VZCZCXRO5051
PP RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHKO #3454 2100045
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 290045Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5925
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 7039
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 2282
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 1334
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 4707
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 5880
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 3056
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 8507
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS TOKYO 003454 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR G/AIAG AMBASSADOR LANGE 
DEPT FOR OES/IHA 
DEPT FOR EAP/J WEBSTER 
USDA PASS TO APHIS CLIFFORD 
HHS PASS TO CDC, NIH 
HHS FOR OGHA STEIGER, HICKEY AND WADWHA 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFLU TBIO KSTH ECON PREL SOCI EAGR JA
SUBJECT: WHO: JAPANESE CONCERNS ABOUT SINGAPORE IWG 
 
REF: STATE 103509 
 
¶1.  (U) This message contains an action request - See para. 6. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On July 27, EST Officer confirmed with officials at the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Ministry of Health, 
Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) that they received the U.S. Non-Paper in 
reftel through their participation in the International Partnership 
on Avian and Pandemic Influenza (IPAPI) core group conference call 
on July 26. 
 
¶3. (SBU) MHLW Office of International Cooperation Director, Hajime 
Inoue expressed appreciation for U.S. preparations for the upcoming 
WHO Interdisciplinary Working Group (IWG) in Singapore, but asked 
for clarification on how the U.S. Non-Paper relates to a July 16 
"Chair's Draft" that MHLW received from the WHO Secretariat. (A copy 
of the Chair's Draft has been forwarded to G/AIAG via unclassified 
email).  Although he understood that the U.S. Non-Paper was meant to 
supplement the Chair's Draft, he expressed concern that the two 
documents have "a different set of structures" and asked for further 
U.S. views on the Chair's Draft.  Inoue also mentioned that he 
expected Dr. Viroj Tangcharoensathien of Thailand would serve as 
Chairman of the Singapore IWG. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) MHLW's Inoue also raised what he felt was a common concern 
among IPAPI core countries that without an initial draft agreement 
text to work from, it would be difficult to produce a final product 
by the end of the Singapore IWG.  He said he knew of no plans by any 
IPAPI core country or the WHO to prepare a draft text.  Moreover, he 
expressed concern that virus sample source countries may prepare 
their own draft, and that Japan does not want to see a "one-sided 
text to serve as the basis for discussion".  He asked whether the 
U.S. planned to prepare a text that other like-minded countries 
could endorse. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) According to MOFA Specialized Agencies Division Officer, 
Chie Nakajima, MOFA is still discussing the U.S. proposal and has no 
additional comments at this time.  Nakajima and MHLW's Inoue plan to 
attend the Singapore IWG as part of Japan's delegation, which will 
be led by MHLW Blood and Blood Products Division Director, Dr. 
Eiichi Seki.  MHLW Infectious Disease Control Division Director, Dr. 
Takuaki Shobayashi, will also attend. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: In response to GOJ questions raised in 
paras 3 and 4, Post would be grateful for any views or guidance the 
Department can provide on the Chair's Draft document and the issue 
of a draft agreement text for the Singapore IWG. 
 
SCHIEFFER