ROK FM YU TOKYO VISIT CONFIRMS SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 001029 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (CORRECTS PARA MARKINGS AND NUMBERING) SIPDIS STATE PASS USTR - W. CUTLER AND M. BEEMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV ETRD JA KS KN SUBJECT: ROK FM YU TOKYO VISIT CONFIRMS SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY, PROMOTES DPRK COOPERATION, AND SETS STAGE FOR FTA NEGOTIATIONS REF: TOKYO 0547 TOKYO 00001029 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer. Reasons 1.4 (B) (D) ¶1. (C) Summary. Japan and South Korea confirmed plans to resume "Shuttle Diplomacy" and pledged to make a "New Era" in Tokyo-Seoul relations a reality during ROK Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan's April 3-6 visit to Tokyo. During detailed discussions on North Korea, the two sides called on the DPRK to provide a complete and correct nuclear declaration, and added that the document must include information on the DPRK's highly enriched uranium (HEU),plutonium, and nuclear weapons programs. Yu predicted North Korea would submit a declaration at the "lowest level" and avoid including any reference to nuclear weapons. Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura promised Japan would resolve the nuclear and abduction issues simultaneously, but balked when asked if Tokyo would be prepared to loosen DPRK sanctions if the North were to make progress on denuclearization but not on abductions. Japan repeated its proposal for holding Deputy Foreign Minister-level trilateral meetings on regional and global issues. ¶2. (C) Summary, cont,d. Both sides avoided discussion of contentious bilateral matters. Koumura said Japan "was not quite ready" to extend voting rights to Korean residents living in Japan. On trade and economic matters, Tokyo explored ways to re-initiate the dialogue between the Japanese-South Korean business communities, and both discussed ways to resume negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). Yu reportedly said ROK President Lee would stress his intention to ratify the United States-ROK FTA "as soon as possible" during Lee's April Summit in Washington. End Summary. -------------- Confirm "Shuttle Diplomacy" in "New Era" -------------- ¶3. (C) On April 8, MOFA Northeast Asia Division Deputy Director Shigetoshi Nagao briefed Embassy Tokyo on ROK Foreign Minister (and former ROK Ambassador to Japan) Yu Myung-hwan's April 3-6 visit to Tokyo. Yu kicked off bilateral meetings on April 4 with Economy, Trade, and Industry Minister Akira Amari, before holding a 30-minute discussion with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and a 20-minute talk with Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura. Yu concluded the day with a one hour meeting, as well as a separate 90-minute dinner, with Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura. The following day, Yu attended the G8 development ministers outreach meeting before departing Japan early on April 6. ¶4. (C) Koumura and Yu reviewed preparations for ROK President Lee Myung-bak's April 20-21 visit to Tokyo. Both sides sought to confirm that the Fukuda-Lee discussion would constitute the first round of the "Shuttle Diplomacy" Fukuda and Lee agreed to re-start when the Japanese Prime Minister attended Lee's inauguration on February 25 (Reftel). Nagao stated that the Summit would offer the opportunity to make the "New Era" in Japan-South Korean relations a concrete reality. ¶5. (C) The Foreign Ministers also agreed to develop concrete programs to stimulate "people-to-people" exchanges and increase overseas study opportunities for university students and members of the "intellectual community." Nagao said Seoul was eager to expand the quota of working holiday visas which allow Japanese students to travel and earn money through part-time jobs. -------------- North Korea -------------- TOKYO 00001029 002.2 OF 003 ¶6. (C) Koumura and Yu held "detailed" discussions on North Korea, which Nagao described as the third main issue between the two sides. Yu explained Seoul's approach to North-South relations, especially in light of Pyongyang's recent severe criticism of President Lee's firmer policy toward the DPRK, including the ROK's offer to raise per capita income in North Korea to USD 3000 only if North Korea agrees to denuclearize. Yu assessed that Pyongyang's verbal attack was intended to affect