VZCZCXRO0933
OO RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHC #7357/01 1052222
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 152141Z APR 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO IMMEDIATE 8580
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA IMMEDIATE 0930
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA IMMEDIATE 0411
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA IMMEDIATE 1117
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE IMMEDIATE 3595
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO IMMEDIATE 0815

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 037357 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS ECON ETRD EFIN MARR PGOV PREL JA
SUBJECT: KUDOS ON JAPANESE REPORTING AND ADVOCACY 
 
REF: A. TOKYO 828 
     ¶B. TOKYO 825 
     ¶C. TOKYO 555 
     ¶D. TOKYO 157 
     ¶E. TOKYO 189 
     ¶F. TOKYO 307 
     ¶G. 08 TOKYO 3408 
     ¶H. 08 TOKYO 3079 
     ¶I. 08 TOKYO 2393 
     ¶J. TOKYO 572 
     ¶K. TOKYO 604 
     ¶L. TOKYO 526 
     ¶M. TOKYO 51 
     ¶N. 08 TOKYO 3435 
     ¶O. 08 TOKYO 3069 
     ¶P. TOKYO 599 
     ¶Q. 08 TOKYO 2884 
     ¶R. TOKYO 683 
     ¶S. TOKYO 279 
     ¶T. TOKYO 215 
 
¶1. (U) The Secretary's February visit to Japan, new domestic 
political developments almost every week, and a flood of 
visitors to and from Tokyo have the past few months a 
particularly busy time in U.S.-Japan relations.  Fortunately, 
Washington has had the benefit of Mission Japan,s stellar 
reporting and advocacy to help understand and manage these 
developments.  Specifically: 
 
¶2. (SBU) Tokyo 828 provided a timely analysis of the 
environment within the GOJ regarding its contributions to 
Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Afghanistan and Pakistan are among 
the Administration's highest priorities.  Tokyo 828 and other 
reporting on this region provide essential information for 
the State Department and other agencies.  The recommendations 
in this cable offered our policy makers useful guidelines for 
encouraging a commitment from Tokyo, especially within the 
context of the Pakistan Donors conference.  Similarly, we 
want to congratulate the drafter of Tokyo 825, an excellent 
assessment of Japan's relations with Afghanistan and 
Pakistan, which U/S Burns read with interest. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Your reporting on Japan Post Insurance's plans to 
market a cancer insurance product has been timely, effective, 
and insightful.  We appreciate the efforts of Kaneko-san and 
her colleagues to keep us informed of recent developments 
through updates and translations on the unclassified system 
-- these were essential to our ability to express to the GOJ 
early on our concerns with recent statements by the MIC 
Minister.  Your excellent cables have been essential in our 
efforts to understand the ins and outs of this highly complex 
issue.  Tokyo 555, was one of the finest examples of 
effective reporting on this issue that we have ever seen. 
This sentiment was also shared by our colleagues in other 
agencies.  It and subsequent cables have single-handedly 
reframed the content of policy discussions in Washington and 
will contribute to shaping whatever policy we ultimately 
pursue. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Thank you for alerting us early on in Tokyo 157 and 
Tokyo 189 to Japan's concerns about "Buy American" 
restrictions that were under consideration in the U.S. 
Congress.  Your timely reporting enabled us to be among the 
first to alert the NSC to the strong concerns of our trading 
partners, which in turn supported the efforts of the 
Administration to address these issues early and effectively. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Your reporting on the GOJ's responses to the 
economic crisis has been outstanding.  Particularly worthy of 
praise have been your in depth analyses of the real impact of 
economic stimulus measures that PM Abe and PM Fukuda have 
proposed and implemented (Tokyo 307, 08 Tokyo 3408, 08 Tokyo 
3079, and 08 Tokyo 2393).  These cables were essential in our 
ability to respond to last-minute requests by the Secretary's 
staff prior to her trip to Japan for more information on 
Japan's economic responses to the crisis.  Offices around the 
Department and in other agencies also praised your rewrite of 
the information paper on Japan's responses to the economic 
crisis, which was used both to brief the Secretary for her 
trip to Tokyo and as a basis for a similar paper for the 
President. 
 
¶6. (U) Two additional ESTH cables deserve special mention. 
 
STATE 00037357  002 OF 003 
 
 
Tokyo 572's prescient and clear presentation of emerging 
tensions in export control regimes was cited by managers in 
Washington as an important reminder of the bigger picture. 
The issues you highlighted will become increasingly important 
as more countries develop civil nuclear energy, the U.S. and 
Japanese nuclear energy industries develop their presence in 
these new markets, and the new administration emphasizes 
existing and develops new nuclear nonproliferation policies. 
Tokyo 604 gained recognition throughout the interagency as 
yet another example of your timely provision of "news we can 
use."  Thanks to your "who's who in Japanese climate change 
policy," our new team had the opportunity to learn about the 
personalities involved in shaping Japan's policies and 
preferences.  Even old hands like the OES/EGC office director 
and S/SECC special assistant noted how helpful Tokyo 604 was 
in the run-up to Bonn.  Indeed, the mission-wide effort to 
provide information on Japan's climate change and clean 
energy investments in the lead-up to the G20, including Tokyo 
683, was an excellent example of your strong economic 
reporting.  By capturing both Kasumigaseki policy and the 
business community's reaction, you helped Washington analysts 
and policymakers understand the breadth and depth of Japan's 
ongoing energy security efforts and its new industrial 
policies to promote renewable energy sources.  By integrating 
your traditional, front-channel reporting with newer, 
web-centered tools such as the Japan Economic Scope, your 
reporting reached a wider audience and helped ensure the 
entire interagency had the context we needed as we engaged 
with official and private sector Japanese visitors. 
 
