Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TOKYO5407
2007-12-02 23:38:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:  

BALI AND BEYOND -- JAPAN CONSIDERING SECTORAL

Tags:  SENV ENRG KGHG PREL JA 
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ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 022338Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9926
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0381
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0391
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2455
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 4312
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1980
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 8413
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 6432
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 4684
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 7087
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 8350
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 5346
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 0534
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 005407 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IO, G, EAP/J, EEB/ESC, AND
OES/EGC (HARLAN WATSON, BARBARA DEROSA-
JOYNT, DREW NELSON)
WHITE HOUSE FOR CEQ
DOE FOR S-3

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2017
TAGS: SENV ENRG KGHG PREL JA
SUBJECT: BALI AND BEYOND -- JAPAN CONSIDERING SECTORAL
TARGETS, WANTS U.S. INPUT ON DISCUSSION PROCESS

REF: A. SECSTATE 159374

B. TOKYO

TOKYO 00005407 001.2 OF 003


Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer for reasons 1.4 b, d.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 005407

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IO, G, EAP/J, EEB/ESC, AND
OES/EGC (HARLAN WATSON, BARBARA DEROSA-
JOYNT, DREW NELSON)
WHITE HOUSE FOR CEQ
DOE FOR S-3

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2017
TAGS: SENV ENRG KGHG PREL JA
SUBJECT: BALI AND BEYOND -- JAPAN CONSIDERING SECTORAL
TARGETS, WANTS U.S. INPUT ON DISCUSSION PROCESS

REF: A. SECSTATE 159374

B. TOKYO

TOKYO 00005407 001.2 OF 003


Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer for reasons 1.4 b, d.


1. (C) SUMMARY: Japan is going into the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change meeting in Bali (UNFCCC/COP
13) with different ministries participating, but expressing
differing views. Questions of Chinese and Indian
participation in any further targets for cutting greenhouse
gases (GHG) weigh heavily in the ministries' thinking, with
the GOJ looking at investigating a system of sectoral
targets as a way to get these countries with their growing
and increasingly competitive industries to act to meet the
climate change challenge. Officials appreciate the Major
Economies initiative, but get bogged down in questions over
how it will feed into the UN process. Moreover, they worry
about how it will fit with the G-8 events the GOJ is
planning for 2008. At the same time, Japan continues to
advocate the "Cool Earth 50" approach first announced by
then PM Abe, but reaffirmed by Prime Minister Fukuda. The
GOJ wants to work closely with the U.S. on climate change
and asks for more information on specific points. METI
urged the USG to support its proposal for an ad-hoc working
group (AWG) in the UNFCCC, saying Japan and the U.S. need
much better coordination on feeding Major Economies and G-8
outputs into the UNFCCC. At the same time, GOJ officials
feel EU pressure, see EU initiatives as contrary to
Japanese and USG thinking, and wonder if European policies
will carry the day. END SUMMARY.

JAPANESE GOALS FOR BALI AND BEYOND
--------------


2. (C) Ministry of Environment Director General for Global
Environment Hideki Minamikawa told EMIN and ESToffs Nov. 28
that the GOJ has three main issues for the Bali UNFCCC COP

13. First, Japan wants agreement that the "Bali roadmap"
decided at COP 13 will lead to a future framework that can

be agreed upon by COP 15 in 2009. Second, Japan wants to
propose a new ad-hoc working group including all UNFCCC
parties to discuss the framework's particulars. Third,
Japan will suggest sectoral "targets" for developed
countries so as to accommodate China and India's need for
"common but differentiated responsibilities." Minamikawa
noted Japan is looking at the amounts of energy used and
greenhouse gases produced in certain specific sectors,
e.g., cement, transportation, or the chemical industry,
with the idea of countries using this information to then
identify ways forward in those areas to reduce GHG
intensity. The GOJ, he continued, believes this approach
can be attractive to China, India, Brazil, and other
emerging market economies which have industries that may
compete globally, but at the same time have large
underdeveloped areas or parts of their populations who live
in absolute poverty. An MOE staffer present at the meeting
later told ESToff the GOJ will hold a side-event on this
sectoral approach at Bali during the UN conference.


3. (C) At the same meeting, MOE Global Environment Councilor
Ryutaro Yatsu asked about the timing of a second Major
Economies Meeting (MEM) that the U.S. had suggested Japan
hold prior to the July 2008 G-8 Summit. Japan "highly
respects" the U.S. desire to work on a long-term goal
through the Major Economies process, Yatsu said, but the GOJ
also wants to promote the 50%-by-2050 global greenhouse gas
reduction goal in its "Cool Earth 50" climate proposal. He
noted the EU is proposing an 80%-by-2050 target for
developed countries and asked about USG thinking on
differentiated goals for developed and developing countries.
In deciding whether to hold a second MEM "before or after"

TOKYO 00005407 002.4 OF 003


the G-8 Summit, it is "crucial" to know what type of goal
the U.S. wants to work on at the MEM, Yatsu said.
Minamikawa suggested a second MEM could "duplicate" the
many ministerials and other G-8 meetings that will deal with
climate. EMIN drew on the points in ref A and previous
White House statements to discuss how we see the Major
Economies initiative playing into the global process.
(Note: A November 21 press report indicates the GOJ is
looking to host a climate summit "similar in scale" to the
MEM during next year,s G-8. End note.)

