Prime Minister of Japan’s Schedule May 18-24, 2015

Monday, May 18, 2015

AM
08:00 At private residence (no visitors)
09:41 Depart from private residence
09:54 Arrive at official residence
10:07 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige
10:38 End meeting with Mr. Seko
11:53 Depart from office
11:55 Arrive at Diet
11:56 Enter Upper House President’s Reception Room
11:57 Leave Upper House President’s Reception Room, enter Upper House Chamber

PM
12:01 Plenary session of the Upper House begins
01:08 Plenary session of the Upper House adjourns
01:09 Leave Upper House Chamber
01:10 Depart from Diet
01:12 Arrive at office
01:32 Interview with monthly journal Seiron
02:12 Interview ends
02:19 Receive a courtesy call from Japanese Co-Chairman Kazuo Tsukuda, Acting EU Co-Chairman Danny Risberg, and other members of the EU-Japan Business Round Table
02:31 Courtesy call ends
02:45 Meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Aso Taro, Ministry of Finance’s Director-General of Budget Bureau Tanaka Kazuho, and Ministry of Finance’s Director-General of the Financial Bureau Nakahara Hiroshi
03:24 End meeting with Mr. Aso, Mr. Tanaka, and Mr. Nakahara
03:25 Meet with Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Amari Akira, Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office Matsuyama Kenji, Cabinet Office Director-General for Policies on Cohesive Society Maekawa Mamoru, Cabinet Office Director-General for Policies on Cohesive Society Habuka Shigeki, Cabinet Office’s Director-General for Policies on Cohesive Society Tawa Hiroshi
03:40 End meeting with Mr. Amari, Mr. Matsuyama, Mr. Maekawa, Mr. Habuka, and Mr. Tawa
03:47 National Security Council meeting
03:56 Meeting ends
03:57 Meet with Director of National Security Council (NSC) Yachi Shotaro, Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru, MOFA’s Director-General of Foreign Policy Bureau Hiramatsu Kenji, Ministry of Defense (MOD)’s Director-General of Bureau of Defense Policy Kuroe Tetsuro, Chief of Staff for Joint Staff Council Kawano Katsutoshi
04:20 End meeting with Mr. Yachi, Mr. Kitamura, Mr. Hiramatsu, Mr. Kuroe, and Mr. Kawano
04:32 The fourth meeting of the Council for the Protection of Information
04:57 Depart from office
04:58 Arrive at Diet
04:59 Enter LDP President’s Office
05:00 LDP Officers Meeting
05:25 Meeting ends
05:35 Leave LDP President’s Office
05:36 Depart from Diet
05:38 Arrive at office
05:39 Meet with President of the Party for Future Generations Hiranuma Takeo, Secretary-General of the Party for Future Generations Matsuzawa Shigefumi, and others
05:56 End meeting with Mr. Hiranuma, Mr. Matsuzawa, and others
06:04 Film video message for universities
06:07 Finish filming
06:32 Depart from office
06:43 Arrive at the Headquarters Building of Yomiuri Shimbun in Otemachi-cho, Tokyo. Dinner meeting with Chairman of Yomiuri Group, Inc. Watanabe Tsuneo, Yomiuri Shimbun’s Special editorial board member Hashimoto Goro, Chairman of Sankei Shimbun Kiyohara Takehiko, Nikkei Shimbun’s Chief Editorial Writer Serikawa Yoichi, President of NHK Enterprises, INC. Imai Tamaki, and Commentor Yayama Taro
09:22 Depart from Yomiuri Shimbun
09:37 Arrive at private residence

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

AM
12:00 At private residence (no visitors)
08:00 At private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo (no morning visitors)
08:07 Depart from private residence
08:20 Arrive at office
08:28 Cabinet meeting
08:41 Cabinet meeting ends
09:50 Film video message for American groups
09:57 Finish filming
10:06 Meet with Chairman of LDP General Council Nikai Toshihiro and LDP Lower House member Hayashi Moto
10:33 End meeting with Mr. Nikai and Mr. Hayashi
10:34 Meet with Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)’s Director-General of Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau Uemura Tsukasa, MOFA’s Director-General of Intelligence and Analysis Service Oka Hiroshi
11:03 End meeting with Mr. Saiki, Mr. Uemura, and Mr. Oka
11:05 Director of National Security Council (NSC) Yachi Shotaro, Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru, and Ministry of Defense (MOD)’s Director of Defense Intelligence Headquarters Miyagawa Tadashi enter
11:14 Mr. Yachi and Mr. Miyagawa leave
11:31 Mr. Kitamura leaves
11:32 Meet with Chairman of Young Diet Members’ Association for Promoting Japan-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Exchange Kishi Nobuo, and the Association’s Secretary-General Hagiuda Koichi
11:54 End meeting with Mr. Kishi and Mr. Hagiuda
11:55 Meet with LDP Lower House member Kawai Katsuyuki 

PM
12:04 End meeting with Mr. Kawai
12:54 Depart from office
12:55 Arrive at Diet
12:57 Enter Lower House Chamber
12:59 Speak with Senior Vice-Minister of Defense Sato Akira
01:00 Finish speaking with Mr. Sato
01:02 Plenary session of the Lower House begins
01:04 Leave in the middle of the plenary session of the Lower House
01:05 Depart from Diet
01:07 Arrive at office
01:35 Meet with MOFA’s Director-General of Foreign Policy Bureau Hiramatsu Kenji, Ministry of Defense (MOD)’s Director-General of Bureau of Defense Policy Kuroe Tetsuro
02:13 End meeting with Mr. Hiramatsu and Mr. Kuroe
05:18 The 6th meeting in 2015 of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy
06:19 Meeting ends
06:23 Reception for Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama. Commemoration Photograph Session. Attend a ceremony by the guard of honor
06:30 Ceremony ends
06:32 Japan-Fiji Summit Meeting with Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama
07:31 Summit meeting ends
07:33 Joint press announcement. Exchange uniforms with Rugby representatives
06:41 Depart from office
06:43 Arrive at official residence. Dinner meeting hosted by Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and wife Akie
08:52 Send off Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama
08:53 Finishing send-off

