DEPUTY SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH JAPANESE VFM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 TOKYO 001263

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR CA/OCS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM CASC EAID KDEM KOCI KNNP XA AF BM
CU, CH, IR, PK, JA
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH JAPANESE VFM
YABUNAKA FOCUSES ON CHINA, BURMA, IRAN AND TIP

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Joe Donovan for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Yabunaka, at
dinner with Deputy Secretary May 8, said Chinese President
Hu's visit to Japan was focused on the future of the
relationship and that the Chinese had avoided comments about
difficult historical issues. Yabunaka expressed strong
dissatisfaction with Japan's Tier II ranking in the
Department's TIP report, requested senior-level participation
at Japan's upcoming Africa development conference and said
Japan planned to increase aid to Burma in the wake of the
disaster there. The Deputy Secretary called to Yabunaka's
attention Cuba Solidarity Day and asked Japan to signal
support for human rights and democracy promotion in Cuba.
The two also discussed the Hague Convention on Child
Abductions, Afghanistan, and Iran. END SUMMARY.

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CHINA-JAPAN SUMMIT
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2. (C) VFM Yabunaka reported that the ongoing visit of
Chinese President Hu Jintao to Tokyo has been going well.
Although no progress was made on the three substantive issues
that have been receiving the most attention in the press
(Tibet, tainted dumplings, and oil and gas exploration in the
East China Sea),the atmospherics have been very good. Hu,
he reported, had mentioned nothing of the past, choosing
instead to focus on the future relationship which China
wishes to base on "mutually beneficial strategic relations"
and by which they will seek to promote "universally
recognized common values." Yabunaka said that this last
phrase is really understood to mean "human rights" although
it wasn't possible to say so directly, and that China and
Japan plan to resume their human rights dialogue -- last held
in 2000 -- later this month. He referred to the joint
statement signed by Hu and Prime Minister Fukuda as the
"fourth fundamental document" concerning the China-Japan
relationship since 1972 setting out the relationship between
the two countries and noted that it is the first one that
does not mention historical issues or the past. Yabunaka
expects that the agreement will result in more high-level and
working-level exchanges, as well as military-to-military
exchanges. It was agreed that a Japanese Maritime Self
Defense Force vessel will make a port call in China prior to
the Olympic Games. He said the Japanese found the Chinese to
be quite nervous about the Olympics and the economy. China
also wanted to demonstrate to its own people the importance
of progress in the China-Japan relationship.


3. (C) With regard to the three big public issues, Yabunaka
reported the following:

-- Tibet. Prime Minister Fukuda told Hu that China must have
a dialogue with Tibet. Hu replied that talks with
representatives of the Dalai Lama will continue even though
they are "complicated" and the representatives are
frustrating to deal with. Yabunaka reported the Chinese were
very upset with the French for the way the Olympic torch
relay was conducted in France, but indicated just before the
torch reached Nagano on April 26 that only Japan and the
United States really understood China's concerns about the
torch. The Japanese took this as a positive signal that Hu's
subsequent meetings in Tokyo would be conducted in a positive
atmosphere.

-- Tainted dumplings. No progress was made to resolve the
ongoing dispute growing from the case of the poisoned Chinese
dumplings which had made their way into the Japanese market.

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Yabunaka said the Chinese fail to see this as a big deal
"since no one died" and are having a difficult time
appreciating Japanese concerns about food safety. They
consider the whole thing to be a media campaign aimed at
damaging relations with China. Yabunaka said attempts were
made to explain that the Japanese obsession with food safety
is not aimed only at China, but at everyone else as well,
including the United States and even domestic Japanese
producers and restaurants. Yabunaka acknowledged that the
food processing plant in question was very clean and modern,
but seemed to dismiss the Chinese conclusion that the
poisonous substance involved must have been placed on the
outside of the package downstream in the shipping process.
Talks on this continue at the working level.

-- East China Sea. Yabunaka said the press is reporting a
major breakthrough, but in fact the situation is really not
much changed and talks are continuing at the working level.
He said that there would be no concrete breakthrough until at
least after the G-8 meetings.


4. (C) The Japanese were also pleased by what they viewed as
progress with the Chinese on climate change issues. Yabunaka
reported that although there was no breakthrough, the Chinese
at least acknowledged they value Japan's strategy to approach
this problem on a sectoral basis, and also agreed to
cooperate on a post-Kyoto framework.


