AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH ASSISTANT CABINET

S E C R E T TOKYO 003517 SIPDIS SIPDIS OSD FOR APSA SHINN/SEDNEY/HILL BASALLA; USPACOM FOR J00/J2/J5/POLAD; COMUSJAPAN FOR J00/J01/J2/J5 E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2017 TAGS: MARR PGOV PINR PREL SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH ASSISTANT CABINET SECRETARY ON BISTF SIPDIS Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer, Reasons: 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (S) Summary: Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Kyoji Yanagisawa reported to Ambassador Schieffer July 31 that the Bilateral Information Security Task Force (BISTF) Terms of Reference (TOR) had been coordinated inter-agency and approved by the Japanese Government. Referring to the Aegis case, he noted that initially he thought the matter could be left to the Defense Ministry, but came to realize it was necessary to bring all relevant ministries together to deal with such a serious matter. He referred to the GOJ team formed to strengthen Japan's counterintelligence capabilities and expressed confidence the BISTF meeting on August 31 would be successful, observing that he wanted visiting DASD Sedney to return to Washington "with substance." The Ambassador voiced appreciation for Yanagisawa's efforts to strengthen information security, an issue of great importance to both countries. He emphasized that in addition to ascertaining the facts related to the Aegis case, it was very important that the U.S. an d Japan work together to strengthen our ability to handle the kind of sensitive information that is vital to the security of both nations. He said that the U.S. had no intention of dictating to Japan how to handle classified information, but that we do hope the BISTF will enable us, working together, to increase our intelligence cooperation. End Summary. ¶2. (S) Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Kyoji Yanagisawa, acting at the direction of Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki, reported to the Ambassador on July 31 that the BISTF TOR had been coordinated inter-agency and approved by the Japanese Government. He prefaced his formal remarks on the TOR by noting his previous two meetings with DCM Donovan and apologized for not having addressed the issue of information security as quickly as he should have. Referring to the Aegis case, Yanagisawa said that initially, he had thought he could leave the matter to the Defense Ministry, but came to realize it was necessary to bring all relevant ministries together to deal with the matter. He emphasized that the Japanese Government now fully realized that information security was a serious issue. 
¶3. (S) Yanagisawa said that since last December, the GOJ formed a special team to study what steps needed to be taken to strengthen its counterintelligence capabilities. He noted that the U.S. had brought up this issue at the 2 Plus 2 meeting, but asserted that the GOJ had already decided to take it on "as our own issue." In the course of bilateral defense talks over the past months, Yanagisawa said, both sides realized that we needed to avoid having information security become a POLITICAL issue, and instead realize that this was a necessary process in order to realize even stronger defense cooperation in the future. ¶4. (S) Yanagisawa observed that there were many milestones in the BISTF TOR, the details of which could be discussed at the working level. He expressed confidence that the BISTF meeting on August 31 would be successful, observing that he wanted visiting DASD Sedney to return to Washington "with substance." Yanagisawa said that he had done his utmost to have all agencies with counterintelligence responsibilities on the Japanese side participate in the BISTF, again apologizing for perhaps being a bit slow to address this aspect of strengthening information security. ¶5. (S) The Ambassador voiced appreciation for Yanagisawa's efforts to strengthen information security, noting it was an issue of great importance to both countries. He said that it was important to ascertain the facts related to the Aegis case, and to determine what the risks were that the information might have been obtained by third parties. But it was also very important, he emphasized, that the U.S. and Japan work together to strengthen our ability to handle classified information that is vital to the security of both the U.S. and Japan. ¶6. (S) Ambassador Schieffer said the U.S. had no desire to dictate to Japan how to handle classified information, but that we do hope the BISTF will enable us, working together, to better understand how each side handles the information. This will allow both sides to institute policies that will better protect sensitive information and that will allow us to increase intelligence cooperation with Japan. ¶7. (S) Yanagisawa said he fully understood and completely agreed with the Ambassador's comments. He then proceeded to make a number of additional observations. In regard to the Aegis case, he pointed out that because the matter was under criminal investigation, it was difficult for the police to discuss openly the status of the investigation. Yanagisawa added that he had requested the police to make the investigation results available as soon as possible. On the strictly military side, there were technical issues that needed to be addressed in military channels, including issues where he, himself, did not have access. Finally, he noted that in 1997 as a counselor at the Japan Defense Agency he was involved with the revision of the U.S.-Japan Defense Guidelines, and understood well the strong bilateral relationship that exists on the operational side. Now, in a different capacity, he was involved in strengthening the overall U.S.-Japan relationship, and he pledged his full cooperation toward that end. Yanagisawa then said he would be happy to convey to the Chief Cabinet Secretary and Prime Minister any additional message the Ambassador might have. ¶8. (S) The Ambassador expressed appreciation for the Chief Cabinet Secretary playing a leading role in addressing information security. He reiterated that both governments were committed to working together to do what was necessary to protect sensitive information and thereby allow a greater exchange of intelligence information and a strengthening of the overall bilateral relationship. The Ambassador concluded by calling agreement on the BISTF TOR a "very positive step" in this regard. SCHIEFFER