¶7. (U) Clear, insightful reporting on the changing fortunes 
of the DPJ and the current state of play on the domestic 
political scene, such as Tokyo 526, are invaluable resources 
for the Bureau and for Japan analysts intently focused on the 
important upcoming election.  Tokyo 051 was also read with 
great interest by many in EAP, as it provided fascinating and 
valuable insight into the maneuvering and thought processes 
guiding the DPJ during the run-up to a very important 
election.  Similarly, many in Washington found the analysis 
of DPJ security policy (08 Tokyo 3435) to be fascinating, 
insightful, and perfectly timed.  Our compliments to the 
drafter of this excellent cable.  The shrewd analysis of the 
fallout from Air Self Defense Force Chief Toshio Tamogami's 
comments on World War II found in 08 Tokyo 3069 was 
especially informative. 
 
¶8. (U) Embassy reporting on Japanese-Iran relations, such as 
Tokyo 599, continues to draw widespread interest and praise 
by both senior officials and Washington analysts.  08 Tokyo 
2884 received extensive praise from the Policy Planning Staff 
for its in-depth analysis of Japanese views of China after 
the Beijing Olympics.  The Tibet points, in particular, were 
especially welcomed. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Embassy reporting on aviation issues remains 
top-notch.  At a meeting just this week, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for Transportation John Byerly personally praised 
the quality and utility of your reporting on aviation, 
characterizing it as "the best in the world, bar none."  Mr. 
Byerly singled out Naomi Walcott by name for her outstanding 
efforts. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Ambassador Haslach and others in our EAP/EP office 
have repeatedly offered high praise for the caliber and 
timeliness of your reporting on APEC issues.  For example, 
Ambassador Haslach personally praised as "fabulous" Tokyo 279 
on Japan,s thinking about its APEC year, saying that it was 
"very, very helpful" in preparing her for imminent meetings 
in Wellington.  The Director of EAP/EP also praised the 
quality of your reporting in Tokyo 215, pointing out that you 
in Embassy Tokyo are "the leaders in APEC reporting."  From 
DCM Jim Zumwalt to Econ Officer David DiGiovanna, the Embassy 
is diligent about keeping track of regional economic issues 
and facilitating a dialogue with the Japanese APEC offices in 
METI and MOFA.  Your initiative, outreach, and frequent email 
communication has helped strengthen our partnership with the 
Japanese in APEC.  We would also like to note Mr. 
DiGiovanna's excellent planning and logistical support for 
Amb. Haslach's trips to Japan.  We thank you for your 
excellent reporting on APEC issues, and urge you to keep up 
the good work as we approach 2010, the year that Japan will 
host APEC. 
 
¶11. (SBU) In a rare feat, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, DHS, and our own Bureau of Consular Affairs are in 
agreement on at least one thing: that you have done an 
exceptional job of educating the Japanese public about the 
 
STATE 00037357  003 OF 003 
 
 
launch of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization 
(ESTA).  Your extraordinary work during the build-up to the 
January 12 ESTA requirement, where Mission Japan did at least 
one outreach event each day for over a month, ensured wide 
coverage of the new requirement and dispelled rumors about 
the process.  We have heard this not only from our 
interagency contacts, but in official 
government-to-government channels as well.  For example, 
during recent regulatory reform meetings in Washington, the 
GOJ initiated consular discussions by praising the smooth 
transition to ESTA that was possible, in large part, due to 
your heroic efforts. 
 
¶12. (SBU) With regards to the Guam International Agreement, 
Post's reporting and frequent updates on the negotiations, 
conclusion and signing of the GIA were invaluable.  The GIA 
was the centerpiece of the Secretary's first overseas visit, 
and a broad interagency audience required detailed and timely 
input to close the loops in Washington.  Without your 
reporting, it is unlikely the Department would have been in a 
position to schedule the signing during the Secretary's 
visit, and the windfall in Japanese public buy-in for the 
Guam agreement, as well as Japan's early commitment of $360 
million in its JFY 2009 budget, might not have been realized. 
 This was a first-tier achievement, and your stewardship and 
communication played a pivotal role. 
 
¶13. (SBU) The Washington DC-based interagency NEO Working 
Group recognizes the excellent work done by Embassy Tokyo in 
implementing the US-Japan NEO arrangements.  The Embassy took 
ownership of this important process and, instead of relaxing 
after the agreement was concluded, kept up the momentum and 
surpassed anticipated milestones.  Tokyo's work is now being 
cited as a model for other similar arrangements around the 
world by State and other agencies as well. 
 
¶14. (SBU) EAP, ISN, VCI, and PM are highly appreciative of 
the detailed and informative reports from the Embassy on 
space and ballistic missile defense issues.  Information and 
insights you provided have had a direct effect on policy 
formulation in these critical fields, and were cited by 
incoming officials in the new administration.  One such 
official asked the desk how the Department was able to post a 
subject matter expert to Tokyo to handle space and BMD issues 
-- a nod to your competence and excellent work. 
 
¶15. (U) Finally, State 26175 singles out the efforts of a few 
reporting officers in each region for their contributions to 
this year's HRR.  We were very pleased, but not at all 
surprised, to see Dan Garrett mentioned for his superb work 
on Tokyo's 2008 submission. 
CLINTON