COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR CODEL INOUYE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 003213 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OTRA PREL JA SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR CODEL INOUYE REF: STATE 122234 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (U) Embassy welcomes and grants country clearance for Senator Inouye's November 30 through December 5, 2008, visit to Japan (Tokyo and Okinawa). ¶2. (U) Control Officer for the Tokyo portion of the visit will be Political Officer Jamie Roane. He can be reached at: Office phone: (81-3)3224-5340 Home phone: (81-3)3224-6936 Mobile phone: 81-90-4168-4950 Fax: (81-3)3224-5322 E-mail: RoaneJO@state.gov (unclassified) Control Officer for the Okinawa portion of the visit will be Political Officer Claire Kaneshiro. She can be reached at: Office phone: (81-98)876-6628 Home phone: (81-98)933-0469 Mobile phone: 81-90-9787-0103 E-mail: KaneshiroCK@state.gov (unclassified) -------------- Hotel Reservations -------------- ¶3. (U) Tokyo hotel reservations have been made at the Imperial Hotel, 1-1-1 Uchisaiwai-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8558, Tel: (81-3) 3504-1111, Fax: (81-3) 3581-9146. Details as follows: Senator Daniel Inouye and spouse Arrive: 11/30/08 Depart: 12/04/08 Conf. No.: CODEL Inouye Charlie Houy Arrive: 11/30/08 Depart: 12/04/08 Conf. No.: CODEL Inouye Captain Thomas Carney Arrive: 11/30/08 Depart: 12/04/08 Conf. No.: CODEL Inouye Okinawa hotel reservations have been made at the Naha Terrace Hotel, 2-14-1 Omoromachi, Naha, Okinawa 900-0006, Tel: (81-98) 864-1111, Fax: (81-98) 863-3275. Details as follows: Senator Daniel Inouye and spouse Arrive: 12/04/08 Depart: 12/05/08 Conf. No.: CODEL Inouye Charlie Houy Arrive: 12/04/08 Depart: 12/05/08 Conf. No.: CODEL Inouye Captain Thomas Carney Arrive: 12/04/08 Depart: 12/05/08 Conf. No.: CODEL Inouye -------------- Airport to Hotel Transportation -------------- ¶4. (U) Control Officer will meet Senator Inouye and party at the arrival gate and assist to an embassy vehicle. -------------- Visa -------------- ¶5. (U) Holders of U.S. diplomatic or official passports must have a Japanese visa to enter Japan. Travelers on a U.S. tourist (blue cover) passport may enter Japan as a tourist without a Japanese visa for up to 90 days. As of November 20, 2007, all foreign nationals entering Japan, with the exemption of certain categories, are required to provide fingerprints and a facial photograph at the port of entry. This requirement does not replace any existing visa or passport requirements. Official U.S. travelers will have to submit to the photograph and fingerprinting requirement unless they travel with a valid diplomatic or official visa or a Note Verbale. The nature of the passport onto which the visa is pasted is not relevant, i.e. a tourist passport TOKYO 00003213 002 OF 002 holder with a diplomatic or official visa will not have to submit to the biometrics collection process. SOFA personnel are exempt under SOFA Article 9 (2) from the new biometrics entry requirements. -------------- Embassy Laptop Policy -------------- ¶6. (U) The Embassy's electronic device (i.e. laptop, removable storage, video equipment, test equipment, etc.) policy states that absolutely no personal, non-government owned electronic devices may enter the Embassy. Absolutely no equipment, even government-owned, may be connected to the Embassy network in any way without prior approval. TDY employees are reminded that even government-owned equipment may not enter the Embassy without prior RSO approval. Absolutely no electronic device, even government-owned, may enter the CAA unless special pre-approval is given by the RSO, based on a compelling business need. Please be advised that if the traveler does not have one of the following BlackBerry models and a service contract with one of the telecommunications companies (listing follows),then his/her BlackBerry will not work in Japan. Japan has the most advanced cellular industry in the world and BlackBerry protocols are not as advanced as what are being used in Japan today. (BlackBerry models: 8707G, H, V or U.S. Telecommunications Companies with a NTT/DoCoMo roaming agreement: Sprint/Nextel, ATT/Cingular, and T-Mobile)If you would like to bring a U.S. government-owned electronic device into the Embassy, please contact the RSO office (provide make, model, serial number, and purpose) prior to your visit for a briefing and approval. -------------- Threat Assessment -------------- ¶7. (U) U.S. Government facilities worldwide remain at a heightened state of alert. As the U.S. Government has reported in public announcements over the last several months, U.S. citizens and interests abroad may be at increased risk of terrorist actions from extremist groups, which may target civilians and include suicide operations. The Department maintains information about potential threats to Americans overseas which is available to travelers on the internet at the Bureau of Consular Affairs home page: http://www.travel.state.gov. The Embassy takes all threats seriously. U.S. Embassy Tokyo can be contacted 24 hours a day at 03-3224-5000 (locally) or 81-3-3224-5000 (internationally). ¶8. (SBU) The general threat from crime in Tokyo and throughout Japan is low. Crime is at levels well below the U.S. national average. Violent crime is rare, but does exist. The Japanese National Police report continued problems with pick-pocketing of foreigners in crowded shopping areas of Tokyo. Although street crime is low, common sense security measures are advised for all American citizens traveling in Japan. ¶9. (U) Also be advised that under no circumstances may weapons be brought into Japan. Carrying a pocketknife (including Swiss Army-style knife, craft or hunting knife, box cutter, etc.) in public is forbidden. Under Japanese law, carrying any such item in public, with a size exceeding 8 cm in length, 1.5 cm in width or 2 mm in thickness, can subject the person to arrest or detention. SCHIEFFER