VZCZCXRO1534
OO RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #0708/01 0510415
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O 200415Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0795
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 5840
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 1995
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 1921
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA PRIORITY 9918
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA PRIORITY 2374
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE PRIORITY 3397
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO PRIORITY 0896
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/DISA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/TREASURY DEPT WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI PRIORITY 6323

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 000708 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV JA
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S FEBRUARY 16 MEETING WITH KOMEITO 
CHIEF OTA 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  During a February 16 courtesy call with 
the Ambassador, Komeito Chief Representative Ota: 
-- stated his firm belief in the U.S.-Japan alliance; 
-- expressed appreciation for U.S. efforts to keep abductions 
on the front burner in dealings with the DPRK; 
-- said he strongly supports the relocation of Futenma; 
-- predicted that Taiwan would occupy a prominent place in 
upcoming meetings between Prime Minister Abe and Premier Wen; 
-- urged the U.S. to work to improve the everyday lives of 
Iraqis. 
End summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Ambassador called on Komeito Chief 
Representative Akihiro Ota at his Diet offices on February 
16, their first meeting since Ota was elected leader of 
junior coalition partner Komeito in September 2006.  Ota told 
the Ambassador that his recent travels to China and Russia, 
as well as a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Li the day 
before, had made him realize how quickly Asia was moving. 
This had affirmed his belief that it is urgent for Japan to 
further strengthen its ties with the United States.  In 
addition to the economic relationship, which he described as 
Japan's most important, he stressed the need for continued 
cooperation on North Korea, Iraq, and U.S. force realignment. 
 He also mentioned the importance of continuing to build 
stronger ties with Australia.  The Ambassador acknowledged 
the important role played by Komeito in Japanese politics. 
 
DPRK 
---- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Ota told the Ambassador he was very pleased with 
the agreement reached in the just concluded round of 
Six-Party Talks in Beijing, and attributed that success to 
the relationship of trust between the United States and 
Japan.  He thanked the Ambassador for his own personal 
support on abductions, as well as for U.S. efforts more 
generally to keep the world focused on the issue.  He noted 
that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had worked hard to gain 
support from Europe during his multi-country trip there in 
January, just before the bilateral U.S.-DPRK talks in Berlin. 
 Strong U.S. support had dispelled any concerns that Japan 
would be left behind in any additional agreements with the 
DPRK, although he said he still worries about DPRK commitment 
to implementing the current agreement. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Six-Party Talks had made progress on the 
abduction issue, in addition to denuclearization, the 
Ambassador assured Ota, and the agreement reached in Beijing 
was just the beginning.  Getting the DPRK to recognize that 
they have to deal with Japan on the abduction issue was a big 
step, he added.  By reaffirming the September 2005 agreement, 
the DPRK was bound to deal with both the nuclear issue and 
humanitarian issues, including abductions, he noted.  The 
Ambassador gave credit to the family of abductee Megumi 
Yokota for focusing attention on the issue, citing her 
emotional meeting with President Bush in Washington in 2006. 
In response to Ota's interest in the future of financial 
sanctions, the Ambassador explained that the United States 
was prepared to look at individual financial transactions, 
but would only consider lifting sanctions on those funds not 
tainted by illegal transactions. 
 
DPRI 
---- 
 
5,  (SBU) Distancing himself from Defense Minister Fumio 
Kyuma's recent call for flexibility in implementing the 
agreed-upon plan to relocate Futenma, Ota stressed his belief 
in the need to implement the original agreement as quickly as 
possible.  He agreed with the Ambassador that the agreement 
should have been implemented long ago, and should not be 
renegotiated simply because a new governor has been elected 
 
TOKYO 00000708  002 OF 003 
 
 
in Okinawa.  That is why Komeito worked so hard to elect 
ruling coalition candidate Hirokazu Nakaima to the post last 
November, he stated.  He told the Ambassador that he speaks 
with Nakaima often and thinks the issue will be resolved 
favorably.  Saying that the people of Okinawa feel closer to 
Komeito than to any other political party, he promised to 
"coordinate" his views with residents. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Ambassador praised the participation of Komeito 
members Masao Akamatsu and Shigeki Sato in a recent 
Embassy-organized trip to Guam for Diet members, saying it 
was good for them to see the role Guam can play in 
strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance.  The Ambassador 
stressed that the value of Guam is that it can ease the 
burden on Okinawa, while still keeping U.S. forces in the 
theater as a stabilizing factor.  At the same time, the two 
agreed, Okinawa will not lose its strategic importance, as 
Guam will complement the remaining U.S. forces on Okinawa, 
not replace them. 
 
China 
----- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Touching on his meetings with President Hu Jintao 
and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan in Beijing in January, and 
with Foreign Minister Li in Tokyo on February 15, Ota said 
there was no mention of Yasukuni, but much discussion of 
Taiwan.  He expects Taiwan to be a central focus of 
discussion during Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Tokyo in 
April.  Komeito International Bureau Director Hiroshi Takano 
added that what China fears most before the Beijing Summer 
Olympics is Taiwan revising its constitution and declaring 
independence.  Takano interpreted China's recent 
anti-satellite missile test as a stern message to the United 
States and Japan on Taiwan independence. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The Ambassador reaffirmed the U.S. policy opposing 
any change to the status quo between China and Taiwan by 
violent means, adding that the U.S. does not support efforts 
by either side to change the status quo unilaterally.  He 
noted that even as U.S. relations with China improve, as 
demonstrated by cooperation during the Six-Party Talks, 
China's ascending power leads to troubling issues, such as an 
accelerated military buildup and the missile tests. 
U.S.-China relations work much better when U.S.-Japan 
relations are strong, he said, and emphasized that improving 
relations with China does not mean lessening the importance 
of relations with Japan.  The Ambassador applauded Prime 
Minister Abe's October 2006 summits in Beijing and Seoul, and 
remarked favorably on Ota's 20-year relationship with 
President Hu, which dates back to when both were leader of 
youth organizations in their respective parties. 
 
Iraq 
---- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Reflecting on his visit to Iraq shortly before the 
outbreak of hostilities in 2003, Ota emphasized the need for 
stability in the daily lives of the Iraqi people.  The 
Ambassador pointed out that it is impossible to achieve 
social progress when violence is a part of everyday life.  He 
explained that plans for a stronger U.S. presence in Iraq are 
intended to regain control of the streets and establish a 
presence in communities.  He expressed his deep appreciation 
for Japan's continued contributions, both through Air 
Self-Defense Forces support and Maritime Self-Defense Forces 
refueling operations in the Indian Ocean.  He acknowledged 
the difficulties Japan's ruling coalition must face in 
gaining support for these activities domestically. 
 
Domestic Politics 
----------------- 
 
 
TOKYO 00000708  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Toward the end of the meeting, Ota remarked 
briefly on Prime Minister Abe's goal of achieving a 
"beautiful Japan," saying an American friend had told him 
recently that what he finds beautiful about Japan are things 
like employment policies that view layoffs as a last resort, 
universal health insurance, and a community spirit that 
values people.  He said he had passed this story on to Abe at 
dinner the previous evening, and that Abe had jokingly said 
he would use these points from now on to explain his policies. 
SCHIEFFER