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DE RUEHKO #3138/01 1580851
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O 070851Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2956
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 TOKYO 003138 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL RS KS KN CH JA
SUBJECT: ABDUCTION ISSUE: STRONG SHOW OF U.S./INTERNATIONAL 
SUPPORT AT KANTEI GATHERING 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: Ambassador Schieffer and representatives 
from 18 other countries voiced strong support for resolution 
of the DPRK abduction issue at a June 6 meeting hosted by 
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Suzuki.  Chief Cabinet 
Secretary Abe addressed the start of the meeting, stressing 
 
SIPDIS 
the importance of international cooperation to resolve the 
issue.  Suzuki, who chairs Japan's Special Team for the 
Abduction Issue, described the status of the abduction cases 
and gave an overview of Japan's efforts to resolve the issue 
through direct bilateral negotiations with the DPRK.  Suzuki 
highlighted the contribution of Ambassador Schieffer's trip 
to Niigata and the President's Oval Office meeting with 
abductee family members.  In his remarks, Ambassador 
Schieffer said the United States is offering any help it can 
to bring the abductors to justice and the abductees home. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
A STRONG SHOW OF INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Ambassador Schieffer and ambassadors (or their 
representatives) from 18 other countries participated in a 
two-hour discussion session at the Kantei on June 6, 2006 
chaired by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (DCCS) Seiji 
Suzuki.  (Participants list at para 9). 
 
CCS ABE MAKES AN APPEARANCE BEFORE THE CAMERAS 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Chief Cabinet Secretary (CCS) Shinzo Abe addressed 
the start of the meeting and posed for a group photograph. 
Abe said abductions are impermissible human rights violations 
and that strong support from the international community is 
essential to resolving the issue.  Efforts within the United 
Nations system, such as the General Assembly resolution of 
December 2005 expressing "deep concern" over the abduction 
issue, were one way to address the problem.  Japan would also 
like to see the issue addressed in the upcoming G-8 Summit in 
St. Petersburg, Abe added. 
 
JAPAN'S EFFORTS TO BUILD INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶4.  (SBU) DCCS Suzuki, who chairs Japan's Special Team for 
the Abduction Issue, described the status of the abduction 
cases and gave an overview of Japan's efforts to resolve the 
issue through direct bilateral negotiations with the DPRK. 
Suzuki explained he had assumed chairmanship of the Cabinet's 
Committee for the Abduction Issue (formerly chaired by then 
DCCS Abe) issue in September 2005.  Since then the committee 
has been renamed the "Special Team for the Abduction Issue" 
reflecting the fact that it has been enlarged to include all 
agencies of the Japanese government, with the exception of 
the Imperial Household Agency, Suzuki explained.  He had also 
set up two new sub-groups in 2006 designed to strengthen 
related law enforcement and intelligence efforts.  Further, 
in 2006 the Japanese government had launched a new and more 
 
TOKYO 00003138  002 OF 004 
 
 
robust public relations campaign that includes posters and 
pamphlets distributed in many languages to raise 
international awareness of the abduction issue. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Turning to Japan's efforts to enhance international 
cooperation on the issue, Suzuki stated that Japan's basic 
policy is that: 1) there can be no solution without a 
comprehensive resolution; and 2) Japan will work to gain 
support from the international community through various 
fora, including the UN and G-8.  Suzuki stated that DNA 
testing in both Japan and the ROK reveals that South Korean 
abductee Kim Yong Nam is almost certainly the father of 
Megumi Yokota's child (Note: The DPRK government denies this 
assertion, maintaining that one of its citizens is the 
father).  He further stated that testimony from other 
abductees and several North Korean defectors has revealed 
that citizens from other countries have also been abducted by 
the DPRK (Note: Representatives of those governments were 
included in the meeting).  Suzuki highlighted the importance 
of Ambassador Schieffer's March 2006 trip to Niigata and the 
President's April 2006 meeting with Mrs. Yokota and other 
abductee family members in the Oval Office, citing those 
events as important contributions by the United States toward 
the effort of raising international awareness of, and concern 
for, the issue. 
 
SUPPORT VOICED BY AMBASSADORS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) In the final portion of the meeting, DCCS Suzuki 
opened the floor to the diplomats for discussion.  By mutual 
consent of all in attendance, these comments are not for 
public attribution.  Ambassador Schieffer thanked the 
Japanese organizers for arranging the gathering.  He noted 
that while countries disagree at times on political or 
economic issues, human rights concerns like abduction rise 
above such concerns and must be addressed by the global 
community.  "We cannot claim to live in a civilized world if 
we allow abductions to occur," the Ambassador said, adding 
that is why the United States is offering any help it can to 
bring the abductors to justice and the abductees home.  In 
his remarks to the press following the meeting, the 
Ambassador noted that having different ambassadors there to 
offer their ideas and express their support was a very 
positive thing.  He said they had discussed ideas for 
bringing more attention to the issue, including a willingness 
to raise the issue at the G-8. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Russian Ambassador Losyukov joined the rest of the 
group in "absolutely supporting the unanimous opinion of 
outrage."  Drawing on his long experience in dealing with 
North Korea, he advised a less emotional and more practical 
approach.  He noted that Pyongyang would not respond well to 
pressure, warning that pressure tactics by Japan were more 
likely to result in things "you don't want."  He said Prime 
Minister Koizumi has the right to raise the issue at the 
upcoming G-8 Summit in St. Petersburg.  (Note: In his closing 
 
