VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUCNAI #0004/01 0591135
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 281135Z FEB 08
FM USDEL SECRETARY ASIA
TO RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO IMMEDIATE
INFO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/USFJ IMMEDIATE
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL IMMEDIATE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING IMMEDIATE
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE

S E C R E T PARTO 022804 
 
 
(Note: the unique message record number (MRN) has been modified. The original MRN was 08 PARTO 000004, which duplicates a previous PARTO telegram number.) 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2018 
TAGS: OVIP RICE CONDOLEEZZA PREL PARM MARR JA
SUBJECT: (S) Secretary Rice's February 27, 2008 Meeting 
with Japanese Defense Minister Ishiba 
 
DOD FOR APSA SHIN/SEDNEY/HILL/BASALLA 
JOINT STAFF FOR J-5 
USFJ FOR J00/J01/J-5 
 
(U) Classified by: Uzra Zeya, Deputy Executive 
Secretary, S/ES, Department of State. Reasons 1.4 (b) 
and (d). 
 
¶1. (U) February 27, 2008; 3:15 p.m.; Tokyo, Japan. 
 
¶2. (U) Participants: 
 
United States 
The Secretary 
Amb. J. Thomas Schieffer 
Lt Gen William Fraser III, Assistant to the Chairman, JCS 
NSC Senior Director for East Asian Affairs Dennis Wilder 
A/S Sean McCormack, PA 
LTG Edward A. Rice, Jr., Commander, U.S. Forces Japan 
Sangmin Lee (Embassy Notetaker) 
 
JAPAN 
Shigeru Ishiba, Minister of Defense 
Kohei Masuda, Administrative Vice Minister of Defense 
Nobushige Takamizawa, Director General, Defense Policy 
Bureau 
Hideshi Tokuchi, Director General, Operational Policy 
Bureau 
LTG Koji Shimohira, Vice Chief of Staff, Joint Staff 
Masaru Tsuji, Director General for International Affairs 
Kiyoshi Serizawa, Director, Japan-U.S. Defense 
Cooperation Division 
Ryo Matsumoto, Deputy Director, Japan-U.S. Defense 
Cooperation Division (Notetaker) 
 
¶3. (S) SUMMARY: In a February 27 meeting with the 
Secretary, Japanese Defense Minister Ishiba reaffirmed 
his commitment to implement U.S. Forces realignment, 
stressing that Japan and the United States should begin 
to discuss steps for strengthening deterrence at a level 
commensurate with current bilateral disQssions on burden 
reduction. The Secretary expressed deep regret for the 
alleged February 10 rape of a young girl by a U.S. Marine 
in Okinawa and urged the Japanese government to implement 
realignment as agreed. The Secretary also reaffirmed the 
strategic importance of the bilateral alliance and 
stressed that the Six-Party process would not negatively 
affect it. Ishiba and the Secretary praised the strong 
bilateral cooperation on ballistic missile defense (BMD) 
and acknowledged the difficulties of engaging Russia on 
its negative view of U.S.-Japan BMD cooperation. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
DPRI WILL PROCEED, NEED DISCUSSION ON DETERRENCE 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶4. (C) Ishiba asserted that he was committed to 
implementing alliance transformation and realignment of 
U.S. Forces under the Defense Policy Review Initiative 
(DPRI) according to the agreed timeline and 
implementation plan. The two countries, however, needed 
to have more dialogue on specific measures for 
 
 
strengthening the U.S.-Japan Alliance's deterrence 
capability since discussions on burden reduction have 
outpaced those on deterrence. This was particularly 
important in light of the fluid security environment in 
Northeast Asia, Ishiba stressed. 
 
¶5. (C) The Secretary thanked Ishiba for stating publicly 
his commitment to Okinawa consolidation per the agreed 
plan, noting that DPRI was a crucial element in 
modernizing the Alliance. Both sides have already made 
great efforts to strengthen the Alliance. It was, 
therefore, important to continue to push forward on 
realignment and discuss how this would augment our 
deterrence capability. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE REGRETTABLE, VIS-A-VIS REALIGNMENT 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶6. (C) Ishiba said the alleged February 10 sexual 
assault of a young girl by a U.S. Marine in Okinawa was 
regrettable, particularly in light of the two countries' 
realignment agenda. It was important for both 
governments to respond to such incidents in a timely 
manner and demonstrate sincerity in their approach to 
resolving issues in Okinawa. In this regard, the 
Japanese government greatly appreciated the recent visit 
to Okinawa by Ambassador Schieffer and former USFJ 
Commander LTG Wright, Ishiba added. 
 
