Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TOKYO4369
2006-08-03 12:48:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:  

JAPANESE CONCERNS ON IPAPI AND REGIONAL STOCKPILES

Tags:  TBIO KFLU KSTH ECON PREL SOCI JA 
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VZCZCXRO9433
PP RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB
DE RUEHKO #4369/01 2151248
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031248Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4991
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3593
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 7504
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 7340
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 0081
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 0812
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 8619
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 8304
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 004369 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AIAG AMBASSADOR LANGE
DEPT FOR G
DEPT FOR OES/IHA SINGER AND FENDRICK
DEPT FOR EAP/J
HHS PASS TO CDC AND NIH
HHS FOR A/S AGWUNOBI
HHS FOR OGHA STEIGER, BHAT AND ELVANDER
DEPT PASS TO AID/GH/HIDN DENNIS CARROLL

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO KFLU KSTH ECON PREL SOCI JA
SUBJECT: JAPANESE CONCERNS ON IPAPI AND REGIONAL STOCKPILES
OF ANTIVIRAL DRUGS

REF: A. TOKYO 4368


B. 05 TOKYO 4012

C. TOKYO 1613

TOKYO 00004369 001.2 OF 003


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 004369

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AIAG AMBASSADOR LANGE
DEPT FOR G
DEPT FOR OES/IHA SINGER AND FENDRICK
DEPT FOR EAP/J
HHS PASS TO CDC AND NIH
HHS FOR A/S AGWUNOBI
HHS FOR OGHA STEIGER, BHAT AND ELVANDER
DEPT PASS TO AID/GH/HIDN DENNIS CARROLL

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO KFLU KSTH ECON PREL SOCI JA
SUBJECT: JAPANESE CONCERNS ON IPAPI AND REGIONAL STOCKPILES
OF ANTIVIRAL DRUGS

REF: A. TOKYO 4368


B. 05 TOKYO 4012

C. TOKYO 1613

TOKYO 00004369 001.2 OF 003



1. (U) This cable contains sensitive but unclassified
information and is intended for internal USG use only.


2. (SBU) Summary. Japanese officials are concerned about
management issues surrounding the International Partnership
on Avian and Pandemic Influenza (IPAPI) and see the need
for setting a clear strategy on the Partnership's future
development. IPAPI needs leadership and its meetings
should cover substantive issues. Tokyo is asking for the
United States' strong leadership in this respect. The
Japanese would also like to see communication between the
United States, Japan and other core members improved. The
Partnership needs to urgently address how to implement
committed monies, as only a small part of the Beijing funds
have been used to date.


3. (SBU) Most of the guidelines for the deployment of
Japan's ASEAN stockpile of antiviral drugs have been
established. Japan is not planning to allocate a specific
amount of Tamiflu to individual countries prior to a
pandemic. Japanese officials are not clear why it is
necessary to remain silent on the physical location of the
U.S. strategic stockpile in Asia, but they agreed to keep
the details close hold. The more "sensitive" issue for
Tokyo is to make clear which countries will be eligible to
receive drugs from the stockpile. End summary.


4. (U) On July 25, Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) Assistant Secretary for Health John Agwunobi met with
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Global Issues Department
Director-General Takahiro Shinyo and others to discuss
bilateral coordination on avian influenza preparedness
efforts and other regional health issues. HHS

International Affairs Officer Erika Elvander and ESToff
also attended the meetings.


5. (U) Dr. Agwunobi began the meeting by thanking Japan for
its leadership in polio eradication efforts. He urged
strong continued cooperation in the future. Agwunobi also
thanked Tokyo for its work on HIV/AIDS and said that the
United States stands firmly behind Japan's position on the
Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria. A/S Aqwunobi reiterated U.S. appreciation of
Japanese support for Afghanistan and Iraq health and
humanitarian efforts. He noted his intention to visit the
International Medical Center of Japan and the National
Institute of Infectious Diseases, two of Japan's premier
institutions. Finally, he noted MHLW Minister Kawasaki's
letter to Secretary Leavitt that he would personally
deliver. Director-General Shinyo responded that Japan-U.S.
cooperation on global health issues has been very fruitful
to date. He explained that Japan previously announced it
would donate USD 500 million for AIDS related projects and
an additional USD five billion to fight other infectious
diseases over a five-year period (see ref B). The GOJ
wants these efforts to be complemented and is now asking
Japanese private companies to become more involved in the
fight against AIDS.


6. (SBU) Turning to the topic of avian influenza and the
International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza
(IPAPI),Shinyo noted that Japan was an original member of
the core group when IPAPI was announced at the UN in
September 2005. He expressed concern about the nature of
the leadership of the Partnership and that the Partnership
is evolving into a much larger worldwide organization than
perhaps was originally intended. He explained that there
are differences of opinion on how to manage IPAPI. Shinyo

TOKYO 00004369 002.2 OF 003


said that convening IPAPI related meetings every six months
was useful, but that it was important to set a clear
strategy on how to move the Partnership forward. IPAPI
needs leadership and the discussions at the conferences
need to be more substantive. He asked for the United
States to take strong leadership in this respect. In
addition, Shinyo said that communication between the United
States, Japan and other original members must be improved
and maintained. Tokyo is concerned that the U.S. and EU
are making bilateral deals and then presenting the results
to the remaining partners as a "take it or leave it"
option. Shinyo mentioned that he has discussed this
briefly with Under Secretary for Global Affairs Paula
Dobriansky.


