THE DEPUTY SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH DEFENSE

S E C R E T TOKYO 003618

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR D, AND EAP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2027
TAGS: PREL JA PREL
SUBJECT: THE DEPUTY SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH DEFENSE
MINISTER KOIKE

Classified By: Deputy Secretary John Negroponte, for reasons 1.4(b)/(d)


1. (S) Summary: Defense Minister Koike reaffirmed the
importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance to the Deputy Secretary
on August 3 and asked for the return of additional land from
Camp Foster. She also reiterated the Japanese government's
interest in purchasing F-22s, given continued security risks
posed by North Korea's actions, as well as the lack of
transparency in China's military build-up. The Deputy
Secretary stressed that U.S. laws precluded the sale of F-22s

SIPDIS
to all foreign governments and that any choice of future
fighters in Japan had to be compatible with alliance needs
and capabilities. The United States and Japan should
cooperate on persuading China to be a responsible stakeholder
in regional and world affairs. The Deputy Secretary and
Koike welcomed the agreement on the Bilateral Information
Security Task Force Terms of Reference by both governments
and looked forward to raising information-sharing to a higher
level. End Summary.

USFJ REALIGNMENT
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2. (C) Koike assured the Deputy Secretary in an August 3
meeting that the Government of Japan (GOJ) would cooperate
fully on the realignment of U.S. bases in Japan. Noting that
she was fully versed in the issue from her past assignment as
Minister for Okinawan and Northern Territory Issues, Koike
resolved to settle all outstanding issues for the successful
relocation of U.S. marines to Guam. She said she was focused
on maximum land returns from areas south of Kadena Air Base,
particularly from Camp Foster (Zukeran).


3. (C) The Deputy Secretary agreed that the alliance was an
important cornerstone of security in East Asia. He stressed
that the U.S.-Japan relationship was an alliance, and that
both governments needed to be cognizant that all bilateral
discussions should be in the context of the alliance. The
United States understood Japan's position on the issue of
Camp Foster and would work with Japan toward satisfactory
results. However, both sides needed to work out many details.

F-22
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4. (C) Koike, pointing out that she had spoken earlier with
the Ambassador on the issue, reiterated the GOJ's desire to
acquire F-22s and asked for understanding of its importance
to Japan. She asserted that it was important to consider the
F-22 issue from a strategic standpoint, in light of recent
deliberations in the U.S. Congress on Japan's future fighter
capability (F-X) needs and the upcoming capabilities
assessment group (CAG) meeting.



5. (C) The Deputy Secretary responded that foreign sales of
F-22s were a matter of U.S. law. The Obey Amendment
precluded the sales of F-22s to all foreign governments.
This was not a legal provision aimed at Japan. The United
States would, however, cooperaQith Japan on the selection
of the next generation of fighters, particularly the
replacement for the F-4. Moreover, assessing Japan's needs
was critical as the choice of next generation fighters must
be compatible with U.S. assets and capabilities.

REGIONAL STABILITY, CHINA
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6. (C) Turning to regional issues, Koike expressed concern
about the various sources of potential instability in
Northeast Asia, particularly North Korea and China. North
Korea, with its ballistic missile and nuclear tests last year
and its lack of progress in resolving the issue of abducted
Japanese citizens, continued to be a serious security problem
for Japan. The GOJ also remained vigilant about China's
military capabilities and spending, which had doubled in the
past 19 years. The lack of transparency in China's defense
spending was particularly troubling for Japan. Japan would,
therefore, engage China to build trust. Koike added that
Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan planned to visit Japan
in August.


7. (C) The Deputy Secretary welcomed Japan's realistic
approach toward China. With China's economy growing rapidly,
it was important for countries like the United States and
Japan to induce Beijing to become a responsible stakeholder
in the region and the world. On North Korea, it was
important to stay focused on succeeding in the Six-Party
Talks, the Deputy Secretary said. Even though the DPRK had
shut down its 5-megawatt reactor in Yongbyon and allowed IAEA
inspectors to return to North Korea, it remained unclear
whether Pyongyang would comply seriously with its obligations

under the Six-Party framework.

BMD, INFORMATION SECURITY
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8. (S) Koike stated that Japan's approach toward China had
to go in tandem with pursuing missile defense cooperation
with the United States. As such, she urged the United States
to move forward early on ballistic missile defense (BMD).
The GOJ considered information security paramount for
national security, and undertook to: 1) investigate fully the
AEGIS leak and 2) introduce measures for improved information
security. She praised the August 1 kick-off meeting of the
Bilateral Information Security Task Force (BISTF),as well as
the agreement on the BISTF Terms of Reference (TOR) and
milestones. Koike also welcomed the fact that both
governments were close to completing the General Agreement on
the Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). The
biggest challenge for information security in Japan was
preventing leaks, as Diet members were prone to leaking
information for political gains, Koike said.


9. (S) The Deputy Secretary, drawing from his experience as
Director of National Intelligence, stressed the importance of
information security, adding that constructive dialogue was
proceeding at the working level and that it would set the
stage for greater cooperation between the two allies. The
Deputy Secretary stated that the United States had also had
its share of leaks, but had very effective systems in place
for protecting classified information. The greatest
challenge was not so much collection and analysis, but rather
intelligence management, for which Japan had taken a "big
step" forward with the BISTF TOR.


10. (U) August 3, 2007; 15:30; Tokyo, Japan.


11. (U) Meeting Participants:

U.S.
Deputy Secretary Negroponte
Ambassador Schieffer
Deputy Assistant Secretary David Sedney, Dept of Defense
James Zumwalt, Director of Japan Affairs, Dept of State
Kaye Lee, Special Assistant
Ted Wittenstein, Special Assistant
Sangmin Lee, POL-MIL Deputy, Embassy Tokyo (Notetaker)

Japan
Yuriko Koike, Minister of Defense
Kazuo Ofuru, Director-General, Defense Policy Bureau
Hironori Kanazawa, Deputy Director-General, Defense Policy
Bureau
Ro Manabe, Director, Defense Policy Division
Masami Oka, Senior Coordinator for Defense Policy, Defense
Policy Division
Taro Yamato, Principal Deputy Director, Defense Intelligence
Division
SCHIEFFER