¶7. (C) The Secretary responded that the U.S. government 
deeply regretted the incident, adding that she had stated 
in her press interview earlier in the day that she 
sympathized with the victim and her family. 
Acknowledging the hard work of both governments in 
responding to the incident -- including the visit to 
Okinawa by the Ambassador and LTG Wright -- she also 
expressed confidence that the bilateral task force on 
incidents involving the U.S. military ought to be able to 
improve mechanisms for preventing recurrences. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
REFUELING OPS RESUME, PUSH FOR PERMANENT DISPATCH LAW 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶8. (C) Ishiba briefed the Secretary on the resumption of 
Japanese refueling operations in the Indian Ocean in 
support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). He said he 
had explained to Diet members who opposed the passage of 
the new anti-terror special measures law authorizing the 
refueling operations that Japan would be singled out 
among G-8 countries as the only one that did not 
contribute to the War on Terrorism were it not for OEF. 
He also noted the importance of passing permanent 
legislation authorizing the overseas dispatch of Japanese 
Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in light of current 
restrictions on overseas deployment imposed by special 
measures laws. Ishiba said he did not know when the 
permanent dispatch legislation would be submitted to the 
Diet, but would continue to push for its passage. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
REAFFIRM IMPORTANCE OF U.S.-JAPAN ALLIANCE 
 
 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶9. (S) Acknowledging Ishiba's point on the evolving 
security environment in Northeast Asia, the Secretary 
reaffirmed the strategic importance of our Alliance. 
Efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula through the 
Six-Party process notwithstanding, U.S. security policy 
remains anchored by our alliances with Japan and South 
Korea. In this sense, the United States, Japan, and 
South Korea had a unique opportunity as newly-elected 
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak seemed intent on 
strengthening the U.S.-ROK Alliance as well as South 
Korea's relations with Japan and China. This was 
important, as the three countries needed to examine how 
the rise of China and the events unfolding in Russia 
would impact our alliances, the Secretary underscored. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
NEAPSM NOT TO SUPPLANT OR WEAKEN ALLIANCE 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (S) The Secretary also assured Ishiba that the 
Northeast Asia Peace and Security Mechanism (NEAPSM) 
embodied in the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement would 
not supplant or weaken our Alliance. The Six-Party 
process presented a useful mechanism for the main 
stakeholders in the region to cooperate on a common goal 
-- the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The 
idea is for the NEAPSM to continue cooperation on a range 
of other issues, including counterterrorism, 
nonproliferation, and humanitarian assistance and 
disaster relief. Ishiba acknowledged the utility of the 
Six-Party process, noting that he never imagined that the 
New York Philharmonic Orchestra would perform in 
Pyongyang. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
BMD COOPERATION STRONG, DIFFICULT TO CONVINCE RUSSIA 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶11. (S) Ishiba highlighted the recent successful SM-3 
interceptor test by the Japanese AEGIS destroyer Kongo, 
thanking the United States for strong cooperation in BMD. 
To make BMD cooperation more effective as a deterrent, 
the United States and Japan should consider having 
regional consultations similar to those with NATO. 
Ishiba noted that he had discussed BMD issues with 
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov in 
Moscow and Tokyo, who expressed reservations about U.S.- 
Japan BMD cooperation. 
 
¶12. (S) The Secretary also thanked Japan for continued 
cooperation on BMD, adding that Russia, while skeptical 
of the U.S.-Japan BMD cooperation and BMD programs in 
Eastern Europe, would probably welcome a NATO-like 
discussion. While Russia probably understood that 
missile defense was more viable today as a nuclear 
deterrent than during the Cold War because of the missile 
threat now posed by states like North Korea and Iran, the 
movement of interceptors to Poland and radars to the 
Czech Republic remained problematic, the Secretary said. 
RICE