PM ABE'S MESSAGE TO EUROPE: WE SHARE YOUR VALUES,

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 000475 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2027 TAGS: PREL PGOV UK FR GM BE KN CH JA SUBJECT: PM ABE'S MESSAGE TO EUROPE: WE SHARE YOUR VALUES, SUPPORT US ON NORTH KOREA REF: A. USNATO 22 ¶B. TOKYO 23 Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer. Reason: 1.4 (b) (d). ¶1. (C) Summary. During PM Abe's January 9-13 trip to London, Berlin, Brussels and Paris, ABE underscored his desire to strengthen Japan's ties with Europe, including NATO, based on a new values-focused foreign policy. Abe's interlocutors agreed with him that the DPRK nuclear issue must be addressed and that UNSCR 1718 must be fully implemented. Responses to Abe's appeal to maintain the EU arms embargo on China were mixed. French President Chirac asserted the arms embargo should be lifted and German Chancellor Merkel forcefully urged it be kept in place. ABE also reiterated Japan's desire to work within the G-4 mechanism to pursue a permanent UNSC seat. End summary. ¶2. (C) Prime Minister SHINZO Abe's first visit to Europe as prime minister achieved its primary goal: demonstrating that Japan values its relations with Europe, according to MOFA Western Europe Division Director Akira Kono. Embassy Tokyo obtained separate readouts on Abe's trip from Kono, European Policy Division Director Hideo Suzuki, National Security Policy Division Director Jun Shimmi, German Embassy Political Counselor Martin Ebert and French Embassy Political Counselor Pauline Carmona. ¶3. (C) PM ABE traveled to London, Berlin, Brussels and Paris from January 9-13. In Brussels, he addressed the North Atlantic Council -- a first for a Japanese leader. In all four capitals, ABE had addressed three issues: common values, North Korea and UN Security Council reform. ABE was "very pleased" with his European experience, Kono reported. Common Values: NATO and the North Atlantic Council Speech -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) PM ABE used his European meetings to convey Japan's new foreign policy focus on shared values, including the rule of law and human rights, Kono explained. The message came across clearly, according to German Embassy Political Counselor Ebert. ABE plainly wanted to demonstrate that Japan -- in contrast to China -- was committed to a foreign policy based on values shared by its European "natural partners," he related. Japan's interest in closer ties with NATO, Kono reminded (ref b),is a natural outgrowth of PM Abe's new values-based foreign policy. Commenting on Abe's well received January 12 address before the North Atlantic Council in Brussels, MOFA National Security Policy Division Director Jun Shimmi explained that Abe's speech reflected his strong political commitment to having Japan play a greater global role, including through enhanced ties with NATO. Shimmi said he had been particularly struck by the "strong views" ABE had expressed on future contributions by the Ministry of Defense (MOD) to that effort. At present, he noted, there has been no substantive coordination within the government on how Japan would make this MOD contribution. Putting this commitment into practice will take time, Shimmi underscored. ¶5. (C) Japan is ready to develop closer ties with NATO, as PM Abe explained in his speech, according to MOFA European Policy Division Director Hideo Suzuki. Suzuki, who drafted the Prime Minister's speech, observed that joint Japan-NATO activities have been conducted on an ad-hoc basis. As a first step toward a more mature and structured relationship, Japan and NATO will discuss a framework for closer cooperation at their "high-level consultations" in March, Suzuki stated. He cautioned that the process of strengthening ties with NATO would take time. French Embassy Political Counselor Pauline Carmona acknowledged to Embassy Tokyo officers that France had earlier opposed Japan's partnership with NATO and that NATO's November meeting in Riga marked a change in France's position. In the end, Paris had decided not to let the NATO issue further affect its bilateral relations with Tokyo, she observed. North Korea -------------- ¶6. (C) PM ABE raised the DPRK nuclear issue and the abduction issue with each of his interlocutors, MOFA's Kono reported. He asked them to use their influence to press North Korea to implement the provisions of UNSCR 1718 and to cooperate in resolving the abduction issue. All the leaders agreed that the DPRK must comply with UNSCR 1718. PM Tony Blair seemed to be particularly seized of both the nuclear and abduction issues, Kono commented. In Paris, ABE urged that France adopt unilateral sanctions if the UNSC committee failed to take timely action, Carmona related. In Berlin, Chancellor Merkel and ABE shared the hope that China would continue to play a constructive role in the Six-Party process, according to Ebert. Kono commented that MOFA had planned to have its embassies in all