EXTENSION OF JAPAN'S PARTICIPATION IN INDIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 003634 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USTR/MBEEMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL JA SUBJECT: EXTENSION OF JAPAN'S PARTICIPATION IN INDIAN MISSION STILL POSSIBLE REF: TOKYO 3625 Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer for reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) In a meeting with the Ambassador on August 8, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Ichiro Ozawa did not rule out the possibility that the DPJ might agree to the continued support by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces (JMSDF) of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in the Indian Ocean. Ozawa insisted, however, that any Japanese role would require clear and direct authorization by the UN. ¶2. (C) During the 45-minute meeting, which included a large media presence, the Ambassador laid out arguments for Japan's continued involvement in the Indian Ocean mission. In response to Ozawa's assertion that Japan could only participate in activities on which the international community agreed, the Ambassador reminded Ozawa that the Indian Ocean mission included nine nations. Ozawa then declared that different countries chose different methods to counter terrorism and chastised the United States for trying to fight terrorism alone. The Ambassador responded that he had come to see Ozawa to ask for Japan's continued participation in a multi-nation operation. Ozawa further claimed that US activities in Afghanistan had not been authorized directly by the United Nations, but the Ambassador produced a copy of UNSCR 1746 to demonstrate the explicit authorization of OEF. Ozawa ended the meeting without responding to the Ambassador's final point. ¶3. (C) Comment. Ozawa was playing to a domestic audience rather than an international one. He took at least four swipes at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in an attempt to set himself and the DPJ apart from current LDP policy. Ozawa's inability to respond to obvious points of fact on UNSCR 1746 is likely to raise questions over the DPJ's seriousness. Ozawa also appeared uncomfortable when the Ambassador quoted from Ozawa's own book in which Ozawa exhorted Japan to be more actively involved in international activities. In addition, the absence of internal DPJ coordination in setting up the meeting and the decision to invite the press left the impression that the DPJ might not have been fully prepared for the meeting. Nevertheless, Ozawa will contend that there was no "express" authorization by the UN for this particular action as a means of extraditing himself from the contradiction in which he is caught. We should continually reinforce the message that UNSCR 1746 is the explicit UN authorization we need to mobilize an international coalition. SCHIEFFER