KUDOS ON JAPANESE REPORTING AND ADVOCACY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 037357 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CVIS ECON ETRD EFIN MARR PGOV PREL JA SUBJECT: KUDOS ON JAPANESE REPORTING AND ADVOCACY REF: A. TOKYO 828 ¶B. TOKYO 825 ¶C. TOKYO 555 ¶D. TOKYO 157 ¶E. TOKYO 189 ¶F. TOKYO 307 ¶G. 08 TOKYO 3408 ¶H. 08 TOKYO 3079 ¶I. 08 TOKYO 2393 ¶J. TOKYO 572 ¶K. TOKYO 604 ¶L. TOKYO 526 ¶M. TOKYO 51 ¶N. 08 TOKYO 3435 ¶O. 08 TOKYO 3069 ¶P. TOKYO 599 ¶Q. 08 TOKYO 2884 ¶R. TOKYO 683 ¶S. TOKYO 279 ¶T. TOKYO 215 ¶1. (U) The Secretary's February visit to Japan, new domestic political developments almost every week, and a flood of visitors to and from Tokyo have the past few months a particularly busy time in U.S.-Japan relations. Fortunately, Washington has had the benefit of Mission Japan,s stellar reporting and advocacy to help understand and manage these developments. Specifically: ¶2. (SBU) Tokyo 828 provided a timely analysis of the environment within the GOJ regarding its contributions to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghanistan and Pakistan are among the Administration's highest priorities. Tokyo 828 and other reporting on this region provide essential information for the State Department and other agencies. The recommendations in this cable offered our policy makers useful guidelines for encouraging a commitment from Tokyo, especially within the context of the Pakistan Donors conference. Similarly, we want to congratulate the drafter of Tokyo 825, an excellent assessment of Japan's relations with Afghanistan and Pakistan, which U/S Burns read with interest. ¶3. (SBU) Your reporting on Japan Post Insurance's plans to market a cancer insurance product has been timely, effective, and insightful. We appreciate the efforts of Kaneko-san and her colleagues to keep us informed of recent developments through updates and translations on the unclassified system -- these were essential to our ability to express to the GOJ early on our concerns with recent statements by the MIC Minister. Your excellent cables have been essential in our efforts to understand the ins and outs of this highly complex issue. Tokyo 555, was one of the finest examples of effective reporting on this issue that we have ever seen. This sentiment was also shared by our colleagues in other agencies. It and subsequent cables have single-handedly reframed the content of policy discussions in Washington and will contribute to shaping whatever policy we ultimately pursue. ¶4. (SBU) Thank you for alerting us early on in Tokyo 157 and Tokyo 189 to Japan's concerns about "Buy American" restrictions that were under consideration in the U.S. Congress. Your timely reporting enabled us to be among the first to alert the NSC to the strong concerns of our trading partners, which in turn supported the efforts of the Administration to address these issues early and effectively. ¶5. (SBU) Your reporting on the GOJ's responses to the economic crisis has been outstanding. Particularly worthy of praise have been your in depth analyses of the real impact of economic stimulus measures that PM Abe and PM Fukuda have proposed and implemented (Tokyo 307, 08 Tokyo 3408, 08 Tokyo 3079, and 08 Tokyo 2393). These cables were essential in our ability to respond to last-minute requests by the Secretary's staff prior to her trip to Japan for more information on Japan's economic responses to the crisis. Offices around the Department and in other agencies also praised your rewrite of the information paper on Japan's responses to the economic crisis, which was used both to brief the Secretary for her trip to Tokyo and as a basis for a similar paper for the President. ¶6. (U) Two additional ESTH cables deserve special mention. STATE 00037357 002 OF 003 Tokyo 572's prescient and clear presentation of emerging tensions in export control regimes was cited by managers in Washington as an important reminder of the bigger picture. The issues you highlighted will become increasingly important as more countries develop civil nuclear energy, the U.S. and Japanese nuclear energy industries develop their presence in these new markets, and the new administration emphasizes existing and develops new nuclear nonproliferation policies. Tokyo 604 gained recognition throughout the interagency as yet another example of your timely provision of "news we can use." Thanks to your "who's who in Japanese climate change policy," our new team had the opportunity to learn about the personalities involved in shaping Japan's policies and preferences. Even old hands like the OES/EGC office director and S/SECC special assistant noted how helpful Tokyo 604 was in the run-up to Bonn. Indeed, the mission-wide effort to provide information on Japan's climate change and clean energy investments in the lead-up to the G20, including Tokyo 683, was an excellent example of your strong economic reporting. By capturing both Kasumigaseki policy and the business community's reaction, you helped Washington analysts and policymakers understand the breadth and depth of Japan's ongoing energy security efforts and its new industrial policies to promote renewable energy sources. By integrating your traditional, front-channel reporting with newer, web-centered tools such as the Japan Economic Scope, your reporting reached a wider audience and helped ensure the entire interagency had the context we needed as we engaged with official and private sector Japanese visitors. ¶7. (U) Clear, insightful reporting on the changing fortunes of