U.S.-JAPAN-ROK POLICY PLANNING TRILATERAL, SESSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 002663 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/2026 TAGS: PREL ASEAN EAID MARR UNSC IR IZ KS CH JA SUBJECT: U.S.-JAPAN-ROK POLICY PLANNING TRILATERAL, SESSION 1: FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES AND STRATEGIES REF: TOKYO 2654 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Joe Donovan. Reason: 1.4 (b)(d). ¶1. (C) Summary. In the May 11 U.S.-ROK-Japan Policy Planning Session meeting between S/P Director Stephen D. Krasner, Japanese Deputy Vice-Minister for Foreign Policy Masaharu Kohno and Korean Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and International Organizations Park In-Kook, the three delegates outlined their country's foreign policy priorities and strategies. Specifically: -- Kohno described Japan's top five policy planning priorities as: 1) improving relations with neighboring countries; 2) expanding its scope of activities geographically; 3) matching foreign policy with domestic policy; 4) using ODA more strategically; and 5) reforming international organizations; -- Park said Korean policy planning is centered on the principles of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula; developing comprehensive relations with neighbors and the U.S.; employing "omni-directional diplomacy;" and reforming international organizations; -- Krasner outlined U.S. policy in various geographic regions and the goals of transformational diplomacy; he also responded to questions on Iran policy; and -- In follow-on discussions, participants acknowledged the value of multilateral fora in promoting confidence building measures, but also noted the importance of the U.S. military presence in ensuring regional stability. End Summary. Japan's Priorities -------------- ¶2. (C) S/P Director Stephen D. Krasner, Japanese Deputy Vice Minister for Foreign Policy Masaharu Kohno and Korean Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and International Organizations Park In-Kook met May 11 over a working dinner that served as the first session of the U.S.-ROK-Japan Policy Planning Trilateral. Japan DVFM Kohno opened the formal proceedings by explaining that Japan's highest priority in terms of policy planning is to improve relations with neighboring countries, particularly China and South Korea. Kohno described the need for improved relations with neighbors as "kind of a destiny for us" and added that the larger goal was to improve the security environment in Northeast Asia. The Six-Party Talks and Japan's two-track approach to North Korea are important tools in this policy and the proposed East Asian Community could be another component of a cooperative East Asian architecture, along with existing fora such as APEC, ASEAN and ASEAN 3. The biggest challenges to improved relations included long-standing territorial and historical issues vis-a-vis China, Russia and Korea, Kohno stated. ¶3. (C) The second long-term priority for Japan was to expand its scope of activities geographically, Kohno explained. As examples of this, Kohno pointed out that Japan will hold ministerial-level talks with Central Asian partners in June, that the TICAD 4 (the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development) is scheduled for 2008 - the same year Japan will host the G8, he noted - and that Japan has recently expanded dialogue with NATO. ¶4. (C) Kohno explained Japan's third priority as matching up foreign policy with domestic policy, and described Japan's efforts to establish legislation to allow the dispatch of Self-Defense Force troops as needed, as opposed to the ad hoc approach requiring specific enabling legislation as used for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Constitutional revision, particularly proposals recognizing Japan's right to collective self-defense, would become a major domestic issue in the near future, he observed. ¶5. (C) Kohno also listed the use of official development assistance (ODA) as a priority, stating that Japan recently created a new mechanism to develop more strategic thinking on ODA. Under procedures begun on May 8, Japan will now have a monthly cabinet-level meeting to discuss ODA. MOFA has also created a new ODA planning task force (with Kohno as its Secretary General). In the future, Japan will consider ways SIPDIS to expand the scope of its ODA, focusing on peace consolidation through programs such as disarmament, TOKYO 00002663 002 OF 003 demobilization and reintegration (DDR),which Japan has undertaken in Afghanistan, Cote D'Ivoire and Liberia. ¶6. (C) The final high priority issue for Japan, Kohno said, was reform of international organizations. Japan's position on UN and UNSC reform is well known, he said, but Japan also hopes to reform WTO and post-Kyoto Protocol activities. Kohno said he expects Japan to become more proactive and imaginative in this area. South Korea's Priorities -------------- ¶7. (C) Korean Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and International