S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 001001

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/TC AND ISN/MTR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2026
TAGS: ECCT PARM MTCRE JP TW
SUBJECT: MTAG: JAPAN SAYS "NO" TO TAIWAN CWC PARTICIPATION

REF: A. TAIPEI 855


B. STATE 36441

C. STATE 30954

D. STATE 21176

E. AIT TAIPEI 00171

F. STATE 008195

G. AIT TAIPEI 00141

Classified By: AIT DEPUTY DIRECTOR DAVID J. KEEGAN, REASONS 1.4 B, C, D
.


1. (S) Summary: An estimated 300 company representatives
attended a Japan-Taiwan Export Control Industry Outreach
Seminar held in Taipei March 21. On the margins of the
conference, AIT discussed the export control "gameplan" with
Japan MFA Director for Non-Proliferation Futoshi Matsumoto.
Matsumoto told AIT that Taiwan has requested Japan to support
its participation in the Chemical Weapons Convention. Japan
refused because of suspicions that Taiwan is developing
chemical weapons. End summary.

Japan-Taiwan Joint Export Control Seminar
--------------


2. (SBU) AIT joined a capacity audience of about 300
representatives of Japanese companies in Taiwan and Taiwan
companies at the Export Control Industry Outreach Seminar
sponsored by the Japan Interchange Association and Taiwan's
Ministry of Economic Affairs, Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT)
in Taipei on March 21. Conference organizers told AIT that
seating limitations forced them to turn down many requests to
attend the seminar. Topics covered included trends in
Japan's export controls, the legal framework and
implementation of Taiwan's export controls, and Taiwan's
controls on exports to Mainland China.


3. (SBU) In the question and answer sessions, company
representatives requested that the licensing process be
speeded-up, questioned the need for re-export licenses for
commodities going from Taiwan companies to their subsidiaries
in China, and why only company CEOs could sign end-use
certificates. Japanese and Taiwan officials responded in
detail to every question.


4. (S) On the margins of the seminar, AIT discussed the
U.S.-developed export control gameplan with Japan's Ministry
of Foreign Affairs Non-Proliferation Director Futoshi
Matsumoto. Matsumoto, (who speaks fluent English and Arabic
and seemed well versed in non-proliferation issues,) said
that Japan is ready and willing to work with the U.S. on
implementing the gameplan, which, he said, coincided with
Japan's views on Taiwan's export control regime.

Japan Suspects Taiwan Developing Chemical Weapons
-------------- --------------


5. (S) According to Matsumoto, on March 20, he participated
in non-proliferation discussions with Taiwan's National
Security Council and other agencies, during which Taiwan made
a pitch for Japanese support of some form of Taiwan
participation in the Chemical Weapons Convention. Japan
flatly refused to consider the request, Matsumoto said,
because it suspects that Taiwan is developing chemical
weapons. A Japanese official working under Matsumoto told
AIT that such suspicions were "widespread."


6. (S) Matsumoto urged AIT to coordinate the export control
training offered by the United States with training offered
by the other gameplan partners (Japan, the UK, Australia, and
Germany). He thought that the small number of BOFT people
working on export controls (five) handicapped Taiwan's
ability to implement its commitments and limited its ability
absorb training, but said Japan was reluctant to propose that
Taiwan increase the number of people working on export
control lest it be seen as interfering. Matsumoto indicated
that the reason Japan was offering export control training
for private companies, was precisely because the very small
number of Taiwan officials working the issue limited
government-industry coordination. He saw the lack of
government outreach to the private sector as a major
deficiency in Taiwan's export control system.


TAIPEI 00001001 002 OF 002



7. (S) Matsumoto said this was his first trip to Taiwan and
he was surprised by the behavior of Taiwan officials, such as
BOFT Peter Ho, who used points from the bilateral
non-proliferation discussions in his opening remarks to
company representatives at the seminar.
YOUNG