S/P KRASNER BRIEFS JAPANESE OFFICIALS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 004630 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR S/P, EAP/J, EAP/EP, EB/IFD E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2016 TAGS: EAID ECON PREL JA SUBJECT: S/P KRASNER BRIEFS JAPANESE OFFICIALS ON PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION JOSEPH DONOVAN FOR REASONS 1.4(B ),(D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Policy Planning Director Dr. Stephen Krasner in Tokyo on August 9, briefed a number of Japanese MOFA officials on the proposed Partnership for Democratic Governance (PDG). MOFA DDG for International Cooperation Hiroshi Fukada responded that the PDG would fit well with Japan's assistance goal of promoting good governance, and agreed that the PDG could play a useful role by coordinating assistance programs, promoting information-sharing, and establishing standards. However, he said the GOJ has a number of questions about funding and how the PDG would function in practice as an institution. The Japanese also wondered about favoritism, whether by donors or participants, and what might serve to motivate donors to contribute to and participate in the PDG. Fukada stated that Japan would resist being told how or where to use its aid money, something that Dr. Krasner stressed the PDG does not envision. Fukada promised to get back soon with a written response and list of questions. ¶2. (C) In separate meetings, Dr. Krasner also briefed the PDG to North American Affairs Director General Chikao Kawai and Deputy Vice Minister for Foreign Policy Masaharu Kohno. Kawai agreed that coordination would be beneficial but deferred to his ODA colleagues for substantive comment. Kono promised to carefully consider the PDG proposal but opined there may be potential problems with the capacity of host country leaders to understand the usefulness of the programs, and that funding might also be a problem. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- Background on the Partnership for Democratic Governance -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) In August 9 meetings with DVFM Masaharu Kohno, North Affairs Bureau DG Chikao Kawai, and Economic Cooperation Bureau DDG Hiroshi Fukada, S/P Director Stephen Krasner explained that the United States is looking for ways to support democratic institutions. Through the proposed Partnership for Democratic Governance (PDG),the United States and other like-minded democracies would work with major international and regional organizations to bolster democratic institution-building by encouraging political leaders in weak democracies to enter into contractual arrangements for the provision of services with external actors. ¶4. (C) One core function of the partnership would be to provide information, Dr. Krasner explained. A small secretariat of around 20 might identify entities that could SIPDIS most efficiently provide the services desired by the contracting state, monitor and assess the performance of the contractors, and arrange for transparent audits to ensure accountability. Requests for help in solving problems should come from national leaders who identify a need in their country and seek a specific program geared to the specific country conditions. The PDG would be especially useful for post-conflict countries with an established, recognized government. He hoped this targeted approach would allow national leaders to bring in outside contractors to help solve these problems, without raising concerns or perceptions that that a nation's sovereignty is being challenged. -------------- -------------- MOFA Bureau of International Cooperation Response -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Of the three meetings, the PDG proposal fell most within the portfolio of Bureau of International Cooperation DDG Fukada, who provided the most substantive response. According to Fukada, the goals of the PDG appear to fit with Japan's charter for overseas development assistance (ODA), which aims to strengthen and improve governance. The PDG concept could be useful to Japan if it would improve coordination and information exchange among donors, Fukada affirmed. The Partnership might be able to establish standards that would be helpful to Japan in its bilateral ODA programs as well. However, the GOJ would not accept an outside institution telling it what to do with its assistance programs. -------------- GOJ Questions -------------- ¶6. (C) Fukada said he had a number of questions. He asked first about how the PDG would select participant countries. He wanted to know who would set standards for participation, noting, for example that Japan has a small number of programs with Burma and Iran, countries the USG does not currently deal with. Dr. Krasner responded that the goal of the PDG is to help make things happen -- to help coordinate and promote institution-building -- but it could not and would not stop any current or future bilateral or multilateral assistance program. He assured Fukada that the PDG would have no authority over national assistance programs and the GOJ would be free to continue any program it wishes. ¶7. (C) Fukada then turned to institutional concerns. How would the PDG work as an institution? What kind of mechanism would be used to match requests and contractors? Would a fund be established? Who would pay for what and how? If the PDG is housed within a UN agency such as UNDP, would the UN become involved in its implementation? Dr. Krasner replied that the United States envisioned the PDG as relatively small in scope, with a budget of less than USD 100 million and a small staff monitoring a small number of programs to serve as models for other countries. The secretariat would not become another aid agency, but rather SIPDIS would help to arrange contracts between buyers and sellers, matching developing country requests with professionals and experts with good track records of providing the desired services. The PDG would also help bring in auditors to assess the results and ensure accountability. ¶8. (C) Fukada next pointed out that donors usually provide assistance because they want to increase their influence in an area. Moreover, every donor has its own political motives and regions of particular interest and wants visibility for the aid it provides. He wondered what the incentive would be for donors to work through the PDG. Dr. Krasner acknowledged that political motives would always be present, but noted that the PDG is meant to complement other programs, not supplant them. ¶9. (C) Naoki Ito, Directory of MOFA's Aid Policy Planning Division, pointed out that the GOJ's Program for Democratic Development emphasizes capacity building and has goals that would be very close to the PDG's. However, he worried that the PDG might have trouble managing these kinds of programs without favoritism. Fukada stressed that the GOJ as a rule uses government officials to provide training, not NGOs. Dr. Krasner explained that in most cases the contractors would be third parties and that the PDG could provide contacts with several organizations, governments, or companies capable of performing the services. The role of the PDG would be more to provide options and information than to dictate outcomes. Fukada concluded the meeting by promising to study the proposal more closely and to respond with written questions. -------------- ADDITIONAL JAPANESE THOUGHTS -------------- ¶10. (C) Dr. Krasner, in separate meetings accompanied by DCM Donovan, also briefed the PDG proposal to Deputy Vice Minister for Foreign Policy Masaharu Kohno and North American Affairs Director General Chikao Kawai. Kohno committed to study the proposal and discuss it with others, but said he had questions about the capacity and/or willingness of host governments to fully take advantage of the PDG proposal, as well as the ability to find funding. Kawai spent most of his meeting discussing bilateral and regional relations (septel) and deferred to his ODA colleagues for comment. ¶11. (U) Participants in the Fukada meeting included: U.S. -------------- Dr. Stephen D. Krasner, Director, Policy Planning Staff Hans Klemm, Economic Minister Counselor, Embassy Tokyo Dr. Philip I. Levy, S/P Member Evan Reade, Political Officer, Embassy Tokyo Marilyn Ereshefsky, Economic Officer, Embassy Tokyo (notetaker) Japan -------------- Hiroshi Fukada, Deputy Director General, International Cooperation Bureau, MOFA Naoki Ito, Director for Aid Policy Planning Division, International Cooperation Bureau, MOFA Shuichi Nishino, Aid Policy Planning Division, International Cooperation Bureau, MOFA Naoko Ueda Aid Policy Planning Division, International Cooperation Bureau, MOFA ¶12. (U) S/P Director Krasner cleared this message. SCHIEFFER