BRUNEI FOREIGN MINISTER MOHAMED BOLKIAH'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 003257 E.O.12356: DECL: 25 JUL 2025 TAGS: PREL ASEAN APEC NPT UNSC BX JA SUBJECT: BRUNEI FOREIGN MINISTER MOHAMED BOLKIAH'S MARCH 7 - 9 VISIT TO JAPAN ¶1. CONFIDENTIAL -- ENTIRE TEXT. ¶2. SUMMARY: BRUNEI FOREIGN MINISTER MOHAMED BOLKIAH VISITED JAPAN MARCH 7 - 9 IN AN OFFICIAL CAPACITY AND VACATIONED IN TOKYO THROUGH THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND. HE MET WITH THE EMPEROR, CROWN PRINCE, AND GOJ FOREIGN MINISTER KONO. WITH THE LATTER HE DISCUSSED THE ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM (ARF) AND PMC, NORTH KOREA, NPT EXTENSION, UN REFORM, APEC, AND BILATERAL ISSUES. END SUMMARY ¶3. MOFA 2ND SOUTHEAST ASIA DIVISION DEPUTY DIRECTOR MAEDA ON MARCH 16 BRIEFED US ON BRUNEI FOREIGN MINISTER PRINCE MOHAMED BOLKIAH'S MARCH 7 - 9 VISIT TO JAPAN, DURING WHICH HE HAD AN AUDIENCE WITH THE EMPEROR AND CROWN PRINCE AND MET AND JOINED IN A WORKING DINNER WITH GOJ FM KONO. MAEDA SAID THAT THE JAPANESE HAD SUGGESTED MOHAMED'S VISIT, PRIMARILY TO DISCUSS ISSUES RELATED TO BRUNEI'S 1995 CHAIRMANSHIP OF ASEAN. ACCOMPANIED BY HIS WIFE AND NINE OF HIS CHILDREN, MOHAMED REMAINED IN JAPAN DURING THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND, WHICH HE SPENT AT DISNEYLAND TO CELEBRATE THE END OF THIS YEAR'S RAMADAN SEASON. ASEAN -------------- ¶4. MOHAMED DISCUSSED MEMBERSHIP ISSUES PERTAINING TO ASEAN AND ITS ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES. HE SAID THAT ASEAN CURRENTLY SUPPORTS THE NOTION THAT, IF A COUNTRY HAS OBSERVER STATUS AT AN ASEAN EVENT, SUCH A COUNTRY SHOULD BE ALLOWED FULL MEMBERSHIP IN THE ARF. THUS, IN MOHAMED'S VIEW (AND, ACCORDING TO HIM, IN ASEAN'S VIEW),CAMBODIA SHOULD BE ALLOWED FULL MEMBERSHIP STATUS IN THE ARF RATHER THAN ITS HERETOFORE LESSER STATUS. MOHAMED SAID THAT AUSTRALIAN FM EVNS HAD RECENTLY EXPRESSED AGREEMENT WITH THIS POLICY. ¶5. MOHAMED SAID THAT THE ASEAN COUNTRIES ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE ARF MEETING LAST YEAR WAS NOT LONG ENOUGH AND SHOULD BE EXTENDED. ASEAN WOULD BE WILLING TO SHORTEN THE PMC TO ACCOMMODATE THIS CHANGE. MOHAMED SAID THAT ASEAN IS NOW CONSIDERING THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING SUCH A CHANGE IN THE ARF/PMC SCHEDULE. DECISION- MAKING WITHIN ARF SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT ON A "STRICTLY CONSENSUS BASIS," MOHAMED SAID. THE "SPEED" OF THE ARF'S DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE SOMETHING WITH WHICH ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE "COMFORTABLE," HE FURTHER ADVISED ¶6. MOHAMED SAID THAT IT WOULD BE "REASONABLE" FOR NORTH KOREA AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE TO JOIN THE ARF. HE REFERRED TO ASEAN'S POLICY OF ENGAGEMENT WITH BURMA AND SAID THAT A SIMILAR POLICY OF INCLUSION MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE WITH RESPECT TO NORTH KOREA. NORTH KOREA -------------- ¶7. MOHAMED SAID THAT BRUNEI WOULD LIKE TO COOPERATE WITH KEDO "AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE." HE SAID THAT THE ASEAN COUNTRIES WERE THINKING ABOUT ASKING TO JOIN KEDO AS ASEAN AND NOT IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITIES. NPT --- ¶8. KONO EXPRESSED JAPAN'S SUPPORT FOR THE UNLIMITED EXTENSION OF THE NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION TREATY. HE ASKED THAT BRUNEI ADOPT A SIMILAR POSITION. MOHAMED COMMENTED THAT THE U.S. HAS BEEN ENERGETICALLY LOBBYING BRUNEI TO SUPPORT UNLIMITED