JAPAN SHARES U.S. CONCERNS ABOUT IRAN-VENEZUELA

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 002185 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR WHA/AND AND NEA/IRAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/2017 TAGS: PREL MARR PHUM MASS ECON PTER VE IR JA SUBJECT: JAPAN SHARES U.S. CONCERNS ABOUT IRAN-VENEZUELA REF: STATE 61378 Classified By: Charge d' Affairs Joseph R. Donovan for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Embassy Tokyo Political Officers delivered reftel demarche May 10 to MOFA Second Middle East Division Iran Desk Officer Junichi Sumi and May 14 to MOFA South America and Caribbean Division Principal Deputy Director Akifumi Mizuguchi. Mizuguchi said Japan shares the U.S. concerns that Venezuela is damaging international efforts to isolate Iran. Japan is particularly concerned over the diplomatic support that Venezuela is giving to Iran's nuclear ambitions. Mizuguchi was interested in the terrorism implications of Venezuela's weak document control, saying his office had never heard of or considered the issue. Mizuguchi said he would pass the information on to Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Director-General Akira Miwa. ¶2. (C) Japan is willing to make its concerns public, but rarely gets the opportunity to discuss political issues bilaterally with Venezuela, Mizuguchi explained. DG Miwa was considering making a trip to Caracas, but cancelled when his counterpart in the Venezuelan government declined to meet with him, according to Mizuguchi. Complaining that Venezuela and Iran are "threatening the world with oil power," Mizuguchi said that the Japanese Foreign Ministry is willing to make its concerns public, and would look for opportunities to raise the issue with Venezuela bilaterally. ¶3. (C) Sumi delivered a different message, saying Japan could only "take note" of the growing relationship between Iran and Venezuela and "be vigilant." He said there is nothing Japan can do to prevent two countries it is on good terms with from increasing/improving their own bilateral economic and diplomatic ties. Although Sumi expressed interest in the information about nuclear cooperation, oil ties, and anti-semitism, he stated that the issues discussed do not seem to be of concern to Japan. ¶4. (C) Comment: We consider Mizuguchi's response the more authoritative of the two. Sumi, who focuses on Iran, seemed uninformed about Venezuela's recent actions and their wider ramifications. Nevertheless, Sumi's critical reaction to the demarche may indicate resistance by some within MOFA to taking a firm position on Iran's proliferation activities. SCHIEFFER