DEPUTY SECRETARY'S DINNER WITH JAPANESE DIET

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 001272

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL JA KN CH AF IZ MOPPS
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY'S DINNER WITH JAPANESE DIET
MEMBERS

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Joseph R. Donovan for reason 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Six Party Talks, the abductees problem,
China, Afghanistan, and Iraq were the focus of discussions
over dinner between Deputy Secretary Negroponte and a cross
section of Japanese Diet members May 9 in Tokyo. Diet
members underscored the political importance of addressing
the abductees problem, which is the overwhelming concern of
the Japanese public. On China, the Deputy Secretary stressed
the need to engage the leadership, particularly given its
growing economic clout. On Iraq and Afghanistan, the Diet
members pointed to the Japanese public's reluctance to
participate in dangerous war zones, and suggested there was
little enthusiasm for any active role for Japan at this time.
End summary.


2. (C) A cross section of seven Diet members from the
opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ),Liberal
Democratic Party (LDP),and the Komeito Party asked the
Deputy Secretary about U.S. North Korea policy, in particular
whether there had been a shift toward a tougher line against
Pyongyang. DPJ Lower House member Masaharu Nakagawa asked if
the decision to release information about North Korean
cooperation in developing a nuclear capability in Syria
signaled a tilt toward a harder line. The Deputy Secretary
said no, the decision had come after a lengthy internal
debate in the United States. Ultimately, the sense was that
the information was going to come out eventually and it made
no sense to withhold it until later. The Deputy Secretary
underscored that the U.S. policy toward North Korea remained
the same -- to pursue denuclearization.

Japanese Fixated on Abductees
--------------


3. (C) DPJ Lower House member Shinkun Haku said the
overwhelming focus of the Japanese public was not on the
nuclear proliferation problem but on the abductees question.
He estimated that the split was 80 percent - 20 percent with
the public overwhelmingly concerned about the abductees
question. Most of the Diet members who spoke on the issue
acknowledged that the public was very "domestic" in its
focus, and this made it difficult for the government not to
keep the abductee issue at the top of its list of foreign
policy priorities. The government faced enormous pressure to
take a hard line.


4. (C) Nakagawa said the abductee question left the
Japanese very "frustrated," adding that it was increasingly
difficult for Japan to keep the problem as a bilateral matter
with North Korea. We can't "stand alone," he told the Deputy
Secretary. Nakagawa recognized the importance of moving
ahead with denuclearization through the Six Party process but
suggested as a matter of reducing the "political trauma" for
the Japanese government, it would be better if the abductee
issue were somehow "multilateralized," perhaps in a separate
track. That way the government would not be blamed if there
were a discernible lack of progress. It is a "very, very
sensitive issue," Haku said, and it has served to underscore
the lack of trust the public has for the government.


5. (C) The Deputy Secretary and Charge Donovan reassured
the Diet members that Japan was not alone in raising the
abductees question. The Deputy Secretary noted that
President Bush had made an effort to meet some of the family
members of abductees and remained very concerned about the
issue. So had Vice President Cheney. Donovan noted that EAP
Assistant Secretary Chris Hill raises the matter at every
opportunity when he meets with the North Koreans. The United
States is trying to help raise this issue's profile to find
resolution, he said. LDP Lower House member Akiko Yamanaka
said she appreciated U.S. efforts but added it would be
"impossible" to find a fuller resolution of the problem --
for one thing, "Japan doesn't have all the facts," she
complained.

TOKYO 00001272 002 OF 003



China as Emerging Power in Region
--------------


6. (C) With Chinese President Hu wrapping up a four-day
visit to Japan, the Diet members asked the Deputy Secretary
for his thoughts on China. The Deputy Secretary stressed the
importance of engagement. There were problems the United
States and China had, but the two sides must continue to
talk. The Charge said the good news was that the sorts of
problems the United States encountered with China in recent
years -- mostly over economic issues -- are of a different
magnitude compared to the harsh rhetoric coming out of
Beijing in the 1960s. In the short run, we will have
problems with China. In the long run, there is reason for
optimism. To echo the emphasis in China on economic
development, the Deputy Secretary noted what President Hu had
told President Bush was his top priority -- creating 25
million jobs a year.


7. (C) Asked about Tibet, the Deputy Secretary said the
Chinese and the Tibetans need to have a better dialogue. The
situation is very difficult, and the two sides needed to
agree on a definition of "autonomy." Komeito Party Lower
House member Isamu Ueda noted that France had taken a
surprisingly more hard line position against China. the
Deputy Secretary said France's position did not look
especially well thought out. He underscored that President
Bush was resisting pressure to boycott the Olympic opening
ceremony over the Tibet crisis, although there were
significant interest groups in the United States which
favored a shift toward a harder line. The Deputy Secretary
added that, given the warm welcome President Hu received in
Japan, it was clear that Japan must not favor a boycott
either.

Iraq and Afghanistan
--------------


8. (C) The Deputy Secretary asked the Diet members about
Japan's attitude toward participating in international forces
in Iraq and Afghanistan. Echoing other Diet members, LDP
Upper House member Masahisa Sato said the Japanese public was
generally not supportive of sending self defense force
personnel to danger zones abroad. Sato -- who was recruited
into politics a year ago after a distinguished career in the
Japanese Self Defense Force that included a stint in Iraq --
said that the use of weapons for Japanese forces was "very
difficult." Shinkun Haku added that the public simply cannot
understand why Japan would send troops overseas.


9. (C) Another factor limiting any enthusiasm for sending
forces abroad, according to Haku, was the lack of information
the Ministry of Defense made available. He noted Diet
members often had to track down information on U.S.-based
websites. The broader question of information sharing with
Japan was a difficult issue for the United States, the Deputy
Secretary noted. We have had cases of sharing highly
sensitive information with Japanese officials only to have it
leaked to the press within hours. Yamanaka acknowledged the
problem, which was in part due to the lack of any means of
punishing violators. The Deputy Secretary noted the
difficulty of punishing politicians who leak information, but
added that the United States has long encouraged Japan to
pass an official secrets act.


10. (U) May 9, 2008, 1930-2130 hours, at the Charge
d'Affaires residence. The following participants were
present in the meeting:

U.S. Participants:
The Deputy Secretary
Embassy Tokyo Charge d'Affaires Joe Donovan
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense David Sedney
Special Assistant Kaye Lee

TOKYO 00001272 003 OF 003


Special Assistant Ted Wittenstein
Nicholas Hill (Notetaker)

Japanese Participants:
LDP Representative Yasutoshi Nishimura
LDP Representative Akiko Yamanaka
LDP Councillor Masahisa Sato
Komeito Representative Isamu Ueda
DPJ Representative Masahura Nakagawa
DPJ Councillor Shinkun Haku
DPJ Councillor Naoki Kazama


11. (U) The Deputy Secretary has cleared this cable.

DONOVAN