APEC FOOD SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT WORKSHOP: JAPAN

UNCLAS TOKYO 001378 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/EP AND EAP/J USDA FOR FAS DAN BERMAN AND ISABEL WALLS DEPT PASS USTR FOR CUTLER, AUGEROT AND HOLLOWAY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR ECON APECO SUBJECT: APEC FOOD SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT WORKSHOP: JAPAN DECLINES TO SEND PARTICIPANTS REF: WALLS-KASUGA E-MAILS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR INTERNET ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) will not send officials to participate in the August 1-2 APEC Food Safety Risk Assessment Workshop in Singapore, according to MOFA Senior Coordinator for APEC Taisuke Mibae. The MHLW and MAFF cited both budgetary constraints and concerns that the workshop could become a forum attacking Japan's food safety regime as reasons for their decisions. The MHLW and MAFF have declined to participate in APEC food policy events in the past. Sponsors of APEC food safety and food defense activities may wish to consider having an APEC sponsoring economy besides the U.S. convey future invitations to the GOJ as a way to help encourage GOJ participation. End Summary ¶2. (SBU) Foreign Ministry official Mibae told Emboffs that, in response to the invitation from the workshop organizers in USDA's Office of Scientific and Technical Affairs, he had approached MAFF and MHLW divisions responsible for food safety issues to encourage them to send a representative to the Singapore event. Both divisions refused to meet with him, conveying their decision not to participate through their respective International Affairs Divisions. The MHLW officials, according to Mibae, said the Ministry sees little to be gained by participating in international food safety events of this type since they often become settings for criticism about the excessive strictness of Japan's food safety regime. When Mibae tried to encourage MHLW and MAFF to look upon this workshop as an opportunity to explain the country's food safety system to Japan's regional trading partners, he was told this was not a Ministry priority at a time of budget stringency. ¶3. (SBU) As a result of the decision, Dr. Fumiko Kasuga of Japan's National Institute of Health Sciences, who will speak on one of the panels (Ref),will be the only GOJ official attending the workshop. Mibae asked Emboffs to confirm which events Dr. Kasuga is invited to attend besides the panel on which she has agreed to participate. FAS Tokyo will follow up by e-mail with USDA on this issue. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: Both MHLW and MAFF have refused to participate in APEC food policy activities for at least three years. The Health Ministry would not send a representative to APEC's 2006 Food Defense Workshop or to the 2008 Anti-counterfeit Health Products Seminars. The GOJ does face constraints in its travel budgets, but there is a sense here the reasons for such refusals is also fear that the events will become fora for criticism, led by the U.S., of Japan's food safety system. While noting shortcomings in Japan's food safety systems, the trade problems they have engendered, and the potential they may have to become questionable examples followed by others in the region, one approach we may wish to consider to counter the MHLW/MAFF defensive ploys is to have another APEC sponsoring economy invite Japan to future APEC food policy events. Given Japan's interest in engaging China and other regional developing economies on food safety issues, it would be difficult for MAFF or MHLW to put aside a request for participation from one of those economies. ZUMWALT