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

AM
12:00 At official residence (no visitors)
08:00 At official residence (no morning visitors)
09:40 Depart from official residence
09:42 Arrive at office
09:43 Interview open to all media: when asked his comments on surpassing the tenure of his grandfather and former Prime Minister Kishi Nobusuke, Prime Minister Abe says, “I have a long way to go. What is important is not the number of days in office but what I have achieved. I will devote myself to tackling our policies.”
09:44 Interview ends

PM
02:54 Depart from office
02:55 Arrive at Diet
02:58 Enter Lower House Committee Room No. 1
03:00 Party Leaders’ Debate
03:49 Party Leaders’ Debate ends
03:51 Leave Lower House Committee Room No. 1
03:53 Depart from Diet
03:54 Arrive at Diet
03:56 Minister of Finance Aso Taro, MOF’s Deputy Vice-Minister Fukuda Junichi, and Ministry of Finance (MOF)’s Director-General of Budget Bureau Tanaka Kazuho
04:46 Mr. Fukuda and Mr. Tanaka leave
05:00 Mr. Aso leaves
05:01 Meet with Mayor of Nagoto City, Yamaguchi Prefecture Onishi Kurao
05:05 End meeting with Mr. Onishi
05:06 Meet with Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru
05:55 Reception for President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. Commemoration Photograph Session
05:56 Attend a ceremony by the guard of honor
06:02 Ceremony ends
06:04 Japan-Mongolia Summit Meeting with President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
06:43 Summit meeting ends
06:46 Joint Press Conference
06:55 Joint Press Conference ends
06:56 Depart from office
06:57 Arrive at official residence. Dinner meeting hosted by Prime Minister Abe Shinzo
08:10 Send off President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
08:11 Finishing send-off

Thursday, May 21, 2015

AM
12:00 At official residence (no visitors)
08:00 At official residence (no morning visitors)
09:45 Depart from official residence
09:47 Arrive at office
10:00 Meet with Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Kimura Taro
10:07 End meeting with Mr. Kimura
10:09 Meet with Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru
10:19 End meeting with Mr. Kitamura
11:03 Depart from office
11:13 Arrive at Hotel New Otani in Kioi-cho, Tokyo. Host a luncheon for Prime Minister of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea Peter O'Neill and other guests in banquet hall Ho-Oh-No-Ma.

PM
12:40 Receive a courtesy call from Chairman of the State Duma Sergey Naryshkin
12:55 Courtsey call ends
01:04 Depart from hotel
01:10 Arrive at office
01:34 Meet with Minister of the Environment Mochizuki Yoshio
01:55 End meeting with Mr. Mochizuki
01:56 Meet with LDP Secretary-General Tanigaki Sadakazu
02:29 End meeting with Mr. Tanigaki
04:17 Meet with Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Shimomura Hakubun, Vice-Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Yamanaka Shinichi, MEXT’s Director-General of Sports and Youth Bureau Kubo Kimito
04:37 End meeting with Mr. Shimomura, Mr. Yamanaka, and Mr. Kubo
05:20 Meet with Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Saiki Akitaka, Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Nagamine Yasumasa, MOFA’s Director-General of European Affairs Bureau Hayashi Hajime, MOFA’s Director-General of Economic Affairs Bureau Saiki Naoko
05:55 End meeting with Mr. Saiki, Mr. Nagamine, Mr. Hayashi, and Ms. Saiki
05:58 Depart from office
06:03 Arrive at Imperial Hotel in Uchisaiwai-cho, Tokyo.
06:13 Receive a courtesy call from Deputy Prime Minister of Kingdom of Thailand Pridiyathorn Devakula in the banquet hall Chidori
06:21 Courtesy call ends
06:26 Receive a courtesy call from Deputy Prime Minister, Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vu Van Ninh
06:41 Courtesy call ends
06:47 Receive a courtesy call from Vice President of Indonesia Jusuf Kalla
06:57 Courtesy call ends
07:05 Attend the banquet of the 21st International Conference on the Future of Asia held in Tokyo, delivered a speech, exchange views with attendants
08:47 Finishing attending the banquet
08:49 Depart from the hotel
08:56 Arrive at Palace Hotel Tokyo. Attend a social gathering of Columbia University Business School personnel, alumni, and others
09:58 Depart from the hotel
10:14 Arrive at private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo

Prime Minister of Japan’s Schedule March 9-15, 2015

Monday, March 9, 2015

AM
12:00 At private residence in Tomigaya, Tokyo (no visitors)
08:00 At private residence (no morning visitors)
09:25 Depart from private residence
09:42 Arrive at office
10:45 Meet with Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka
11:00 End meeting with Mr. Saiki
11:08 Receive courtesy call from Study Group on Making the New National Stadium a Showcase of New Japanese Technology
11:27 Courtesy call ends
11:28 Speak with former Prime Minister Mori Yoshiro
11:39 Finish speaking with Mr. Mori
11:40 Meet with Minister in charge of Women’s Empowerment and Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate Arimura Haruko

