VZCZCXYZ0008
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKG #0299 0602017
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 012017Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4420
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0202
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0320
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0178
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 0055

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINGSTON 000299 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT PASS CENTRAL AMERICAN CARIBBEAN BASIN COLLECTIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2017 
TAGS: PREL PINR EAID OFDP JA CH TW
XL, XE 
SUBJECT: JAPAN/CARIBBEAN: TOKYO CONSIDERS OPENING ANOTHER 
EMBASSY IN THE REGION 
 
Classified By: ADCM EDWARD WEHRLI, REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
1.(C)  In the course of a recent private meeting with PolOff, 
Counsellor Katsumi Maruoka of the Japanese Embassy confirmed 
that Tokyo is considering the possibility of opening another 
Embassy in the Caribbean region.  According to Maruoka, Japan 
was keenly sensitive to the fact that China now had no fewer 
than five embassies in the region, while Japan had full 
embassies only in Kingston and Port-of-Spain.  He said that 
the Bahamas, Belize, and other countries were under 
consideration, but Tokyo had not yet taken any final 
decisions.  Maruoka asked that this information be considered 
confidential and not to be shared with other countries. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
2.(U)  PolOff thanked Maruoka for sharing the information, 
and reiterated that, particularly given current USG budget 
constraints, the U.S. appreciated the economic and 
development assistance that Japan was providing to our 
Caribbean neighbors. 
HEG