A/S HILL'S MEETING WITH MOFA NORTH AMERICA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 TOKYO 005138 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS MARR XB ZK AF CH IR IZ KN KS, JA SUBJECT: A/S HILL'S MEETING WITH MOFA NORTH AMERICA DIRECTOR GENERAL KAWAI Classified By: AMBASSADOR J. THOMAS SCHIEFFER FOR REASONS 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In a wide-ranging meeting on September 5, North American Affairs Bureau Director General Chikao Kawai told visiting Assistant Secretary Christopher Hill: -- the timing of the Japanese Prime Ministerial election process makes it impossible to say for certain who will be available to represent Japan for meetings on the margins of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA); -- the United States should not be concerned that recently formed Asian groupings make the APEC framework any less relevant and that Japan views U.S. participation as vital to all international issues in Asia; -- both Japan and China wish to improve their bilateral relationship, that the new Prime Minister and his cabinet will be considering how to do so, and that close cooperation with Washington will be vital in this process; -- concerning the process of alliance transformation, Japan needs detailed plans from the United States about each of the facilities we are seeking for the future, and said that national authorities are beginning to discuss the process with local officials, particularly in Okinawa; -- the U.S. and Japan worked well together following the North Korean missile launch in July and Japan is pleased with the recent deployment of the USS Shiloh and is looking forward to the deployment of its own BMD systems; -- affirmed continued Japanese support for Iraq; -- asked for additional data on the contributions of the Maritime Self Defense Forces ships in support of Operation Enduring Freedom; -- Japan would stand firmly with the international community against the development of Iran's nuclear weapons program; -- briefly mentioned Prime Minister Koizumi's recent trip to Central Asia and asked about U.S. plans to transfer opcon of South Korean military forces to the government in Seoul. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) DG Kawai received A/S Hill at MOFA on September 5. Accompanying A/S Hill were Deputy Chief of Mission, Political Minister Counselor Meserve, Special Assistant Gibbons, and Embassy Tokyo notetaker, control officer, and Public Affairs representative. -------------- REGIONAL ARCHITECTURE - CHINA -------------- ¶3. (C) A/S Hill reviewed for Kawai the meeting he had the previous evening with Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director General Sasae (septel),emphasizing the importance of communicating more closely regarding regional architecture. With regard to ASEAN plus Six, he explained that many in Washington were taken by surprise by this proposal, seeing it as something that potentially competes with the APEC framework. Kawai assured him that it is Japan's view that the participation of the United States is vital to all aspects of international relations in Asia. He said he is confident this is a view shared by the three LDP candidates vying to become the next Prime Minister. ¶4. (C) A/S Hill noted that the Secretary is interested in holding a "Five plus Five" meeting on September 21 on the margins of UNGA. Kawai said that Japan would be interested in participating but that timing conflicts with domestic political developments made it difficult to say who would TOKYO 00005138 002 OF 004 represent Japan at such a meeting. The timing complications arise as a result of the LDP's presidential election which is scheduled for September 20. Foreign Minister Aso is a candidate, which makes his presence in New York on the 21st impossible. Kawai explained it is impossible at the moment to say who will take Aso's place, or if he will retain his MOFA position in the new government. This fluid situation makes it impossible to speak of scheduling anything after September ¶20. As it is, Japan's UNGA presentation is scheduled for September 21 and at this point, it looks like Deputy Foreign Minister Nishida or Japan's Permanent Representative Oshima will deliver it. ¶5. (C) A/S Hill asked for Kawai's thoughts on adding India to the United States/Japan/Australian trilateral process. Kawai replied that Japan would be interested in doing so and that he believes Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe, who will likely be the next prime minister, supports this idea. However, as the trilateral process has only recently been initiated, it might be advisable to allow it to solidify before bringing in another party. A/S Hill suggested that if India enters the APEC process in November, then maybe it would be possible to have a quartet meeting on the margins of the 2007 Sydney APEC meeting. This might be preferable to meeting in Washington or Tokyo later this month, as those venues might give rise to suspicions in Beijing that the group has an anti-China agenda. That said, he agreed the first priority must be to get the new trilateral process up and running. ¶6. (C) Regarding the competition between ASEAN plus Three and ASEAN plus Six, Kawai said he believes it is better to add Australia, New Zealand, and India. On the subject of whether to move forward with an ASEAN plus Six Free Trade Agreement, Kawai said there is no consensus in the Japanese government. He said the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry had raised this idea but that MOFA does not necessarily agree, not being convinced that a Free Trade Agreement is needed in Southeast Asia, and concerned that China's market is completely different from the others in the region. ¶7. (C) On Japan's bilateral relations with China, Kawai advised that the new Prime Minister and his cabinet will be discussing how to proceed, and that close cooperation with the United States will be crucial. Kawai emphasized that Japan believes it important that we not be seen as ganging up on China. Kawai believes that Abe, the most likely new PM, would like to improve Japan's relations with China and that Beijing, too, is anxious for improved relations. He admitted the Yasukuni Shrine issue is a difficult issue for both countries. He said that Koizumi has no plans to meet individually with any Chinese or ROK leaders during next week's Asia-Europe summit meeting in Finland. -------------- ALLIANCE TRANSFORMATION -------------- ¶8. (C) With regard to U.S./Japanese bilateral relations, Kawai and A/S Hill concurred that the first meeting between President Bush and the new Prime Minister would probably take place at the APEC meeting in Hanoi in November. Kawai indicated that Japan would welcome a visit to Tokyo by President Bush