ABDUCTEES' FAMILIES DISCUSS CURRENT POLITICAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 002808

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/07/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KN JA
SUBJECT: ABDUCTEES' FAMILIES DISCUSS CURRENT POLITICAL
SITUATION

Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer, reasons 1.4 (b, d).


1. (C) Summary: Representatives of abductee family groups
described their high expectations for how Prime Minister Aso
will address the abduction issue and contrasted PM Aso's
likely approach with that of former PM Fukuda, during a
meeting with EMBASSY Tokyo October 3. In addition, they
welcomed the PM's choices for key abduction-related
positions. Expressing concern that an opposition DPJ
government would not deal with abductions in the same manner
as the ruling LDP, the family representatives expressed hope
that the Aso administration would remain in power through
next year. End Summary.


2. (C) Abductees family group chairman Shigeo Iizuka and
secretary general Teruaki Masumoto opened their October 3
meeting with EMBASSY Tokyo by describing their first meeting
with Prime Minister Taro Aso, which took place the previous
day. (Note: The October 2 meeting was originally scheduled
to be with Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura, but the PM made
a surprise appearance. End Note.) The PM told the families
that he would "take responsibility" for resolving the
abductions issue and left the families with the impression
that he would renew former Prime Minister Abe's "tough
stance" towards the DPRK on this matter. Moreover, according
to Masumoto, Aso seemed to indicate that he would go further
on the abduction issue than recently resigned Prime Minister
Fukuda: rather than by repeating that Japan will
"persistently negotiate," as Fukuda did, Aso said he would
frequently remind the DPRK that its leader admitted to the
abductions and apologized for them in 2002.


3. (C) Iizuka said he is "relieved" that Kyoko Nakayama was
appointed as PM Aso's Special Advisor for the Abductions
Issue. This is because incoming Chief Cabinet Secretary and
Minister of State for Abductions Issues Kawamura will be "too
busy" with other issues to place any priority on abductions,
Iizuka explained. He feels it is encouraging for the
families to have both Aso and Nakayama in the administration.
On other personnel appointments, Masumoto offered that he
welcomed PM Aso's appointment of Iwao Uruma as Deputy Chief
Cabinet Secretary (DCCS). Uruma was previously Director
General of the National Police Agency (NPA) under the Abe
administration, where he took a tough stance against
Chongryon (the association of North Koreans in Japan, and the
DPRK's de facto representative office here). The Abe
administration had strongly supported police efforts to
address the abduction issue by ordering the NPA to enhance
its evidence gathering capabilities while expanding its
budget. As a result, police were able to gather enough
evidence to add Kyoko Matsumoto to the government's list of
abductees, Masumoto noted.


4. (C) In contrast to PM Aso's commitment, Iizuka said that
former PM Fukuda gave the impression that the abductions
issue was like "someone else's problem." Iizuka was
disappointed, however, that Fukuda resigned as he did because
he had, in fact, made some progress in getting the DPRK to
refocus on the abduction issue by agreeing to reinvestigate
the abductions in return for a limited lifting of Japanese
sanctions. With Fukuda's resignation, it seems that Japan -
and the families -- will have to begin again from square one,
Iizuka lamented.


5. (C) Both Iizuka and Masumoto expressed their hope that the
Aso administration will serve its full term until September

2009. While the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is
"very active" in trying to resolve the abductions issue,
neither the opposition Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ)
President Ozawa nor its executive members have ever stated
clearly the DPJ's stance in addressing the abduction issue,
Iizuka said. He questioned whether the DPJ would squarely
address the issue should the DPJ come to power. While true
that some DPJ members are members of a bipartisan
parliamentary league that has taken a hard line against the
DPRK, what is of greater importance is how the party would
address this issue were it to assume power. Masumoto further
pointed out that the DPJ contains former Socialist Party
members who are relatively friendly to the DPRK and that most
DPJ members seem to think the abductions issue should be
settled through dialogue with the DPRK.


6. (C) EMBASSY Political Minister-Counselor stressed the U.S.
Government's continuing strong interest in and concern for
the abductees and underlined that our consistent message to

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the DPRK is that the abductions issue must be resolved. As
the President and the Ambassador have repeatedly stressed, we
will not forget the abductees, and this position has not
changed. Iizuka expressed his gratitude and said that it
gives him and the other family members great comfort to meet
regularly with the EMBASSY and to know that the U.S.
Government and the Ambassador continue to be concerned about
the abductees and their families.
SCHIEFFER