NEW MOFA APEC SENIOR OFFICIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 001724 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP AMBASSADOR HASLACH DEPT ALSO FOR E, EAP/EP AND EAP/J PASS USTR FOR CUTLER/MEYERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2013 TAGS: ETRD APECO PREL JA SUBJECT: NEW MOFA APEC SENIOR OFFICIAL REF: TOKYO 1708 Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer, Reason 1.4 (b)(d) ¶1. (SBU) Japanese Foreign Ministry Senior Official Masashi Mizukami relinquished his APEC duties as of June 1, and took the opportunity of a June 18 meeting with EMIN (reftel) to introduce his successor, Kenji Hiramatsu, Deputy Director General of MOFA's Economic Affairs Bureau. Hiramatsu told Emboffs he is still familiarizing himself with the myriad of APEC issues, but is also committed to working closely with his U.S. counterparts over the next three years. ¶2. (C) Hiramatsu's recent career has included some controversy. As director of MOFA's Northeast Asia division from 2001-2002, he was deeply involved in the preparations for the 2002 Japan-DPRK summit meeting between former Prime Minister Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Subsequently, however, he was sharply criticized by the families of Japanese abductees for taking an insufficiently hardline toward the DPRK on the abduction issues. He took a leave of absence from MOFA in early 2003 to assume a short-term fellowship at Harvard University. ¶3. (U) Hiramatsu's official MOFA bio: Kenji Hiramatsu Deputy Director General, Economic Affairs Bureau Ministry of Foreign Affairs DOB: December 22, 1956 March 1979 Graduated University of Kyoto Faculty of Law April 1979 Joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs July 1986 Deputy Director, Research and Programming Division, Economic Cooperation Bureau September 1988 Deputy Director, Personnel Division December 1990 First Secretary, Delegation of Japan to the OECD August 1994 Principal Deputy Director Policy Coordination Division April 1995 Coordinator, Policy Coordination Division July 1996 Director, Second Southeast Asia Division April 1998 Director, National Security Policy Division Counsellor, Cabinet Secretariat, National Security Affairs and Crisis Management October 1999 Private Secretary to the Foreign Minister April 2001 Director, Northeast Asia Division July 2003 Minister, Embassy of Japan, Washington June 2004 Minister and Consul General Embassy of Japan, London May 2008 Deputy Director General Economic Affairs Bureau APEC Senior Official SCHIEFFER