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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 001626 
 
SIPDIS 
 
P FOR MAREN BROOKS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2018 
TAGS: PREL XE CH RS IR AS JA
SUBJECT: U/S BURNS MEETS WITH JAPAN'S DEPUTY FOREIGN 
MINISTER 
 
Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer for reasons 1.4(b) and (d 
) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Japan believes care must be taken to avoid 
pushing China too hard on the Tibet issue, Deputy Foreign 
Minister Kenichiro Sasae told visiting Under Secretary for 
Political Affairs Bill Burns June 9, and suggested that a 
statement made on the subject by the G-8 Foreign Ministers 
accentuate the positive (opening of dialogue with the Dalai 
Lama) rather than focus solely on the negative.  China's 
military buildup is also a concern to Japan, and Sasae 
suggested the possibility of closer consultations to 
coordinate.  In the wider region, Sasae termed the proposed 
Northeast Asia Peace and Security Mechanism (NEAPSM) "a long 
shot" and said that although there is hesitation at the 
political level to launching a mechanism at this time, the 
Japanese are willing to discuss principles.  Sasae touched 
upon Japan's concerns about the rising influence of Russia in 
the Far East and also asked about Iran.  In both cases, he 
again suggested it would be worthwhile to have closer 
consultations at higher levels to coordinate our responses to 
these issues.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) DFM Sasae hosted a one-hour bilateral meeting with U/S 
Burns in Tokyo June 9.  Sasae was accompanied by Principal 
Senior Foreign Policy Coordinator Takehiro Funakoshi, First 
North America Division Director Kanji Yamanouchi, and First 
North America Divison Deputy Director Takeomi Yamamoto. 
Deputy Chief of Mission Joe Donovan, EAP-J Director-designate 
Danny Russel, and Embassy notetaker also attended. 
 
----- 
CHINA 
----- 
 
¶3. (C) The G-8 countries need to be careful about how to 
proceed on the subject of Tibet, Sasae said.  He believes 
that nationalism is rising in China, and after the Olympics 
-- successful or not -- this will be even more true.  The 
younger generation is growing proud of China and is behind 
the government one hundred percent on Tibet.  Although China 
is not a democracy, the government must nevertheless be 
mindful of public sentiment.  Sasae believes care must be 
taken not to further provoke this growing nationalism on 
Tibet by being too critical of China's policy.  Accordingly, 
the G-8 Foreign Ministers, while expressing concern, should 
also clearly note the positive steps the Chinese are taking, 
such as resuming talks with the Dalai Lama's representatives, 
who say they appreciate the dialogue, even if substance is 
not yet being discussed. 
 
¶4. (C) The Chinese, continued Sasae, are very concerned about 
what the G-8 Foreign Ministers will say about Tibet, or about 
whether they plan to form a contact group to address the 
subject, and have been demarching Tokyo hinting that Hu 
Jintao will not come to the Hokkaido summit if this is true. 
The Japanese, he said, have been encouraging the Chinese to 
clearly explain their intentions concerning the resumption of 
dialogue, telling them that as G-8 president, Japan will be 
able to convince the others of China's position only if it is 
very clear and transparent. 
 
¶5. (C) U/S Burns replied that he understands Sasae's 
concerns, and noted that the President, while directly 
addressing our concerns on Tibet, has also been careful to 
always steer the parties toward a dialogue.  Accordingly, we 
will be sensitive to the need for the Foreign Ministers to 
strike a balance. 
 
¶6. (C) With regard to the recent earthquake, Sasae said that 
while tragic, the Chinese also realize that it has helped 
divert attention away from Tibet.  He believes the central 
government and the army have responded well to the disaster, 
thus bolstering their standing, while attempting to focus any 
blame on local officials and governments.  Sasae was 
 
TOKYO 00001626  002 OF 003 
 
 
concerned about reports of possible damage to Chinese nuclear 
facilities and asked U/S Burns to share any information we 
might have on this. 
 
