SENATOR MCCAIN'S MEETING WITH CCS KAWAMURA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 000908 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/J E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2019 TAGS: PREL ECON JA CH KN SUBJECT: SENATOR MCCAIN'S MEETING WITH CCS KAWAMURA REF: TOKYO 850 TOKYO 00000908 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: DCA James P. Zumwalt for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 1.(C) SUMMARY: John McCain (R-AZ) and other visiting senators discussed North Korea, China, and the global financial crisis during their April 10 meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary (CCS) Takeo Kawamura. Senator McCain underscored the importance of close bilateral relations and enhanced cooperation on key security issues, particularly North Korea's decision, just days before, to launch a missile over Japanese airspace. CCS Kawamura shared the Senator's sentiments about the U.S.-Japan alliance and highlighted the need for close coordination on a UN resolution condemning North Korea's latest provocations. Both sides also stressed the importance of collaboration in addressing the challenges of a rising China, and in bringing about financial recovery. END SUMMARY -------------- Condemned North Korean Provocations -------------- ¶2. (C) The North Korean missile launch on April 5 dominated the first half of working-lunch discussions between visiting Senators McCain, Graham, and Klobuchar and, from the Japanese side, CCS Kawamura, former Foreign Minister Taro Nakayama, Lower House member Kenji Kosaka, and Parliamentary Vice Foreign Ministers Yasutoshi Nishimura and Masahiko Shibayama. Kawamura welcomed the visiting senators, noted the importance of continuing inter-parliamentary exchanges, and expressed appreciation for the role the U.S.-Japan alliance plays in addressing current concerns, such as North Korea, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the global financial crisis. Kawamura described North Korean brinkmanship and China's military rise as Japan's greatest regional challenges. North Korea proceeded with its missile launch decision, despite warnings from the United States and the international community. Concerned parties need to react strongly to such provocations, Kawamura stressed. He added that Japan is trying to use its role as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council to push for a clear response to the North, and Prime Minister Aso would try to solicit broad regional support during ASEAN-related meetings. ¶3. (C) Senator McCain said that he appreciated Japan's firm stance on the North and that he could not imagine how his constituents would respond to similar uncertainties and threats. North Korean UN violations, the ongoing stalemate over North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens, and Pyongyang's open relationship with Tehran are all sources of "frustration," noted McCain. McCain emphasized the importance of curbing weapons proliferation and enhancing joint U.S.-Japanese efforts on missile defense, particularly as North Korea and Iran seemed to be conducting military-related information exchanges. McCain cited a Wall Street journal article mentioning that Iranian officials were present during the launch, and Kawamura calculated that North Korea was using Iranian missile technology. Although North Korean's latest launch failed, it was more successful than previous efforts, McCain observed. ¶4. (C) Both sides raised China as a challenge in dealing with North Korea. Kawamura described China as being reluctant to press the North, an historical ally, and guessed that Beijing would continue to foil any attempts to pursue a new UNSC resolution condemning Pyongyang. Kawamura could not provide a definitive response to Senator Graham's question about how to convince China to press the TOKYO 00000908 002.2 OF 002 North in a positive direction. -------------- -------------- -------------- Stability in Afghanistan and Progress on U.S. Base Issues in Japan -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Both sides touched on the importance of seeking political stability in Afghanistan. CCS Kawamura noted that Tokyo appreciates Washington's focus on the country and emphasized the need to expand assistance in areas such as law enforcement, poverty reduction, and human security. Prime Minister Aso is expressing a "strong commitment" to efforts in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, Kawamura stated. Despite Japan's geographical distance from Afghanistan, the Japanese public has become more understanding over the past few years about Japan's political role abroad and about the global responsibilities of the nation's Self-Defense Force, observed Nakayama. ¶6. (C) The Codel's Japanese interlocutors were sanguine about prospects for U.S. troop realignment issues. The Lower House will approve the Guam International Agreement (GIA) over the next few days, they said. (Note: The Agreement passed the Lower House on April 14. End Note.) U.S. troop relocation is a large issue in the Diet and, particularly, among Okinawans, Nakayama noted. Mainland Japanese are not as sensitive about the issue, he added. Many Japanese people are focusing on other issues, such as the economy, added Kosaka. The Guam relocation plan has drawn both negative and positive responses domestically. The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, for example, publicly opposes the GIA, but some party realists are understanding, explained Kosaka. -------------- Exchanged Views on Financial Crisis -------------- ¶7. (C) Kawamura said that Washington and Tokyo need to work together to overcome the current global financial crisis, in response to U.S. delegation questions about Japan's plans for spurring the economy. Japan has a large role to play considering it has the world's second largest economy and is home to several of the world's top automobile manufacturers. PM Aso is taking "bold" steps to effect recovery, said Kawamura. For example, he just announced Japan's largest-ever stimulus package -- PM Aso's third -- including JPY 15 trillion in new government expenditures (Reftel). Nakayama added that Japan is taking proactive measures, having learned from the banking and real estate crises of the 1990's. Japan has already implemented a plan to distribute JPY 2 trillion to families, for example. Japanese interlocutors claimed the speed and length of the economic downturn necessitated the three separate packages, including this latest installment. They also stressed that Japan is watching very closely how the United States responds to the crisis. Senator McCain replied that there have been some signs of improvement in the United States, but unemployment, a lagging indicator of change, continues to rise. "Everybody has a story to tell" about the crisis, lamented McCain. ZUMWALT