PACOM COMMANDER KEATING'S APRIL 20 MEETING WITH

S E C R E T TOKYO 000940 SIPDIS PACOM FOR J00/J01/J5 DOD FOR OSD/APSA - MITCHELL/SEDNEY/HILL/BASALLA/ARAKELIAN USFJ FOR J00/J01/J5 E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2019 TAGS: PREL PARM MARR KN KS JA SUBJECT: PACOM COMMANDER KEATING'S APRIL 20 MEETING WITH DEFENSE MINISTER HAMADA Classified By: James P. Zumwalt, Charge d'Affaires, a.i.; reasons 1.4 ( b/d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (S) The United States and Japan demonstrated exceptional levels of cooperation and information sharing during the events running up to the North Korean missile launch, visiting PACOM Commander Timothy Keating told Defense Minster Hamada on April 20. He expressed appreciation for continued Japanese support to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and stressed the importance of U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral security cooperation. Hamada stated that he looked forward to meeting Secretary Gates, both in Washington and at the Shangri-La Conference. He expressed optimism that the new anti-piracy bill would clear the Lower House of the Diet by the end of the week and be passed sometime in May. He said he would engage ROK Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee on trilateral defense cooperation during Lee's April 23 visit to Tokyo. ADM Keating told Hamada he would also raise the same points to his South Korean counterpart when he visits Seoul on April ¶21. End Summary. -------------- CLOSE COOPERATION/INFO-SHARING DURING TD-II -------------- ¶2. (S) Accompanied by the Charge and Acting ASD for APSA Derek Mitchell, visiting PACOM Commander Timothy Keating called on Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada on April 20. Keating said he had good discussions in an earlier meeting with new Chief of Staff Japan Joint Staff Ryoichi Oriki and looked forward to continued close cooperation between PACOM and the Joint Staff. Noting that he had communicated twice with GEN Oriki during the Taepodong-II (TD-II) missile launch by the DPRK, Keating underscored that the level of bilateral cooperation and information sharing in response to the launch has never been higher. Being able to share real-time information via Aegis destroyers and respective command centers is crucial for both countries' forces ability to respond effectively to threats. He expressed appreciation for continued JMSDF support for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) with the refueling operations in the Indian Ocean. Recalling his experience as 5th Fleet/NAVCENT Commander, he noted that he had witnessed firsthand in Bahrain the positive role played by the JMSDF and urged continued cooperation. -------------- -------------- HAMADA: WILL DISCUSS LESSONS LEARNED WITH SECDEF -------------- -------------- ¶3. (S) Hamada expressed appreciation for the close cooperation with the United States during the events leading up to and following the TD-II launch. The launch allowed the Japanese side to gain valuable experience coordinating with the United States, with many lessons learned. He hoped to discuss these with Secretary Gates during their meeting in Washington at the end of the month. ADM Keating said the United States is also anxious to share its lessons learned as well. He added that Hamada will also be able to meet Secretary Gates a second time during the Shangri-La Conference in Singapore at the end of May. Secretary Gates would likely congratulate Japan for the successful Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) deployment to the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations, Keating advised. -------------- --- HOPE TO HAVE NEW ANTI-PIRACY LEGISLATION BY MAY -------------- --- ¶4. (C) Hamada responded that Japan should be able to dispatch P-3Cs to the Gulf of Aden by mid-May. The new anti-piracy bill will likely pass the Lower House by the end of the week and be approved by the Diet sometime in May. The Japanese government seeks to participate in more robust anti-piracy operations but is limited under the current Japanese legal framework. With the new legislation, the JMSDF ought to be able to do more in the Gulf of Aden, Hamada said. ADM Keating noted it will be interesting to see how the military vessels dispatched by more than 15 countries to the Gulf of Aden operate together, highlighting China's two-month activity involving three Chinese naval vessels. He stressed that e-mail and bridge-to-bridge radio communication between the Chinese vessels and others have increased recently, adding that such "good" behavior contrasted with China's recent aggressive behavior toward the U.S. naval survey vessel in the South China Sea. -------------- TRILATERAL COOPERATION WITH ROK -------------- ¶5. (S) ADM Keating stressed the importance of continued progress in trilateral security cooperation with the ROK, especially the J-5 strategy talks. He said he had discussed pursuing expanded trilateral search and rescue exercises, small-scale humanitarian and disaster relief exercises, and other areas of cooperation for the three countries' forces with GEN Oriki. Hamada agreed that trilateral cooperation among the three countries is important, particularly in light of heightened political interest in reaction to the TD-II launch. He said he would discuss the issue with Minister of National Defense Lee Sang-hee during his visit to Japan on April 23. Keating responded that he would reinforce the same points to the ROK Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff GEN Kim Tae-young when he visits the ROK on April 21. ¶6. (U) ADM Keating did not have a chance to clear this message. ZUMWALT