaki Nozoe, to resign under false pretenses and then concocted a story about the state of his health to deceive the stock market.
Lawyers for a fund based in London and Japan, which claims that its reputation and business has been savaged by allegations of links to organised crime arising from Mr Nozoe’s resignation, told The Times that they were planning to sue three individual Fujitsu board members for damages this week.
That legal action would ride in tandem with a shareholder lawsuit planned by Mr Nozoe against two of those three executives and claiming that their alleged conspiracy to have him removed from power cost the company 5 billion yen (£35 million) in failed business transactions.
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Lurking in the background is the unprecedented behaviour of Mr Nozoe since his resignation last September: he has not retreated quietly to the usual Japanese corporate pastures of golf and sinecure board memberships.
Instead he has started a campaign to prevent “an abnormal situation in which I was forced to resign behind closed doors, for fabricated reasons” from happening again.
His lawyers admit that the very public imbroglio has been exceptionally “un-Japanese” — a sign, some observers suggest, that the old conventions and eccentricities of corporate Japan are being rattled to destruction.
The circumstances of Mr Nozoe’s resignation are riddled with inconsistencies and wildly differing accounts. Fujitsu, which has issued statements on the matter but held no press conference, has performed at least one significant U-turn — effectively admitting in early March that it lied in its original statement to the market about Mr Nozoe’s non-existent illness, drawing a rebuke from the Tokyo Stock Exchange authorities.
The real reason for the resignation, Fujitsu now maintains, was that in February last year Mr Nozoe was pursuing a project which involved a third-party company that “was said to have an unfavourable reputation”.
Mr Nozoe’s version of events, as described by his lawyer, contends that after holding the post of president for less than two years he was pushed out by forces unhappy with the pace and vigour with which he was reforming Fujitsu. Specifically, his lawyers point to the resistance of Naoyuki Akikusa, a board member for 22 years and a recognised kingmaker within the company.
Last September, while preparing for a board meeting less than an hour away, Mr Nozoe was called into a windowless room in the company's Tokyo headquarters. According to his version of events he was told by a delegation from that board that one of his acquaintances — a former Credit Suisse banker who had worked with numerous Fujitsu executives and now ran a small investment group called Sandringham Private Value — had links with “antisocial forces”. Knowing that the phrase was a common Japanese euphemism for the yakuza, and assuming that this information had come from the police, Mr Nozoe felt he had no choice but to resign immediately.
Mr Nozoe claims that this was the first time he had heard the allegation of yakuza connections: Fujitsu says that he was warned about the “inappropriate” acquaintance several months before the showdown.
Even as he was being forced out, say his lawyers, Mr Nozoe believed that he would still have a significant and well-paid role at the company. To secure this he even played along with Fujitsu’s public explanation for the resignation and made highly visible visits to hospital.
“When he got to the hospital he never saw a doctor, because he was in good health,” said his lawyer, Kei Hata. “He had a slightly stiff shoulder and did have some acupuncture.”
Lawyers for Sandringham strongly reject the allegations that any of their executives have links to organised crime and are make preparations for a lawsuit that would hand Fujitsu the burden of proving where the idea came from. Fujitsu has so far provided no hard evidence of any connection, insisting to Mr Nozoe merely that it was “generally known” that his acquaintance had those suspect links.
Having learnt how strongly Sandringham felt able to fight its corner, Mr Nozoe was fortified in his resolve to take on his tormentors on the board. Three weeks ago he filed a petition in Yokohama to be reinstated to his old position: last week his lawyers withdrew that after declaring that the evidence Fujitsu had presented was “incomprehensible”.
THE KOREAS: N. Korea warns South on leaflets
(AP)
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea's military warned South Koreans on Saturday to stop floating leaflets over the border that criticize the isolated regime, threatening decisive action if the propaganda continues.The military also maintained in a message to Seoul's military that South Koreans who cross the border into the North for joint projects were waging a psychological campaign to discredit Pyongyang.
The two Koreas agreed in 2004 to end decades of propaganda - carried in radio broadcasts or leaflets sent over their militarized border or blared on loudspeakers - as part of reconciliation on the divided peninsula.
But activists and some North Korean defectors in the South still send balloons into the North with messages condemning North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and his communist regime. - AP
SEOUL, S. KOREA: Ex-PM Han Lags Behind Incumbent Seoul Mayor
Staff Reporter
Seoul residents still favor incumbent Mayor Oh Se-hoon, despite the court's acquittal of his archrival, former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, on bribery charges, Friday, a poll said Sunday.
About 38.1 percent of respondents picked Oh as the best person for mayor of the capital, followed by Han with 21.9 percent, according to the telephone survey conducted by polling agency Millward Brown, Saturday.
The survey of 600 adults residing in Seoul was carried out at the request of the Hankook Ilbo, a sister paper of The Korea Times.
Won Hee-ryong, a three-term lawmaker of the governing Grand National Party (GNP), placed third with 4 percent, followed by Roh Hoi-chan, a former lawmaker who co-chairs the New Progressive Party (NPP) with 3.8 percent and Na Kyung-won, a two-term GNP lawmaker with 3.7 percent.
Kim Sung-soon, the first legislator to declare a bid for the coveted position from the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) had only one percent of the support.
Some 27 percent either declined to comment or had no preferred candidate.
In a separate survey of 600 residents in Gyeonggi Province, incumbent Governor Kim Moon-soo of the GNP enjoyed a 43.5-percent support rate.
Ryu Shi-min, former health and welfare minister, trailed behind Kim with 14.9 percent, while Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, a member of the DP's decision-making Supreme Council, had a 9.4 percent popularity rate, according to the survey.
In a mock election among the most popular candidates for Seoul mayor, incumbent Mayor Oh of the GNP comfortably took the lead with 52.1 percent of the votes, followed by Han of the DP with 27.4 percent and Roh of the NPP with 6.9 percent.
In another mock election that replaced Oh with Won, Han placed first with 35.6 percent, followed by Won with 27.8 percent and Roh with 10.8 percent.
When Oh was replaced by Na, Han led the race with 36.2 percent, followed by Na with 31.7 percent and Roh with 10.5 percent.
Earlier, observers forecast that if Han were to be found innocent, it would deal a heavy blow to the ruling camp, helping her cruise to an easy victory in the Seoul mayoral race in the upcoming June 2 local elections.
However, the poll found that the court's ruling may not grant a certain victory to Han as the nation's attention has been diverted by the sinking of the naval ship Cheonan and the prosecution has already opened investigations against her over another bribery scandal.
Prosecutors suspect that Han may have received political funds of 900 million won ($806,500) from a construction company in 2007.
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