AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER DISCUSSES YASUKUNI,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 003316 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2026 TAGS: PREL PGOV IR KS CH JA SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR SCHIEFFER DISCUSSES YASUKUNI, JAPAN-CHINA RELATIONS WITH CHINA,S AMBASSADOR WANG YI Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer. Reasons: 1.4 (b)(d). ¶1. (C) Summary. Ambassador Schieffer met with PRC Ambassador Wang Yi over lunch June 14. Highlights of their lunch included the following: -- FM's Aso's statement that "national interests are more important than personal image" during his meeting with Chinese FM Li had helped move the bilateral relationship in a positive direction; -- China is willing to negotiate a face-saving "soft landing" with Japan over the Yasukuni issue, an issue Wang claimed indirectly affects U.S. interests; -- Wang suggested that prime ministerial candidate SHINZO Abe's views on history could be problematic for the United States; -- Wang urged the Ambassador to use his influence to have the President raise the Yasukuni matter during the June 29 U.S.-Japan summit; -- Ambassador Schieffer stressed that China and Japan should work together to reach a solution to historical issues and Yasukuni that satisfies both; and -- the Ambassador urged China to work with the United States to resolve the Iran nuclear issue. End summary. Yasukuni Shrine and Japan-China Relations -------------- ¶2. (C) The meeting between Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on May 23 at Doha went "very well," China's ambassador to Japan Wang Yi told the Ambassador June 14 over a cordial lunch. Alluding to the Yasukuni Shrine issue, FM Aso had stated that "national interests are more important than personal image," Wang related. This comment "serves Japan's national interests" and also helps move the situation in a positive direction, he said. Some "Japanese friends" have commented that Chinese pressure on Japan on the Yasukuni issue constitutes interference in Japan's internal affairs. China has no such intention, Wang insisted. The Yasukuni issue, however, is developing beyond a purely bilateral matter because other countries are also very concerned. According to opinion polls, the majority of Japanese media, politicians and common people believe that visits to Yasukuni by Japan's leaders do not serve Japan's interests and hurt Japan's image, Amb. Wang asserted. The hardliners, on the other hand, are emboldened to speak out more forcefully. They are now asserting that the Far Eastern War Tribunal was unfair, that there were no "war criminals," and that history should be rewritten. "If these views are heard overseas, it will put Japan in an awkward position," Wang averred. The Philippine ambassador to Japan had told Wang only two weeks earlier that if PM Koizumi visits Yasukuni on August 15, as some people are predicting, Southeast Asian countries would have to speak out publicly in protest for the first time. ¶3. (C) "Japanese friends," Amb. Wang continued, say it is difficult for Japan to alter its position regarding Yasukuni in response to Chinese or South Korean pressure. Such concerns, however, can be addressed diplomatically. China is willing to negotiate a "soft landing" for Japan. A "soft landing," he later clarified, meant one that provided "face" to Japan. ¶4. (C) Japan would be undergoing a change of leadership later in the year, Wang observed. He said he was worried that if the new prime minister visited Yasukuni as PM Koizumi has done, it would lead to greater problems with neighboring countries, including those of Southeast Asia, and further isolate Japan. This, he said, was not in the interests of the United States. Japan's deteriorating relations with China and South Korea would also negatively affect the Six-Party Talks (6PT). June 29 Summit an Opportunity to Address Yasukuni -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Prime Minister Koizumi would soon be visiting the United States, Wang Yi noted. The Japanese media would focus not only on U.S.-Japan relations but also on Japan's TOKYO 00003316 002 OF 003 influence in Asia following the visit and on U.S. attitudes towards Asia. Regardless of what the United States says, the media will view these matters, including the Yasukuni Shrine issue, from its own perspective. Consequently, Amb. Wang stated, he believes the United States should play an active role in helping Japan improve its relations with its neighbors, including China. It is in America's interest for Japan to improve its relations with its neighbors, he reiterated. The Ambassador responded that he understood Amb. Wang's argument, but that the U.S. position is to urge China and Japan to work together to resolve the issues between them in a way that satisfies them both. When the United States gets involved, that U.S. involvement itself often becomes an issue, he observed. Japan, he noted, is seeking a way to honor its war dead without embracing the cause for which they died. ¶6. (C) Japan's official statements on its recent history are clear and China "views the Japanese position positively," Wang replied. The real problem now is the political consequences of Yasukuni visits by Japanese leaders. The visits encourage rightists who want to rewrite history, he repeated. While the issue has not yet affected U.S.