INDIAN EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER MUKHERJEE PAYS

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 001383 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2017 TAGS: PREL ECON ENRG EAID IN JA SUBJECT: INDIAN EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER MUKHERJEE PAYS QUIET VISIT TO TOKYO REF: 06 TOKYO 7067 Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer for reasons 1.4(b) and (d ) ¶1. (C) Summary: During a low-key March 22-23 visit, Indian External Affairs Minister Mukjerjee and his Japanese counterparts repeated familiar expressions regarding shared values and reiterated their commitment to strengthen bilateral relations. Among others other things, the two sides agreed that the East Asia Summit framework should be viewed as a pillar of East Asian community building and that they would continue to pursue UNSC reform through the G-4 framework. Ordinarily forthcoming contacts at MOFA and the Indian embassy were unusually reserved and we suspect more was discussed that was not shared. End summary. ¶2. (C) Indian External Affairs Minister Mukherjee's March 22-23 visit to Tokyo had a low-key feel about it. The meeting was a follow up to the December 2006 visit to Tokyo of Prime Minister Singh (reftel). Press coverage was minimal and ordinarily helpful contacts at MOFA and the Indian Embassy had little to say other than to refer to the official joint press statement. There is no mention in the press release of discussions regarding Japan's quad proposal, or Japanese support for the U.S.-India nuclear deal, but our MOFA contact did confirm they came up and that no new ground was broken. The visit was hosted by Foreign Minister Taro Aso. Mukherjee also met with Prime Minister Abe, Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Amari, Minister for Land, Infrastructure and Transport Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, Minister of Defense Fumio Kyuma, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozake. Following the visit a joint press statement was released which addressed bilateral, regional and international issues. -------------- REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES -------------- ¶3. (U) India and Japan agreed: -- both must play an active role in the promotion of peace and stability in Asia and in the world; -- there are common objectives and values in Japan's "Arc of Freedom and Prosperity" initiative and India's "Arc of Advantage and Prosperity" concept; -- India welcomed Japan as an observer country at the upcoming South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and both agreed it should play an important role in regional cooperation and integration; -- both will work to strengthen regional cooperation on energy security, the environment, natural disaster response, terrorism and proliferation, and that the East Asia Summit framework should be viewed as a pillar of East Asian community building; -- both will deepen cooperation on climate change and will cooperate within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate; -- on UNSC reform, they will continue to utilize the G-4 framework toward their common objectives; -- UNSCR 1718 regarding North Korean proliferation must be enforced and the abduction issue must be resolved at the earliest as a humanitarian concern; -- both will work within the G-6 framework to achieve a well-balanced WTO Doha agreement. -------------- BILATERAL RELATIONS -------------- ¶4. (U) With regard to bilateral relations, Japan and India agreed: -- to continue high-level bilateral talks, including a visit by Prime Minister Abe to India at an early, mutually convenient date; -- on defense and security cooperation, they welcomed Indian ship visits to Japan, the Defense Policy Dialogue, developments in service-to-service cooperation, and the next round of the Comprehensive Security Dialogue, which is to take place this year; -- the second round of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement talks will take place in April in Tokyo; Japan affirmed that India is, for the fourth consecutive year, the largest recipient of Japanese Overseas Development Assistance loans, and that Tokyo remains interested in considering participation in India's Dedicated Freight Corridor Project; -- on a common understanding on the modalities for the India-Japan Energy Dialogue to promote cooperation across the energy sector; -- on a common understanding on the modalities for the bilateral consultation mechanism for high technology trade; and -- to continue to promote people-to-people exchanges agreed upon during the visit of PM Singh. -------------- NOT MUCH MORE TO SAY -------------- ¶5. (C) Following the visit, POLITICAL Officer contacted MOFA's Southwest Asia Division India desk officer Naoshige Aoshima and Indian Embassy First Secretary Prashant Pise for readouts. Both are normally helpful contacts who provide interesting insights into Japanese-Indian relations. In this case, however, both had little to say. Aoshima said the press release pretty much summarized what took place. When asked specifically if there had been any talk of Japan's quad proposal, he replied that PM Abe repeated the statement he had made in December about it being useful to consider a dialogue among like-minded countries. To an inquiry about whether the U.S.-India nuclear deal was discussed, he said that it had come up but that there were no new developments to report. Japan had already received information from the United States and would now like to receive information from India. "We are still considering our position," (NOTE: Earlier indications were that Japan would eventually support the agreement, but this will not be announced until Prime Minister Abe visits India. END NOTE.) Regarding the possibility of an Abe visit to India, Aoshima said no dates have been agreed upon and that the earliest it could be arranged would be in August. Prashant had even less to say, noting only that the visit had gone well. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) It is possible that the visit was purely pro forma as our MOFA Indian embassy contacts suggest. We suspect, however, that more was discussed that neither side wanted to discuss with us and wonder if our colleagues at Embassy New Delhi can glean more from their contacts than we could from ours. SCHIEFFER