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C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 000475 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2027 
TAGS: PREL PGOV UK FR GM BE KN CH JA
SUBJECT: PM ABE'S MESSAGE TO EUROPE: WE SHARE YOUR VALUES, 
SUPPORT US ON NORTH KOREA 
 
REF: A. USNATO 22 
 
     ¶B. TOKYO 23 
 
Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer.  Reason: 1.4 
(b) (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  During PM Abe's January 9-13 trip to London, 
Berlin, Brussels and Paris, Abe underscored his desire to 
strengthen Japan's ties with Europe, including NATO, based on 
a new values-focused foreign policy.  Abe's interlocutors 
agreed with him that the DPRK nuclear issue must be addressed 
and that UNSCR 1718 must be fully implemented.  Responses to 
Abe's appeal to maintain the EU arms embargo on China were 
mixed.  French President Chirac asserted the arms embargo 
should be lifted and German Chancellor Merkel forcefully 
urged it be kept in place.  Abe also reiterated Japan's 
desire to work within the G-4 mechanism to pursue a permanent 
UNSC seat.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (C)  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's first visit to Europe as 
prime minister achieved its primary goal: demonstrating that 
Japan values its relations with Europe, according to MOFA 
Western Europe Division Director Akira Kono.  Embassy Tokyo 
obtained separate readouts on Abe's trip from Kono, European 
Policy Division Director Hideo Suzuki, National Security 
Policy Division Director Jun Shimmi, German Embassy Political 
Counselor Martin Ebert and French Embassy Political Counselor 
Pauline Carmona. 
 
¶3. (C)  PM Abe traveled to London, Berlin, Brussels and Paris 
from January 9-13.  In Brussels, he addressed the North 
Atlantic Council -- a first for a Japanese leader.  In all 
four capitals, Abe had addressed three issues:  common 
values, North Korea and UN Security Council reform.  Abe was 
"very pleased" with his European experience, Kono reported. 
 
Common Values:  NATO and the North Atlantic Council Speech 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
¶4. (C) PM Abe used his European meetings to convey Japan's 
new foreign policy focus on shared values, including the rule 
of law and human rights, Kono explained.  The message came 
across clearly, according to German Embassy Political 
Counselor Ebert.  Abe plainly wanted to demonstrate that 
Japan -- in contrast to China -- was committed to a foreign 
policy based on values shared by its European "natural 
partners," he related.  Japan's interest in closer ties with 
NATO, Kono reminded (ref b), is a natural outgrowth of PM 
Abe's new values-based foreign policy.  Commenting on Abe's 
well received January 12 address before the North Atlantic 
Council in Brussels, MOFA National Security Policy Division 
Director Jun Shimmi explained that Abe's speech reflected his 
strong political commitment to having Japan play a greater 
global role, including through enhanced ties with NATO. 
Shimmi said he had been particularly struck by the  "strong 
views" Abe had expressed on future contributions by the 
Ministry of Defense (MOD) to that effort.  At present, he 
noted, there has been no substantive coordination within the 
government on how Japan would make this MOD contribution. 
Putting this commitment into practice will take time, Shimmi 
underscored. 
 
¶5. (C) Japan is ready to develop closer ties with NATO, as PM 
Abe explained in his speech, according to MOFA European 
Policy Division Director Hideo Suzuki.  Suzuki, who drafted 
the Prime Minister's speech, observed that joint Japan-NATO 
activities have been conducted on an ad-hoc basis.   As a 
first step toward a more mature and structured relationship, 
Japan and NATO will discuss a framework for closer 
cooperation at their "high-level consultations" in March, 
Suzuki stated.  He cautioned that the process of 
strengthening ties with NATO would take time.  French Embassy 
Political Counselor Pauline Carmona acknowledged to Embassy 
Tokyo officers that France had earlier opposed Japan's 
partnership with NATO and that NATO's November meeting in 
Riga marked a change in France's position.  In the end, Paris 
had decided not to let the NATO issue further affect its 
bilateral relations with Tokyo, she observed. 
 
North Korea 
----------- 
 
¶6. (C) PM Abe raised the DPRK nuclear issue and the abduction 
issue with each of his interlocutors, MOFA's Kono reported. 
He asked them to use their influence to press North Korea to 
implement the provisions of UNSCR 1718 and to cooperate in 
resolving the abduction issue.  All the leaders agreed that 
the DPRK must comply with UNSCR 1718.  PM Tony Blair seemed 
to be particularly seized of both the nuclear and abduction 
issues, Kono commented.  In Paris, Abe urged that France 
adopt unilateral sanctions if the UNSC committee failed to 
take timely action, Carmona related.  In Berlin, Chancellor 
Merkel and Abe shared the hope that China would continue to 
play a constructive role in the Six-Party process, according 
to Ebert.  Kono commented that MOFA had planned to have its 
embassies in all four capitals sponsor screenings of the 
award-winning movie "Abduction" in conjunction with Abe's 
visit, but weren't able to make arrangements quickly enough. 
All planned screenings in the near future. 
 