PM
12:01 End meeting with Ms. Arimura
12:07 Meet with Director of LDP Headquarters for the Abduction Issue Furuya Keiji
12:31 End meeting with Mr. Furuya
03:24 Depart from office
03:33 Arrive at Nezu Museum in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo
03:39 Visit museum with Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel
03:55 End visit
03:56 Depart from museum
04:04 Arrive at office
04:10 Reception for Chancellor Merkel. Commemorative photo session
04:11 Reception and photo session end
04:12 Ceremony by the guard of honor to welcome Chancellor Merkel
04:18 Ceremony ends
04:19 Small group summit meeting with Chancellor Merkel
05:32 Meeting ends
05:38 General summit meeting with Chancellor Merkel commences
06:27 Meeting ends
06:34 Ceremony for the exchange of memorandums and Joint Press Conference
07:01 Ceremony and Joint Press Conference end
07:05 Receive courtesy call from Japanese and German business figures
07:48 Courtesy call ends
07:49 Depart from office
07:50 Arrive at official residence. Dinner meeting hosted by Prime Minister Abe Shinzo
09:18 Give send-off to Chancellor Merkel
09:20 Send-off ends

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

AM
12:00 At official residence (no visitors)
07:26 Depart from official residence
07:27 Arrive at office
07:33 Cabinet Meeting begins
07:42 Cabinet Meeting ends
08:00 Meet with Director of National Security Council (NSC) Yachi Shotaro, Cabinet Office’s Director General of Secretariat of the International Peace Cooperation Headquarters Yamamoto Jota, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)’s Director-General of Foreign Policy Bureau Hiramatsu Kenji, Ministry of Defense (MOD)’s Director-General of Bureau of Defense Policy Kuroe Tetsuro and Director-General of Bureau of Operational Policy Miyama Nobuaki
09:09 End meeting with Mr. Yachi, Mr. Yamamoto, Mr. Hiramatsu, Mr. Kuroe, and Mr. Miyama
09:18 Depart from office
09:37 Arrive at Tokyo Memorial Hall in Yokoami, Tokyo. Attend Spring Memorial Service for the Victims of War Damage in Tokyo and the Victims of the Great Kanto Earthquake
10:47 Depart from Tokyo Memorial Hall
11:12 Arrive at office
11:40 Meet with Cabinet Office’s Director-General of Gender Equality Bureau Takegawa Keiko

PM
12:00 End meeting with Ms. Takegawa
12:01 Attend Ruling Party Head Meeting with Chief Representative of New Komeito Yamaguchi Natsuo
01:03 Meeting ends
01:51 Interview with Iwate Nippo, Kahoku Shimpo, Fukushima Minpo, and Fukushima Minyu
02:05 Interview ends
02:06 Meet with Ministry of Finance (MOF)’s Vice-Minister Kagawa Shunsuke and Director-General of Budget Bureau Tanaka Kazuho
02:59 End meeting with Mr. Kagawa and Mr. Tanaka
03:03 Speak with Cabinet Office’s Vice-Minister Matsuyama Kenji and Director-General of Decoration Bureau Kuroba Ryosuke
03:12 Finish speaking with Mr. Matsuyama and Mr. Kuroba
03:21 Meet with Secretary-General of Headquarters for the Abduction Issue Ishikawa Shoichiro
03:36 End meeting with Mr. Ishikawa
03:37 Meet with Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Amari Akira, Cabinet Office’s Mr. Matsuyama and Director-Generals for Policies on Cohesive Society Maekawa Mamoru, Habuka Shigeki, and Tawa Hiroshi
03:53 End meeting with Mr. Amari, Mr. Maekawa, Mr. Habuka, and Mr. Tawa
04:00 Meet with Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka
04:27 End meeting with Mr. Saiki
04:50 Meet with Director of National Security Council (NSC) Yachi Shotaro, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)’s Director-General of Foreign Policy Bureau Hiramatsu Kenji, Ministry of Defense (MOD)’s Director-General of Bureau of Defense Policy Kuroe Tetsuro and Director-General of Bureau of Operational Policy Miyama Nobuaki
05:16 End meeting with Mr. Yachi, Mr. Hiramatsu, Mr. Kuroe, and Mr. Miyama
05:17 Joint Meeting of Reconstruction Promotion Council and Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters
05:35 Meeting ends
06:00 Press Conference
06:23 Press Conference ends
06:25 Depart from office
06:26 Arrive at official residence

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

AM
12:00 At official residence (no visitors)
08:00 At official residence (no morning visitors)
09:17 Depart from official residence
09:18 Arrive at office
09:19 Meet with Chairman of Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum and former Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy Omi Koji
09:52 End meeting with Mr. Omi
10:40 Meet with Vice-Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Muraki Atsuko
11:21 End meeting with Ms. Muraki
11:36 Speak with Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Shiozaki Yasuhisa
11:46 Finish speaking with Mr. Shiozaki
11:47 Meet with Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization Amari Akira

PM
12:07 End meeting with Mr. Amari
01:03 Film video message for civilian policy symposium. President of Graduate School of Management, Globis University Hori Yoshito also attends
01:09 Finish filming
02:08 Depart from office
02:12 Arrive at National Theater of Japan in Hayabusa-cho, Tokyo
02:42 Attend Memorial Ceremony Marking the Fourth Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Deliver ceremonial address, and offer flowers
03:32 Leave ceremony
03:34 Depart from National Theatre
03:39 Arrive at office
04:01 Director of National Security Council (NSC) Yachi Shotaro, Director of Cabinet Intelligence Kitamura Shigeru, and Ministry of Defense (MOD)’s Director of Defense Intelligence Headquarters (DIH) Miyagawa Tadashi enter
04:10 Mr. Yachi and Mr. Miyagawa leave

04:28 Mr. Kitamura leaves
05:17 Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy meeting
06:05 Council meeting ends
06:29 Meet with participants of Japanese American Leadership Delegation [individual pictures taken]
06:42 End meeting
06:43 Depart from office
06:44 Arrive at official residence

