VZCZCXRO0016
RR RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #3553/01 2150421
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 030421Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6105
INFO RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 2384
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 1426
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 4811
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 5982
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 3157
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 TOKYO 003553 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD ECON ECOM JA
SUBJECT: Honda Motors on DHS's CBP Advance Trade Data Elements and 
C- 
TPAT Programs 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.   Honda Motor Company visited the Embassy on July 
20 
to provide feedback on U.S. Custom and Border Protection's (CBP) 
proposed Advance Trade Data Elements (ATDE) requirement.  Honda also 
 
outlined some of their experiences with the Customs-Trade 
Partnership 
Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program.  While supportive of U.S. port 
security programs, Honda is concerned that security requirements 
have 
lengthened their supply chain and increased their inventory 
requirements.  Accommodating the ATDE's new data field requirements, 
 
moreover, will be a time-consuming and expensive process.  Honda 
finds 
the C-TPAT validation programs to be poorly coordinated and uneven 
in 
their thoroughness.  The EU has similar requirements, but a 
different 
database format which will add to the expense and difficulty of 
managing the security programs for Honda.  CBP may wish to do more 
outreach to the Japanese export community in Japan to build goodwill 
 
and continue to encourage cooperation with CBP programs.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Honda is one of the largest Japanese importers 
participating 
in the C-TPAT program.   Honda Motors requested a meeting with 
Embassy 
Custom and Border Protection (CBP) and Economic Section 
representatives 
to explain their concerns with CBP's proposed Advance Trade Data 
Elements requirement and their experience with the C-TPAT program. 
CBP 
had invited comments on the 10+2 Advanced Trade Data Elements 
initiative on their website, and after coordinating with their 
Washington, DC office, Honda decided to approach the Embassy to 
deliver 
their first round of observations (For CBP see: 
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/ 
import/carriers/trade_overview.xml). 
Although this cable covers Honda's views, the Embassy's CBP attach 
 
explained at length the origins and logic of the CBP programs.  He 
also 
noted that the twelve applications by Honda's several subsidiary 
companies in the United States had complicated the administration of 
 
the C-TPAT program in Honda's case, and Honda Japan could improve 
coordination efforts by consolidating the twelve separate C-TPAT 
importer entities in the United States. 
 
 
CBP's 10+2 Advance Trade Data Elements (ATDE) Initiative 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  The Honda representatives said that Honda is supportive 
of 
U.S. efforts to increase port security efforts in the United States 
and 
Honda's North American companies have been active participants in 
the 
C-TPAT since its inception in 2001.  A main challenge for Honda, 
however, is to shorten its supply chain lead time.  The 24-hour 
advanced manifest data transmission rule introduced in 2002 already 
has 
caused Honda to deliver their containers to the shipping companies 
they 
use for shipments to the United States two days earlier.  This has 
forced Honda to extend their supply chain and have two additional 
days 
of inventory sitting at the port of export.  While this is not 
required 
by C-TPAT, Japan port procedures traditionally have items packed 
before 
the manifest is created.  As such, manifested items sit idle during 
the 
24-hour data transmission period. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The Safe Port Act of 2006 promises to complicate further 
 
 
TOKYO 00003553  002 OF 004 
 
 
Honda's supply chain management, the Honda representatives noted. 
The 
additional data field requirements proposed by CBP under the Act 
will 
be expensive and difficult to implement.  Honda's export systems are 
 
designed to communicate "manifest data," and do not have the fields 
 
containing the information requested in the Advance Trade Data 
Initiative.  Another problem is the definition of fields such as 
"manufacturer name and address."  Currently, for a container 
entering 
the United States, Honda fills this field in the manifest with 
"Honda." 
A container departing Japan under the proposed rules, however, could 
 
have parts from several suppliers.  As currently configured, their 
export database cannot identify manufacturers' names and addresses 
in a 
multi-sourced parts shipment under one invoice.  The Honda 
representatives stated that to incorporate the additional data 
fields - 
- once the definition of the information needed in the fields is 
agreed 
to -- multiple systems would need to be redesigned.  They estimate 
it 
would take a minimum of six months to do so.  The Honda 
representatives 
requested the CBP allow sufficient time to prepare for the 
implementation of the Advance Trade Data Element proposal as Honda's 
 
data systems are not currently sophisticated enough to provide CBP 
the 
Advance Trade Data elements. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Honda wished to know how some of their sourcing 
information 
would be protected as it is business confidential.  The Honda 
representatives also noted somewhat plaintively that the EU will be 
 
requiring advance data beginning in July 2009, but the data elements 
 
that the EU will require are not exactly the same as those required 
by 
the United States.  This would require them to maintain multiple 
databases for the same purpose of security which seems neither 
necessary nor cost effective. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  From Honda's perspective they consider themselves proven 
 