EXTENSION. HE SAID THAT BRUNEI'S POSITION IS THE SAME AS THAT OF THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT BUT HE COMMENTED THAT, IN LIGHT OF KONO'S REQUEST, BRUNEI WOULD GIVE THE QUESTION OF UNLIMITED EXTENSION "DUE CONSIDERATION." UN ISSUES -------------- ¶9. MAEDA NOTED THAT BRUNEI HAS IN THE PAST EXPRESSED SUPPORT AT THE WORKING-LEVEL FOR JAPAN'S OBTAINING A PERMANENT UNSC SEAT. MOHAMED TOLD KONO THAT BRUNEI SUPPORTS SUCH A SEAT FOR JAPAN. MAEDA SAID THAT THE JAPANESE WERE PLEASED WITH THIS UNEQUIVOCAL SUPPORT AND THAT IT WAS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SUPPORT JAPAN HAS SO FAR RECEIVED FROM BRUNEI. APEC -------------- ¶10. BRUNEI'S FOREIGN MINISTER EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR JAPAN'S "PARTNERSHIP FOR PROGRESS" CONCEPT OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS AN APEC ACTIVITY. MOHAMED SAID THAT HE WAS NOT OPPOSED TO OTHER SUGGESTED APEC ACTIVITIES (E.G., TRADE LIBERALIZATION) BUT THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT ALSO TO WORK ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS JAPAN HAS SUGGESTED IN ITS PARTNERSHIP CONCEPT. BILATERAL ISSUES -------------- ¶11. THE JAPANESE THANKED MOHAMED FOR THE ASSISTANCE (BOTTLED WATER, CLOTHES, FOOD) THAT BRUNEI PROVIDED IN RESPONSE TO THE JANUARY KOBE EARTHQUAKE. MAEDA COMMENTED THAT BRUNEI LEASED TRUCKS AND DISTRIBUTED THE GOODS ITSELF, WITHOUT INVOLVING THE GOJ. HE SAID THAT THE GOJ WELCOMED THE INITIATIVE BRUNEI TOOK IN THAT REGARD. MOHAMED THANKED JAPAN FOR ITS COOPERATION IN HAVING SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED LAST FALL A BILATERAL AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE REGULAR DIRECT FLIGHTS BETWEEN OSAKA AND BRUNEI. THERE ARE NOW TWO FLIGHTS A WEEK. MAEDA SAID THAT NO JAPANESE CARRIERS HAVE ASKED TO FLY THIS ROUTE, ALTHOUGH THE JAPANESE ARE ENTITLED UNDER LAST FALL'S AGREEMENT TO DO SO IF THEY WANT THEM. THUS ONLY BRUNEI'S CARRIER IS NOW USING THE ROUTE. ¶12. KONO AND MOHAMED DISCUSSED THE FACT THAT BRUNEI WILL SOON "GRADUATE" FROM THE OECD'S DAC LIST AND WILL THEREFORE BECOME INELIGIBLE FOR JAPANESE OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE. MAEDA SAID THAT THIS WOULD OCCUR AROUND THE BEGINNING OF 1996. BOTH SIDES WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE SOME FORM OF ECONOMIC COOPERATION TO REPLACE JAPAN'S ODA PROGRAM BUT NOTHING FIRM HAS BEEN DECIDED. MAEDA SAID THAT BRUNEI, BECAUSE OF A LACK OF EXPERIENCE AND HUMAN RESOURCES, WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE IN THE POSITION THAT SINGAPORE WAS WHEN JAPAN AND SINGAPORE WORKED OUT THEIR ONGOING "PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM." UNDER THIS PROGRAM, JAPAN AND SINGAPORE ARE TO CARRY OUT A FIVE-YEAR EFFORT, FUNDED INITIALLY IN LARGE PART BY JAPAN BUT FUNDED TOWARD THE END MAINLY BY SINGAPORE, UNDER WHICH JAPAN WILL ASSIST SINGAPORE IN BECOMING AN ODA DONOR RATHER THAN RECIPIENT. MAEDA SAID THAT BRUNEI IS NOT AT A STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT WHERE A SIMILAR PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM WOULD BE APPROPRIATE. ¶13. COMMENT: CONSISTENT WITH MAEDA'S ASSESSMENT, MOHAMED'S VISIT TO JAPAN APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN FAIRLY ROUTINE. THE JAPANESE SIDE MADE ITS USUAL POINTS ON UN ISSUES AND ON THE APEC "PARTNERSHIP FOR PROGRESS" CONCEPT. WE NOTE THAT IN RECENT HIGH LEVEL EXCHANGES, THE JAPANESE HAVE BEGUN INCLUDING THE NPT EXTENSION ISSUE AS AN AGENDA ITEM. END COMMENT MONDLE