Thursday, March 12, 2015

AM
12:00 At official residence (no visitors)
08:00 At official residence (no morning visitors)
09:18 Depart from official residence
09:19 Arrive at office
09:38 Meet with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu
10:39 End meeting with Mr. Kato
10:40 Meet with Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka
11:09 End meeting with Mr. Saiki
11:14 Receive courtesy call from Vice-President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz
11:29 Courtesy call ends
11:39 Meet with LDP Secretary-General Tanigaki Sadakazu

PM
12:05 End meeting with Mr. Tanigaki
12:54 Depart from office
12:55 Arrive at Diet
12:57 Enter Lower House Committee Room No. 1
01:00 Lower House Budget Committee reopens
05:03 Lower House Budget Committee adjourns
05:04 Leave room
05:05 Enter LDP Secretary General’s Conference Room. Endorse candidate for Kanagawa Prefecture gubernatorial election. Commemorative photo session
05:07 Leave room
05:09 Depart from Diet
05:10 Arrive at office
05:12 Meet with Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Saiki Akitaka
05:33 End meeting with Mr. Saiki
05:34 National Security Council meeting
06:13 Meeting ends
06:17 Depart from office
06:26 Arrive at Japanese restaurant Fukudaya in Kioi-cho, Tokyo. Dinner meeting with former Prime Ministers Nakasone Yasuhiro, Kaifu Toshiki, Mori Yoshiro, Koizumi Junichiro, Fukuda Yasuo, and Aso Taro. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide also attends
08:55 Depart from restaurant
09:15 Arrive at private residence

The week of liberations

The 70th anniversaries of the end of World War II took place last week. Starting with the general surrender of Imperial Japan on September 2, other surrenders were accepted throughout the Pacific. The result is that for 70 years Japan has enjoyed a prosperous peace and the United States and Japan have become unshakeable allies. 

Much ceremony surrounded the liberation of the Pacific. It is worth remembering these events and their participants to appreciate how far the war was fought and how wide the peace would extend.

On the morning of September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay is the Empire of Japan became history. U.S. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, the Commander in the Southwest Pacific and Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, accepted Imperial Japan’s surrender on behalf of the Allied Powers and signed in his capacity as Supreme Commander. After MacArthur came Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz for the United States and then representatives from China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

On September 3rd, Major General Edmond H. Leavey, Deputy Commander of the United States Army Forces, Western Pacific, in Baguio, Philippines, accepted the surrender of all Japanese Forces in the Philippines and officially ended the war there [Video]. The John Hays Air Base at Baguio had been the first target bombed by Japan in their invasion of the Philippines on December 8, 1941.

Aboard the HMS Glory

On September 6, at Rabaul, New Guinea Australian Army Lt. General Vernon A.H. Sturdee on board the British carrier HMS Glory accepted the surrender of Japanese forces on New Guinea, New Britain and the Solomon Islands. At Bougainville on September 8, the surrender of local forces were accepted by Australian Army Lt. General Stanley G. Savige, II Corps commander and American Marine Lt. Colonel John P. Coursey who survived the Pearl Harbor attacks on the USS Arizona.

On September 9,on Morotai, part of the Moluccas, Australian Brigadier General Thomas W. Blamey accepted the surrender of the Japanese Second Army in the Netherlands East Indies [Video]. On the same day, Japanese Expeditionary Forces in China, Formosa, and northern Indo-China were surrendered in Nanking to KMT General Ho Ying-chin. Japanese forces in Manchuria surrendered to scattered US Marines units or not at all. Russia and Japan have yet to sign a peace treaty.

Also on the 9th, the Japanese government and armed forces in Korea were surrendered in Seoul. The territory south of the 38-degree parallel surrendered to Lt. Gen. John R. Hodge, Commanding General of the XXIV Corps and Admiral Kincaid, Commander of the U. S. Seventh Fleet. Forces north of the 38-degree line were surrendered to the Russian commander.

On 10 September, Wotje Atoll and Maloelap in the Marshall Islands capitulated. The next day Timor just north of Australia, Ponape in the Carolines, and the remaining Japanese forces on the New Guinea mainland surrendered. 

Formal surrender of all southeast Asia, the Netherlands East Indies, and the various islands to the east was signed on the 12th at Singapore by Lord Louis Mountbatten.  And on September 13th, the Japanese 18th Army on New Guinea was surrendered at Wewak to Australian Major General Horace C.H. Robertson

On September 2nd, General MacArthur had broadcast the announcement of peace to the world. His words expressed the thoughts of one who had felt both the bitterness of defeat and the gratification of victory, who knew well the horrors of warfare and the futility of attempting to achieve peace by resort to the sword.

Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won.... 

As I look back upon the long, tortuous trail from those grim days of Bataan and Corregidor, when an entire world lived in fear, when Democracy was on the defensive everywhere, when modern civilization trembled in the balance, I thank a merciful God that he has given us the faith, the courage and the power from which to mold victory. We have known the bitterness of defeat and the exultation of triumph, and from both we have learned there can be no turning back. We must go forward to preserve in Peace what we won in War. 

A new era is upon us. Even the lesson of Victory itself brings with it profound concern, both for our future security and the survival of civilization. The destructiveness of the War potential, through progressive advances in scientific discovery, has in fact now reached a point which revises the traditional concept of War. 

Men since the beginning of time have sought peace. Various methods through the ages have been attempted to devise an international process to prevent or settle disputes between nations. From the very start, workable methods were found insofar as individual citizens were concerned but the mechanics of an instrumentality of large international scope have never been successful. Military Alliances, Balances of Power, Leagues of Nations all in turn failed leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. The utter destructiveness of war now blots out this alternative. We have had our last chance. If we do not devise some greater and more equitable system Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advance in science, art, literature and all material and cultural developments of the past two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh....

