ANRE'S ARIMA LOOKING FOR SUPPORT FOR IEA

UNCLAS TOKYO 005569 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT. PLEASE PASS TO EB/JOHN WECKER. E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ENRG JA SUBJECT: ANRE'S ARIMA LOOKING FOR SUPPORT FOR IEA CANDIDATE, BEIJING ENERGY MINISTERIAL ¶1. (SBU) Summary. On September 13, newly appointed director of the International Affairs Division at the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) Jun Arima reiterated the GOJ's request that USG support the appointment of Nobuo Tanaka as the new head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris. Arima was anxious to see the Beijing Energy Ministerial, scheduled for October, be followed by substantive working-level meetings. He is also concerned about Russia's increasing power from energy sales. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) On September 13 Econoff paid a courtesy call on Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) International Affairs Division Director Jun Arima during which Arima reiterated the GOJ's request that the USG support Japan's candidate for head of the IEA, Nobuo Tanaka. Arima noted that the IEA has been heavily focused on Europe but that the major consumers - Japan, China, Korea, India - were all in Asia and he thought that Tanaka would encourage the IEA to shift its thinking in that direction. Arima argued that Tanaka's credentials were ideal for the job because he is action-oriented (i.e. not "think tank"-oriented),understands technology policy well, and recognizes that nuclear energy will become an increasingly important part of the energy equation. The final selection for IEA head will not be made until March, but there is a governing board meeting in October which Arima plans to attend. The United Kingdom, Spain and possibly Italy will also be submitting names of candidates for consideration. ¶3. (SBU) Arima highlighted the importance of the October Beijing Energy Ministerial because it will be the first gathering of the world's five major energy consumers and this should send a strong message to the rest of the world. He emphasized the importance of energy diversification and efficiency. Arima also regretted that it was as yet unclear who from Japan would attend the Ministerial because the new Cabinet will not be selected until September 26. Arima stressed that the Beijing Energy Ministerial must be followed by working level meetings as well so that it will not simply be a political gesture on the part of China but rather an active step toward getting the five countries to work together on energy issues. He also said that the US and Japan should communicate ahead of the meeting so that the two countries had a unified stance. ¶4. (SBU) Arima briefly mentioned his concern that Russia was becoming the new Middle East by controlling the supply of oil and natural gas. He thought that Russia had gone beyond confident to become almost arrogant in the wake of the petro-dollars flooding its economy. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: Arima has just returned from Paris where he worked for the OECD and the IEA. He told us he knows several US officials well from that experience. Arima spoke fluent English and says he also speaks French. He was friendly and engaging and appeared eager to continue a good working relationship with the United States. End comment. SCHIEFFER