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§ionid=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