(NIAG 2057) JAPANESE EMBASSY ASKS FOR MORE

S E C R E T AMMAN 004682 SIPDIS NOFORN E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2012 TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL GM JA IZ JO SUBJECT: (NIAG 2057) JAPANESE EMBASSY ASKS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON IRAQI FRONT COMPANY AL-EMAN INVESTMENT GROUP REF: A. STATE 154314 ¶B. TOKYO 5577 Classified By: CDA Gregory L. Berry for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D) ¶1. (S/NF) Japanese Embassy Counselor (and Japanese Charge in Iraq) Masashi Kono called on PolCouns August 18. Referring to Embassy Tokyo's demarche (ref b) on Iraq's possible purchase of thermal luminescence dosimetry equipment from Japan through the Jordanian company al-Eman Investment Group (ref a),Kono said he had been instructed to learn all that he could about al-Eman "from third party sources, including the American Embassy." He passed to PolCouns copies of web pages (one from Ohio State University dated 1996 and one in French from a French magazine) referring obliquely to al-Eman and its connection to Iraq. He also noted that German intelligence had told the Japanese government that a similarly named "al-Eman Commercial Investment Establishment" was on Germany's list of likely Iraqi front companies. ¶2. (S/NF) Translating from an instruction cable in Japanese, Kono asked that the Embassy provide any additional information available on al-Eman, including its address and physical location in Jordan, information on its other business activities, the other companies with which it works, and more specific evidence of its links with Iraq -- e.g. previous trades on behalf of Iraq or numbers of Iraqi employees. Kono said Tokyo decisionmakers needed this information to support taking action to prevent any shipment of technology through al-Eman to Iraq. ¶3. (S) COMMENT: The Japanese Government is obviously taking our demarche seriously. Post would appreciate receiving any additional information that addresses the Japanese request. Berry