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Viewing cable 07TOKYO1716, JAPAN CALLS FOR COOPERATION ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07TOKYO1716 2007-04-18 09:03 2011-08-30 01:44 CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Tokyo
VZCZCXRO8961
OO RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #1716/01 1080903
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 180903Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2791
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 6660
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 1620
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 1125
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 2734
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA PRIORITY 0751
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA PRIORITY 3200
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE PRIORITY 4285
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO PRIORITY 1670
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 3051
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUALSFJ/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA PRIORITY
RUAGAAA/COMUSKOREA SEOUL KOR PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 3985
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 001716 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2016 
TAGS: MOPS PARM PREL JA NATO
SUBJECT: JAPAN CALLS FOR COOPERATION ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS 
 
REF: TOKYO 00438 
 
Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer.  Reasons 1.4 (B) (D) 
 
1. (C) Summary.  In his first meeting with Political-Military 
Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary Stephen Mull on April 11, 
MOFA Disarmament, Nonproliferation, and Science Department 
Director-General Takeshi Nakane called for close U.S.-Japan 
coordination on cluster munitions (CM), and requested that 
the U.S. develop a formal negotiating mandate in the CCW ""by 
the end of the year.""  Japan will participate in the Oslo 
meetings in order to address any ""unrealistic"" proposals that 
might be introduced for future agreements, but will avoid 
outcomes that impede the U.S.-Japan defense relationship. 
AA/S Mull outlined new Administration efforts on Man Portable 
Air Defense Systems (MANPADS), highlighted concerns about the 
Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), and suggested that Japan and the ROK 
consider joining a joint U.S.-EU arrangement being proposed 
by Germany.  End Summary. 
 
------------------ 
CCW Mandate Needed 
------------------ 
 
2. (C) During a 30-minute discussion with visiting Acting A/S 
Mull, MOFA Disarmament, Nonproliferation, and Science DG 
Takeshi Nakane called for close U.S.-Japan coordination on 
cluster munitions (CM).  Tokyo attaches great importance to 
the CM discussions taking place in the Conference on 
Conventional Weapons (CCW).  The U.S. should develop a formal 
negotiating mandate in the CCW ""by the end of the year"" in 
order to deflect criticism from supporters of the Oslo 
process who believe that the CCW is ""finished,"" Nakane 
suggested.  The major CM-producing countries do not 
participate in the Oslo talks, meaning that any final 
declaration reached by the group would be ""empty.""  Japan 
therefore believes that CM deliberations should, in the main, 
continue to be addressed in the CCW. 
 
---- 
Oslo 
---- 
 
3. (C) Nevertheless, DG Nakane continued, ""it would be better 
for Japan to get involved"" in the Oslo meetings in order to 
address any ""unrealistic"" proposals that might be introduced 
for future agreements.  Japan had not yet decided whether to 
participate in the next meeting in Lima, Peru.  Tokyo placed 
utmost importance on its security arrangements with 
Washington and would not allow any outcome of the Oslo 
discussion to impede the U.S.-Japan defense relationship. 
Japan had not yet decided whether it would support a draft CM 
treaty which Tokyo has heard Germany will propose at the 
April 18-20 International Committee of the Red Cross meeting 
in Montreux, Switzerland. 
 
4. (C) Japan and the U.S. would need to mimic the close 
coordination that Tokyo and Washington demonstrated during 
the lead up to the Ottawa Convention regarding anti-personnel 
landmines, Nakane said.  He added that the government faced 
domestic political pressure from the Diet and NGOs to 
participate in the Ottawa process, which eventually forced 
Tokyo to join the agreement. 
 
-------------- 
EU Discussions 
-------------- 
 
5. (C) AA/S Mull, referring to CM as a ""very valuable system 
for defense"" and emphasizing the importance of minimizing 
civilian casualties, agreed on the need for close 
coordination.  The U.S. recently launched a new study on CM 
use that, by the end of the year, might result in a new CM 
policy.  In early April, the U.S. held discussions with 
France, Germany, and the UK on CM.  Washington is studying a 
German idea about a joint U.S.-EU approach to CM.  AA/S Mull 
suggested that Japan and the ROK look at participating in 
that effort. 
 
6. (C) DG Nakane welcomed upcoming expert-level talks with an 
inter-agency delegation later in April and passed AA/S Mull a 
list of questions about U.S. cluster munitions use that he 
said would help inform the discussions. 
 
------------- 
MANPADS & ATT 
------------- 
 
7. (C) AA/S Mull outlined a new Administration effort to 
regulate the distribution of Man Portable Air Defense Systems 
(MANPADS).  The U.S. is working with Ukraine and several 
African countries, and hopes to appoint an Ambassador-level 
envoy to increase efforts to destroy or control these 
systems.  The AA/S also highlighted Washington's concerns 
about the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which the U.S. feared 
might be used by suspect countries to place a stamp of 
approval on illicit arms transfers.  Nakane, noting that 
Japan was one of the original seven sponsors of the ATT, said 
that the ATT was in line with Japan's already strict export 
control regime, and was aimed at states that were violating 
humanitarian law and committing genocide. 
 
8. (U) AA/S Mull has cleared this cable. 
SCHIEFFER