VZCZCXRO5286
OO RUEHCHI RUEHFK RUEHHM RUEHKSO RUEHPB
DE RUEHKO #5423/01 2640215
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 210215Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6574
INFO RUEHZU/ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 4246
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 1791
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2929
RHMFISS/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 2001
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 005423 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PLEASE PASS TO USTR, DOD FOR DUSD LAWLESS, AND USDA FOR U/S 
TERPSTRA AND FAS/SIMMONS. 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2026 
TAGS: PREL MARR UNSC PGOV APEC EAGR IR JA
SUBJECT: THE AMBASSADOR'S SEPTEMBER 19 LUNCH WITH VICE 
FOREIGN MINISTER YACHI 
 
Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer.  Reason: 1.4 (b)(d). 
 
¶1. (S)  Summary: During a September 19 lunch, the Ambassador 
and Vice Foreign Minister Yachi stated that Shinzo Abe is 
likely to establish a council similar to the U.S. National 
Security Council and will seek to reinterpret collective 
self-defense to better assist the United States in missile 
defense and maritime security, Yachi said.  UNESCO 
Secretary-General Kushiro Matsuura may decide to run for UN 
 
SIPDIS 
Secretary General, he confided.  Yachi asked that Japan be 
 
SIPDIS 
included in future multilateral talks on Iran.  On bilateral 
issues, the Ambassador asked Japan to extend its 
participation in Operation Enduring Freedom and called 
Yachi's attention to the looming problem over genetically 
modified rice flour in imported U.S. processed foods.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2. (C)  Over lunch with the Ambassador on September 19, Vice 
Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi discussed a range of bilateral 
and multilateral topics in light of Chief Cabinet Secretary 
Shinzo Abe's elevation to Prime Minister.  Prime Minister 
Koizumi's cabinet is expected to resign the morning of 
September 26; the new prime minister will immediately be 
elected by the Diet and announce his cabinet that same day, 
so there will be no leadership gap.  Some top leadership 
positions, including the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan 
(LDP) secretary-general post, are likely to be decided on 
September 25, according to press reports, Yachi noted. 
Foreign Minister Taro Aso might stay in his current post or 
be appointed LDP secretary-general, Yachi speculated, 
depending in part on his showing in the LDP presidential 
election.  Yachi had strongly recommended that Aso attend the 
UNGA meeting in New York from September 21-24 but Aso will 
probably stay in Japan to tend to political obligations as 
the new cabinet is formed.  However, Yachi said he could not 
rule out the possibility that Aso might reconsider a 
September 21-23 visit to New York. 
 
¶3. (S)  The new Japanese prime minister hoped to meet the 
President at the APEC Summit for lunch on November 18 or 19, 
Yachi reported.  The Ambassador said we wished for the first 
meeting to be very special and to look different from an 
ordinary bilateral meeting.  Yachi said he had heard from the 
National Security Council (NSC) that Mrs. Bush would also be 
attending and he emphasized that, if elected, Abe could bring 
his wife.  In contrast to Koizumi, who is single, Mrs. Abe 
will likely play an active role as wife of the prime 
minister. (Note: Yachi remarked that Mrs. Abe has been very 
involved in the abduction issue and is a big fan of Korean 
movies.) 
 
Abe's Vision for Japan 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. (C)  When Abe becomes prime minister, he would like to 
form an organization under the Kantei that resembles the U.S. 
National Security Council (NSC), Yachi stated.  This new 
organization would include five assistants, chosen from among 
politicians, to advise the prime minister.  Yachi said he 
would like to learn more about the NSC while in the United 
States, and its relationship with the intelligence community. 
 
 
¶5. (S)  Yachi said that as prime minister, Abe would like to 
reinterpret the constitution, but only to allow the right of 
collective self-defense in order to better assist the United 
States on missile defense and sea-lane security.  It will not 
be necessary to revise the constitution to do this, he 
explained.   Under the current interpretation, Japan cannot 
legally shoot down a missile targeting the United States, or 
assist a U.S. naval vessel that comes under attack, but Abe 
wants to change that.  North American Bureau Director General 
Chikao Kawai, who accompanied Yachi, reiterated Japan's 
interest in working closely with the United States to develop 
an effective ballistic missile defense system. 
 
