JAPAN, ROK SPECIAL ENVOYS PUSH FOR CLOSER TIES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 000165 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV JA KN SUBJECT: JAPAN, ROK SPECIAL ENVOYS PUSH FOR CLOSER TIES REF: TOKYO 00105 Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer. Reasons 1.4 (B) (D) ¶1. (C) Summary. Prime Minister Fukuda,s special envoy (and former Prime Minister) Yoshiro Mori expressed Tokyo's desire for a "new-age" bilateral relationship and invited President-elect Lee to visit Japan, during a January 10-11 visit to Seoul. A Deputy Foreign Minister who accompanied Mori said he was "moved" by how much the bilateral relationship has improved since September 2006. During a reciprocal January 15-18 stopover in Japan, ROK special envoy Lee Sang-deuk said President-elect Lee Myung-bak hopes to create a new Japan-ROK relationship while further strengthening economic ties. The two sides discussed having the new ROK president visit Tokyo in April or May 2008. End Summary. -------------- Reciprocal Visits -------------- ¶2. (C) On January 18, MOFA Northeast Asian Division Deputy Director Shigetoshi Nagao briefed Embassy Tokyo political officer on the recent exchange of special envoys between Tokyo and Seoul. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's special envoy Yoshiro Mori visited Seoul January 10-11, while ROK President-elect Lee Myung-bak's special envoy, Lee Sang-deuk, came to Tokyo January 15-18. Foreign Ministry, ROK Embassy, and Japanese academic contacts tell Embassy Tokyo that these exchanges point to improving relations between Japan and the ROK (reftel). -------------- Mori Visit -------------- ¶3. (C) Nagao said that Mori held a meeting and dinner with President-elect Lee. Mori delivered two messages: 1) Tokyo's desire to "have a new-age bilateral relationship with the President-elect, and 2) PM Fukuda's invitation for President-elect Lee to visit Japan as soon as possible. According to Nagao, Lee emphasized his desire to build strong bilateral and trilateral relationships between the United States, Japan, and South Korea. Lee stressed, however, the importance of cooperating with the PRC, noting the ROK would "not forget China," Nagao related. Neither Lee nor Mori raised historical differences, the Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo),or others problems that have plagued the bilateral relationship, Nagao concluded. -------------- Japanese "Moved" by Visit -------------- ¶4. (C) Then-MOFA Asian and Oceanian Affairs Director-General Kenichiro Sasae (promoted to Deputy Foreign Minister January 17),LDP Diet member (former LDP Secretary General) Hidenao Nakagawa, and LDP Public Relations Chairman Takeo Kawamura accompanied Mori. In an aside, Nagao said that Sasae described Japan-ROK relations as being the "worst ever" when he assumed the DG position three years ago. However, Sasae now characterized Mori's exchanges with President-elect Lee as being the "most friendly meeting and dinner" he had seen since taking over the Japan-ROK portfolio. Sasae reportedly said he was "moved" at how much the bilateral relationship had improved since Prime Minister SHINZO Abe's September 2006 visit to Seoul. -------------- Lee Visit -------------- ¶5. (C) In Tokyo, ROK special envoy Lee Sang-deuk, President-elect Lee Myung-bak's older brother, met with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, LDP Secretary-General Bunmei Ebuki, New Komeito head Akihiro Ota, SIPDIS TOKYO 00000165 002 OF 002 and others, Nagao noted. ¶6. (C) Special envoy Lee told his Japanese interlocutors that: -- President-elect Lee hopes to establish a new bilateral relationship. -- South Korea wants to strengthen the Japan-ROK economic relationship. -- Lee Myung-bak invited PM Fukuda to attend the ROK President's February 25 inauguration. Fukuda said he would like to go, but needs Diet approval. ¶6. (C) Nagao said that Fukuda invited President-elect Lee to visit Tokyo sometime before the 2008 Hokkaido G8 Summit. The two sides suggested the visit might occur at the same time (immediately before or after) as President Lee's first trip to the United States, perhaps in April or May. ¶7. (C) Special envoy Lee avoided raising contentious history issues, but made two "general requests," Nagao observed. Noting that both President-elect Lee and special envoy Lee had been born in Japan and had later migrated to South Korea, Nagao said that the special envoy asked Tokyo to "draw special attention to the plight" of Koreans resident in Japan. Seoul also asked that resident Koreans be allowed to vote in local elections. SCHIEFFER