the outcome of the ROK April 9 parliamentary election, in which the Kim Jong-il regime hoped the ruling GNP would lose multiple seats. Yu claimed not to be worried, Nagao reported. (Comment: Nagao characterized FM Yu, whom Nagao met several times while Yu served as Ambassador, as a "hardliner" on the DPRK.) -------------- Abductions -------------- ¶7. (C) On abductions, the Japanese FM said that Tokyo wants to resolve the nuclear and abduction issues in a simultaneous fashion. Yu pointedly asked if Japan would be prepared to loosen sanctions on the DPRK - and provide financial assistance - if the North were to make progress on denuclearization but not on the abduction issue. Koumura responded that while the answer would be "difficult," Japan hopes that steps toward denuclearization would simultaneously provide an incentive for Pyongyang to resolve the abduction problem. -------------- Nuclear Declaration -------------- ¶8. (C) The two sides, Nagao reported, shared the view that the North must provide a complete and correct nuclear declaration. Koumura stated that the document must include information on the highly enriched uranium (HEU) and nuclear weapons programs. Yu added that Pyongyang must also account for its plutonium programs. He expected the DPRK to submit a declaration at the "lowest level," and to avoid including any reference to nuclear weapons. As reported by Nagao, the ROK FM placed importance on submission of a correct, as opposed to a complete, declaration. Yu expressed optimism that, provided with a complete and correct declaration, Six-Party Talks (6PT) participants would be able to figure out the number of nuclear weapons in the DPRK arsenal. Yu opined that submission of a correct declaration would provide adequate cause to convene a 6PT meeting to discuss the document. -------------- Trilateral Cooperation -------------- ¶9. (C) Japan repeated its proposal for holding Deputy Foreign Minister-level trilateral meetings with the United States and the ROK. The proposed trilateral discussion, to be held in addition to the Japan-ROK dialogue, should address regional and global issues, as well as the DPRK nuclear problem. Nagao said that Seoul, which "did not offer a positive signal, but did not provide a negative signal," is considering the idea. -------------- Japan-ROK FTA -------------- ¶10. (C) Koumura explored ways to re-initiate the dialogue between the Japan-South Korean business communities, an effort suspended in 2004. Nagao said the "big issue" between Tokyo and Seoul is finding a way to resume negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). He noted PM Fukuda and TOKYO 00001029 003.2 OF 003 President Lee may reach an agreement calling for the two countries to hold a preparatory meeting prior to resuming FTA negotiations, a step which Nagao said would be a key deliverable of the Summit. -------------- U.S.-ROK Summit -------------- ¶11. (C) Yu reportedly told Japan that President Lee would stress his intention to ratify the United States-ROK FTA "as soon as possible" during Lee's April Washington visit. Yu expressed the hope that Tokyo would also look to conclude an FTA with the United States in the near future. -------------- History, Voting Rights, Liancourt Rocks -------------- ¶12. (C) Both sides avoided discussion of historical subjects, the Liancourt Rocks, or other contentious issues. The two men agreed that negotiations on the EEZ would continue in the established separate forum. Yu noted President Lee's interest in seeing that Tokyo extends voting rights to Korean residents living in Japan. Koumura said Japan "is not quite ready" to move forward on that front. Nagao noted that voting rights is a "very core issue for Japan politically." ¶13. (C) Nagao identified cooperation on the international stage as a second main achievement of the upcoming Fukuda-Lee meeting, with Tokyo and Seoul looking for ways to work together on the environment and global warming. Japan and South Korea will co-host a Dialogue Meeting on Development Partnereships in Bangkok on April 23 for new donors and recipients. -------------- China -------------- ¶14. (C) Over dinner, Yu noted ROK-PRC trade had "dramatically increased" and would soon become larger than the sum of Japan-ROK and United States-ROK trade, Nagao related. Seoul, he continued, is concerned too much reliance on Chinese trade might cause instability in the South Korean economy. SCHIEFFER