Organizations Park In-Kook said Korean policy planning is centered on the principles of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, asserting that instability on the peninsula would impact the world economy. The ROKG's policy focuses on a smooth transition to achieving reunification, he explained, using mechanisms such as people-to-people and military-to-military exchanges and institutionalization of coordination with North Korea. The exchanges are aimed at enlightening and educating the North Korean people. ¶8. (C) South Korea also seeks to develop comprehensive relations with the U.S. and with Korea's neighbors, Park said. However, Korea has become concerned recently with a return to nationalism in the region and he agreed with Kohno that territorial and historical issues need to be resolved. ¶9. (C) Because Korea imports 75 percent of its oil from the Middle East, it is also trying "omni-directional diplomacy" that focuses to the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. At the same time, Korea is trying to reinforce relations with its traditional partners, such as those in ASEAN, and with European countries. Park noted that Korea aims to triple its ODA. ¶10. (C) Park said Korea agrees with Japan in principle on the need for reform of international organizations, and asked for U.S. and Japanese support for Korea's candidate for UN Secretary General. He stated that Korea believes it is SIPDIS important to widen multilateral security cooperation, and offered as "food for thought" the idea of developing the Six-Party Talks into a multilateral security format. U.S. Priorities -------------- ¶11. (C) S/P Krasner described a wide range of U.S. policy planning goals, beginning with those of transformational diplomacy. He thanked both Japan and South Korea for their support in Afghanistan and Iraq. Noting there would be time for more thorough discussion in Session 4 (on the future of the Middle East),he briefly described U.S. Middle East policy, focusing on Iraq, the Middle East Peace Process and Iran. He agreed with Park and Kohno's on the need for an East Asian architecture that provided for regional stability, but noted that when considering Asia, one must include the Pacific region, as well. Responses -------------- ¶12. (C) In the conversation following the formal presentations, Japanese Political Minister to Japan's Embassy in Seoul Koji Tomita asked what the timeline should be for dealing with Iran, suggesting that an air strike may be a last resort option if diplomacy fails. Krasner explained that the U.S. is not thinking in terms of a timeline leading to an air strike, but focusing on measures that will persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program, or face isolation from the international community. Park expressed concern that moving too quickly into Chapter VII sanctions could become a "paper tiger," citing the example of North Korea in the early 1990s, when it was presented with redlines and then easily crossed them. ¶13. (C) Kohno and Park both discussed the value of multilateral fora as mechanisms for promoting confidence building measures (CBMs) to ensure stability in the region. S/P member Evan Feigenbaum noted that while multilateral CBMs were of value, Kohno and Park had failed to mention the value of the U.S. military presence as a factor in fostering TOKYO 00002663 003 OF 003 regional stability. Park said both an East Asian architecture based on multilateral structures and the accumulation of bilateral security relations with the U.S. were necessary, with one able to fill any gaps of the other. Kohno added that regional CBMs have a spill-over effect beyond traditional security, noting that ASEAN has helped efforts in counter-terrorism, anti-piracy, nonproliferation, and environmental issues. Participants -------------- ¶14. (U) Participants in the meeting included: United States -------------- Stephen D. Krasner, Director, Policy Planning Staff Jim Zumwalt, ECON Minister-Counselor, Embassy Tokyo Evan Feigenbaum, S/P Member David Wolff, Political Officer, Embassy Tokyo Joel Ehrendreich, Political Officer, Embassy Tokyo (notetaker) Japan -------------- Masaharu Kohno, MOFA Deputy Vice-Minister for Foreign Policy Nobukatsu Kanehara, Minister, Embassy of Japan (Washington) Koji Tomita, Minister, Embassy of Japan (Seoul) Hiroshi Kawamura, MOFA Director, Policy Planning Division Shinya Fujita, MOFA Deputy Director, Policy Planning Division South Korea -------------- In-Kook Park, MOFAT Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and International Organizations Sang-mo Yeon, Minister-Counselor, Embassy of ROK (Tokyo) Ki-woong Kim, MOFAT Director for Inter-Korean Policy Division Ki-Jun Park, MOFA Deputy Director for Northeast Asia Division Young-Kyu Park, MOFAT Deputy Director for Policy Planning and Coordination Division Song Oh, MOFAT Director for Policy Planning and Coordination Division Choong-hee Hahn, MOFAT Director for North America Division ¶15. (U) S/P Director Krasner cleared this message. DONOVAN