JAPAN TO ASSOCIATE WITH COPENHAGEN ACCORD,

UNCLAS TOKYO 000110 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR OES/EGC - DREW NELSON, RACHEL KASTENBERG AND KATE LARSEN E - PAUL BROWN S/SECC - TODD STERN, JONATHAN PERSHING, PETER OGDEN EAP/J - VIRGINIA MURRAY AND HEATHER DRESSER IO, G PASS TO USAID USDOC FOR NOAA CLIMATE CHANGE OFFICE - SID THURSTON WHITE HOUSE FOR CEQ - NANCY SUTLEY USDOE FOR S-3 - ROBERT MARLAY PASS TO USTR FOR BEEMAN EPA FOR CHRISTOPHER GRUNDLER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG KGHG SENV ENRG PREL JA SUBJECT: JAPAN TO ASSOCIATE WITH COPENHAGEN ACCORD, INSCRIBE ITS COMMITMENT REF: STATE 3080 ¶1. (SBU) EMIN demarched Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Director General for Global Issues Shinsuke Sugiyama on January 19, per Reftel. Sugiyama agreed wholeheartedly that getting the Copenhagen Accord up and running is the highest priority through January. He said the GOJ is in the midst of figuring out how it will implement its targets, adding it is holding ministerial meetings this week and next to "get the target done" before the January 31 deadline. When asked to have the GOJ associate itself with the Accord, Sugiyama replied that Japan is doing so, and is also trying to encourage this on a global basis, particularly in Asia. ¶2. (U) Sugiyama asked EMIN to convey his appreciation to President Obama for breaking the stalemate in negotiations in Copenhagen, saying they were heading toward "certain failure" before the President's personal intervention. Sugiyama closed by saying he would remain in close contact with Washington through the inscription period, and afterward to coordinate planning for COP-16. ZUMWALT