UN Security Council Reform 
-------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) Japan already has the support of the UK, France, 
Belgium and Germany for its permanent UNSC seat bid, Kono 
explained.  PM Abe reiterated in each capital Japan's 
intention to press ahead with its bid, despite the fact that 
its most recent "Model D" initiative had not garnered the 
hoped for support.  In Berlin, Abe and Merkel agreed to 
maintain the G-4 format, Ebert related.  He insisted that 
Germany is not concerned that Japan will split off from the 
group (Japan, Germany, India and Brazil), as rumored.  French 
Embassy's Carmona, in discussing the G-4 initiative, stressed 
that France would only move forward on UNSC reform in concert 
with Germany.  Abe asked the UK and France, which are 
permanent members, and Belgium, which took a seat as a 
non-permanent member on January 1, to help represent Japanese 
interests on the UNSC now that its nonpermanent UNSC 
membership has expired.  Belgian PM Verhofstadt indicated 
that Belgium is willing to cooperate with Japan on a broad 
range of UNSC matters, Kono reported. 
 
East Asian Security/EU Arms Embargo on China 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) In addition to DPRK-related matters, PM Abe raised 
broader East Asian security issues in all of his meetings, 
Kono related, focusing on China.  Abe took advantage of the 
fact that his interlocutors were all aware that he had moved 
quickly to improve Japan's relations with China soon after 
taking office.  He stressed to all that he believes China's 
development is not a threat, but an opportunity. 
Nonetheless, problems remain, including significant IPR 
violations and double-digit expansion of defense spending, 
coupled with military non-transparency.  China's behavior in 
Africa, particularly with regard to exploitation of natural 
resources, was also troubling.  The international community 
should encourage China to act more responsibly and help lead 
China in a more constructive direction, Abe argued.  In his 
private meeting with Chancellor Merkel, Abe complained about 
China's "Japan bashing," and argued that Beijing was using 
the historical issue as an excuse to oppose Japan's bid for a 
permanent UNSC seat, according to the German Embassy's Ebert. 
 Nonetheless, Abe had stressed, he was "determined to 
strengthen dialogue" and build a cooperative relationship 
with China, according to Ebert. 
 
¶9. (C) In each meeting, Kono related, Abe pressed for 
retention of the EU arms embargo on China.  The reactions 
were mixed.  President Chirac simply replied briefly that 
France had not changed its position, i.e., that the ban 
should be lifted once a new EU Code of Conduct is in place. 
This, Kono observed, was a very different response than the 
last time Japan had raised the issue with Chirac.  During 
Chirac's March 2005 Tokyo visit, he had passionately and at 
length explained the rationale behind France's position to 
then Prime Minister Koizumi.  This time with Abe, Chirac 
provided a perfunctory response, simply noting that "Japan 
understands France's position," according the French 
Embassy's Carmona. 
 
¶10. (C)  At her press conference, Chancellor Merkel was firm 
that "now is not the time" to lift the arms embargo, German 
Embassy's Ebert observed.  This was a change in the German 
position; former Chancellor Schroeder, along with Chirac, had 
actively promoted its lifting.  EC President Jose Barroso had 
been more "nuanced" in his response, Suzuki said, noting that 
this was "not an eminent issue."   Barroso likely took this 
position because Germany, which now opposes lifting, holds 
the EU Presidency and Portugal, which will assume that role 
in July, is unlikely to champion the issue, Suzuki 
speculated.  (Note: Suzuki noted that Italy and France remain 
actively interested in lifting the ban.  He opined that China 
may use an anticipated "China boom" resulting from the 2008 
Beijing Olympics to make a gesture, perhaps in the area of 
human rights, in exchange for lifting the ban.  Even though 
the EU insists that its new code of conduct will eliminate 
any need for concern when the ban in lifted, Suzuki said "we 
need to be prepared" and urged close U.S.-Japan 
consultation.) 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶11. (C)  The major "outcome" from Abe's European trip was his 
strong message that Japan wants to engage more actively with 
the Europeans, including through closer ties with NATO.  His 
"values-focused" foreign policy message was clear. 
Conspicuous in its absence, however, was mention of the "Arc 
of Freedom and Prosperity" concept put forward by FM Aso in 
his November 2006 speech.  While also values-focused, some 
have criticized the "Arc" notion as not well thought through 
and susceptible to criticism that it aims to encircle Russia 
and China.  Whether intentional or not, Abe's failure to 
mention it has raised questions about Abe's embrace of the 
concept. 
 
SCHIEFFER