Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TOKYO4101
2007-09-05 02:05:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:  

THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE REORGANIZATION

Tags:  MARR PGOV PINR PREL JA 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RUEHKO/USDAO TOKYO JA
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 004101 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

COMUS JAPAN FOR J00/J01/J5

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2017
TAGS: MARR PGOV PINR PREL JA
SUBJECT: THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE REORGANIZATION


Classified By: Charge d'Affairs Joseph R. Donovan for reasons 1.4 (b) a
nd (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 004101

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

COMUS JAPAN FOR J00/J01/J5

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2017
TAGS: MARR PGOV PINR PREL JA
SUBJECT: THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE REORGANIZATION


Classified By: Charge d'Affairs Joseph R. Donovan for reasons 1.4 (b) a
nd (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: September 1 marked the reorganization of the
Ministry of Defense (MOD) and the elimination of the Defense
Facilities Administration Agency (DFAA). Under the
reorganization much of DFAA's functions will be folded into
MOD's Internal Bureau. Final allocation of workload and
portfolios remains undetermined with many divisions having
overlapping and potentially conflicting responsibilities.
Despite its upgrade to full ministry status, MOD retains the
structure of a subcabinet agency. END SUMMARY


2. (C) On August 20, Assistant Director for the Personnel
Division in the Minister's Secretariat Tomohiko Matsuo
briefed Embassy Tokyo on the September 1 reorganization plan,
specifically the merger of DFAA into MOD's Internal Bureau.
Matsuo said that a number of factors drove the MOD-DFAA
merger. First, the increased stature resulting from the
upgrade from a subcabinet agency to a full ministry requires
a reevaluation of responsibilities, especially in terms of
policy and operational decision-making. Second, scandals
involving the DFAA tarnished its public image and opened the
door for MOD to absorb it.

Meet the New MOD, Same as the Old JDA
--------------


3. (C) As of September 1, MOD has one additional bureau,
totaling six bureaus comprised of the Minister's Secretariat,
the Bureau of Defense Policy, the Bureau of Operational
Policy, the Bureau of Personnel and Education, the Bureau of
Finance and Equipment, and the "Provincial Planning Bureau."
(NOTE: "Provincial Planning Bureau" is an unofficial
translation. We will follow-up with the official English
title.) The Minister's Secretariat has five Defense
Counselors, each informally assigned to a bureau but with
undefined mandates. Matsuo stressed that large changes in
staffing will not occur, with most of the current MOD and
DFAA staff simply changing their titles.


4. (C) On paper, MOD will continue to be structured like a

subcabinet agency. Rather than using the reorganization as
an opportunity to create positions similar to other Japanese
ministries, MOD will retain much of the structure from its
time as the Japan Defense Agency (JDA). Only the Bureau of
Defense Policy and the "Provincial Planning Bureau" have
Deputy Director General (DDG) positions. DDG-level MOD
officials will continue to have difficulty identifying clear
U.S. Government counterparts.

DFAA and the IG
--------------


5. (C) DFAA will undergo the biggest change as it becomes the
MOD's "Provincial Planning Bureau." After DFAA's absorption
into the Internal Bureau there will be a shift from support
functions to policy making. Local DFAA and Defense
Facilities Administration Bureau (DFAB) offices will split
from the rest of DFAA with the creation of the "Provincial
Planning Bureau" and become Regional Defense Bureaus. The
Regional Defense Bureaus will continue to perform the same
job as their precursors, although they will also oversee
regional procurement and related functions.


6. (C) Matsuo emphasized the expanded powers and oversight by
the office of the Inspector General (IG). The recently
appointed Masafumi Sakurai will be the first Inspector
General with a mandate from the Diet to oversee all of MOD.
Transplanted members of DFAA as well as legal and accounting
experts will make up the core of the IG.

The Change to Defense Policy
--------------


7. (C) The Bureau of Defense Policy, which handles many of
the alliance issues for MOD, will also undergo a number of
changes under the reorganization plan. Matsuo said the
changes to the Bureau are the result of the deployment of
Japanese forces to Iraq and the ensuing need for MOD to deal
with other complex policy and political issues. There will
be six divisions under the Bureau of Defense Policy; the

TOKYO 00004101 002 OF 002


Defense Policy Division, the Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation
Division, the International Policy Division, the Planning and
Programming Division, and the Defense Intelligence Division.


8. (C) According to Matsuo, U.S.-Japan defense cooperation
and alliance maintenance issues will shift to the new
Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Division in the Bureau of
Defense Policy. The new division will focus specifically on
"more politicized issues." When asked, Matsuo pointed out
that the division of labor between the Defense Policy
Division and the Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Division
remains undecided, although the Defense Cooperation Division
will likely handle base movement/realignment and host nation
support issues. The appointment of Nobuki Kawamura to head
both divisions suggests that this is mostly a cosmetic
exercise.
DONOVAN