5. (C) With regard to Japan's bid to win a permanent seat on
the Security Council, the Japanese goal with this visit was
to make sure the Chinese did not come out clearly against
this possibility. Accordingly, said Yabunaka, the Japanese
were satisfied by the signing of a side document to the joint
declaration -- very rare for President Hu to do, he claimed
-- in which China "appreciates" the role Japan has played at
the United Nations and expressing the hope that Japan will
continue to play even a greater and more constructive role in
the future. According to Yabunaka, the Chinese acknowledged
with a wink "we both know what we are talking about, but this
is all we can say at this time."


6. (C) On civil nuclear cooperation, Yabunaka told the Deputy
Secretary that Tokyo and Beijing have also agreed upon a way
forward in the field of civil nuclear cooperation, but that
this agreement was not being publicized. He said that there
is an existing agreement regarding the end use of Japanese
exports to China's nuclear industry, but that it had not been
adequately enforced in the past. It was agreed at the summit
that steps will be taken by China to solidify and enforce the
agreement, which will then allow Japanese companies to more
easily export nuclear technology to China. He added that
this step is also a positive one for the United States,
noting an agreement between Westinghouse and Toshiba to bid
on Chinese nuclear projects.


7. (C) Yabunaka said the Japanese also pushed China to
increase military transparency and noted that the Chinese
seemed more relaxed about the situation with Taiwan, as they
did not push hard on this issue. Yabunaka summed up by
saying that, all told, the Japanese were pleased with the
visit.

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JAPAN UNHAPPY WITH TIP REPORT
--------------


8. (C) Yabunaka mentioned that Tokyo was very unhappy last
year with the Department's Trafficking in Persons report and
said many people in the government had worked very hard to

TOKYO 00001263 003 OF 005


respond to U.S. concerns. The strong hope is that when this
year's report comes out, Japan will no longer be a Tier II
country "like Rwanda" but will be elevated to the same status
as other countries such as Canada and South Korea. Yabunaka
said his own attitude toward this was that Japan should
forget about the report. "We know what we are doing and we
can be proud of ourselves. We do not need to care what
others think about us." But, he said, other "more serious"
people in the government and in the Diet disagree and are
upset, so he is hopeful that the hard work being done will be
recognized by the Department.

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HAGUE CONVENTION ON CHILD ABDUCTION
--------------


9. (C) Japan is taking steps to move toward joining the Hague
Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Parental
Child Abduction, Yabunaka reported. He acknowledged that
this is likely to take a long time, but said that in the
meantime Japan is willing to address cases on a case-by-case
basis, strongly recognizing the humanitarian aspects posed by
this issue. He said Japan has also been in contact with
Canada about this and has produced a manual to be used by
Japanese consular officials to guide them in the handling of
these types of cases. The Deputy Secretary responded that
this is welcome news, noting that there are currently 47
cases involving 60 children who have been separated from
their parents in the United States. (NOTE: Embassy Tokyo
observes that the manual does not change the fundamental
issue that, in Japan, the taking parent has sole discretion
as to whom can visit the child, including the left-behind
U.S. parent and consular officers in Japan. END NOTE.)

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BURMA DISASTER RELIEF
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10. (C) Japan immediately made assistance available to Burma
in the wake of the recent cyclone, said Yabunaka, drawing
from warehoused supplies, such as tents and generators, which
Japan stores in Singapore. These supplies had reached Burma
via commercial flights from Singapore. Due to the rapidly
rising casualty figures which are only now becoming
available, Yabunaka said the Cabinet would be meeting to
allocate additional emergency relief funds. (NOTE: The next
day, May 9, the Japanese cabinet approved the allocation of
an addition USD 10 million to be granted through
international organizations. END NOTE.) Yabunaka said Tokyo
has been in touch with the Burmese regime to urge it to grant
access to relief organizations and other countries which are
ready and able to assist, and which have much experience
dealing with this type of situation.

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AFGHANISTAN - PAKISTAN
--------------


11. (C) Yabunaka reported briefly on the recent visit by
Foreign Minister Koumura to Afghanistan and Pakistan,
highlighting the fact that Japan has recently decided to
double its aid to Pakistan to over USD 400 million in yen
loans. He said Japan will keep pressing Islamabad to make
progress on the path to democracy. In addition, he mentioned
Japan's contributions toward developing the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas, which Japan considers very
important. He lamented the fact that moving forward with
planned projects there has not been easy.


