FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT: JAPAN SHARES USG

UNCLAS TOKYO 003198 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EEB/IFD/ODF--KATHERINE (KEMY) MONAHAN AND IO/EDA--JANICE HARRIMAN USTR FOR MATT RODEY GENEVA FOR USTR SHARK STATE PASS USAID - KAREN TURNER (ODP) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON UNGA PBIO JA SUBJECT: FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT: JAPAN SHARES USG POSITION ON MONTEREY CONSENSUS REVIEW REF: STATE 122053 ¶1. (SBU) Responding to points delivered as a non-paper (reftel),Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA),International Cooperation Bureau, Global Issues Cooperation Division official Shinsuke Okawa said Japan views the purpose of the upcoming Financing for Development Review Conference in Doha as follow-up on the 2002 Monterrey Consensus, rather than to introduce new commitments or expand into a broader debate on international development. Okawa said it will be important to "send a strong message" that donor countries will implement existing commitments and that the Monterrery Consensus is a productive framework for developing countries. Okawa said Japan does not intend to announce any new commitments outside of the 2002 consensus. ¶2. (SBU) As far as Japan's representation, Okawa said MOFA Parliamentary Vice Minister Nobuhide Minorikawa will likely lead Japan's delegation. Okawa said he understood Administrator Fore would likely lead the U.S. delegation, and several other countries are sending either Development Ministers or Vice Foreign Ministers, so Japan intends to send an equivalently high-level delegation. (Bio note: Minorikawa became Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs under previous Prime Minister Fukuda in August 2008. A second generation politician, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in ¶2003. He holds an M.S. degree from the School of International and Policy Affairs at Columbia University. End note). Okawa, who is the MOFA official coordinating GOJ-wide policy, will also travel to Doha. ¶3. (SBU) EmbOff also delivered reftel non-paper to Ministry of Finance International Bureau Development Policy Division Section Chief Emiri Suzuki, who said Japan will not propose any new commitments. ¶4. Embassy point of contact for future demarches related to the Monterey Consensus review is Ed Luchessi, Economic Officer, LuchessiEP@state.gov. In addition, Post's USAID Development Counselor is Allan Reed, ReedAE@state.gov. SCHIEFFER