PARLIAMENTARY GROUP STRONGLY DISCOURAGES DE-LISTING

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 001527 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2018/06/03 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR JA KN SUBJECT: PARLIAMENTARY GROUP STRONGLY DISCOURAGES DE-LISTING Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer for reasons 1.4 (b,d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Independent lawmaker Takeo Hiranuma, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Diet member Keiji Furuya and the Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ) Hiroshi Nakai told the Ambassador June 3 that the &unprincipled8 de-listing of North Korea before the abductee issue is resolved might adversely affect U.S.-Japan relations. Furuya expressed his concern that the hurdles for de-listing seem to be getting lower and strongly urged the United States not to make any concessions to North Korea. Nakai further emphasized that the majority of Japanese citizens hold this view. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Former LDP heavyweight and now independent legislator Takeo Hiranuma, conservative LDP Diet member Furuya and Hiroshi Nakai, formerly of the Freedom Party but now a member of the DPJ, told the Ambassador on June 3 that de-listing North Korea before the abductees issue is resolved would "seriously jeopardize8 the US-Japan alliance. They also delivered a copy of the declaration adopted the previous week by the League of Parliamentarians for Early Repatriation of Japanese Citizens Kidnapped by North Korea. In addition to addressing the abductee issue, the resolution also states that North Korea must make a "complete and correct" nuclear declaration. The League consists of 203 Diet members from both houses for which Hiranuma is chairman, Furuya secretary general and Nakai acting chairman. ¶3. (C) Hiranuma explained to the Ambassador that he and six other Diet members traveled to Washington, DC, last November and again in May 2008 to convey this message to the Administration and Congress. He also reported that on June 3 the Diet agreed to continue economic sanctions against North Korea and to continue to prohibit North Korean ships from docking in Japanese ports. Only the Social Democratic Party and the Communist Party oppose these measures, he said. ¶4. (C) Furuya argued that the delisting of North Korea should not take place &in an unprincipled way;8 the abductee issue should be resolved first. He explained that many League members are very worried that the hurdles allowing the de-listing of North Korea are becoming lower, and he strongly urged the United States not to make concessions to North Korea. Nakai further emphasized that the majority of the Japanese people hold this view. He appealed to the Ambassador directly to work to resolve the abductee issue before de-listing occurs. ¶5. (C) The Ambassador stressed the President's enduring interest in the abduction issue and that his strong feelings on the matter "have not changed." Furthermore, on every occasion that EAP A/S Chris Hill meets North Korea's Kim Kye-gwan, A/S Hill raises the abduction issue and underlines the importance of resolving it. While we continue to make progress in addressing our nuclear concerns, we will nevertheless continue to work for the resolution of the abduction issue, the Ambassador promised. ¶6. (C) Hiranuma closed the meeting by saying that no Japanese Diet member believes more strongly than they do in the US-Japan Alliance and expressed his desire that the abductee issue not interfere with the bilateral relationship. SCHIEFFER