Monday in Washington

EIA ENERGY CONFERENCE. 6/17-18, 8:45am. Sponsor: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Keynote Speakers: Ernest Moniz, Energy Secretary; Neelash Nerurkar, State Department Senior Adviser, Bureau of Energy Resources.

WHERE WORLDS MEET: SINGAPORE’S VIEW OF THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION AND US ENGAGEMENT. 6/17, 9:30-11:00am. Sponsor: East-West Center in Washington. Speaker: Ambassador Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, Singapore’s Ambassador to the United States of America.

CYBER AND HARDWARE HACKING SCENARIOS 2023. 6/17, Noon-2:00pm, Arlington, VA. Sponsor: Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, International Center for Terrorism Studies. Speakers: Michael Swetnam, CEO and Chairman, Potomac Institute; David Smith, Senior Fellow, Director, Cyber Center, Potomac Institute; Ben Sheppard, Adjunct Fellow, Potomac Institute; Fred Wright, Deputy Director, Cyber Technologies and Information Security Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute; Ronald Marks, President, Intelligence Enterprises, LLC.

ANALYZING THE IRANIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. 6/17, 2:00-3:30pm. Sponsor: Stimson Center. Speakers: Hosein Ghazian, Analyst, International Foundation for Electoral Systems; Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, President and CEO, Non-violent Initiative for Democracy, former Deputy of the Iranian Parliament; Cliff Kupchan, Director, Middle East, Eurasia Group; Geneive Abdo, Fellow, Middle East/Southwest Asia Program, Stimson.

POLITICAL OUTLOOK 2014: AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE OF INDONESIA'S THIRD DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS. 6/17, 2:30-4:00pm. Sponsor: US-Inodnesia Society. Speaker: Wimar Witoelar, Former Presidential Spokesperson, Political Observer, Writer, Media Personality. 

RIVER CONSERVATION AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN CHINA, A DIALOGUE WITH MS. WANG YONGCHEN, AN ENVIRONMENTAL HERO FROM CHINA. 6/17, 3:30-5:00pm. Sponsor: International Fund for China’s Environment and Holland Knight. Speaker: Tad Ferris, Holland+Knight and Wang Yongchen, a senior reporter of China National Radio and founder of Green Earth Volunteers.

PACIFIC DAY. 6/17, 4:00-9:00pm. Sponsor: CSIS Pacific Partners Initiative and the Ambassadors and Representatives of Pacific Island Countries and Territories in Washington, D.C. Features a seminar from 4:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. and a reception from 6:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 'Pacific Day' will be held at the Embassy of New Zealand. Admission to the event is by invitation only, but the seminar will be webcast live. 

TWENTY YEARS OF INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE: A BRIEFING BY THE YUGOSLAV TRIBUNAL CHIEF PROSECUTOR. 6/17, 4:00-5:30pm. Sponsor: American Society of International Law; Georgetown University Law Center; Georgetown Center for National Security and Law. Speakers: Serge Brammertz, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; Elizabeth Andersen, Executive Director, American Society of International Law.

THE UNWINDING: AN INNER HISTORY OF NEW AMERICA. 6/17, 7:00-8:30pm. Sponsor: Politics and Prose Bookstore. Speaker: George Packer, Author.

Beijing Building Influence, Shelving Competition in the South Pacific

Reprinted from the Jamestown Foundation's China Brief, Volume: 12 Issue: 20, October 19, 2012 

By: Eric Y. Shibuya

NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo in Fiji

The announcement in late August 2012 that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s tour through Asia would begin with a stop in the Cook Islands and coincide with the annual Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting was certainly no small news [1]. While the United States has long held observer status at the Forum, Clinton’s presence was the highest U.S. representation ever at the meeting, trumping the Chinese representation by Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai (Xinhua, September 1) [2]. The visit in itself was generally consistent with the Obama Administration’s “rebalancing” toward the Asia-Pacific—and, generally consistent with Beijing’s reaction to the “rebalancing,” provoked Chinese concern (China Daily, August 29). While Clinton’s participation in the Post Forum Dialogue was a first, Cui was attending his second such event following up on Politburo Standing Committee member Jia Qinglin’s visit earlier this year (Xinhua, May 25). Last month, another Standing Committee member, Wu Bangguo, also traveled to Fiji—exiled from the Pacific Islands Forum since 2009 for its military government—to sign several small loan agreements, boost economic cooperation and thank Fiji for standing by the “One-China Principle” (Xinhua, September 21). These Chinese visits suggest a more deliberate policy to build Chinese influence in the South Pacific—irrespective of other players—to overcome Beijing’s previously haphazard investment in infrastructure there and the fluctuations attendant in countering Taiwan’s checkbook diplomacy prior to 2009.

American Lake, China's Challenge

Certainly, the announcement got the attention of officials in Beijing, with the official press expressing concerns that the visit could increase great power tensions in the region (Xinhua, September 1; China Daily, August 29). Since the end of World War II, the Pacific Ocean area has been an area of clear U.S. dominance. Attempts by opposing powers to gain a foothold in the region, whether by the Soviet Union during the Cold War or by China today are usually met with great energy by the United States. However, great energy is not always accompanied with great finesse, as the U.S. predilection toward equating the Soviet Cold War threat to China’s presence today obscures a great deal of nuance between the situations.

