Prime Minister of Japan’s Schedule August 31-September 6, 2015

Monday, August 31, 2015

AM
08:00 At private residence (no morning visitors)
09:31 Depart from private residence
09:44 Arrive at office
09:53 Meet with resident Ambassador to U.S. Sasae Kenichiro and Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka
10:37 End meeting with Mr. Sasae and Mr. Saiki
11:45 Presentation of grapes from Governor of Ishikawa Prefecture Tanimoto Masano. Senior Vice-Minister of Environment Kitamura Shigeo also attends
11:53 Presentation of grapes ends

PM
04:18 Meet with MOFA’s Director-General of Foreign Policy Bureau Hiramatsu Kenji
04:43 End meeting with Mr. Hiramatsu
04:58 Depart from office
04:59 Arrive at Diet
05:00 Enter LDP President’s Office
05:01 LDP Officers Meeting
05:15 Meeting ends
05:39 Exit LDP President’s Office
05:41 Depart from Diet
05:42 Arrive at office
05:59 Depart from office
06:00 Arrive at official residence. Dinner meeting with Chairman of Lower House Special Committee on Legislation for the Peace and Security of Japan and the International Community Hamada Yasukazu, Director of Lower House Special Committee on Legislation for the Peace and Security of Japan and the International Community Toyama Kiyohiko, and other colleagues. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu also attend
07:24 Everyone leaves

Tuesday, September 1, 2015
AM
12:00 At official residence (no visitors)
08:00 At official residence (no morning visitors)
08:17 Depart from official residence
08:18 Arrive at office
08:25 Hold the first meeting of the Emergency Disaster Response Headquarters as part of the annual comprehensive disaster prevention drills for 2015. Phone conference with Governor of Tokyo Prefecture Masuzoe Yoichi. Temporary Cabinet meeting
08:50 Meeting ends
09:00 Press conference
09:03 Press conference ends
09:12 Cabinet meeting
09:22 Cabinet meeting ends
10:27 Depart from office
11:17 Arrive at Showa Commemorative National Government Park in Tachikawa, Tokyo
11:20 Depart from park
11:27 Arrive at Takamatsu station of Tama-monorail in Tachikawa, Tokyo. Observe a rescue and assistance drill
11:33 Depart from Takamatsu station of Tama-monorail
11:39 Arrive at Showa Commemorative National Government Park. Participate in a firefighting drill. Observe a rescue and assistance drill from a collapsed building. Deliver address

PM
12:53 Presentation of a disaster prevention book from Governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Masuzoe Yoichi
12:56 Presentation of the book ends
12:59 Interview with news reporters. Respond to the question "Why do you run for the LDP President?" by saying "Continuation is power, and I want to fully fulfill the responsibility."
01:02 End interview
01:03 Depart from park
01:48 Arrive at official residence
01:59 Depart from official residence
02:00 Arrive at office
02:58 Meet with Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka
03:34 End meeting with Mr. Saiki
04:06 Meet with Director of National Security Council (NSC) Yachi Shotaro, Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru, and Deputy Director-General of Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA) Sugiyama Haruki
04:18 Mr. Yachi and Mr. Sugiyama leave
04:30 Mr. Kitamura leaves
04:31 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Aso Taro, Vice-Minister of Finance Tanaka Kazuho, and Deputy Vice-Minister of Finance Sato Shinichi enter
05:05 Mr. Sato leaves. Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs Asakawa Masatsugu enters
05:18 Mr. Tanaka and Mr. Asakawa leave
05:25 Mr. Aso leaves
05:34 National Security Council meeting. Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Miyazawa Yoichi also attends
06:08 Meeting ends
06:22 Depart from office
06:37 Arrive at Italian restaurant LA BETTOLA da Ochiai in Ginza, Tokyo. Dinner meeting with Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanehara Nobukatsu, Special Adviser to the Cabinet Taniguchi Tomohiko, and other colleagues
09:20 Depart from restaurant
09:40 Arrive at private residence

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

AM
12:00 At private residence (no visitors)
08:00 At private residence (no morning visitors)
09:32 Depart from private residence
09:47 Arrive at official residence

12:00 Meet with LDP Secretary-General Tanigaki Sadakazu

PM
12:38 End meeting with Mr. Tanigaki
02:41 Meet with Secretary-General of Headquarters for Abduction Issue Ishikawa Shoichiro
02:56 End meeting with Mr. Ishikawa
06:39 Depart from office
06:40 Arrive at official residence

