HRC: JAPAN RELUCTANT TO PUSH COUNTRY-SPECIFIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 005570

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2016
TAGS: PHUM UNDC JA
SUBJECT: HRC: JAPAN RELUCTANT TO PUSH COUNTRY-SPECIFIC
RESOLUTIONS

REF: STATE 157283

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor W. Michael Meserve. Reason
s: 1.4 (b)(d).


1. (U) This message contains an Action Request, para 5.


2. (C) Political Section Deputy presented reftel demarche
September 26 to MOFA Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs
Principal Deputy Director Yoriko Suzuki. Ms. Suzuki
responded that like the United States, Japan also wants an
effective Human Rights Council (HRC). The first two weeks of
the first session in June had been "quite successful," she
stated, having been conducted in a cooperative atmosphere.
The final days, and first week following the session,
however, had turned to confrontation due to the submission of
a resolution by the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
Japan had not been consulted about the resolution and, after
consulting with European countries and the United States, she
related, had voted against the resolution because it was one
sided and did not contribute to resolving the conflict (in
Lebanon).


3. (C) Japan believes the HRC must resurrect the cooperative
atmosphere of the first session's early days, Suzuki
continued, but because the HRC is dominated by developing
countries, this must be done cautiously. She noted that the
Council has one year, starting from June 2006, to establish a
structure and to determine what tools and mechanisms it will
use to address issues. Japan has proposed to the United
States and others that we first focus on how it should reform
the HRC. At this point, we should not push for
country-specific resolutions; rather, we should work to keep
the mandate for country-specific resolutions and
country-specific rapporteurs, she said. Japan plans to
submit country-specific resolutions in the third or fourth
sessions, depending on how this second session proceeds,
Suzuki explained.


4. (C) The current president of the HRC has solicited issues
to included in a proposed omnibus text. Japan supports this
approach and hopes to work with the United States to address
North Korean and/or Burma after this session. Japan's
strategy is two pronged; it plans to use both the UNGA Third
Committee this fall and the HRC next winter or spring to
submit DPRK resolutions. Japan is already consulted with EU
member countries to submit a North Korea resolution in the
Third Committee, as it did last year. Suzuki said Japan
hopes the United States will again join in sponsoring the
resolution.


5. (C) ACTION REQUEST: Noting that the United States is not
a member of the HRC, Suzuki asked whether the United States
has consulted with other countries about submitting DPRK or
Burma resolutions during the second session. Embassy Tokyo
request that Department provide any information that we can
share with MOFA.
SCHIEFFER