MEGAPORTS: NEXT STEPS FOR JAPAN'S PILOT PROJECT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 001542 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/J STATE PASS DOE FOR W. KILMARTIN AND D. CHONG DHS FOR C. BRZOZOWSKI CBP CONTAINER SECURITY INITIATIVE FOR D. STAJCAR E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC EWWT ENRG ELTN ETRD PREL JA SUBJECT: MEGAPORTS: NEXT STEPS FOR JAPAN'S PILOT PROJECT REF: A. STATE 638 ¶B. STATE 64019 ¶C. STATE 16717 ¶D. TOKYO 231 ¶E. TOKYO 468 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: A Megaports Initiative technical team met GOJ officials June 24-25 to review data sharing arrangements and to discuss proposed areas for technical cooperation areas. Both sides agreed to continue discussions in early October 2009 to address remaining issues. Japanese officials suggested DHS provide additional information under the Container Security Initiative (CSI) to satisfy the GOJ's desire to establish a "reciprocal" data sharing arrangement at the Port of Long Angeles/Long Beach. The U.S. side reiterated such discussions should be addressed separately from Megaports Initiative cooperation. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) A team of DOE technical experts, led by Megaports Program Country Manager Daniel Chong, held meetings June 24-25 in Tokyo and Yokohama to discuss next steps for Japan's first Megaports pilot project, which commenced operations March 2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) North American Affairs Bureau Second North Americas Division Director Noriyuki Shikata led the Japanese delegation. Also participating the meeting were representatives from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation, and Tourism (MLIT) and Ministry of Finance Customs and Tariff Bureau. Alarm Settings -------------- ¶3. (SBU) In the pilot project's first three months of operations (March - May 2009),the GOJ reported it had scanned 101,800 containers resulting an alarm rate of 2.5 percent, of which 2.44 percent was due to naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). The USG delegation reiterated its desire that both countries' technical experts work together to determine an acceptable alarm threshold. Reciprocity -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Drawing on Ref B points, the U.S. delegation reiterated matters pertaining to U.S. outbound containers are unrelated to the Megaports Initiative and should be treated separately. The Japanese delegation said under Japan's proposal to scan selected Japan-bound containers, Japanese CSI officers at the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach would target specific containers of concern for additional radiation screening. The two sides discussed ways to codify the information-sharing arrangement through a side letter or a memorandum outlining information-sharing guidelines. Shikata said the GOJ is satisfied with its current level of cooperation with the U.S. under the Container Security Initiative. Nevertheless, the GOJ continues to believe the "principle" of reciprocity should be included in the information-sharing guidelines, with Shikata asserting this would help the GOJ "promote" the Megaports Initiative. The Japanese side clarified it did not anticipate the need for similar information sharing arrangements at other ports where Japan may implement the Megaports Initiative. Action Items -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Both sides agreed to the following action items: GOJ --- TOKYO 00001542 002 OF 002 -- Information-Sharing: MOFA continues to review the text of the U.S.-Japan Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) to determine if data on identified materials of concern in containers destined for a third country can be shared with the USG. The GOJ acknowledged it does not require reciprocal data to be identical to that provided by the USG. -- Raw Data: MLIT will provide DOE with raw data from the radiation portal monitors (RPMs). The MLIT will also review DOE's request for one month's data to create a baseline for appropriate scanning levels and to monitor performance of equipment, data that may be requested on a monthly or quarterly basis. -- Equipment Sensors: MLIT will hold further discussions with DOE laboratory experts to assess the effectiveness of RPM sensors for detecting radioactive and nuclear materials. (Note: Japan recently revised its detection thresholds to approximately 1.2 times background radiation instead of five times the background radiation, as previously planned. End note.) USG --- -- Information Sharing: The USG will provide comments and changes to the draft information-sharing guidelines the GOJ provided. The guidelines define parameters and procedures to conduct sharing of data obtained at the Port of Yokohama. GOJ and USG -------------- -- Information-Sharing: Both sides are prepared to revise information sharing guidelines drafted by the GOJ for containers bound for Japan and the U.S., taking into consideration additional information DHS will provide based on data available under the Container Security Initiative (CSI). -- Joint Technical Cooperation Projects: Both sides agree to continue developing a defined scope of work for technical projects related to optimal parking parameters between RPMs during screening, energy windowing for naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) identification, optical character recognition use, and the secondary inspection concept of operations. Both sides also agreed to identify resources and formalize the scope of joint cooperation at a proposed early October 2009 meeting in Japan. End Action Items. ¶6. (U) The USG delegation cleared this message after departure from post.