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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2033
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 5982
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 8798
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 9384
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0018
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 6021
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RHMFISS/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 002655 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2031 
TAGS: PREL APEC ARF CH KS IN JA
SUBJECT: S/P DIRECTOR KRASNER'S MAY 11 MEETING WITH ASIAN 
AFFAIRS DG SASAE ON CHINA, ASIAN ARCHITECTURE, SOUTH KOREA 
AND INDIA 
 
REF: A. TOKYO 2575 
     ¶B. TOKYO 2609 
     ¶C. TOKYO 2610 
     ¶D. TOKYO 2612 
     ¶E. TOKYO 2637 
     ¶F. TOKYO 2638 
     ¶G. TOKYO 2639 
     ¶H. TOKYO 2640 
     ¶I. TOKYO 2650 
 
TOKYO 00002655  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i., Joe Donovan.  Reasons:1.4(b/d). 
 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary:   MOFA Asian Affairs DG Sasae told visiting 
S/P Director Stephen D. Krasner that: 
 
--  China is seeking to improve its relations with Japan; 
 
--  Japan's participation in Asian regional groupings can and 
will be consistent with U.S. and Japanese goals for APEC; 
 
--  Sasae personally believed the EAS should merge with APEC; 
 
--  Japan was trying hard to avoid confrontation with South 
Korea and the ball is in the ROK's court; Japan will respond 
to ROK's moves; 
 
--  India should play a larger role in East Asia and global 
affairs. 
 
End Summary. 
 
China 
----- 
 
¶2.  (C)  During a May 11 meeting, MOFA Asian Affairs Bureau 
DG Kenichiro Sasae told visiting S/P Director Stephen D. 
Krasner that he had just returned from attending the May 7-9 
vice-ministerial talks in Beijing (ref A) where it was 
evident China is trying to improve its relations with Japan. 
Realizing that Chinese complaints about Prime Minister 
Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine had provoked a backlash 
among the Japanese people, China now wants to take steps to 
improve relations, Sasae believes.  In Beijing, the two MFA 
vice ministers agreed to seek an early meeting between FM 
Taro Aso and FM Li Zhaoxing, with one possible venue being a 
meeting on the margins of the late-May Asia Cooperation 
Dialogue (ACD) meeting in Qatar. 
 
Asian Regional Architecture 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C)  Asked for his views on Asian architecture, DG Sasae 
acknowledged that finding the proper configuration for an 
effective regional grouping that combined Asian and Pacific 
countries was a complicated matter.  Asserting that Japan 
believed that APEC and the ARF should continue to be the 
basis for U.S. participation in multilateral organizations in 
the region, even as it pursued involvement in pan-Asian 
groupings, Sasae said that Japan's participation in other 
regional and sub-regional organizations would be consistent 
with its bilateral relationship with the United States and 
its own participation in APEC and the ARF.  Just as NAFTA 
does not interfere with U.S. participation in trans-Pacific 
groups, so could Japan's involvement in pan-Asian and 
trans-Pacific groupings be complementary.  He cited the need 
to take up such functional challenges as energy and the 
environment in pan-Asian regional organizations, particularly 
to further press China. 
 
¶4.  (C)  Sasae said it was his personal view that the East 
Asia Summit (EAS) was but an intermediate step toward a 
regional architecture and, ultimately, that the EAS should 
merge with APEC.  Noting that the memberships of such 
organizations as the EAS, ASEAN Plus 3, APEC and others 
tended to overlap and also to pursue much the same agenda, 
such a merger made sense.  Sasae stressed the importance to 
Asian leaders of having the opportunity to meet and discuss 
issues.  The opportunity for personal interaction afforded by 
these frequent meetings is often more important than the 
agenda, he asserted.  Sasae also strongly advocated U.S. 
involvement in the EAS, if only as an observer.  Noting that 
 
TOKYO 00002655  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
Russian participation was inevitable, Sasae urged the United 
States to consider the strategic importance of its 
participation in the EAS.  Japan did not wish to see the 
United States detached from this process, he stated.  Asked 
about the optic of the United States and Russia being in the 
same category, Sasae said inclusion in whatever form was 
better than not being present at all. 
 
