PART 1 OF 2 -- DEC 18 JAPAN-AUSTRALIA FOREIGN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 003507 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/J; OSD FOR APSA SHIVERS/SEDNEY/HILL/BASALLA; USFJ FOR J00/J01/J2/J5; CIA FOR ADDNI REED E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/24/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON AU JA SUBJECT: PART 1 OF 2 -- DEC 18 JAPAN-AUSTRALIA FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE 2+2 MINISTERIAL REF: TOKYO 3030 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i., James P. Zumwalt; reasons 1.4 ( b/d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Ministry of Defense (MOD) officials provided Embassy Tokyo generally positive assessments of the second Japan-Australia foreign affairs and defense 2-plus-2 ministerial held December 18 in Tokyo. Discussions on bilateral information sharing and a possible bilateral document similar to the U.S.-Japan General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) dwarfed all other agenda items, including global and regional security issues. MOFA interlocutors believe the proposed information sharing arrangement with Australia can, at a minimum, help move forward domestic information security initiatives, although challenges remain in terms of Japan's ability to protect Australia's classified information. The 2-plus-2 joint statement and updated bilateral defense cooperation memorandum both call for continued trilateral cooperation with the new U.S. administration. While MOD officials believe the updated defense cooperation memorandum greatly expands the possibility of bilateral cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR), particularly regarding logistical support, MOFA downplays the significance, adding that better coordination between MOFA and MOD could have resulted in a substantively revised memorandum. End Summary. -------------- BACKGROUND -------------- ¶2. (C) Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, and Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon convened the second Japan-Australia Joint Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations (2-plus-2) December 18 in Tokyo. The 2-plus-2 agenda included an overview of Japan-Australia security and defense cooperation, discussion on trilateral cooperation with the United States, bilateral information sharing, and global and regional security issues. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Oceania Division Deputy Director Hideaki Ishii gave Embassy political officer a read-out of the 2-plus-2 on December 19. Ministry of Defense (MOD) International Policy Division Principal Deputy Director Mitsuko Hayashi provided additional details in a separate meeting. -------------- -------------- INFORMATION SECURITY AGREEMENT OVERSHADOWS OTHER ISSUES -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) MOFA's Ishii said discussions on information security took up more time than any other issue during the 90-minute working dinner, which followed the one-hour ministerial. Both sides adopted a statement of principles on classified information sharing and security, and agreed to hold discussions in early 2009 for a legally-binding, bilateral document on information security. Defense Minister Hamada remarks were particularly constructive, Ishii noted. Hamada had expressed MOD's firm commitment to ensuring effective information sharing with Australia, which will help overcome reluctancy among some MOD officials. The Japanese government expects the document to be similar to the U.S.-Japan General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). The key difference will be that the Japan-Australia document will authorize a broad range of information sharing on national security matters -- not just military information. TOKYO 00003507 002 OF 003 -------------- EQUIVALENT LEVEL OF PROTECTION UNLIKELY... -------------- ¶4. (C) Ishii said the biggest challenge is whether both governments can ensure equivalent levels of protection for shared information, given their administrative and policy differences in information security. He commented that, while both sides could agree to wording that calls for protecting shared information in accordance with existing laws and regulations, he is not confident information provided by Australia would be accorded sufficient protection under the Japanese system. -------------- -- ...BUT AT LEAST RAISE LEVEL OF AWARENESS IN GOJ -------------- -- ¶5. (C) Ishii added, however, that a legally-binding instrument would, at a minimum, help raise the level of awareness on the importance of information security among Japanese ministries and agencies. The Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office (CIRO),a key advocate of sharing information with Australia, views agreements on information sharing with countries such as the United States or Australia as effective tools for galvanizing Japanese agencies to enhance information security. Noting that he was both surprised and heartened by an unexpected phone call from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) shortly after the release of the 2-plus-2 joint statement, Ishii asserted that Japanese ministries and agencies seem increasingly aware of the need to strengthen information security. (NOTE: Ishii did not seem aware that METI had officially joined the U.S.-Japan Bilateral Information Security Task Force in early October (reftel).) -------------- -------------- JT. STATEMENT/DEFENSE MEMO URGE COOPERATION WITH USG -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Both Ishii and MOD's Hayashi stated both governments agreed to work together to ensure continued U.S. engagement in the region through various trilateral initiatives, as well as close coordination among the three countries in multinational fora, such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Hayashi pointed out both the 2-plus-2 joint statement and the defense cooperation memorandum refer directly to enhanced trilateral cooperation with the United States. The joint statement, in particular, links the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue (TSD) and the Security and Defense Cooperation Forum (SDCF) to the importance of continued U.S. strategic engagement with the region and the two governments' commitment to close cooperation with the incoming administration. -------------- MOD/MOFA DIVIDED ON DEFENSE MEMORANDUM -------------- ¶7. (C) Hayashi explained the bilateral memorandum on defense cooperation signed by both countries' defense ministers during the 2-plus-2 contains significant updates to the September 2003 memorandum. She highlighted as key updates: 1) information sharing, 2) humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR),and 3) multilateral defense cooperation. Both countries agreed to work toward concluding a logistical support document similar to the U.S.-Japan Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA). Hayashi noted that, from her perspective, replacing the words "the United States" for "Australia" in the U.S.-Japan ACSA is the simplest and most logical way to approach the logistical support agreement. She does not believe, however, her view resonates among other Japanese officials. TOKYO 00003507 003 OF 003 ¶8. (C) In contrast, MOFA's Ishii emphasized with unusual candor that the 2008 defense memorandum fell short of expectations. He underscored that the two governments had set out initially to make the 2008 memorandum into a substantial revision of the September 2003 memorandum, not a mere update. Due to MOD's failure to coordinate sufficiently with MOFA in the months leading up to the 2-plus-2, the final product is a "rush-job" that contains little substantive change. Ishii said it is merely one example out of many gaffes by MOD that lead MOFA officials to question whether MOD has any sense of direction on where it wants to lead Japan's defense relationship with Australia. -------------- -------------- GLOBAL/REGIONAL ISSUES DWARFED BY INFORMATION SECURITY -------------- -------------- ¶9. (C) Ishii stated the ministers spent minimal time on regional and global issues at the 2-plus-2 since information security took up the bulk of discussions. Foreign Minister Smith stated briefly that Australia will not provide energy assistance to the DPRK absent progress on the verification regime in the Six-Party Talks. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to engaging with China to become a responsible stakeholder in the international community. Nakasone underscored the threat to Japanese national security posed by the lack of transparency in China's military modernization and build-up. Hamada briefed the Australian side on the recent passage of the renewal bill for Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Finally, Nakasone provided an overview of Japanese overseas development assistance (ODA) programs in Afghanistan, Ishii said. -------------- GENERALLY SUCCESSFUL, BUT EASY ACT TO FOLLOW -------------- ¶10. (C) Both Ishii and Hayashi noted the 2-plus-2 meeting had a fuller agenda than the June 2007 inaugural meeting and that the Japanese government gave this year's meeting generally high marks. Ishii thought it was unfortunate, however, that the positive appraisal of this year's meeting owed in part to the lack of substance of the first 2-plus-2 meeting in June 2007. Nevertheless, the 2-plus-2 meeting has left considerable action items for both governments and will likely lead to much richer discussions at the next 2-plus-2 meeting in 2009, Ishii added. ZUMWALT