OPPOSITION DPJ PARLIAMENTARIAN EDANO ON TIBET

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 000856 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2018 TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV CH JA SUBJECT: OPPOSITION DPJ PARLIAMENTARIAN EDANO ON TIBET REF: TOKYO 00752 TOKYO 00000856 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission David Davision for reason s 1.4 (b) and (d). Subject: DPJ Diet Member Edano Discusses Tibet ¶1. (C) Summary: The Fukuda cabinet's response to the situation in Tibet has been unsatisfactory and their public statements on Tibet have been too weak, opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) parliamentarian Yukio Edano told Embassy Tokyo on March 24. China needs to grant diplomats and foreign journalists access to Tibet and must take steps to demonstrate to the international community that it respects freedom of the press, he stated. Japan needs to urge China to improve its human rights situation. If the violence in Tibet worsens, the Japanese government will not be able to avoid raising this with Chinese President Hu Jintao during his planned May visit to Japan, Edano said. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In response to the recent violence in Tibet, and as the current head of the "Parliamentary Union for Tibet" parliamentary league, DPJ Diet member Edano is seeking to revitalize the group and make it more active, he told us. Edano held a meeting at the Diet on March 19 in response to the situation in Tibet and the parliamentary union subsequently issued a statement urging China to exercise restraint. Edano publicly called on China to refrain from using force and to prevent human rights violations. The parliamentary league was founded twelve years ago by former DPJ member Seishu Makino and Edano has been a member from the beginning, he said. The union was very active under Makino, but he lost his seat in the Diet, and Edano took over as head. The parliamentary league had 70-80 members in 2005 but current membership has declined to less than 40 people. From time to time the league holds exchanges with the Dalai Lama Representative Office in Tokyo but needs to do more, he stated. ¶3. (C) Edano has stepped up efforts to pressure China on Tibet during interviews with the Japanese media. He stated during a televised panel discussion among Diet members and scholars on March 23 that China needs to grant diplomats and foreign journalists access to Tibet and must take steps to demonstrate to the international community that it respects freedom of the press. Alluding to Chinese President Hu Jintao's planned visit to Japan, Edano rhetorically asked reporters during a press interview on March 19 whether it was proper for a country to welcome a head of state from a country suspected of suppression. ¶4. (C) The public reaction from the Fukuda administration on Tibet is unsatisfactory, Edano told Embassy Tokyo. Given the food safety issue and long-standing issues like the dispute in the East China Sea, it is understandable that the Fukuda administration is reluctant to take a firm stance. But even so, their public statements were still way too weak and watered down, he emphasized. (Note: At the March 24 Diet session Prime Minister Fukuda was asked if he would raise Tibet with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Fukuda replied that he would bring it up only "if necessary" and stated "the important thing is to find the other side's good points and associate with the other side in the way to develop its good points even further. It is only natural that the two countries hold contrary opinions." Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura's public comments have also been weak. Machimura told the press that "Japan hopes the situation settles down peacefully. We would welcome a dialogue." Machimura made an additional statement on March 24 stating "China should think more seriously" about allowing journalists and diplomats access to Tibet. End Note.) ¶5. (C) Edano told us he believes Japan needs to take steps to urge China to improve the human rights situation in Tibet, but at the same time he recognizes it is important to avoid creating an atmosphere, similar to the one that existed during Koizumi administration, where Japan could not even hold bilateral talks with China. Even if the situation in Tibet worsens, Japan will not "uninvite" or discourage President Hu Jintao from visiting Japan, he predicted. But if the situation does not improve, the Japanese government will not be able to avoid raising Tibet with Hu, and the atmosphere surrounding his visit will be dampened. He thinks this uncertainty might lead to Hu deciding not to visit, Edano stated. Moreover, if the violence in Tibet worsens, there will be a public debate on whether it is appropriate TOKYO 00000856 002.2 OF 002 for Prime Minister Fukuda to attend the Beijing Olympics. Foreign Minister Koumura has ruled out boycotting the Olympics, and it would not be fair to prevent Japanese athletes from participating, but senior officials should consider not attending if the situation worsens, Edano stated. ¶6. (C) Comment: Edano has been one of the most vocal politicians to publicly urge China to exercise restraint in responding to the events in Tibet. However, as a member of the opposition party, the extent of his influence is unclear. Other DPJ members have publicly criticized Prime Minister Fukuda's response to China on Tibet, but the DPJ does not have a cohesive party policy on China or Tibet. Edano told Embassy Tokyo that since both the LDP and DPJ lack unified party policies on China, it is more effective to have a supra-party base to address how to best respond to the situation in Tibet. End Comment. SCHIEFFER