US-Japan-Australia Strategic Dialogue 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C)  Turning to the U.S.-Japan-Australia Strategic 
Dialogue meeting, scheduled for October 20 in New York, Yachi 
 
TOKYO 00005423  002 OF 003 
 
 
said that Japan would like to discuss North Korea, 
intelligence sharing, humanitarian and natural disaster 
concerns, the fight against terrorism, Afghanistan and 
Central Asia.  Yachi raised the possibility of holding a 
separate four-country strategic dialogue to include India. 
He said he knew it was not possible to add India to the 
trilateral dialogue but said he would like to find an 
alternative format.  Another possibility would be to hold a 
meeting at the foreign-minister level during the Asian 
Regional Forum meeting.  That said, India was apparently 
skeptical about how to hold a four-country strategic dialogue 
without appearing to be "encircling" China, Yachi said. 
 
United Nations Issues 
--------------------- 
 
¶7. (C)  Japan was still waiting for a response from the USG 
on UNSC reform, Yachi observed.  Turning to the upcoming 
election of a new UN Secretary General, Yachi said UNESCO 
Secretary-General Kushiro Matsuura may decide to run for the 
 
SIPDIS 
spot at the last minute, if no promising candidates emerge. 
Matsuura, however, does not want his name coming up early, so 
will put his name forward just two weeks before the election. 
 Japan would appreciate it if the United States supports his 
candidacy, Yachi said.  Yachi also asked the United States to 
consider Japanese candidate Nobuo Tanaka for the Executive 
Director position at the International Energy Agency (IEA). 
Tanaka is the current director for science, technology, and 
industry at the OECD, he reminded.  Yachi also urged U.S. 
support for Dr. Shigeru Omi as the new WHO Director-General. 
 
Bilateral Issue 
--------------- 
 
¶8. (C)  Yachi noted that Japanese working-level officials 
were moving forward on implementing USFJ transformation, but 
that Okinawa's November gubernatorial election could 
complicate things.  On economic issues, Japan would be 
willing to hold a low-key sub-cabinet meeting before APEC, if 
needed to coordinate our approaches to this year's meeting, 
particularly with regard to regional architecture.  However, 
energy issues and more general meetings should be addressed 
after APEC so the new cabinet members can participate.  If 
two meetings must be held, the meeting after APEC should be 
highlighted, he suggested. 
 
¶9. (C)  The law enabling Japan to participate in Operation 
Enduring Freedom (OEF) is set to expire in November and the 
Democratic Party of Japan will oppose its extension, Yachi 
said.  The government faces time constraints in trying to 
renew it.  The Ambassador emphasized that it is very 
important for Japan to continue to participate in the war on 
terror.  Since Japan is no longer involved in humanitarian 
activities in Iraq, Japan's new prime minister could face 
criticism if Japan does not renew the law.  Yachi replied 
that Japan would like the United States to provide 
information on how valuable Japan's contribution has been to 
OEF in order to counter domestic criticism that the Japan 
Maritime Self-Defense Force is merely a floating gas station 
in the Indian Ocean.  The Ambassador emphasized how difficult 
it is to quantify the specific results of Japan's 
contribution and highlighted the critical role that Japan has 
played thus far.  He said he would underscore Japan's 
important role in OEF in his speech at the National Press 
Club on October 19. 
 
Iran 
---- 
 
¶10. (S)  Japan would like to be included in multilateral 
talks on Iran, Yachi stressed, noting that Japan had not been 
invited to the September 19 meeting in New York.  Japan does 
not want to be put in a position where multilateral forums on 
Iran arrive at decisions without Japan's participation and 
then "send the bill to Japan," he stated.  Nonetheless, Japan 
will continue to consult with the United States and the EU-3 
on Iran issues.  The Japan Bank for International Cooperation 
(JBIC) will not provide government guarantees, insurance, or 
credit to Japanese companies exploring in the Azadegan field. 
 This means the project will likely not go forward, Yachi 
said.  Iran is growing frustrated because even though Iran 
 
TOKYO 00005423  003 OF 003 
 
 
has made concessions, Japanese companies will not sign 
contracts with it because of the lack of GOJ guarantees. 
Iran is prepared to negotiate until September 27 and 
threatens to abandon the contracts if agreement is not 
reached by then. 
 
Rice Flour 
---------- 
 
¶11. (C)  The Ambassador explained that the Ministry of Health 
and Welfare is holding up hundreds of millions of dollars of 
U.S. processed food shipments because they may contain trace 
amounts of genetically modified rice flour.  He noted that 
USTR is very concerned that this could become a serious 
problem, adding that Washington is nervous about requirements 
to test processed food for rice flour because there is no 
quick test to check for it and such a test would be very 
expensive.  Yachi and Director General Kawai said they were 
not aware of this issue and promised to look into the matter. 
SCHIEFFER