JAPANESE SUPPORT UNLIKELY ON FOUR UNGA FIRST

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 002841 SIPDIS WILLIAM F. MENOLD JR., ISN/MNSA E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/09/2018 TAGS: PARM PINS AORC TINT TNGD UNGA USUN POL INR IRE IO/UNP, JA SUBJECT: JAPANESE SUPPORT UNLIKELY ON FOUR UNGA FIRST COMMITTEE RESOLUTIONS REF: A. STATE 108110 ¶B. STATE 107427 Classified By: Classified by Ambassador John Schieffer for reasons 1.4b , d. ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Japan will probably not support U.S. positions on four resolutions that may come in front of the UNGA First (Disarmament) Committee, according to MOFA contacts. Japan has voted in favor of resolutions regarding de-alerting nuclear weapons, depleted uranium munitions, and the Russian Federation's information security resolution in the past, and will probably do so again if there is no major change in wording. MOFA has not seen the draft of the global state of nuclear disarmament resolution and so cannot make a definite statement. Based on its knowledge of the resolution to date though, support is possible. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Embassy Tokyo delivered REF. A demarche and REF. B non-paper to Shigeru Umetsu, Deputy Director of MOFA's Arms Control and Disarmament Division, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department on October 10. In response to our request not to support a resolution on decreasing the operational readiness of nuclear weapons systems, Umetsu said that the "resolution as it was revised last year closely fits Japan's own resolution. It does not call for any concrete steps in a short period of time. We are sensitive to the U.S. position, but if there is no major change from last year's version we plan to support it." ¶3. (C) In response to our request not to support a resolution on the global state of nuclear disarmament Umetsu stated that MOFA had not seen a draft of the resolution and so could not respond. Based on his knowledge of the resolution though, and depending on the language, Japanese support was possible. He also went on to say "if there is no change from last year it will be difficult for Japan not to support a resolution on the effects of the use of armaments and ammunitions containing depleted uranium." Umetsu stressed that there was strong Japanese domestic support for this issue. ¶4. (C) Umetsu pointed out that Japan has supported the Russian Federation's resolution on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security in the past, and would probably continue to do so if there were no major changes in wording. He said that Russia has exerted considerable pressure on Japan to support this resolution. SCHIEFFER