China’s interest in the Pacific Island countries is not new and Beijing has participated in these dialogues since 1989 (Xinhua, August 28). Its increased engagement in the region can be traced at least as far back to the immediate post-Cold War period and corresponds to a decrease in U.S. engagement in the region. Beijing’s major foreign policy goals in the region also are not particularly confusing. Mainly, China hopes to deny political recognition to Taiwan and develop economic ties (both access to raw materials and trade markets) within the region [3]. Isolating Taiwan in the international community was a significant issue for Beijing, and the region previously had been the location of a political tug-of-war with Taipei. Some island governments tried to take advantage of this fact, playing one side off of the other for financial gain, but, despite the rhetoric, most relations have been remarkably stable. The most significant shift may have been 2003 when Kiribati shifted recognition to Taiwan. Formal relations between Kiribati and China had been in place since 1980, and the Chinese built a satellite tracking station on Kiribati’s main island of Tarawa in 1997. It was the first space station built outside of China and was said to be playing a major role in the development of China’s space program. More suspicious analysts noted the station was also very close to Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, home to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site. With the election of Anote Tong to the Presidency, the new administration announced it would be establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan, causing a furor. President-elect Tong did not suggest China should leave; indeed, he may have been gambling that the satellite station was too important for China to give up. If so, this was a miscalculation, as China closed down the station and withdrew in a matter of weeks.

China’s exit from Kiribati suggests three things. First, it is doubtful that the station, if it was gathering intelligence on the U.S. missile defense program, was getting anything of significant value. Second, the closure suggests the base’s importance as a part of the Chinese space program, and as a potential future docking point for Chinese ships, had been overestimated. Third and most importantly, the withdrawal suggests, whatever the value of the station, it did not outweigh the importance of the Taiwan issue for Beijing.

In 2009, Beijing and Taipei announced a “truce” between them, ending (at least for now) the previous “checkbook diplomacy” in the region and was tied warming of cross-Strait relations under Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou (Taipei Times, April 14). In terms of raw materials, China receives significant amounts of, among other things, timber and tuna. While it is large, this trade, like tourism, is at the moment more important for the island states than for China. China’s interests, however, extend for the much longer term as the possibilities for accessing seabed minerals and other underwater resources becomes technologically and economically feasible.

Looking Ahead

A larger international profile by China today is practically inevitable considering its economic growth over the last two decades, and there are many areas of mutual interest for China, the United States, and the rest of the world, such as increasing economic development and trade. While much of China’s economic interests (e.g. freedom of navigation and lower barriers to trade) coincide with the United States, the manner in which these interests are secured may come in conflict. For example, the Chinese may consider freedom of navigation best secured by its own growing maritime assets rather than depending upon the United States, and, with concerns already over the development of Air-Sea Battle Doctrine, Beijing’s unease is understandable (Global Times August 6; “China Assesses President Obama’s Asia-Pacific November 2011 Trip,” China Brief, December 20, 2011). On the U.S. side, concerns over China’s naval assets are obvious, and it is telling that the 2012 iteration of the RIMPAC naval exercises held in Hawaii included first time attendees Russia and India.

In the past, China has received a public relations “lift” in Oceania not just because of what it does, but how it does it. China fetes the island leaders with great fanfare, and Chinese officials are quick to avoid any discussion over the internal affairs of the island states. This gives China an edge over the United States, Australia and New Zealand for the latter nations’ perceived arrogance and intrusiveness in dealings in the region. Henderson and Reilly argue that the Kingdom of Tonga’s 1998 switch to recognizing Beijing—after a 26 year relationship with Taiwan—was due in part to concerns that democratizing influences in Taiwan would add to the pressure coming from the United States, Japan and especially Australia for the Kingdom to include greater input from the people in its government [4]. Increasing conditions for some reform in return for aid from the latter countries made recognition and subsequent assistance from Beijing more palatable to Tonga. At the 2011 Forum, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Cui called Chinese assistance to the islands “South-South” aid, and would continue to work bilaterally with the island governments rather than coordinate with other donors (Beijing Review, September 26, 2011).

It is no longer the case, however, that China’s growing presence in the region is completely welcome—it now has a record in the region that it must run against. China’s assistance has been biased toward grand infrastructure projects (e.g. stadiums, government buildings, etc.) but with little thought for continuing upkeep and maintenance. Over time, this may prove to be the deciding factor between closer relationships between island governments and Beijing or a resurgence of relationships with more traditional partners. This may explain why Cui at this last Forum stated Beijing would support ongoing fisheries management, increase technical assistance and training, add to the number of scholarships for study in China and support energy-saving infrastructure upgrades (Fmprc.gov.cn, August 31). Beijing also invested in a Confucius Institute at University of the South Pacific, a Xinhua branch in 2010 and local community colleges, so a steadier Chinese presence is developing (Xinhua, September 1; Beijing Review, September 26, 2011). While China seeks to expand its role in Oceania and the United States and its regional allies hope to manage such an expansion, the island governments themselves are attempting to balance between the two, hoping to maximize benefits in assistance and trade. Like others in the Asia-Pacific region, the island nations do not want to be in a position where they would have to “choose” between a relationship with Beijing or Washington.

Perhaps the biggest question, then, is whether China’s increased activity in Oceania constitutes a zero-sum game for the island nations as well as the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and others. Oceania experts Edgar Porter and Terence Wesley-Smith note, “China’s growing regional presence allows Pacific leaders to contemplate alternatives to established networks of power and influence and entrenched models of economic and political development” [5]. This fact causes understandable consternation for the traditional powers of the region, but perhaps more importantly highlights the fact that the Pacific Island leaders are not inanimate pawns in some “Great Oceania Game,” but independent agents in their own right. Moreover, China is not the only “new” player in the game in Oceania. The United Arab Emirates has created a $50 million program on renewable energy with the Pacific Islands, and during the 2012 Forum, Fiji’s Foreign Minister was attending the Non-Aligned Movement meeting in Tehran and formalizing relations with Iran (Island Business September 4). If it is to weather the “China Challenge,” the United States must show resilience and a commitment to engagement in the long term, not simply “one-off” high-profile events. Long-term commitment is not usually a strong suit in U.S. foreign policy, and the United States must be careful not to disappoint the region with exaggerated promises as Beijing steadies Chinese engagement.