four capitals sponsor screenings of the award-winning movie "Abduction" in conjunction with Abe's visit, but weren't able to make arrangements quickly enough. All planned screenings in the near future. UN Security Council Reform -------------- ¶7. (C) Japan already has the support of the UK, France, Belgium and Germany for its permanent UNSC seat bid, Kono explained. PM ABE reiterated in each capital Japan's intention to press ahead with its bid, despite the fact that its most recent "Model D" initiative had not garnered the hoped for support. In Berlin, ABE and Merkel agreed to maintain the G-4 format, Ebert related. He insisted that Germany is not concerned that Japan will split off from the group (Japan, Germany, India and Brazil),as rumored. French Embassy's Carmona, in discussing the G-4 initiative, stressed that France would only move forward on UNSC reform in concert with Germany. ABE asked the UK and France, which are permanent members, and Belgium, which took a seat as a non-permanent member on January 1, to help represent Japanese interests on the UNSC now that its nonpermanent UNSC membership has expired. Belgian PM Verhofstadt indicated that Belgium is willing to cooperate with Japan on a broad range of UNSC matters, Kono reported. East Asian Security/EU Arms Embargo on China -------------- ¶8. (C) In addition to DPRK-related matters, PM ABE raised broader East Asian security issues in all of his meetings, Kono related, focusing on China. ABE took advantage of the fact that his interlocutors were all aware that he had moved quickly to improve Japan's relations with China soon after taking office. He stressed to all that he believes China's development is not a threat, but an opportunity. Nonetheless, problems remain, including significant IPR violations and double-digit expansion of defense spending, coupled with military non-transparency. China's behavior in Africa, particularly with regard to exploitation of natural resources, was also troubling. The international community should encourage China to act more responsibly and help lead China in a more constructive direction, ABE argued. In his private meeting with Chancellor Merkel, ABE complained about China's "Japan bashing," and argued that Beijing was using the historical issue as an excuse to oppose Japan's bid for a permanent UNSC seat, according to the German Embassy's Ebert. Nonetheless, ABE had stressed, he was "determined to strengthen dialogue" and build a cooperative relationship with China, according to Ebert. ¶9. (C) In each meeting, Kono related, ABE pressed for retention of the EU arms embargo on China. The reactions were mixed. President Chirac simply replied briefly that France had not changed its position, i.e., that the ban should be lifted once a new EU Code of Conduct is in place. This, Kono observed, was a very different response than the last time Japan had raised the issue with Chirac. During Chirac's March 2005 Tokyo visit, he had passionately and at length explained the rationale behind France's position to then Prime Minister Koizumi. This time with Abe, Chirac provided a perfunctory response, simply noting that "Japan understands France's position," according the French Embassy's Carmona. ¶10. (C) At her press conference, Chancellor Merkel was firm that "now is not the time" to lift the arms embargo, German Embassy's Ebert observed. This was a change in the German position; former Chancellor Schroeder, along with Chirac, had actively promoted its lifting. EC President Jose Barroso had been more "nuanced" in his response, Suzuki said, noting that this was "not an eminent issue." Barroso likely took this position because Germany, which now opposes lifting, holds the EU Presidency and Portugal, which will assume that role in July, is unlikely to champion the issue, Suzuki speculated. (Note: Suzuki noted that Italy and France remain actively interested in lifting the ban. He opined that China may use an anticipated "China boom" resulting from the 2008 Beijing Olympics to make a gesture, perhaps in the area of human rights, in exchange for lifting the ban. Even though the EU insists that its new code of conduct will eliminate any need for concern when the ban in lifted, Suzuki said "we need to be prepared" and urged close U.S.-Japan consultation.) Comment -------------- ¶11. (C) The major "outcome" from Abe's European trip was his strong message that Japan wants to engage more actively with the Europeans, including through closer ties with NATO. His "values-focused" foreign policy message was clear. Conspicuous in its absence, however, was mention of the "Arc of Freedom and Prosperity" concept put forward by FM Aso in his November 2006 speech. While also values-focused, some have criticized the "Arc" notion as not well thought through and susceptible to criticism that it aims to encircle Russia and China. Whether intentional or not, Abe's failure to mention it has raised questions about Abe's embrace of the concept. SCHIEFFER