¶5.  (C)  Taking democracy as an organizing principle for 
regional organization is important, but also challenging 
because of China, Sasae observed.  It will take years for 
China to democratize, and pressing the PRC for more rapid 
democratization will not work.  He advocated separating 
democratic transformation from other human rights issues that 
can be pursued successfully in the near-term. 
 
Japan-South Korean Relations 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C)  Continuing the democracy theme, Sasae observed that 
Japan's current problems with South Korea were a result of 
the ROK having only very recently transitioned from 
dictatorship to a democratic society.  The current generation 
of political leaders, including President Roh, formulated 
their ideas while fighting dictatorial regimes and now want 
to assert Korea's ability to determine its own destiny.  Such 
Korean nationalism has caused problems for Japan-ROK 
relations.  Sasae opined that while President Roh has his 
unique style, wanting to show the ROK public how tough he can 
be on Japan, Japan-ROK relations were unlikely to improve 
markedly after Roh's departure from office, as these views 
were widely held in Korean society and Korea's adjustment to 
democracy will continue for some time. 
 
¶7.  (C)  Recognizing the potential for an emotional Korean 
reaction to bilateral issues, Japan is careful not to provoke 
confrontation with Seoul, Sasae stated.  Territorial issues 
are a case in point.  While Japan might be willing to pursue 
creative solutions to conflicting territorial claims, Korea 
sees the issues as non-negotiable.  Therefore, Japan's 
approach is to maintain the status quo and avoid getting into 
a debate that might spin out of control.  President Roh's 
desire to change the status quo, however, has caused a number 
of problems, he averred.  The ball, he said, is in the ROK's 
court.  Japan will take no unilateral measures but would need 
to respond to any Korean moves. 
 
¶8.  (C)  The joint study of history with South Korea has 
proven to be quite useful, Sasae noted.  Although the Korean 
scholars tend to take an emotional stance on the issues, 
mindful of the ROKG's position, rather than taking a strictly 
academic perspective, the study may make a positive 
contribution to the textbook controversy.  Sasae observed 
that Japan was still trying to set up a similar process with 
China, but had yet to work out how it might be done.  The 
treatment of Japan in Chinese textbooks is highly biased, he 
lamented.  The ball, he said, is in the ROK's court.  Japan 
will take no unilateral measures but would need to respond to 
any Korean moves. 
 
India 
----- 
 
¶9.  (C)  Asked about India's role in East Asia, Sasae stated 
that India should be invited to play a larger role in the 
Asia-Pacific region.  As a democracy, India has greater 
potential than China to play a constructive role on global 
issues, and Indian participation on energy and environmental 
issues is vital.  Observing that New Delhi was now pursuing a 
"more mature diplomacy," Sasae noted changes in India's 
relations with the United States, Japan, Russia and China 
since the end of the Cold War.  Moreover, he predicted, 
China's market will plateau, but India's will remain a magnet 
for multinational firms as its market continues to expand. 
India, he said, is improving its relations with the United 
States, Japan and China simultaneously.  India and China 
would most likely settle outstanding border disputes.  Sasae 
confided that Tokyo is seeking a visit to Japan by Prime 
Minister Singh "before summer," during which the two sides 
hope to announce the start of negotiations to conclude a 
bilateral free trade agreement by next year. 
 
 
TOKYO 00002655  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶10. (U)  Participants: 
 
United States 
------------- 
 
S/P Director Stephen D. Krasner 
Joe Donovan, Deputy Chief of Mission 
Evan Feigenbaum, S/P Member 
Steve Hill, notetaker 
David Wolff, control officer 
 
Japan 
----- 
 
Kenichiro Sasae, Director General, Asian and Oceanian Affairs 
Bureau, MOFA 
Kazutoshi Aikawa, Director, Asian and Oceanian Affairs 
Bureau, Regional Policy Division, MOFA 
Osamu Izawa, Principal Senior Foreign Policy Coordinator, 
Foreign Policy Bureau, Policy Coordination Division, MOFA 
Toru Hotta, Deputy Director, Asian and Oceanian Affairs 
Bureau, Regional Policy Division, MOFA 
 
¶11.  (U)  S/P Director Krasner cleared this message. 
DONOVAN