Notes:

1. Originally called the South Pacific Forum, it changed its name in 1999 to better note the membership of island countries (Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, and Palau) north of the equator.
2. The highest previous representation was 2011 in Wellington—the Forum’s 40th Anniversary—by Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides and Assistant Secretary or State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell.
3. Currently, Taiwan has diplomatic relations with Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu.
4. Benjamin Reilly and John Henderson, “Dragon in Paradise: China's Rising Star in Oceania,” The National Interest, No. 72, Summer 2003, pp. 94–104.
5. Edgar A. Porter and Terence Wesley-Smith, “Introduction: Oceania Matters,”in Terence Wesley-Smith and Edgar A. Porter, eds., China in Oceania: Reshaping the Pacific?, New York: Bergham Books, 2010, p. 3.

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule May 16-28

May 16, 2012 (WED)

AM
10:00 Haneda Airport
10:23 See off Emperor Empress, visiting UK; Mr. Yokoji and Mr. Hirata, Chair of the Upper and Lower House
11:37 Office

PM
01:45 Mr. Nagashima, Special Advisor to PM;
01:50 Mr. Nagashima leaves
02:03 Mr. Koshiishi, DPJ Secretary General
02:30 Mr. Koshiishi leaves
02:32 Mr. Mr. Kenji Yamagishi, President of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, Mr. Koichi Kato, DPJ Lower House Member, attends
02:42 Mr. Muneo Suzuki, Head of New Party Daichi- True Democrats Party; Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM, attends
03:08 Mr. Azumi, Minister of Finance
03:35 Mr. Tatsuo Hirano, Minister for Reconstruction in the Response to the East Japan Earthquake
04:07 Mr. Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Taketoshi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Nagashima, Special Advisor to PM; Mr. Bessho, Foreign Ministry councilor in charge of political affairs; Mr. Nishimiya, Foreign Ministry councilor in charge of economics; Mr. Nakao, Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs; and Mr. Nobuhiko Sasaki, Director-General of Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry
04:40 Everyone leaves
04:42 Mr. Taketoshi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
04:45 Mr. Okada, Deputy Prime Minister
05:30 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:02 Issue appointment of Mr. Hidetoshi Kamesaki, Mitsubishi Corp. Advisor, to APEC Business Advisory Council member; Mr. Gembachiro Aihara, Mitsui Co. Advisor, also attends
06:09 Mr. Nakagawa, Minister of State for Disaster Management
06:42 Residence

May 18, 2012 (THU)

AM
09:02 Office
09:35 Reconstruction Promotion Council
10:05 Ministerial meeting
10:15 Ministerial Council on Monthly Economic Report and Other Relative Issues
10:43 Mr. Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Nagashima, Special Advisor to PM; Mr. Bessho, Foreign Ministry councilor in charge of political affairs; and Mr. Sugiyama, Director-General of Asia and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
10:51 Issue appointment of Government Representative for TPP negotiation to Mr. Shotaro Oshima, former Foreign Affairs councilor
11:16 Mr. Akashi Uchikoshi, DPJ Lower House member
11:26 Mr. Uchikoshi leaves

PM
01:49 Mr. Furukawa, Minister of State for National Policy
02:13 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
02:24 Mr. Sugiyama, Director-General of Asia and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
02:44 Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary
03:04 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
03:27 Press interview
03:54 Haneda Airport
04:23 Leave for the United States for the Camp David Summit with Mrs. Noda
Local Time in Washington, DC,

PM
Arrive at the Dulles Airport
Arrive at Camp David on a U.S. military chopper
Meeting with Mr. Van Rompuy, President of the European Council; and Mr. Barroso President of European Commission
Welcome reception
G8 Summit Working Dinner
Stay in Camp David

Local Time May 19 (Fri), AM, Washington, DC

AM
Summit meeting with President Hollande of France
G8 Summit session 1

PM
Photo shoot
Working lunch
G8 Summit session
Press interview at Dulles Airport
Move from Camp David to Washington Dulles Airport
Leave Dulles Airport on a chartered airplane 

May 20, 2012 (Sat)

PM
10:07 Arrive at Haneda Airport with Mrs. Noda
10:45 Residence

May 21, 2012 (SUN)

AM
09:33 Imperial Palace, report of return
09:47 Office
09:58 Mr. Okada, Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
10:31 Mr. Okada leaves
11:25 Mr. Tezuka leaves
11:54 Mr. Saito leaves

PM
12:52 Parliament
01:00 Meeting of the House of Representatives Special Committee on the Comprehensive Reform of Social Security and Taxation Systems
05:13 Receives a Request from the Governor of Fukushima Prefecture and the Mayors of Eight Towns and Villages in Futaba County, Fukushima Prefecture; Mr. Honda, Special Advisor to PM, also attends
05:43 Office
05:47 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
05:58 Mr. Nagashima, Special Advisor to PM; Mr. Bessho, Foreign Ministry councilor in charge of political affairs; and Mr. Koshikawa, Director General of International Cooperation Bureau, MOFA
06:24 Everyone leaves
06:39 Residence

May 22, 2012 (MON)

AM
06:33 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
08:00 Mr. Tezuka leaves
08:03 Mr. Saito leaves
08:13 Parliament
08:26 Ministerial meeting
09:00 Meeting of the House of Representatives Special Committee on the Comprehensive Reform of Social Security and Taxation Systems

PM
12:05 Office
12:51 Parliament
01:00 Meeting of the House of Representatives Special Committee on the Comprehensive Reform of Social Security and Taxation Systems
05:20 Office
05:49 Meeting with the President of the Federated States of Micronesia, Mr. Emanuel "Manny" Mori
06:00 Meeting with the President of the Republic of Palau, Mr. Johnson Toribiong
06:10 Meeting with Prime Minister of the Independent State of Samoa, Mr. Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi
06:33 Mr. Taketoshi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
06:45 Courtesy Call from the Users of Assistance Dogs for Physically Disabled Persons; Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary, also attends
07:01 Mr. John C. Lechleiter, Chairman, President of Eli Lilly
07:10 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:40 Residence

