COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR JOHN D. HILL DELEGATION

UNCLAS TOKYO 000862 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS OSD FOR OSD/P/APSA BASALLA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OTRA PREL JA SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR JOHN D. HILL DELEGATION REF: OSD 261520Z MAR 08 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (U) Embassy welcomes and grants country clearance for the March 31-April 3, 2008 visit to Japan by John D. Hill, Suzanne Basalla, Leo Kosinski, Wesley Ishizu, David Bice, Lynn Hicks and David Spasojevich. ¶2. (U) Control Officer for the visit will be Political Officer Chris Gunning. He can be reached at: Office phone: (81-3)3224-5342 Home phone: (81-3)3224-6910 Mobile phone: (81-80)5479-4214 Fax: (81-3)3224-5322 E-mail: GunningCJ2@state.gov (unclassified) -------------- Hotel Reservations -------------- ¶3. (U) Tokyo hotel reservations have been made at the Hotel Okura 2-10-4 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8416, Tel: (81-3) 3582-0111 Fax: (81-3) 3582-3707. Group will arrive on March 31 and depart on April 3, 2008. Details as follows: John D. Hill Conf. No.: 640238 Suzanne Basalla Conf. No.: 640327 Leo Kosinski Conf. No.: 640239 David Bice Conf. No.: 640240 Lynn Hicks Conf. No.: 640241 Wesley Ishizu Conf. No.: 640242 David Spasojevich Conf. No.: 640243 -------------- Airport to Hotel Transportation -------------- ¶4. (U) John Hill, Suzanne Basalla and David Bice will be met and picked up at the airport by USFJ. All others should take the airport "limousine" bus directly to the hotel or the Narita Express (NEX) train to Tokyo Station and then a taxi to the hotel. The limousine bus counter is located in the Tokyo Narita Airport Arrival lobby. Look for the orange signs as you walk through the doors from the customs area to the main lobby. The bus fare is 3,000 Yen. The NEX train is located in the basement of the airport terminal. The train fare is 2,900 Yen. Twenty-four hour currency exchange facilities are available in the customs area and the arrival lobby of the airport. Travel time from Tokyo Narita Airport to downtown Tokyo is 90-120 minutes, depending on traffic. -------------- Visa -------------- ¶5. (U) U.S. citizens entering or transiting Japan on official business must obtain a diplomatic or official visa for that purpose. U.S. citizens traveling with a valid U.S. passport can enter Japan for business or pleasure for up to 90 days without a visa. All foreign nationals entering Japan, with the exemption of certain categories, are required to have their fingerprints scanned and a facial photograph taken at the port of entry. This requirement does not replace any existing visa or passport requirements. U.S. travelers on official business must have a diplomatic or official visa specifying the nature of travel as "AS DIPLOMAT," "AS OFFICIAL," or "IN TRANSIT" to be exempt from biometric collection. All other visa holders, including those with diplomatic and official visas stating "AS TEMPORARY VISITOR," are subject to this requirement. Passport type is also irrelevant. In rare instances, official travelers who bring a Note Verbale specifying they are entering Japan in an official capacity may be exempted from the biometric collection requirement, if otherwise required. 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. 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