Thursday, September 3, 2015

AM
12:00 At official residence (no visitors)
08:00 At official residence (no morning visitors)
08:47 Depart from official residence
08:48 Arrive at office
08:52 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige
09:33 End meeting with Mr. Seko
09:54 Depart from office
09:56 Arrive at Diet
09:57 Enter Upper House 43rd Committee Members’ Room
10:00 Meeting of the Committee on Health, Labour, and Welfare of the House of Councillors

PM
12:02 Meeting recesses. Exit Upper House 43rd Committee Members’ Room
12:03 Depart from Diet
12:06 Arrive at office
02:02 Meet with Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office Matsuyama Kenji and Cabinet Office’s Director-General of Decoration Bureau Kuroba Ryosuke
02:12 End meeting with Mr. Matsuyama and Mr. Kuroba
02:17 Meet with Deputy Vice Minister of Finance Okamoto Shigeaki and Director-General of the Financial Bureau Sakota Hidenori
02:27 End meeting with Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Kuroba
03:00 Meet with Chairman of LDP Regional Government (doshu-sei) Promotion Headquarters Sata Genichiro. Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Isozaki Yosuke also attends
03:21 End meeting with Mr. Sata
03:22 Meet with Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka
03:45 End meeting with Mr. Saiki
04:01 Meet with MOFA’s Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Ihara Junichi
04:34 End meeting with Mr. Ihara
04:37 Receive a proposal from a delegation led by Chairman of LDP General Council Toshihiro Nikai on the development of Ogasawara
04:55 End reception
05:04 Meet with Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru
05:32 End meeting with Mr. Kitamura
06:23 Depart from office
06:32 Arrive at Tokyo Prince Hotel in Shiba-park, Tokyo. Attend a social gathering of LDP policy group Kisaragi-kai in banquet hall Sun Flower Hall, deliver address
07:19 Depart from hotel
07:27 Arrive at official residence

Outliers

Lt. Gen. Tachibani surrendering

Iwo Jima and Chichijima are islands on the edges of Japan. Barely 150 miles apart, both have unique histories. Neither was ever fully Japanese nor returned to Japan at the end of the Occupation. Both are remembered for their bloody legacies from the last months of the Pacific War.

Two best-selling books by James Bradley tell the wartime histories of these small islands, Flags of Our Fathers (2000) and Flyboys: A True Story of Courage (2003).

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to visit both this Sunday, April 14th. It is a trip of reparation.

After declaring that April 28th is Sovereignty Restoration Day commemorating the end of the US Occupation of Japan in 1952, Abe Administration had to backtrack. Neither the Ryukyu (Iwo Jima) nor Ogasawara (Chichijima) island chains were returned at that time. Both used to host U.S. military facilities, the former had to wait until 1968 and the later until 1972.

Hoping to placate protesters, Abe plans to visit Iwo Jima (now called Iwoto) to honor the Japanese dead from one the bloodiest battles of WWII and then to fly to Chichijima, first settled by Westerners in the 1600s, to talk with its residents. On both islands he will be haunted by these islands' complicated war histories.

The Battle of Iwo Jima is well-known and memorialized. What happened on Chichijima is considered best forgotten. Although Chichijima was never invaded, it is the site of infamous war crimes for which four Japanese officers were hanged.

During the Battle of Iwo Jima, U.S. United States Navy pilots tried to bomb Chichijima's two strategic radio stations. Nine crewmen survived after being shot down in the raids. One, Lieutenant George H. W. Bush, was rescued by an American submarine. The others were captured by the Japanese and tortured. And as chronicled by Chester G. Hearn in Sorties into Hell: The Hidden War on Chichi Jima, these POWs were then executed and partially eaten by both Imperial Army and Navy officers. Their livers were fried for a dinner party.

Cannibalism toward POWs or even dead fellow soldiers was reportedly not unusual among Japanese troops. The trials and convictions of 30 Japanese soldiers and four officers on Guam, including the commanding General Joshio Taichibana for war crimes was unusual.

Aides to Abe said the visit to Chichijima was intended to show consideration for those areas that were not covered under the San Fransico Peace Treaty's restoration of sovereignty. There is indeed much to show consideration to.

As of 2011, the Ogasawara Islands are a World Heritage site.