7. (SBU) The Partnership needs to urgently address how to
implement committed monies, as only a small part of the
Beijing funds have been used to date. Shinyo argued that
it was important to speed this process up. Coordination
between the Partners and the World Bank is necessary. In
addition, closer information sharing between the members of
IPAPI is needed -- Shinyo argued that the Partnership
should not just be a fund raising effort. The Southeast
Asia experience with containment should be shared with
other regions. Because IPAPI meetings are growing to
include a very large number of participants, there is a
limited exchange of detailed information during the
conferences. To help solve this problem, Shinyo suggested
that it would be useful to hold regular experts' meetings
or breakout sessions to cover issues in depth.


8. (SBU) The discussion then turned to the ASEAN stockpile.
DG Shinyo said that most of the guidelines for deployment
and usage have been established. He asked how the U.S.
plans to use its strategic stockpile in relation to others
around the globe. For Japan, Tokyo's stockpile donation
will be considered as the "local" stockpile and will be
used first. Next, the WHO stockpile will be used and
finally Japan would turn to the U.S. one. Dr. Agwunobi
explained the U.S. concept and underscored that it would be
important to have a strategy that would work in any
situation. Shinyo said that some of the ASEAN members are
seeking a pre-allocation of Tamiflu, but Japan does not
feel this would be useful. A portion of the personal
protective equipment (PPE),however, may be allocated in
advance to individual countries. Agwunobi responded that
it is important to coordinate Japan's PPE stockpile with
what USAID is planning and mobilizing. In addition, the
A/S stressed that it was necessary to start conducting
exercises on the movement of the stockpiles to help
identify weaknesses in the system prior to an actual
pandemic.


9. (SBU) Concerning the public release of information on
the U.S. stockpile's physical location, Agwunobi
underscored that it is Washington's preference to keep that
information close hold. Shinyo responded that Japan has
approached it from the perspective of the U.S.-Japan
security relationship, and that he did not really see why
it was necessary to "hide" the stockpile. He did not feel
that divulging the actual location was a sensitive issue.
(Note: Global Issues Department Deputy Director Kyoko
Hokugo later admitted that Japan was not eager to disclose
the actual location due to the bilateral security pact.
Shinyo also agreed to keep the location quiet.) The DG
argued that a more sensitive issue for Tokyo was to make
clear which countries will be eligible to receive drugs
from the U.S. stockpile -- will they be solely for the use
of ASEAN members or will they be available to China and
other countries that may request it. Tokyo has specified
in its agreement that Japan's stockpile is for ASEAN
members. Japan, however, would also consider making the

TOKYO 00004369 003.2 OF 003


antiviral drugs available to neighboring countries, if an
avian influenza outbreak there would present the threat of
impacting ASEAN member states.


10. (SBU) Shinyo next raised communication as an important
part of pandemic preparations. Japan is one of only a few
countries that have donated funds to UNICEF's risk
communications program (see ref C). The DG argued that it
was important to have others assist UNICEF and the WHO in
those efforts in order to reach as much of the public as
possible. Agwunobi agreed that it was necessary to quickly
start using a central body to disseminate information in
local languages at the community level. Agwunobi noted the
human cases in Indonesia as an example of the importance of
strong cross agency, multilateral and bilateral strategies
for communication. He offered to link the appropriate MOFA
officials with Bill Hall, in the office of the Assistant
Secretary for Public Affairs at HHS.

SIPDIS


11. (SBU) Shinyo concluded the meeting by stressing the
importance of human security as it relates to infectious
diseases and natural disasters. The fight against
infectious diseases is central to Japan's strategy of human
security. He expressed appreciation for the USG's
understanding of the concept. Shinyo said that while some
have criticized Japan's concept as being "too broad", there
are many concrete examples such as the work being done on
AI pandemic preparedness to validate the approach.
Agwunobi concluded that Japan was developing a "brand"
around the world that embodied "benevolence" and used the
examples of Japan's assistance during the tsunami and to
Iraq and Afghanistan. He thanked the DG for Japan's close
cooperation with the United States on a broad range of
global health issues.


12. (SBU) Comment. The meeting between Shinyo and Agwunobi
was followed by dinner. It was clear from the conversation
that the GOJ considers WPRO Director General Shigeru Omi's
nomination for Director-General of the WHO as a key
political goal and is hoping that the U.S.-Japan bilateral
relationship will be used in support of achieving this
goal. End comment.


13. (U) Note: Taiwan was also discussed during the meeting.
A report will follow septel.


14. (U) HHS's Office of Global Health Affairs cleared this
cable.

SCHIEFFER