Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TOKYO2076
2007-05-09 09:49:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:
JAPAN FORMULATING SUGGESTIONS FOR ASIAN DEMOCRACY
how-toVZCZCXYZ0007 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHKO #2076 1290949 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 090949Z MAY 07 FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3429 INFO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 2122 RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 4264 RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA PRIORITY 1013 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 8331 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 9562 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 3010 RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0982
UNCLAS TOKYO 002076
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM XB JA
SUBJECT: JAPAN FORMULATING SUGGESTIONS FOR ASIAN DEMOCRACY
PARTNERSHIP
REF: STATE 56424
(SBU) Embassy Political Officer delivered reftel demarche
April 27 and followed up May 9 with MOFA Asian and Oceanian
Affairs Regional Policy Division Principal Deputy Director
Yasuhiro Kobe. Kobe said that the Asian Democracy
Partnership (ADP) would be a natural extension of FM Aso's
"Arc of Freedom and Prosperity" concept, calling the proposal
a "good idea." Japan is committed to supporting democracy in
the region, and has ODA programs supporting rule of law and
elections in several countries of the region, including
Cambodia, Bhutan, and Nepal. Although Kobe was somewhat
skeptical about the workability of joint programs, he said
that information sharing and coordination between countries
would contribute significantly to the success of regional
programs. Kobe's office is coordinating a response to the
demarche with the Foreign Policy Bureau's Policy Planning
Division and several divisions within the International
Cooperation Bureau. Japan should be able to make some
concrete comments on the proposal within about two weeks,
said Kobe.
DONOVAN