VICE MINISTER OF DEFENSE REQUESTS DATA ON OEF MIO

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 004675 SIPDIS SIPDIS OSD/APSA FOR SHINN/SEDNEY/HILL/BASALLA, USFJ FOR J00/J01/J3/J5 E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2017 TAGS: PREL MARR PGOV JA SUBJECT: VICE MINISTER OF DEFENSE REQUESTS DATA ON OEF MIO Classified By: CDA Joseph R. Donovan, Reasons: 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (C) Vice Minister of Defense Minoru Terada urged the U.S. to provide detailed data on OEF Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) by October 5 so that the Japanese government can respond to expected opposition questions during Diet Budget Committee deliberations set to begin on October 9. During an October 3 meeting with the CDA and USFJ Commander Lt. General Bruce Wright, Terada noted that NGOs opposed to the Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) refueling mission continue to obtain information on USN OEF operations through FOIA and other channels that the U.S. has yet to provide the Japanese government. The opposition will undoubtedly use this information, he continued, to undermine the government's credibility and weaken the case for extending the refueling mission. ¶2. (C) Terada said that Japan's first priority is to receive data to refute recent allegations that in 2003 the USS Kitty Hawk used Japanese oil for non-OEF missions. He added that Japan would also appreciate additional information detailing the successes of the OEF MIO. The CDA pledged that the U.S. will make its best efforts to provide answers to Japan's request for information in an timely, and accurate, manner. He noted that the U.S. government is actively working to make the case to both the Japanese Diet and media for extending Japan's OEF mission. DONOVAN