MEXT DEPUTY MINISTER ASKS USG TO URGE MOFA TO LEAD

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 002861 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/J ATBRYAN, G/STAS AREYNOLDS, OES/STC EBHOWARD AND TSCOTT, AND S/CT DEPT PASS TO DHS FOR LRAMIREZ E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2018 TAGS: TSPL PTER PREL TBIO JA SUBJECT: MEXT DEPUTY MINISTER ASKS USG TO URGE MOFA TO LEAD ON DHS S&T REF: 07 TOKYO 5221 Classified By: J. Thomas Schieffer for reasons 1.4 b/d ¶1. (C) Summary: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Deputy Minister Toichi Sakata asked that the USG, in particular the Department, engage Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) at a "high level" to spur the Ministry to negotiate a U.S.-Japan Homeland Security Science and Technology Agreement. Sakata told Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Under Secretary Jay Cohen and Science Advisor to the Secretary of State Dr. Nina Fedoroff MOFA must take the lead in coordinating the various GOJ stakeholders, since the agreement for such cooperation would include research, testing, and application. In light of his experience negotiating other S&T related agreements, Sakata recommended against including provisions for sharing classified information, as they require changes to Japanese law. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Meeting Oct. 3 with DHS Under Secretary Cohen and Science Advisor to the Secretary of State Nina Fedoroff, MEXT Deputy Minister Sakata asked that the USG engage MOFA at a "high level" to spur MOFA's involvement in negotiating a U.S.-Japan Homeland Security Science and Technology Agreement. Sakata said in the year since DHS proposed such an arrangement with Japan, the GOJ has been unable to decide on an appropriate Japanese counterpart. While MEXT is involved with science and technology, and has volunteered to be an interim GOJ point-of-contact on the issue, he said the GOJ norm was for MOFA to negotiate such agreements. ¶3. (C) Sakata added since the scope of the arrangement the U.S. is proposing goes beyond research to include testing and application, many agencies within the GOJ (principally, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, the Cabinet Secretariat, and the National Police Agency) would be involved. In such a case, he said MOFA has to lead in coordinating the GOJ side. (Note: Sakata's remarks implied that MEXT did not have the power within the GOJ to bring all the necessary agencies to the table. End note.) ¶4. (C) Regarding the arrangement's content, Sakata said given his experience negotiating other S&T related agreements, he would recommend against including provisions for sharing classified information. Any agreement addressing the safeguarding of classified information would require changes to Japanese law, he said, and thus require Diet approval. He believes that if arrangements for homeland security related S&T cooperation could be concluded within the existing Japanese legal framework, it may only require approval from the Cabinet Office. The two countries could address the issue of including classified information at a later date, if it proved necessary. ¶5. (C) Sakata went on to suggest a letter from the Secretary to Foreign Minister Nakasone, noting Nakasone had been State Minister for Science and Technology. (Note: DHS has offered to work with the STAS Office to prepare a draft letter. End note.) He thought it would be appropriate for a State Department official to meet with the Political Minister at the Japanese Embassy in Washington to explain the letter, and the importance of an arrangement and the scientific cooperation on ways to fight terrorism under it. Sakata said MEXT would continue to be involved in the issue after MOFA took the lead on the negotiations. ¶6. (C) Meeting with Dr. Fedoroff October 2, MEXT Director General for Science and Technology Policy Shinichiro Izumi also suggested the USG approach MOFA Director General for North American Affairs Shinichi Nishimiya or Deputy Vice Minister for Foreign Policy Koro Bessho to push MOFA to lead the Japanese side in this matter. Council on Science and Technology Policy member Taizo Yakushiji, who has been involved in the issue since cooperation under the U.S.-Japan Framework Initiative for Safe, Secure, Society (FIS3) began in 2005, recommended engaging MOFA Ambassador in charge of Science and Technology Cooperation Seiji Kojima. Dr. Fedoroff and U/S Cohen subsequently met with Kojima at the STS forum in Kyoto October 5. (Note: MOFA's Office for International Science Cooperation has had the lead within MOFA on the DHS proposal to negotiate an agreement. That office's Director has told the Embassy DHS Senior Representative and EST Chief that the scope of the proposed agreement falls outside his brief and he believes it belongs in another part of MOFA. End note.) ¶7. (U) DHS Tokyo Senior Representative Michael Cox and STAS Fedoroff cleared this message. SCHIEFFER