MOFA: GOJ THINKING ON NUMERICAL TARGETS IN FLUX
-------------- --


4. (C) ESToffs followed up with MOFA Climate Change Office
Director Naoto Hisajima. (Please also see ref B on the
meeting with Amb. Komachi, the administrative head of
Japan's Bali delegation.) Hisajima insisted there is "no
decision at all" to host a Major Economies-like meeting
before the G-8 Summit. There is "no concrete proposal or
anything to that effect," he said, since MOFA's G-8
division has not even decided what the G-8 outreach
countries should be for 2008. The GOJ, Hisajima noted,
thinks the Major Economies and G-8 processes "can both
contribute in a very constructive way, particularly if we
are able in Bali to launch a new (roadmap)."


5. (C) As for Bali, Hisajima said there is widespread
agreement on developing a Bali roadmap as "hardly anyone
opposes the launch of something new." He continued that it
needs to accommodate a wide range of issues including a
long-term global goal and also technology research,
development, and application to avoid being a copy of the
Kyoto Protocol. Japan wants to break the monolithic unity
of the G77 and China, who must take some action toward
climate change mitigation. Hisajima pointed out Cool Earth
50 does not go into differentiated commitments between
developed and developing countries, given questions whether
China and India will still be developing countries in 2050.


6. (C) On national numerical targets versus a general
global goal, Hisajima said "that is a central core issue"
and that there had been heated discussion on the point at
the first Major Economies meeting. "Our policy on that
point is open;" Japan has not decided whether developed
countries' commitments in the next framework should be in
the form of numerical targets. The framework should
utilize the sectoral approach in some way since "that is
the best basis for equitable commitments."

METI: PLEASE TELL US YOUR VIEWS NOW
--------------


7. (C) EMIN followed up further November 30 with METI
Global Environment DG Hajime Ito, who explained Japan's AWG
proposal. For "productive discussions" on a framework, Ito
said, the number of countries negotiating its particulars
needs to be limited, as in the Major Economies process.
"But having said that," he went on, the COP "is the only
possible basis for negotiations," and so "maybe we should
work together to create some limited-numbers meeting in the
COP." Hence, Japan's proposal for an AWG meeting at UNFCCC
COPs. A METI staffer explained the AWG could be the means
through which the results of the Major Economies meetings
feed into the UNFCCC. METI was open in pushing the AWG as
its proposal with Ito at one point referring to it as "my
basic idea."


8. (C) Ito also stated the U.S. has not been sufficiently
direct about its views on how to work with Japan on feeding
Major Economies and G-8 outputs into the UNFCCC. He said

TOKYO 00005407 003.4 OF 003


the U.S. delegation had said at the preparatory meeting in
Bogor, "we are open" about the Japanese proposal, however,
there needs to be a decision on this point by the end of
COP 13. Ito said we need to be directly exchanging views
on it now, before the COP. "I think our (GOJ) positions
towards COP 13 are very clear," he said, but U.S. positions
are not. "You are our closest ally" on climate, and it is
"high time" to "kick off" discussions on how we'll bring
the Major Economies substance into the UNFCCC, Ito
continued. EMIN reiterated the points in ref A, which
seemed to satisfy some of the METI concerns. He also
pointed toupcoming discussions during and on the margins
of the U.S./Japan subcabinet.


9. (C) A METI staffer pointed out high-level UK climate
contacts are talking to METI about the details of their
post-Kyoto vision. "They explicitly expressed the idea" to
METI in the past week that "all developed countries must
accept specific reductions," he said. On the other hand,
METI also has a sense of a growing consensus among some
developing countries that China and India too have to
participate in reductions schemes, a factor suggesting an
opportunity to gain support for our approach. However, Ito
reiterated the need for further and more detailed
discussions with the USG now and closed by stressing that
"we are always ready to support" the Major Economies
meetings and to coordinate them with the G-8. He said the
Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) is helping plan a G-8
business summit in mid-April and thought this event too
could help build momentum for U.S. and Japan approaches to
climate in these meetings through 2008.

COMMENT
--------------


10. (C) Not surprisingly, there may be daylight between
MOFA (which represents Japan,s official position) and MOE
(generally more pro-Kyoto) on the use of numerical GHG
reduction targets. Hisajima refuted what Minamikawa had
seemed to suggest about Japan's wish to push targets in
Bali, and indeed MOE views have often been pushed aside by
industry priorities in public GOJ climate statements over
the past year. But when the G-8 ministerials begin, Japan
will need to make some final decisions. Japanese policy
makers are noting the recent Australian elections and EU
pressure. METI is overtly soliciting U.S. input into GOJ
decision-making and telling us that they need it sooner
rather than later if we are to have the best cooperation
possible in directing Major Economies outputs into the
UNFCCC.
SCHIEFFER