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DE RUEHKO #5570 2692232
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 262232Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6794
INFO RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2935
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2066

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 005570 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2016 
TAGS: PHUM UNDC JA
SUBJECT: HRC: JAPAN RELUCTANT TO PUSH COUNTRY-SPECIFIC 
RESOLUTIONS 
 
REF: STATE 157283 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor W. Michael Meserve.  Reason 
s: 1.4 (b)(d). 
 
¶1. (U) This message contains an Action Request, para 5. 
 
¶2. (C) Political Section Deputy presented reftel demarche 
September 26 to MOFA Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs 
Principal Deputy Director Yoriko Suzuki.  Ms. Suzuki 
responded that like the United States, Japan also wants an 
effective Human Rights Council (HRC).  The first two weeks of 
the first session in June had been "quite successful," she 
stated, having been conducted in a cooperative atmosphere. 
The final days, and first week following the session, 
however, had turned to confrontation due to the submission of 
a resolution by the Organization of the Islamic Conference. 
Japan had not been consulted about the resolution and, after 
consulting with European countries and the United States, she 
related, had voted against the resolution because it was one 
sided and did not contribute to resolving the conflict (in 
Lebanon). 
 
¶3. (C) Japan believes the HRC must resurrect the cooperative 
atmosphere of the first session's early days, Suzuki 
continued, but because the HRC is dominated by developing 
countries, this must be done cautiously.  She noted that the 
Council has one year, starting from June 2006, to establish a 
structure and to determine what tools and mechanisms it will 
use to address issues.  Japan has proposed to the United 
States and others that we first focus on how it should reform 
the HRC.  At this point, we should not push for 
country-specific resolutions; rather, we should work to keep 
the mandate for country-specific resolutions and 
country-specific rapporteurs, she said.  Japan plans to 
submit country-specific resolutions in the third or fourth 
sessions, depending on how this second session proceeds, 
Suzuki explained. 
 
¶4. (C) The current president of the HRC has solicited issues 
to included in a proposed omnibus text.  Japan supports this 
approach and hopes to work with the United States to address 
North Korean and/or Burma after this session.  Japan's 
strategy is two pronged; it plans to use both the UNGA Third 
Committee this fall and the HRC next winter or spring to 
submit DPRK resolutions.  Japan is already consulted with EU 
member countries to submit a North Korea resolution in the 
Third Committee, as it did last year.  Suzuki said Japan 
hopes the United States will again join in sponsoring the 
resolution. 
 
¶5. (C) ACTION REQUEST:  Noting that the United States is not 
a member of the HRC, Suzuki asked whether the United States 
has consulted with other countries about submitting DPRK or 
Burma resolutions during the second session.  Embassy Tokyo 
request that Department provide any information that we can 
share with MOFA. 
SCHIEFFER