JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT KAZAKHSTAN AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 004661

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA FEIGENBAUM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/15/2016
TAGS: PREL KZ UZ JA
SUBJECT: JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT KAZAKHSTAN AND
UZBEKISTAN


Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR CAROL T. REYNOLDS FO
R REASONS 1.4(B),(D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: MOFA confirmed August 16 that Prime Minister
Koizumi will visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan August 28-30,

2006. The trip is intended to build upon the "Central Asia
Plus Japan" Foreign Ministers meeting held June 2006 in
Tokyo. No new assistance packages are contemplated. MOFA
advised that Japan shares the concerns of the international
community regarding democratization and human rights in
Uzbekistan and that the Prime Minister will discuss these
concerns frankly with President Karimov. MOFA will publicly
announce the visit on August 17 but wanted to provide advance
notice to the U.S. and E.U. END SUMMARY.

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VISIT TO TAKE PLACE AUGUST 28-30
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2. (C) MOFA Central Asia and Caucasus Division Director
Hideki Uyama requested an appointment with PolOff August 16
to provide advance notice that Prime Minister Koizumi will
visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on August 28-30. The
possibility of such a visit has been mentioned in the press
for the past few weeks, but MOFA had refused until now to
confirm it. Uyama said that an official announcement would
be released on August 17 but that MOFA wanted to give the
United States and the E.U. advance notice.


3. (C) While the final details have yet to be settled upon,
Uyama advised, the outline of the trip is as follows. The PM
will arrive in Kazakhstan on August 28, will meet with
President Nazarbayev and remain overnight. On August 29 he
will fly to Uzbekistan for a meeting with President Karimov
and again will spend the night. He will depart Tashkent the
evening of August 30 and return to Tokyo in the early morning
hours of August 31. In addition to the Prime Minister, the
highest level official to accompany will be Deputy Chief
Cabinet Secretary Seiji Suzuki. No other ministers will
participate.

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CENTRAL ASIA IMPORTANT TO JAPAN
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4. (C) The purpose of the trip, which will be the first
ever by a Japanese Prime Minister to Central Asia, is to
follow up on last June's second Foreign Ministers meeting of
the "Central Asia Plus Japan" group, Uyama explained. During
that meeting an action plan was produced; this visit will
reinforce Japan's commitment to Central Asia. Tokyo
considers Central Asia to be a critical region for
geopolitical/strategic reasons and also because of its vast
energy resources. Japan has consequently sought to enhance
both bilateral and multilateral relations with the countries
of the region. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were selected for
the visit because Tokyo views them as the two major players
in the Central Asia region.

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KOIZUMI TO PRESS KARIMOV
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5. (C) With regard to Uzbekistan, Uyama noted that Japan is
aware of and shares the concerns of the international
community concerning the country's slow pace of
democratization and poor human rights record, particularly
the Andijan incident of May 2005. Japan uses every
opportunity, including meetings at the Foreign Minister
level, to share these concerns with the Uzbeks and to urge
them to alter their conduct. Accordingly, during his visit
Koizumi intends to convey directly to President Karimov the
concerns of the international community and will urge him to
do more to foster democratization and to strengthen human

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rights protections. Uyama stated that even though Uzbekistan
has a problematic record, Japan still believes it is
important to maintain a constructive dialogue and is fearful
that if Tashkent's relations with the U.S., E.U., and Japan
were to sour, Russia and China would be the beneficiaries.
Uyama promised to provide a full readout of the PM's meetings
once the visit has been concluded.

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NO NEW ASSISTANCE TO BE ANNOUNCED
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6. (C) Uyama said Japan has no plans to announce new
assistance programs during the visit. Kazakhstan is too
wealthy to qualify for either yen loans or direct grants, so
the only possible assistance Tokyo could render would be to
send technical experts or to host Kazakhs for training
through Japan's JICA program. No such exchanges will be
announced during the visit. Concerning Uzbekistan, Japan is
already providing yen loans to support two projects --
improvements to an electrical power plant in Tashkent, and
the construction of a railway in the southern part of the
country. These projects are ongoing and will continue.
Although Japan is considering offering loans to assist
several small health care projects, a final decision has not
been made. No new assistance will be announced during the
visit. Uymama said.

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COMMENT
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7. (C) Koizumi's visit to Central Asia less than a month
before he leaves office is intended to highlight Japan's
interest in playing a key role in the region.
SCHIEFFER