-Japan relations, it is already linked to the United States because it questions the results of World War II. He recognized that it would be difficult for the United States to comment publicly on the issue, but suggested that during the upcoming summit the United States might urge Japan to "pay more attention" to the matter and "find a good solution." Noting the close ties between the Ambassador and President Bush, Amb. Wang said the Ambassador's personal suggestion to the President would be viewed as very important. ¶7. (C) Ambassador Schieffer agreed that it was in the interests of Japan, China and the United States to have good relations with one another. Better bilateral relations were better for all. It is ironic, he remarked, that at a time when the United States probably has the best relations it's ever had with both China and Japan, China and Japan, on the other hand, have some the worst relations they've had with each other (though relations seem to have improved over the last month). Asked by Wang what he expected of Japan's next leader's relations with its Asian neighbors, the Ambassador opined that both China and Japan appear to have painted themselves into a corner over the Yasukuni issue. Both would like to extricate themselves but are not sure how. Perhaps the new Japanese prime minister, whoever he is, will be able to find a way out. Succession Politics and Yasukuni -------------- ¶8. (C) Of the four main candidates for the next prime minister mentioned by the media, three (FM Taro Aso, Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanizaki and former-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda) have all stated they would not visit Yasukuni as prime minister, Wang asserted. Only Chief Cabinet Secretary ABE has said he is "still considering" the matter. SIPDIS Some people say ABE believes Japan's wartime actions were correct, having been forced into them by the United States. Asked by the Ambassador if Abe's position on Yasukuni or his support for the abductee families accounted for his popularity, Wang remarked that as in other countries, it was not a politician's policy positions but his personality and image that boost his popularity. The LDP is also looking ahead toward the Upper House election in 2007 and needs a popular leader to help them win that election. Further, more and more young people are joining the LDP, and younger people seem to prefer Abe. Wang had heard people say that while it is important for Japan to have sound relations with the United States, it is also important for Japan to have sound relations with its neighbors; otherwise it will become isolated. PM Koizumi had gotten into the Yasukuni shrine predicament due to his 2001 campaign pledge, Amb. Wang stated. Currently, no candidate, including Abe, has made a similar pledge. Further, Abe's comments on sensitive issues are more cautious now then two years ago. As Ambassador Schieffer had stated, Wang said, the next prime minister will have to address the issue of improving relations with Japan's neighbors. If Japan is willing, China, too, is willing to negotiate. ¶9. (C) It would be difficult for any Japanese politician to explicitly make an agreement with China that he would not go to Yasukuni, the Ambassador remarked. On the other hand, "he TOKYO 00003316 003 OF 003 could simply not go." Wang concurred that the Japanese prime minister could never publicly agree with China or appear to "cave" to Chinese or South Korean pressure. But, in his personal view, China must be ready to provide Japan with a "soft landing" that considers Japan's "face." (Note: When Wang earlier raised the "soft-landing" or face-saving solution during the lunch, he had not characterized it as his personal view.) U.S.-China Relations; Iran -------------- ¶10. (C) U.S.-China relations are particularly good following President Hu Jintao's May visit to the United States, Ambassador Wang remarked. The visit had enhanced the personal trust between the two presidents, which is very important. Relations between countries, like those between individuals, cannot be sound without trust. President Hu had told President Bush that China wants not only to be a stakeholder, but a constructive partner with the United States, too. Both China and the United States recognize that they share many common interests and that many areas exist for constructive cooperation, Wang stated. Ambassador Schieffer shared that he had met with President Bush shortly after President Hu's visit and that the President, too, thought it had been a very positive visit. President Bush recognizes the importance of the relationship he has built with President Hu and values it a lot. It is remarkable to see how the U.S.-China relationship has developed over the past few years, to see how closely we consult on a wide range of issues, the Ambassador observed. It is a positive development for our two countries and for the entire international community, he said. ¶11. (C) Wang agreed, saying China was willing to exchange views and coordinate positions on Asian issues. We should do so on the Middle East, too, Ambassador Schieffer added. If China and the United States speak with one voice on the Iran nuclear issue, for example, it could help defuse the situation, which would benefit all. He said he hoped Iran would respond favorably to the latest proposal for resolving the Iranian nuclear issue. Even if Iran does not completely accept it, it would mean that more negotiations would be required, Wang observed. That, at least, would keep the situation under control so it did not deteriorate further. Ambassador Schieffer agreed. SCHIEFFER