May 23, 2012 (TUE)

AM
07:03 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
08:00 Mr. Tezuka leaves
08:30 Mr. Tezuka joins again
08:49 Both leave
08:53 Parliament
09:01 Meeting of the House of Representatives Special Committee on the Comprehensive Reform of Social Security and Taxation Systems

PM
12:08 Office
12:50 Parliament
01:00 Meeting of the House of Representatives Special Committee on the Comprehensive Reform of Social Security and Taxation Systems
05:04 Office
05:34 Courtesy Call from the UK Members of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group
05:51 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:24 Meeting with the Premier of Niue, Mr. Toke Tufukia Talagi
06:35 Meeting with the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Mr. Henry Puna
06:46 Meeting with the President of the Republic of Kiribati, Mr. Anote Tong
06:59 Residence

May 24 (WED)

AM
07:48 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
08:33 Both leave
08:50 Parliament
09:00 Meeting of the House of Representatives Special Committee on the Comprehensive Reform of Social Security and Taxation Systems

PM
12:06 Three DPJ/Government Executive Meeting
12:54 Mr. Koshiishi, DPJ Secretary General
01:04 Office
01:40 Mr. Fujii, DPJ Head of Tax Research Commission
02:13 Keidanren Hall, Otemachi, Tokyo, the India-Japan Business Summit
02:31 office
03:00 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
04:07 Meeting with the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Mr. Christopher Loeak
04:21 Meeting with the President of the Republic of Nauru, Mr. Sprent Arumogo Dabwido
04:30 Meeting with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu, Mr. Meltek Sato Kilman Livtuvanu
05:17 Meeting of the Government Revitalization Unit
05:21 Leave the meeting
05:40 Meeting with Mr. HIna Rabbani Khar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan; Mr. Seishiro Eto, Chair of Japan-Pakistan Friendship Caucus, also attended
06:55 Banquet of the International Conference on the Future of Asia at the Imperial Hotel
08:00 Residence

May 25, 2012 (THU)

AM
08:00 Parliament
08:04 Headquarters for Ocean Policy
08:27 Ministerial meeting
08:37 Mr. Oakda, Deputy Prime Minister
08:52 Office
08:54 Mr. Edano, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry
09:14 Mr. Edano leaves
09:54 Mr. Jojima, Chair of DPJ Parliamentary Affairs Council
10:18 Mr. Jojima leaves
11:30 Mr. Kitamura, Head of Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office; and Mr. Mukuki, Director of the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center
11:39 Mr. Mukuki leaves
11:59 Mr. Kitamura leaves

PM
01:00 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
01:16 Press interview
01:48 Haneda Airport
02:08 Leave for Okinawa to attend the Pacific Islands Leaders meeting
04:22 Arrive at Naha Airport
05:41 Hotel The Busena Terrace, Nago City, Okinawa
07:00 Meeting with Mr. Willy Telavi, Prime Minister of Tuvalu
07:26 Bankoku Shinryokan Okinawa
07:35 Welcome the leaders of summit participant countries
07:52 Dinner with the summit participants
09:18 See off the participants
09:37 Stay in the hotel

May 26, 2012 (FRI)

AM
08:50 Hotel The Busena Terrace, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga, Lord Tu'ivakano
09:09 Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Mr. Gordon Darcy Lilo
09:38 Bankoku Shinryokan Okinawa
09:39 Welcome the leaders of summit participant countries
09:52 Photo shoot
09:56 Summit meeting
11:35 Working lunch

PM
12:57 Summit meeting resumes
01:52 See off country leaders
02:14 Join press conference with the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Mr. Henry Puna
02:32 See off Mr. Puna
02:49 Hotel The Busena Terrace
04:38 Naha Airport
05:02 Leave Naha Airport
07:03 Arrive at Haneda Airport
08:13 Leave Haneda Airport for New Chitose Airport on ANN Flight 79
09:20 Arrive at New Chitose Airport
10:37 Dinner with Mr. Tarutoko, DPJ Acting Secretary General; Mr. Mitsui, DPJ Policy Research Council Vice Chair; and Mr. Takagi, Chair of DPJ Election Committee, at a Sushi restaurant Tatsutoshi in Sapporo
11:55 Sapporo Prince Hotel

May 27, 2012 (SAT)

AM
Leave Sapporo Prince Hotel
09:32 Hokkaido Sogo Taiiku Center, make remarks at the Zentoku (National Postmaster’s Association) general assembly [first sitting PM to do so]

10:54 New Chitose Airport
11:44 Leave the airport on ANA Flight 58

PM
12:59 Arrive at Haneda Airport
01:34 Residence
03:03 Haircut at CarjuRaja TIADO in the Capitol Hotel Tokyu, Nagatocho, Tokyo
04:36 Residence

May 28, 2012 (SUN)

AM
09:32 Office
09:57 Mr. Hosono, Minister of the Environment
10:23 Mr. Edano, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, joins
10:44 Both leave
11:03 Mr. Honda, Special Advisor to PM
11:18 Mr. Honda leaves

PM
12:26 Ceremony of Reverence at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery
12:55 Office
01:49 Ceremony to Present the Prime Minister’s Commendations for Contributors to Consumer Support
02:00 Ceremony ends
04:53 Press group interview
05:33 Ms. Ertharin Cousin, Head of the UN World Food Programme; Mr. Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, and Mr. Dokyu Seiichiro, DPJ Lower House member join
05:50 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:17 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary