Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08TOKYO3304
2008-12-04 00:55:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:
ASEAN SUMMITS: MOFA WAITING FOR DIRECTION FROM PM
how-toVZCZCXRO7954 OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH DE RUEHKO #3304 3390055 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 040055Z DEC 08 FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9186 INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6651 RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2907 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 8636 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 2647 RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 1107
C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 003304
SIPDIS
FOR EAP/RSP: JANDRE AND EAP/J
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2018
TAGS: ECIN PREL ASEAN JA
SUBJECT: ASEAN SUMMITS: MOFA WAITING FOR DIRECTION FROM PM
REF: STATE 123211
Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer. Reason 1.4(b)
C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 003304
SIPDIS
FOR EAP/RSP: JANDRE AND EAP/J
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2018
TAGS: ECIN PREL ASEAN JA
SUBJECT: ASEAN SUMMITS: MOFA WAITING FOR DIRECTION FROM PM
REF: STATE 123211
Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer. Reason 1.4(b)
1. (C) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) officials
responsible for ASEAN affairs have resisted repeated Embassy
requests to discuss the upcoming ASEAN summit, citing lack of
time. Nevertheless, a working-level official in MOFA's Asian
Regional Policy Division, which is responsible for the summit
preparations, told Econoff December 2 MOFA is waiting for
policy direction from the Prime Minister's office on what the
GOJ hopes to accomplish at Chiang Mai. Current policy is
"not yet explicit", he said, and will require further
"internal discussion and coordination."
2. (C) The staffer added the GOJ considers it "highly
likely" the Chiang Mai meetings will be postponed due to the
Thailand's ongoing political turmoil and airport closure.
(Note: In fact, the ASEAN Secretary General announced a
postponement later that day.) MOFA expects it will be
several months, not weeks, before the meetings can be
rescheduled. By that time, GOJ objectives for the meeting
could change significantly, he noted. He promised to follow
up with the Embassy once the situation in Bangkok clarified.
3. (SBU) In the meantime, the centerpiece of Japan's
economic relationship with the region remains the ASEAN-Japan
Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which came into
effect December 2. As of now, only four ASEAN members
--Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and Burma -- have ratified the
agreement, but a METI Economic Partnership Division official
is confident the remaining members, with the possible
exception of Thailand, will complete ratification procedures
by the end of the year. Japan's Diet approved the pact in
June 2008. Japan's main objective for CEPA is to complement,
not replace, existing economic partnership agreements with
ASEAN's five leading economies and to apply a single
rules-of-origin regime to all products produced by
Japanese-owned factories anywhere in the region.
SCHIEFFER
SIPDIS
FOR EAP/RSP: JANDRE AND EAP/J
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2018
TAGS: ECIN PREL ASEAN JA
SUBJECT: ASEAN SUMMITS: MOFA WAITING FOR DIRECTION FROM PM
REF: STATE 123211
Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer. Reason 1.4(b)
1. (C) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) officials
responsible for ASEAN affairs have resisted repeated Embassy
requests to discuss the upcoming ASEAN summit, citing lack of
time. Nevertheless, a working-level official in MOFA's Asian
Regional Policy Division, which is responsible for the summit
preparations, told Econoff December 2 MOFA is waiting for
policy direction from the Prime Minister's office on what the
GOJ hopes to accomplish at Chiang Mai. Current policy is
"not yet explicit", he said, and will require further
"internal discussion and coordination."
2. (C) The staffer added the GOJ considers it "highly
likely" the Chiang Mai meetings will be postponed due to the
Thailand's ongoing political turmoil and airport closure.
(Note: In fact, the ASEAN Secretary General announced a
postponement later that day.) MOFA expects it will be
several months, not weeks, before the meetings can be
rescheduled. By that time, GOJ objectives for the meeting
could change significantly, he noted. He promised to follow
up with the Embassy once the situation in Bangkok clarified.
3. (SBU) In the meantime, the centerpiece of Japan's
economic relationship with the region remains the ASEAN-Japan
Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which came into
effect December 2. As of now, only four ASEAN members
--Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and Burma -- have ratified the
agreement, but a METI Economic Partnership Division official
is confident the remaining members, with the possible
exception of Thailand, will complete ratification procedures
by the end of the year. Japan's Diet approved the pact in
June 2008. Japan's main objective for CEPA is to complement,
not replace, existing economic partnership agreements with
ASEAN's five leading economies and to apply a single
rules-of-origin regime to all products produced by
Japanese-owned factories anywhere in the region.
SCHIEFFER