TOKYO 00001263 004 OF 005



12. (C) In Kabul, Koumura met with President Karzai and
assured him Japan is prepared to do its share at the upcoming
Afghanistan Support Conference in Paris next month. Yabunaka
believes a senior level government official will participate
in that meeting. In addition, he noted that a new
Japanese-financed terminal will be opened later this month at
Kabul's airport, and a senior official will travel there to
attend the inaugural ceremony. Yabunaka said that Japan is
taking very seriously the situation in Afghanistan, not only
from a bilateral aspect but also from the role it is playing
as chair of the G-8 this year.

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IRAN
--------------


13. (C) Yabunaka mentioned that earlier in the day the
Iranian Ambassador had come to meet with him to announce that
Tehran is in the process of considering a "new and bold"
approach to the nuclear impasse, and that they were currently
consulting with Moscow on this. The Ambassador promised to
reveal more details when they were finally worked out.
(NOTE: In an interview he gave to the press reported the same
day, the Iranian Ambassador said that his government would be
sending an envoy to Tokyo later in the month to discuss this
proposal with Japan, acting in it's capacity as chair of the
G-8. END NOTE.) Yabunaka said he had reiterated to the
Ambassador Japan's firmly held view that Iran must comply
with the Security Council resolutions and cease its
enrichment activities. The Deputy Secretary warned that the
announcement of "new" proposals by the Iranians is nothing
new, and any such proposal should be regarded with a healthy
dose of skepticism.

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AFRICA
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14. (C) Yokohama will be the venue later this month for the
fourth meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on
African Development (TICAD IV),reminded Yabunaka. He wanted
to emphasize to the Deputy Secretary that Japan is serious
about playing a role in assisting African nations and is
proud of the fact that 44 heads of state are expected to
attend the meeting. He said it is doubtful that Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe will attend, given the current
electoral controversies he is facing. The Deputy Secretary
replied that it is a little heralded fact that the U.S. is
also very committed to Africa.

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CUBA
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15. (C) The Deputy Secretary informed Yabunaka that May 20 is
the anniversary of Cuban independence, and that President
Bush will be making a speech on May 21 about Cuba, the theme
being to keep hope for freedom alive. He said we would like
very much for Japan to at least issue a statement to show its
interest in promoting democracy and human rights in Cuba to
correspond with the President's speech. It will go a long
way, he said, if a number of respected, like-minded countries
were to speak out together on this important issue. He said
the Embassy would follow up on this request, and Yabunaka
replied that he would consider Japan's course of action.

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ENHANCED CONSULTATIONS
--------------

TOKYO 00001263 005 OF 005




16. (C) VFM Yabunaka concluded the meeting by noting that
the U.S. and Japan are natural allies, and made a request to
have closer consultations on regional issues at the directors
level. He mentioned the recent visit to Washington by MOFA's
Iran experts as an example and cited an interest in
conducting similar consultations on China, Southeast Asia,
South Asia, Central Asia, Russia, and Africa. Policy
Planning Director Kanehara added that MOFA would like to
expand its regular contacts with the Department from the
Policy Planning realm to also include regional directors.
The Deputy Secretary said he would be happy to consider a
proposal to do so and encouraged Yabunaka to send a note
setting forth in detail what he had in mind.

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PARTICIPANTS
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17. (SBU) U.S. delegation:

-- Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte

-- U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires Joe Donovan

-- Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alex Arvizu

-- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense David Sedney

-- D Staff Special Assistant Kaye Lee

-- D Staff Special Assistant Ted Wittenstein

-- U.S. Embassy Political Officer Evan Reade (notetaker)


18. (SBU) Japanese delegation:

-- Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka

-- Director General North American Affairs Shinichi Nishimiya

-- Director of Policy Coordination Nobukatsu Kanehara

-- Director 1st N. American Affairs Div. Kanji Yamanouchi

-- Director Japan-U.S. Security Treaty Div. Kazuhiro Suzuki

-- Director Northeast Asia Div. Shigeo Yamada

-- Dep. Dir. 1st N. American Affairs Div. Tada (notetaker)


19. (SBU) The Deputy Secretary's party has cleared this
cable.
DONOVAN