¶7. (C) Over the medium to long term, China's military buildup 
continues to be a concern to Japan, said Sasae.  He noted the 
initiation of a U.S.-PRC dialogue to address this and said 
Japan will resume its own security dialogue with China in 
July. Japan would like to see the Europeans continue to 
observe the arms embargo and is worried they will resume arms 
sales if they perceive improvements in the human rights 
situation.  For Japan, this is a matter of national security, 
not human rights.  Russia, he continued, also thinks arms 
sales to China are "no big deal."  Sasae and Burns agreed on 
the need for continued dialogue to discuss China's military 
buildup, the role the Russians and Europeans are playing in 
this, and the effect of the recent elections in Taiwan and 
the need to help develop confidence building measures across 
the Strait. 
 
---- 
ASIA 
---- 
 
¶8. (C)  The Northeast Asia Peace and Security Mechanism 
(NEAPSM) initiative is a "long shot", Sasae asserted. 
Recognizing that "we need to sort this out sooner or later," 
he said that while there is hesitation at the political level 
to kicking off a formal structure, Tokyo is willing to 
discuss principles at this point, thus leaving the U.S. "a 
clear way out." 
 
¶9. (C) The fact that Secretary Rice is going to Singapore is 
a very important positive step, said Sasae, as is the recent 
appointment of a U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN.  He expressed a 
desire to work closely with the U.S. and Singapore to work on 
an APEC strategy. Sasae also mentioned the visit to Japan of 
Australian Prime Minister Rudd, predicting that his new, more 
liberal government will want to make drastic suggestions 
about reforming Asian architecture.  Predicting that the 
Australians will "give us a lot of homework", Sasae said he 
believes it would be useful to have in depth consultations 
with the U.S. on this prior to the end of the year and the 
end of the current administration. 
 
------ 
RUSSIA 
------ 
 
¶10. (C) Japan perceives that Russia is reasserting itself in 
the east, said Sasae.  Problems with European relationships, 
the need to compete with China, and a desire to attract 
Japanese investment are all motivating Moscow to seek to play 
a more active role in Asia.  Japan must be careful about this 
and develop a strategy to engage Russia in a constructive 
way.  Recognizing that there are some tensions with the 
Russians over G-8 issues, Sasae urged caution to avoid 
exacerbating the relationship. 
 
---- 
IRAN 
---- 
 
¶11. (C) It does not appear the Iranians will give up their 
nuclear program anytime soon, said Sasae.  In addition, 
Tehran's wider involvement in the region, including in 
Lebanon, is very troubling.  Javier Solana will go to Tehran 
shortly, but no one really expects a breakthrough.  Sasae 
asked how the U.S. plans to proceed if the Iranians continue 
to move forward with their nuclear program.  He said that 
increasing pressure may be necessary, but that ultimately 
there has to be some kind of dialogue.  He noted that Japan 
has an ongoing relationship with Iran, particularly as it 
relates to the importation of oil, and that Tokyo would be 
concerned by any sanctions that might somehow impede its 
 
TOKYO 00001626  003 OF 003 
 
 
supply of oil.  He said the Iranians are very frustrated with 
the Japanese and call them the "sons of the United States." 
The Japanese, for their part, try to tell the Iranians that 
they must overcome their "image problem" if they want to be 
taken seriously by the rest of the international community. 
 
¶12. (C) U/S Burns replied that Iran is a serious, long-term 
problem and that Japan is correct to be concerned about the 
rising pattern of dangerous Iranian behavior in Lebanon, 
Iraq, and Afghanistan - as well as its nuclear ambitions. 
The United States recognizes that Iran is a regional power, 
but has deep concerns about how that power is being used. 
When Solana goes to Tehran, he will be prepared to adress the 
proposal put forth by the Iranians, but will keep the focus 
on the EU-3 plus 3 package.  The United States remains fully 
committed to trying to solve this impasse through diplomacy. 
 
¶13. (U) Under Secretary Burns has cleared this message. 
SCHIEFFER