JAPANESE RECONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE TEAM RETURNS

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 001860 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID CH JA SUBJECT: JAPANESE RECONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE TEAM RETURNS FROM CHINA Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Joseph R. Donovan for reasons 1. 4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Japan dispatched a reconstruction team to China from June 20 to July 2 to assess construction assistance needs following the earthquake in China, MOFA First Country Assistance Planning Division Director Kozo Honsei told USAID Counselor and Political Officer on July 2. MOFA Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Deputy Director General Kohara led the 30-member team, which included officials from MOFA; the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism; Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labor; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, and from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. The team visited Beijing and Sichuan and met with officials from the Chinese State Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, and the Ministry of Science and Technology. ¶2. (C) Japan identified 70 possible areas for technical assistance, ranging from providing technical information concerning the Kobe Hanshin earthquake to a two-year training program in construction engineering, Honsei stated. The team asked China to review the list of proposed projects and provide priorities and a tentative timeline for the projects. Most of the assistance provided will be technical assistance, as Japan no longer provides soft loans to China, he explained. Chinese officials welcomed most of the proposals but "insisted on even more projects," Honsei noted. The projects are aimed at reconstruction efforts in Sichuan but also include disaster assistance measures at the provincial and national levels. Prime Minister Fukuda will likely discuss these projects with President Hu Jintao when they meet on July 9 in Hokkaido on the sidelines of the G-8 Summit, Honsei added. SCHIEFFER