FIRST MOFA OFFICIAL DEPARTS FOR CHAGHCHARAN, THREE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 001104

SIPDIS

OSD/APSA FOR BASALLA/HAMM
USFJ FOR J00/J01/J3/J5

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/2019
TAGS: PREL AID PGOV PINR PREL AF JA
SUBJECT: FIRST MOFA OFFICIAL DEPARTS FOR CHAGHCHARAN, THREE
MORE TO FOLLOW IN COMING WEEKS

REF: TOKYO 0916

Classified By: Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs W. Michael Mese
rve, reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (SBU) The first MOFA official to be seconded to the
Lithuanian PRT in Chaghcharan departed Japan for Afghanistan
14 May, according to MOFA National Security Division Deputy
Director Takatoshi Mori. Jiro Kanzawa, who until recently
was assigned to the Foreign Minister's Secretariat, is an
Arabic speaker and is the first of four officials (reftel)
slated to join the PRT between now and late June on what are
expected to be two-year assignments. Their work cycles will
be structured such that each official spends approximately
eight weeks in Afghanistan followed by three weeks in Tokyo.


2. (C) The members of the Japanese team that will serve in
Chaghcharan have extensive development, regional, linguistic,
and cultural experience. The team will serve in a
development advisory role and will initially focus on
educational development through support of school
construction and improvement of medical care in the region.
During a recent preparation trip to Chaghcharan (reftel),
several of the team members who will be assigned to the PRT
met with Lithuanian, State Department, USAID, and local and
national Afghanistan government represenatives to begin
coordination of development priorities. The Japanese
officials are scheduled for staggered arrivals between now
and late June, ensuring that there will always be at least
two officials at the PRT.


3. (C) In addition to Kanzawa, the other three Japanese
officials are:

- Hisako Ishizaki, female, a Farsi, Dari, and Tajik speaker.
Ishizaki has worked in Tehran and also at the Iranian Embassy
in Tokyo for six years. She also worked at the Japanese
Embassy in Kabul from 2005-2006. She is scheduled to depart
Japan for Chaghcharan on 25 May.

- Hiroyuki Orikasa, male, currently the Deputy Chief of
Mission at the Japanese Embassy in Fiji. Orikasa will be the
senior Japanese represenative at the Chaghcharan PRT.
Orikasa is an Arabic speaker and previously deployed with the
Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces in Samawa, Iraq. He also
has extensive background in grant aid and economic
cooperation. Orikasa will arrive in Chaghcharan in mid-June.

- Chihiro Imai, female, a development and PRT expert who,
while working for the Japanese Cabinet, performed a
comprehensive review of Afghan PRTs. A program management
and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR)
specialist, she is scheduled to arrive in Chaghcharan in late
June.
ZUMWALT