Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TOKYO3211
2006-06-09 09:20:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:
SEEKING UPDATE ON PROGRESS OF JAPAN-KOREA EEZ TALKS
how-toVZCZCXRO3262 OO RUEHFK RUEHKSO DE RUEHKO #3211 1600920 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 090920Z JUN 06 FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3081 INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2728 RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 1189 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 8899 RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA PRIORITY 6657 RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE PRIORITY 9894 RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO PRIORITY 7805 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA SEOUL KOR PRIORITY RHMFISS/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA PRIORITY RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUCPDC/NOAA NMFS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY RUEHKO/USDAO TOKYO JA PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 003211
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO EAP/FO, EAP/J, EAP/K AND
INR/IPC/CGI/GI MILEFSKY
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/2016
TAGS: EFIS PBTS PHSA PREL JA KS
SUBJECT: SEEKING UPDATE ON PROGRESS OF JAPAN-KOREA EEZ TALKS
REF: SECSTATE 91785
Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION JOSEPH R. DONOVAN. REASONS: 1.4
(b),(d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 003211
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO EAP/FO, EAP/J, EAP/K AND
INR/IPC/CGI/GI MILEFSKY
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/2016
TAGS: EFIS PBTS PHSA PREL JA KS
SUBJECT: SEEKING UPDATE ON PROGRESS OF JAPAN-KOREA EEZ TALKS
REF: SECSTATE 91785
Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION JOSEPH R. DONOVAN. REASONS: 1.4
(b),(d)
1. (C) Ministry of Foreign Affairs Northeast Asia Division
Deputy Director Yo Takaba responded to reftel points on June
9 by stating that the June 12-13 resumption of Japan-ROK EEZ
negotiations is, in itself, a very significant development
given the air of crisis that existed between the two
countries during the maritime survey dispute in April. MOFA
Director General for International Legal Affairs Ichiro
Komatsu will head the Japanese negotiating team. The deputy
on the delegation will be MOFA Asia and Oceanian Affairs
Deputy Director General Kunio Umeda. The Foreign Ministry
decided to give Komatsu the lead in order to stress a
"cool-headed," "legal," "non-politicized" approach to
resolving the problem, Takaba explained.
2. (C) The main concern of the Japanese government going
into the talks is determining the basis for demarcation of
the EEZ, or "how to draw the line," Takaba said. Japan would
like to maintain an agreement reached during the 1996 summit
meeting between then-Prime Minister Hashimoto and then-ROK
President Kim Yong-sam to delink the EEZ negotiations from
the territorial dispute over the Liancourt Rocks. The
Japanese government is concerned that the ROK negotiators may
link the two issues and propose that the mid-line be drawn in
South Korea's favor between Japan's Oki island and the
Liancourt Rocks. "That would be a disaster," Takaba
exclaimed, "and a clear violation of the previous
Hashimoto-Kim agreement."
3. (C) A second major concern of the Japanese government
involves how to proceed with the maritime mapping issue.
Even if Japan succeeds in starting genuine negotiations on
the EEZ in June, they will take a long time to complete.
Takaba said that while MOFA is "quite confident" the ROK will
not put forward its controversial undersea naming proposal
this year, it could do so next year, sparking another crisis.
To keep that from happening, Japanese negotiators are likely
to propose a provisional framework that would allow for both
sides to conduct scientific research within the disputed EEZ,
until such time as they agree to a final mid-line, Takaba
informed.
SCHIEFFER
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO EAP/FO, EAP/J, EAP/K AND
INR/IPC/CGI/GI MILEFSKY
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/2016
TAGS: EFIS PBTS PHSA PREL JA KS
SUBJECT: SEEKING UPDATE ON PROGRESS OF JAPAN-KOREA EEZ TALKS
REF: SECSTATE 91785
Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION JOSEPH R. DONOVAN. REASONS: 1.4
(b),(d)
1. (C) Ministry of Foreign Affairs Northeast Asia Division
Deputy Director Yo Takaba responded to reftel points on June
9 by stating that the June 12-13 resumption of Japan-ROK EEZ
negotiations is, in itself, a very significant development
given the air of crisis that existed between the two
countries during the maritime survey dispute in April. MOFA
Director General for International Legal Affairs Ichiro
Komatsu will head the Japanese negotiating team. The deputy
on the delegation will be MOFA Asia and Oceanian Affairs
Deputy Director General Kunio Umeda. The Foreign Ministry
decided to give Komatsu the lead in order to stress a
"cool-headed," "legal," "non-politicized" approach to
resolving the problem, Takaba explained.
2. (C) The main concern of the Japanese government going
into the talks is determining the basis for demarcation of
the EEZ, or "how to draw the line," Takaba said. Japan would
like to maintain an agreement reached during the 1996 summit
meeting between then-Prime Minister Hashimoto and then-ROK
President Kim Yong-sam to delink the EEZ negotiations from
the territorial dispute over the Liancourt Rocks. The
Japanese government is concerned that the ROK negotiators may
link the two issues and propose that the mid-line be drawn in
South Korea's favor between Japan's Oki island and the
Liancourt Rocks. "That would be a disaster," Takaba
exclaimed, "and a clear violation of the previous
Hashimoto-Kim agreement."
3. (C) A second major concern of the Japanese government
involves how to proceed with the maritime mapping issue.
Even if Japan succeeds in starting genuine negotiations on
the EEZ in June, they will take a long time to complete.
Takaba said that while MOFA is "quite confident" the ROK will
not put forward its controversial undersea naming proposal
this year, it could do so next year, sparking another crisis.
To keep that from happening, Japanese negotiators are likely
to propose a provisional framework that would allow for both
sides to conduct scientific research within the disputed EEZ,
until such time as they agree to a final mid-line, Takaba
informed.
SCHIEFFER