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Viewing cable 06TOKYO4260, JAPANESE RESPONSE TO APEC DEMARCHE

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06TOKYO4260 2006-07-31 08:05 2011-08-30 01:44 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Tokyo
VZCZCXRO5404
PP RUEHCHI RUEHFK RUEHHM RUEHKSO RUEHPB
DE RUEHKO #4260/01 2120805
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 310805Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4820
INFO RUEHZU/ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 004260 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USTR FOR CUTLER/NEUFFER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAID APECO JA
SUBJECT: JAPANESE RESPONSE TO APEC DEMARCHE 
 
REF: STATE 121653 
 
1.  (SBU)  Summary: Japanese officials expressed support for U.S. 
APEC goals set out in reftel, in particular, the completion of the 
IPR model guidelines and extension of the mandate of the 
Counter-terrorism Task force (CTTF).  However, Japanese 
interlocutors were cautious of plans to reinvigorate APEC 
institutions, noting that any changes requiring increased financial 
burdens will need detailed examination of new funding sources. 
Likewise, officials expressed support for a "strong political 
message" on resuming the Doha Round but were pessimistic about U.S.' 
ability to renew "Fast Track" authority.  Japan's 2006 APEC goals 
include agreement on the IPR anti-counterfeiting guidelines, 
progress on the Investment Liberalization and Facilitation Action 
Plan, a part of the joint Japan-Australian "Behind the Border" 
initiative, and implementation of a "One Village One Product" rural 
development symposium.  End Summary 
 
2.  (SBU)  Emboff delivered reftel demarche on U.S. 2006 APEC 
Priorities to Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) APEC 
Director Kunihiko Shinoda and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) 
APEC Director Hiroyuki Minami.  Both expressed broad support for 
U.S. goals and pledged continued close cooperation with U.S. 
counterparts at September's third Senior Officials Meeting (SOM 
III). 
 
Counter-terrorism 
------------------ 
 
3.  (SBU)  MOFA's Minami expressed unequivocal support for extension 
of the CTTF mandate, although he noted that some economies continue 
to object to part of the task force's agenda.  He offered Japan's 
continued engagement with those economies to move forward U.S. CT 
goals.  On the issue of a successor to the current chair, he 
expressed surprise that General Defensor was stepping down but 
offered no ideas on a replacement candidate. 
 
Future of APEC 
-------------- 
 
4.  (SBU)  The proposal for "Reinvigorating APEC" stimulated the 
most active discussion.  METI's Shinoda said Japan backed the 
general idea of strengthening the functions of the Secretariat but 
said there was not yet an internal consensus on how best to do that. 
 He noted that APEC members had put forward a variety of proposals 
including establishment of an APEC "Chief Operating Officer". 
Shinoda noted two areas of particular Japanese interest: 
strengthening linkages between the Secretariat and academia with the 
aim of producing better economic research and stronger, formal 
linkages with the business community (e.g. ABAC) to assure that 
private sector proposals have greater influence in APEC decision 
making. 
 
5.  (SBU)  MOFA's Minami had more concrete concerns.  He concurred 
with his METI colleague on support for strengthening APEC within the 
context of improving Asia-Pacific "regional architecture" but noted 
that any proposal for a permanent Executive Director or similar 
position implied a greater financial burden that would need to be 
covered by member economies. Until now, Japan and the United States 
had been carrying the primary burden of APEC financing and, in 
addition, Japan has made significant contributions to APEC's Trade 
and Investment Facilitation (TILF) funds.  Noting that Ambassador 
Michalak had recently expressed concerns to MOFA Economic Affairs 
Director General Ishikawa that Japan has not paid adequate attention 
to strengthening APEC, Minami pushed back by pointing out that Japan 
had long been a leader in APEC both through its financial 
contributions and in other mechanisms.  He expected that once again 
at SOM III Japan's Senior Officials would support reinvigorating 
APEC "in principal" but wanted a more detailed discussion on funding 
sources and ways to reduce low-priority spending before it could 
agree to create new permanent leadership positions.  In reply, 
emboff noted that the United States understood the likely need for 
enhanced funding attached to any proposal to strengthen APEC 
institutions and was already looking at options.  The United States 
did not want institutional reform efforts to unfairly burden any 
single economy. 
 
Doha 
---- 
 
6.  (SBU)  METI's Shinoda agreed that the November APEC Trade 
Ministerial provides an opportunity for members to issue a strong 
political statement in support of restarting the Doha negotiations. 
Japan would support such a move.  However, both he and MOFA's Minami 
expressed pessimism about the possibility of getting talks back on 
track quickly.  They noted that the uncertain outcome of this year's 
U.S. midterm elections and the resulting difficulties in renewing 
"Fast Track" authority made early resumption of negotiations 
problematic. 
 
 
TOKYO 00004260  002 OF 002 
 
 
Technology, Facilitation and IPR 
-------------------------------- 
 
7.  (SBU)  As for the remaining specific U.S. initiatives Japan had 
few objections.  METI's Shinoda was most enthusiastic about IPR 
initiatives.  As one of the three co-sponsors, Japan is supportive 
of the IPR model guidelines. It will also back the authorized 
software proposal as soon as it can work through some minor issues 
related to GOJ agencies' internal guidelines on IT security policy. 
He also called the Pathfinder program on Technology Choice a "good 
initiative" and noted that, following a GOJ interagency conference 
call, last week Japan expects to support this proposal in Hanoi.  On 
the "single window" trade facilitation proposal, Shinoda was 
marginally more cautious.  Although Japan has initiated many trade 
facilitation projects in APEC in the past, the Ministry of Finance, 
which has authority over customs-related issues, has minor concerns 
about implementation of the single window idea.  Once the GOJ can 
work through these, it is likely to be supportive. 
 
Japan's APEC Priorities 
----------------------- 
 
8.  (SBU)  In addition to the IPR anti-counterfeiting guidelines 
initiative, Shinoda noted two Japanese trade priorities for the 
current year.  First, within the context of reinvigorating APEC, 
Japan would be looking for ways to strengthen linkages between the 
Secretariat and private academic institutions such as a "study 
 
SIPDIS 
center consortium" to improve APEC's economic research capacity. 
Japan would also like to see more formal linkages between the 
private sector and the Secretariat to ensure that private sector 
initiatives, such as those from ABAC, receive greater influence in 
the organization's decision-making although he had no specific 
proposal in that area yet.  Second, he described in detail Japan's 
proposals, in cooperation with Australia, for an "Investment 
Liberalization and Facilitation Action Plan" to link a number of 
existing initiatives that enhance cross-border investment.  In 
addition, he presented a draft outline for an APEC Small and Medium 
Enterprise seminar, in cooperation with host Vietnam, to be held on 
the sidelines of SOM III.  The seminar, entitled "One Village, One 
Product", would promote both regional tourism and local cottage 
industries.  MOFA's Minami meanwhile urged USG support for specific 
programming under the joint Japan-Australia "Behind the Borders" 
structural reform initiative. 
 
SCHIEFFER