JAPAN DETECTS IMPROVED ATMOSPHERE WITH CHINA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 002571

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT PASS USTR FOR AUSTRS STRATFORD AND CUTLER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2031
TAGS: PREL ENRG ECON CH JA
SUBJECT: JAPAN DETECTS IMPROVED ATMOSPHERE WITH CHINA


Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Joe Donovan. Reasons:1.4(b/d).


1. (C) Summary: In a read out of the May 7-9 Japan-China
vice ministerial, MOFA assessed that the PRC is seeking to
improve the "atmosphere" of the bilateral relationship. MOFA
believes that Beijing now understands that holding bilateral
relations hostage to the Yasukuni issue is not in China's
interests and is doing what it can to move relations forward
through dialogue and exchange programs. One effort is to
seek an early meeting between the two countries' foreign
ministers. Another is a high-school student exchange
program. In the vice-ministerial meetings, Japan and China
set the next date for talks on East China gas exploration and
confirmed their mutual understandings on abandoned chemical
weapons and the Six-Party Talks. End Summary.

Improved Atmosphere
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2. (C) On May 11, MOFA Asian Affairs Bureau China Division
Principal Deputy Director Kosei Nomura provided Embassy Tokyo
political officer with a read out of the May 7-9 meeting in
Beijing between Vice Minister Shotaro Yachi and Executive
Vice Minister Dai Bingguo. Noting that the meetings took
place in Beijing and Dai's hometown of Guiyang in Southwest
China, Nomura observed that this was the fifth such meeting
between the two vice ministers since their dialogue began one
year ago. Nomura stated that in its discussions with Yachi,
China seemed to be trying to improve the "atmosphere" of the
bilateral relationship. Although the PRC still strongly
opposes the prime minister's visits to Yasukuni shrine,
Beijing appears to have recognized that holding up progress
in the bilateral relationship because of that one issue is
not in China's interests, he stated. Consequently, Beijing
now appears to be doing what it can to move the relationship
forward, he asserted.

Foreign Ministers Meeting
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3. (C) Nomura suggested that evidence of the PRC's new
approach to its relations with Japan is the agreement to
pursue the possibility of a meeting between the two
countries' foreign ministers on the margins of the upcoming
Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) meeting in Qatar later this
month. Although attendance at the meeting by both foreign
ministers is still uncertain, the two sides did agree to
consider that venue as one possibility for such a meeting.
As the two ministers have not met since May 2005, a bilateral
ministerial meeting would be a big step forward, Nomura said.

Exchange Program
--------------


4. (C) Another effort to improve the bilateral relationship
is the initiation of a high-school student exchange program,
Nomura stated. This week 200 Chinese students will arrive in
Japan for a ten-day stay that includes living with a Japanese
family. The effort is part of the Japan-China 21st Century
Exchange Program that will see 1100 PRC high-school students
come to Japan this year for short-term stays and 150 students
on longer two-month to one-year visits. Yachi and Dai
discussed the mutual desire to begin at an early date the
Chinese program inviting Japanese students to the PRC.
Nomura reported that Dai strongly supported the
people-to-people exchange program and noted that efforts to
improve the Japan-China relations through dialogue and such
exchanges seemed to be important to the Chinese side.


East China Sea Gas Talks
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5. (C) Nomura said that Yachi and Dai agreed that the next
session of the dialogue on gas exploration in the East China
Sea would be held in Tokyo on or about May 18. Although
neither side can accept the other's proposal for joint
development of the area's hydrocarbon resources, the
continuation of the dialogue is an important step in itself,

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Nomura contended.

Abandoned Chemical Weapons and Six-Party Talks
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6. (C) The two sides agreed to cooperate on the
construction of a facility in Jilin Province to dispose of
abandoned Japanese World War II chemical weapons, Nomura
noted. Yachi and Dai also reiterated the two countries'
commitment to resolving the North Korean nuclear weapons
issue in the Six-Party Talks and to resume the talks as soon
as possible. Acknowledging that these were not new
developments, he averred that it was useful to confirm these
points at the vice-ministerial level.
SCHIEFFER