the DPJ and the current state of play on the domestic political scene, such as Tokyo 526, are invaluable resources for the Bureau and for Japan analysts intently focused on the important upcoming election. Tokyo 051 was also read with great interest by many in EAP, as it provided fascinating and valuable insight into the maneuvering and thought processes guiding the DPJ during the run-up to a very important election. Similarly, many in Washington found the analysis of DPJ security policy (08 Tokyo 3435) to be fascinating, insightful, and perfectly timed. Our compliments to the drafter of this excellent cable. The shrewd analysis of the fallout from Air Self Defense Force Chief Toshio Tamogami's comments on World War II found in 08 Tokyo 3069 was especially informative. ¶8. (U) Embassy reporting on Japanese-Iran relations, such as Tokyo 599, continues to draw widespread interest and praise by both senior officials and Washington analysts. 08 Tokyo 2884 received extensive praise from the Policy Planning Staff for its in-depth analysis of Japanese views of China after the Beijing Olympics. The Tibet points, in particular, were especially welcomed. ¶9. (SBU) Embassy reporting on aviation issues remains top-notch. At a meeting just this week, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation John Byerly personally praised the quality and utility of your reporting on aviation, characterizing it as "the best in the world, bar none." Mr. Byerly singled out Naomi Walcott by name for her outstanding efforts. ¶10. (SBU) Ambassador Haslach and others in our EAP/EP office have repeatedly offered high praise for the caliber and timeliness of your reporting on APEC issues. For example, Ambassador Haslach personally praised as "fabulous" Tokyo 279 on Japan,s thinking about its APEC year, saying that it was "very, very helpful" in preparing her for imminent meetings in Wellington. The Director of EAP/EP also praised the quality of your reporting in Tokyo 215, pointing out that you in Embassy Tokyo are "the leaders in APEC reporting." From DCM Jim Zumwalt to Econ Officer David DiGiovanna, the Embassy is diligent about keeping track of regional economic issues and facilitating a dialogue with the Japanese APEC offices in METI and MOFA. Your initiative, outreach, and frequent email communication has helped strengthen our partnership with the Japanese in APEC. We would also like to note Mr. DiGiovanna's excellent planning and logistical support for Amb. Haslach's trips to Japan. We thank you for your excellent reporting on APEC issues, and urge you to keep up the good work as we approach 2010, the year that Japan will host APEC. ¶11. (SBU) In a rare feat, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DHS, and our own Bureau of Consular Affairs are in agreement on at least one thing: that you have done an exceptional job of educating the Japanese public about the STATE 00037357 003 OF 003 launch of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Your extraordinary work during the build-up to the January 12 ESTA requirement, where Mission Japan did at least one outreach event each day for over a month, ensured wide coverage of the new requirement and dispelled rumors about the process. We have heard this not only from our interagency contacts, but in official government-to-government channels as well. For example, during recent regulatory reform meetings in Washington, the GOJ initiated consular discussions by praising the smooth transition to ESTA that was possible, in large part, due to your heroic efforts. ¶12. (SBU) With regards to the Guam International Agreement, Post's reporting and frequent updates on the negotiations, conclusion and signing of the GIA were invaluable. The GIA was the centerpiece of the Secretary's first overseas visit, and a broad interagency audience required detailed and timely input to close the loops in Washington. Without your reporting, it is unlikely the Department would have been in a position to schedule the signing during the Secretary's visit, and the windfall in Japanese public buy-in for the Guam agreement, as well as Japan's early commitment of $360 million in its JFY 2009 budget, might not have been realized. This was a first-tier achievement, and your stewardship and communication played a pivotal role. ¶13. (SBU) The Washington DC-based interagency NEO Working Group recognizes the excellent work done by Embassy Tokyo in implementing the US-Japan NEO arrangements. The Embassy took ownership of this important process and, instead of relaxing after the agreement was concluded, kept up the momentum and surpassed anticipated milestones. Tokyo's work is now being cited as a model for other similar arrangements around the world by State and other agencies as well. ¶14. (SBU) EAP, ISN, VCI, and PM are highly appreciative of the detailed and informative reports from the Embassy on space and ballistic missile defense issues. Information and insights you provided have had a direct effect on policy formulation in these critical fields, and were cited by incoming officials in the new administration. One such official asked the desk how the Department was able to post a subject matter expert to Tokyo to handle space and BMD issues -- a nod to your competence and excellent work. ¶15. (U) Finally, State 26175 singles out the efforts of a few reporting officers in each region for their contributions to this year's HRR. We were very pleased, but not at all surprised, to see Dan Garrett mentioned for his superb work on Tokyo's 2008 submission. CLINTON