"good citizens" as they have worked hard to meet the requirements of 
 
the C-TPAT so their imports will face less obstacles while 
contributing 
to U.S. port security overall.  As such, Honda feels rather than 
being 
saddled with new security requirements they instead should be 
granted 
some leeway when it comes to the new Advance Trade Data Elements, 
either to be exempt in whole or in part for some of the data 
elements. 
 
 
C-TPAT Issues 
------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  The Honda representatives felt that they were misinformed 
 
about the benefits of participating in the C-TPAT program.  They 
noted 
that Honda still has to file additional data 24 hours prior to 
vessel 
loading despite being in the C-TPAT program.  Moreover, Honda has 
not 
noticed any difference in the inspection rate when it comes to their 
 
containers before and after the implementation of the C-TPAT 
program. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  From the Honda perspective, poorly coordinated CBP supply 
 
chain security validation team visits also are a problem.  Honda 
 
TOKYO 00003553  003 OF 004 
 
 
complained that they have received four CBP validation teams in the 
 
past two years from the Miami C-TPAT office, and are scheduled to 
receive two more teams later in 2007. 
 
Past Visits: 
June 22, 2005 - Shizuoka, Japan for Honda Manufacturing of South 
Carolina by Miami CBP office; 
June 23, 2005 - Saitama Japan for Honda Manufacturing of Alabama by 
 
Miami CBP office; 
August 25, 2005 - Tochigi, Japan for Honda R&D America/Honda 
Research 
Institute by Miami CBP office 
May 17, 2007 - Saitama, Japan for Honda Trading America Corporation 
by 
Miami CBP office 
 
Future Visits: 
September 13, 2007 -- Mie Japan for Calhac Inc. by Long Beach CBP 
office 
October 29, 2007 - Mie, Japan for Honda of America Manufacturing by 
 
Miami CBP office 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  Honda reported that the validation teams seem to be 
uneven 
in the thoroughness of their review, the time spent during 
validation 
visits, and the documentation requested, etc.   Honda proposed that 
 
rather than have different teams coming from different U.S. ports to 
 
see different companies in Japan that it would be more efficient and 
 
effective to have one overall U.S. coordinator for Honda that could 
 
pursue these validations in an organized fashion. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU)  While the law needs to be implemented expeditiously, 
Honda's approach to the Embassy was a good faith effort to give the 
USG 
some feedback on our port security programs and Post hopes their 
comments will be helpful to CBP.  For example, Honda points 
regarding 
coordination of two upcoming C-TPAT trips to Japan were valid. 
(Note: 
the CBP Attach has already notified CBP's C-TPAT program, and 
C-TPAT 
will follow-up on Honda's concerns.  CBP, moreover, will provide a 
one 
year implementation period for the ATDE initiative to allow 
sufficient 
time for all companies to comply.  From the perspective of DHS/CBP, 
the 
increase in data from the ATDE initiative will help CBP to better 
identify the parties involved in import transactions and allow CBP 
to 
improve trade facilitation efforts. 
 
¶11.  (SBU)  Based on their participation in industry organizations, 
 
Honda suspects Japanese industry may be as yet unaware of the 
Advance 
Trade Data Elements Initiative because industry is focused mainly on 
 
implementing the current 24-hour rule procedures.   (Note:  Honda's 
 
largest competitors, however, are currently active participants in 
the 
Advanced Trade Data Initiative and ready to work with CBP on 
implementing the new requirements, thus Honda's portrayal of a 
general 
ignorance may be masking an effort to catch-up with the competition. 
 
 
¶12.  (SBU)  Since some of Honda's concerns are legitimate, Post 
suggests that stepped-up outreach to the Japanese import/export and 
 
 
TOKYO 00003553  004 OF 004 
 
 
investor community could engender some goodwill and more cooperation 
 
while avoiding additional complaints from our biggest and more 
reliable 
importers.  This extra effort may be all the more important given 
recent Congressional moves to require the screening of all container 
 
traffic bound for the United States within five years.