[R-G] Iran and Japan Hold Peace Contest + Abe Approval Rating Hits New Low

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

Iran's NGOs should do more activities like children's peace drawing
competition that Press TV mentions below.  Better, Iran's government
should take every opportunity to meet with a-bomb survivors, peace
activists, artists and intellectuals, Communist Party politicians,
etc. from Japan _and_ advertise that.  If nothing else, they have
excellent records of opposition to nuclear weapons, so being on good
terms with them would help Tehran make its case that its nuclear
program is for the purpose of energy development and scientific
advancement only, not for weapons research.

BTW, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's approval rating sinks to a
new low, and he's now even more unpopular than Bush!  Yippie!  --
Yoshie

<http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=16797&sectionid=351020105>
Iran and Japan hold peace contest
Wed, 18 Jul 2007 22:29:32

Children will draw peace in a contest held by Iran and Japan.

Iran and Japan have announced to hold the 22nd International
competition of children's "Peace Painting" in Hiroshima Peace Museum.

The event will be held by Iran's Association of Supporting Chemical
Weapon Victims and Hiroshima Peace Museum in Japan, IRNA news agency
reported.

The participants have to be between 6-15 years old, and selected works
will be awarded and displayed in Hiroshima's Peace Museum Hall.

The competition aims at establishing cultural relations between Tehran
and Hiroshima peace museums, extending peace and friendship, and
establishing mental and cultural relations between children and
teenagers from Iran and other countries.

TE/KB

<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/9a38111c-4429-11dc-90ca-0000779fd2ac.html>
Abe approval rating hits new low

By David Pilling in Tokyo

Published: August 6 2007 15:43 | Last updated: August 6 2007 15:43

Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, sought a compromise with the
opposition on Monday over anti-terrorism legislation, amid signs that
support for his cabinet was slipping further.

A poll in the Mainichi newspaper, published on Monday, showed approval
ratings for the Abe cabinet slipping below 30 per cent for the first
time, to 22 per cent.

The disapproval rating was 65 per cent, a record, while 56 per cent of
respondents said Mr Abe should resign after last week's crushing
defeat in upper house elections. However, 41 per cent said he need not
resign, a reflection, say political analysts, of public disenchantment
with likely replacements.

The poor poll ratings underline the difficulties facing the
administration, which could find it difficult to pass legislation now
that the upper house is controlled by the opposition Democratic Party
of Japan.

Mr Abe, in Hiroshima on Monday to mark the 62nd anniversary of the
dropping of the atomic bomb, said he would seek DPJ support in passing
anti-terrorism legislation that is due to dominate parliamentary
business in September.

"I desperately hope to revise the law," said Mr Abe, referring to the
extension beyond November 1 of a special measure that allows Japan to
refuel allied ships in the Indian Ocean. "I would like to talk with
the DPJ and seek its co-operation."

Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the DPJ, said his party "could never vote" for
the legislation, which it has consistently opposed since its
introduction after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.
However, Mr Ozawa has agreed to hold a meeting with Thomas Schieffer,
US ambassador, on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

Mr Schieffer has said he hopes to persuade Mr Ozawa that the
anti-terrorism law is a bipartisan issue and that legislation enables
Japan to play a significant role in preserving international maritime
security. Mr Ozawa supports a bigger role for Japan on the
international stage but has always insisted that any Japanese action
be conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.

Jeff Kingston, professor of Asian studies at Tokyo's Temple
university, said: "Ozawa started the whole 'normal nation' debate
after the first Gulf war. But he is not a military hawk. He wants
Japan to operate within the international framework."

The opposition on Monday picked Satsuki Eda to be the first DPJ
president of the upper house since the party was founded in 1998.
Parliament will convene for a four-day session on Tuesday to approve
upper house appointments, before reconvening again on August 31 for
the autumn session.

Although Wednesday's session is likely to be largely procedural, it
may provide clues to how the DPJ intends to ratchet up the pressure on
Mr Abe. Mr Ozawa has said he will build on last week's spectacular
election result to push for the resignation of Mr Abe and the
dissolution of the powerful lower house. Mr Abe is under no
constitutional obligation to call a general election until September
2009.
--
Yoshie