JAPAN SEEKS UN OCHA POST

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 007133 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/25/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL UN JA SUBJECT: JAPAN SEEKS UN OCHA POST Classified By: Charge d'Affairs Joe Donovan for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) MOFA Deputy Vice Minister Kojiro Shiojiri contacted Charge December 26 to request U.S. support for MOFA Director-General for Global Issues Ambassador Koji Tsuruoka's bid to become UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (OCHA). Japan believed that UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon would be shuffling UN Deputy-Secretary-General and Under-Secretary-General positions in the immediate future and hoped the United States would convey to Ban Ki Moon our support for Tsuruoka before the end of January, Shiojiri said. ¶2. (C) In a follow up meeting with Charge, Ambassador in Charge of UN Affairs Masato Kitera asked the U.S. to support his "good friend" Tsuruoka in obtaining the Under-Secretary-General position. Kitera described Tsuruoka's 36-year career at MOFA, much of it spent on UN SIPDIS affairs, which he said made him a particularly good candidate for the OCHA job. Kitera reiterated the government of Japan's request that the United States use its influence with Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to lobby on behalf of Tsuruoka. SIPDIS Kitera noted a potential U.S. bid for the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, saying that Japan would be "closely watching" U.S. action on the OCHA position. ¶3. (SBU) Charge thanked Ambassador Kitera for the information and said he would convey the government of Japan's request to Washington. ¶4. (U) Embassy Tokyo has sent Ambassador Tsuruoka's CV to EAP/J by fax December 26. DONOVAN