enroute to the summit. Kawai said that at present the most sensitive aspect of U.S./Japan bilateral relations is the realignment of United States bases in Japan, particularly as this concerns Okinawa. He pointed out that a new Governor of Okinawa will be elected soon and that national officials have begun to meet with local officials to plan the way ahead. As this process has only recently begun, there are as of yet no significant developments to report. In addition, working level contacts between elements of the U.S. side and the national government have begun to address putting together a master plan, although he prefers that this TOKYO 00005138 003 OF 004 be kept quiet for the moment as it is likely the Okinawa government would react negatively if these contacts came to light. What Tokyo needs from the U.S. side are detailed masterplans for each of the facilities affected by the base realignment plan. He praised the Embassy and USFJ for the good level of communications with MOFA on this issue. -------------- NORTH KOREA -------------- ¶9. (C) Kawai observed that close United States/Japan relations are vital to the security of the region, particularly with regard to North Korea. He said that Japan was extremely satisfied with the manner in which our two governments had interacted, both diplomatically and operationally, with regard to the July 5 North Korean missile launches. A/S Hill agreed, and said that a key element now will be to see if a China/North Korea split develops. He informed Kawai that on his visit to China later in this trip that he will have meetings with Cui Tiankai, Wu Dawei, and He Yafei who are all reasonable, good interlocutors, to discuss this topic. He will advise them that the United States is planning on moving forward with financial measures against North Korea pursuant to the terms of UNSCR 1695. He predicted the Chinese will view this as an unhelpful development, but his goal is to convince them that 1695 must be more than symbolic and needs to actually mean something. At the same time, he will reassure them that the United States remains committed to the negotiation track as well. -------------- BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE -------------- ¶10. (C) On the subject of BMD, Kawai said it is important that both contingency and operational planning be undertaken. Japan welcomes the deployment of the USS Shiloh and the deployment of the PAC-3 system in Okinawa, which did not engender as much opposition as expected. Due to recent North Korean activities, the Japanese people by and large understand the need for such systems. Japan is anxious to deploy its own system and wants to expedite this process, if possible. -------------- SOUTH KOREA -------------- ¶11. (C) Kawai asked about the status of plans to transfer opcon in South Korea, opining that such a move will have a significant impact on regional security. A/S Hill replied that to a certain extent this has become a domestic political issue in South Korea, with some conservatives questioning whether the ROK is ready for such a transfer on the timeline that has been proposed, and others playing up nationalism and sovereignty issues for political gain. He explained that we have no desire to see the presence of American forces in Korea become a domestic political issue, and at this point it is best to remain cautious about speculating when such a transfer will take place. When asked, Kawai said that Prime Minister Koizumi is not planning to meet bilaterally with President Roh on the sidelines of next week's Asia-Europe summit meeting in Helsinki. -------------- IRAQ -------------- ¶12. (C) Kawai thanked A/S Hill for cooperation afforded by the American Embassies in Tokyo and Baghdad during Foreign Minister Aso's recent trip to Iraq. Japan considered the trip a success and said its purpose was to underline Japan's continued commitment to support Iraq's reconstruction TOKYO 00005138 004 OF 004 efforts, even following the withdrawal of the Ground Self Defense Forces from Samawa. This continued commitment is exhibited by the expansion of the Air Self Defense Forces mission as well as continued Official Developmental Assistance program funding. -------------- AFGHANISTAN -------------- ¶13. (C) With regard to Japan's participation in Operation Enduring Freedom, Kawai pointed out that the law authorizing the presence of Maritime Self Defense Force ships in the Indian Ocean as members of the Coalition will expire in November and must be voted upon in the Diet if it is to be reauthorized. Despite early criticisms that the Japanese involvement was merely the equivalent of providing free, floating gas stations, the importance of Japan's participation is now more widely understood and appreciated. Nevertheless, it would be useful to have data pointing to tangible accomplishments. He asked whether it would be possible for the Department and DOD to provide examples of how Japan's presence has directly aided in the war on terror. A/S Hill agreed that such information would be useful. ¶14. (C) Kawai raised the subject of Japan's completion of its segment of the Ring Road project, noting that the security situation had led to difficulties and delays, but that ODA authorities were subcontracting the job to an Indian company with a good track record in the region. The DCM underlined how important it is for Japan to fulfill its obligations to get their segment of the road completed as soon as possible. -------------- IRAN -------------- ¶15. (C) On Iran, Kawai informed A/S Hill that both the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have made it clear several times that Japan will emphasize the importance of addressing the nuclear issue, despite potential harm to Tokyo's economic interests. This is a firm commitment. However, if sanctions are necessary, it is Japan's hope that an impact on world energy markets can be avoided. He reported on the visit to Tokyo last week of Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, noting that in meetings with both the Foreign Minister and with the Prime Minister's office, the message had been clearly delivered that it is in Iran's best interests for Tehran to respect the will of the international community and successfully negotiate an end to this disagreement. -------------- CENTRAL ASIA -------------- ¶16. (C) Kawai noted that Prime Minister Koizumi has raised the issue of human rights and the pace of democratization with the President of Uzbekistan during his recent visit to that country and Kazakhstan. He said that both China and Russia are attempting to increase their influence in Central Asia and it is important that Japan maintain positive relations with all the countries in that region. ¶17. (U) This cable was cleared by A/S Hill. SCHIEFFER