JAPAN SUPPORTS CHINA, INDIA IEA MEMBERSHIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 000487 SIPDIS SIPDIS PARIS FOR USOECD STATE PASS FOR EEB/IEC/ENR HENGEL AND HAYMOND STATE PASS DOE FOR FREDRICKSON AND BISCONTI E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2018 TAGS: ENRG JA IEA OECD CH IN SUBJECT: JAPAN SUPPORTS CHINA, INDIA IEA MEMBERSHIP PROPOSAL REF: A. STATE 14271 ¶B. TOKYO 258 Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer for reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (C) The GOJ "does not anticipate any obstacles" for Japan to support the U.S. proposal to allow China and India to join the International Energy Agency (IEA),Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Economic Security Division Director Kazuyuki Takeuchi told Emboff February 21. Takeuchi believes the process will take "considerable time," particularly from a legal standpoint. He suggested IEA members encourage China and India to undertake near-term "practical" steps necessary for eventual membership. Those would include, for example, building their strategic petroleum reserves or revising regulations and policies to conform with IEA requirements, to avoid domestic issues becoming bogged down in legal matters involving amending the Council Decision and the International Energy Program Agreement. ¶2. (C) Takeuchi cautioned, however, China and India may try to use the accession process as a way to place technology transfer issues on the IEA's main agenda. The GOJ is not prepared to support such a move, he stressed. SCHIEFFER