TOKYO 00003138  003 OF 004 
 
 
remarks, DCCS Suzuki made specific mention of Losyukov's 
comment on the G-8, noting that he himself planned to travel 
to St. Petersburg where he looked forward to working on the 
issue with the Russian hosts). 
 
¶8.  Comments by other representative included the following: 
 
-- SOUTH KOREA: Minister Kim expressed the ROK's desire to 
find a "wise way" to address the issue with the North.  He 
noted, however, that South Korea is the "biggest victim" of 
abductions and is "very sympathetic" about the issue.  North 
Korea agreed at the April 2006 North-South Ministerial to 
address the issue "in a meaningful way," Kim said, explaining 
that the ROKG therefore intends to follow up by utilizing Red 
Cross talks in June and the next N-S Ministerial in July to 
press North Korea to fulfill that promise. 
 
-- CANADA: Ambassador Caron (a former Canadian ambassador to 
the DPRK) regretted that troubling actions by Pyongyang had 
resulted in a diminishment of Canada's diplomatic relations 
with the DPRK.  He said his foreign minister has gone on 
record that abductions constitute "unacceptable behavior by 
states" and that a solution is needed.  He observed that 
Prime Minister Koizumi would be visiting Ottawa this summer 
where the issue would no doubt be discussed. 
 
-- The UNITED KINGDOM: Ambassador Fry said the abductions 
were an "indication of how North Korea completely ignores 
human rights."  He noted the issue had been raised at the G-8 
Summit at Gleneagles and that Britain had raised the matter 
when it last held the presidency of the EU.  The UK will 
continue to look for what more it can do on this issue, he 
said. 
 
-- GERMANY: Minister Fischer cited how the reunification of 
Germany had ended human rights violations by the 
then-government of East Germany and said he hoped the Korean 
people would undergo the same kind of reconciliation. 
 
-- SWEDEN: Ambassador Lindstrom said Sweden also "actively 
seeks to support the reunification of Korea," and that is why 
his country maintains diplomatic relations with both Seoul 
and Pyongyang.  Sweden supported the UN resolution in 
December 2005, has raised the abduction issue and other human 
rights concerns with North Korea at the prime ministerial 
level, and will continue to press Pyongyang for progress on 
the issue. 
 
-- FRANCE: Counsellor Leval stated that France is working 
within the UN Human Rights Council to create a "ban on forced 
dislocations." 
 
-- CHINA: PRC Minister-Counsellor KONG made no comment, but 
took careful notes throughout the meeting. 
 
 
¶9.  (U) Participants List: 
 
TOKYO 00003138  004 OF 004 
 
 
 
Japanese Participants 
--------------------- 
Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe 
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Suzuki 
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masahiro Futahashi 
Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyasu Ando 
Parliamentary Secretary of the Cabinet Office Eriko Yamatani 
Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Akiko Yamanaka 
 
Ambassadors 
----------- 
CANADA H.E. Mr.Joseph CARON 
IRELAND H.E. Mr.Gerard KEOWN 
JORDAN H.E. Mr.Samir Issa NAOURI 
LEBANON H.E. Mr.Toufic JABER 
THE NETHERLANDS H.E.Mr. Alphons Clemens Maria HAMER 
POLAND H.E. Dr.Marcin RYBICKI 
RUSSIA H.E. Mr. Alexander Prokhorovich LOSYUKOV 
SWEDEN H.E. Mr.Mikael LINDSTROM 
THAILAND H.E. Mr.Pichai ISRABHAKDI 
UNITED KINGDOM H.E. Mr.Graham FRY 
UNITED STATES H.E. Mr.J. Thomas SCHIEFFER 
 
Deputy Chiefs of Mission 
------------------------ 
E.U. Mr.Michael REITERER, Minister/DCM 
ROK Mr. Yong-Sun KIM, Minister/DCM 
ROMANIA Mr.Stoian PETRE, Counsellor/DCM 
 
Ministers/Counsellors 
--------------------- 
CHINA Mr. KONG Xuanyou, Minister-Counsellor 
FRANCE Mr.Henri LEVAL, Counsellor 
GERMANY Mr. Bernd FISCHER, Minister 
ITALY Mr.Aldo AMATI, Minister-Counsellor 
MALAYSIA Mr.Loh Seck TIONG, Counsellor 
SCHIEFFER