FORMER SDF COLONEL SATO DISCUSSES ANTI-TERRORISM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 005512 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2017/12/09 TAGS: PGOV PREL JA SUBJECT: FORMER SDF COLONEL SATO DISCUSSES ANTI-TERRORISM LAW, DIET EXTENSION Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer for reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary. The ruling coalition will extend the Diet into January in order to pass the new Anti-terrorism law, according to Upper House Diet member Masahisa Sato. The next month will be critical for the new legislation and the LDP is planning a PR campaign to better explain the Indian Ocean mission. He accused the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) of purposely confusing the public about Iraq versus Afghanistan. He also expressed frustration at the lack of coordination among the Ministry of Defense (MOD),the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Cabinet Office over overseas missions and goals. End Summary. Diet Likely to Extend to January 15 -------------- ¶2. (C) Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Upper House Diet member Masahisa Sato, former colonel in the Japan Ground Special Defense Force (GSDF) and well known as the face of Japan in Samawah, Iraq, told Embassy Tokyo on December 7 that the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and the LDP want to resolve the impasse over the new Anti-terrorism law, but the LDP does not trust the DPJ to do the right thing. If the LDP believed the DPJ would quickly vote down the new law in the Upper House so that the law could then be passed back to the Lower House, then the LDP would extend the Diet only until about December 25, but because the DPJ cannot be trusted, the Diet is likely to be extended until January 15. The bill will have been in the Upper House for 60 days on January 11 and so can be returned to the Lower House. January 11 is a Friday before a three-day weekend, January 16 is the DPJ,s national convention, and January 17 is the LDP,s national convention, which leaves January 15 as the only day for the Lower House to vote in the bill using its two-thirds majority. Only Two Extensions Per Session -------------- ¶3. (C) Sato pointed out that an extraordinary Diet session can only be extended a total of two times, so the LDP must choose carefully the right date for the second extension. He observed that even Diet members who until now had been cautious about a second extension are now talking openly about the possibility. Sato said that the DPJ wants to extend the Diet in order to keep the Defense Ministry scandal in the news, while some LDP Diet members are anxious to end the session to prevent the ongoing revelations from tainting more LDP Diet members. Japanese Housewives Mix Up Iraq and Afghanistan -------------- -- ¶4. (C) Sato worried that average Japanese citizens -- especially housewives -- have mixed up the war in Iraq with the fight against terror in Afghanistan. He accused the opposition DPJ of intentionally mixing the two together to confuse the voters. He also pointed out that the two efforts fall under separate Japanese laws. Iraqi operations are governed by the Iraqi Special Measures Law while efforts in Afghanistan are covered by the Anti-terrorism Special Measures Law. Sato said many Japanese think that refueling efforts in the Indian Ocean are primarily for the benefit of the United States but that in truth the United States received about one-quarter of the fuel while three-quarters went to other countries. Sato also thought that the average Japanese person fails to understand that the seas are full of pirates and that the OEF Maritime Interdiction Operation plays a major role in preventing piracy on the high seas. He said that the next one month was very important for the new Anti-terrorism law and that the LDP was gearing up for a PR TOKYO 00005512 002 OF 002 campaign to clarify its significance. ¶5. (C) Sato explained that in order to reach Japanese housewives, this type of information needs to be transmitted on "wide shows" (Japanese daytime info-tainment programs) and not on the news. He also lamented the lost photo and PR opportunity for PM Fukuda to meet the Marine SDF supply ship Tokiwa when it returned to Japan from the Indian Ocean mission last month. Apparently Fukuda was returning the same day from Singapore and had no room on his calendar. No Coordination Between MOD and MOFA -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Sato demonstrated the disconnect between the MOD and MOFA by showing Embassy Tokyo political officers pamphlets published by the two ministries. The MOD pamphlet discussed Japan,s security efforts in the Indian Ocean while the MOFA pamphlet highlighted Japan,s humanitarian work in Afghanistan. Sato stressed that the Cabinet Secretariat should take responsibility for combining the two roles Japan is currently playing and presenting a coherent explanation of them to the Japanese public. Effect of Change in Iraq UN Resolution -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Asked how Japan would handle a change in the UN resolution on Iraq, Sato said this would cause intense negotiation in the Diet. Without a UN resolution it would be very difficult for Japan to participate, he thought. At one time the UN wanted Japan to provide a dedicated airlift and that might be a possible way for Japan to continue to contribute. He also thought that perhaps the PKO law could be used to continue the transportation or if this were part of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Japan might be able to take part. Bio Notes -------------- ¶8. (C) Sato spoke passionately about the work performed by the SDF. He mentioned the year he spent at the Command and General Staff College in Kansas and also that he served as a peacekeeper in the Golan Heights in 1996. In the corner of his office stands a large Winnie the Pooh wearing Sato's signature mustache. Sato appears to understand English but prefers to speak in Japanese. SCHIEFFER