VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKO #1714/01 2090436
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 280436Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4908

UNCLAS TOKYO 001714 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USAID FOR ODP KAREN TURNER, ODP/BD NORM NICHOLSON, ASIA/DAA JIM 
BEVER, CHARLES NORTH, AFR/AA EARL GAST; STATE FOR EAP/J VIRGINIA 
MURRAY, HEATHER DRESSER 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAID PGOV JA
SUBJECT: JAPAN RE=ORGANIZES FOREIGN AID POLICY BUREAU 
 
¶1. Summary:   USAID Counselor paid introductory courtesy calls the 
week of July 20 on the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs's (MOFA) International Cooperation Bureau, including Masato 
Kitera, Director General for International Cooperation, Akira 
Yamada, and newly-arrived Kazuo Sunaga, two key deputy DGs in the 
bureau that oversees Japanese ODA and foreign assistance policy.  DG 
Kitera underscored the high value he places on foreign aid 
coordination with the U.S., espoused a practical approach to joint 
efforts, and relayed his satisfaction with donor cooperation results 
in Afghanistan, global health, and prospects for future coordination 
in Africa.  DG Kitera also outlined a re-organization of his MOFA 
Bureau that takes effect July 27, reflecting climate change as a top 
priority.  Deputy DG Sunaga suggested that foreign aid collaboration 
with the United States would continue to be important part of the 
broad bilateral relationship, no matter the result of Japan's 
upcoming elections.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. Reflections on Afghanistan-Pakistan:   DG Kitera was fresh from 
his trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan to view first-hand Japanese 
assistance efforts in both countries.   Kitera relayed that he was 
impressed and re-assured from what he saw on the ground in Kabul, 
citing both progress on Japan's assistance programs and his general 
impressions of the workings of the Afghan government (GOA).  Clearly 
pleased with the strong Japanese commitment to Afghanistan, he 
mentioned in particular public security assistance and the GOJ's 
ongoing payment of salaries for the 80,000 members of the local 
Afghan police force.  Kitera also indicated the GOA seems to be 
working closely together well.  Kitera cited a comprehensive policy 
dialogue meeting he had with all the Cabinet vice ministers in which 
he observed "very good cooperation and open information sharing" 
between the GOA ministries.  DG Kitera was less upbeat about 
progress to date in Pakistan, citing what he called a general lag in 
terms of overall multilateral and bilateral donor disbursements, and 
obstacles to getting flowing very substantial funding pledges made 
earlier at the Tokyo-hosted April conference.  While not being 
specific on that point, he shared his view that there was still a 
lot of work that could be done on all sides to enhance coordination. 
 
 
¶3. Continental Commitment:  DG Kitera also underscored Japan's 
continued commitment to Africa, where the GOJ has pledged to double 
ODA levels by 2012.  As a key architect behind Japan's leadership on 
the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) 
process, a multi-donor consultative effort designed to increase 
Africa assistance, he views coordination between U.S. and Japan in 
Africa as particularly important.  Both Kitera and AID Counselor 
were aware of already strong on-the-ground coordination efforts 
between USAID and JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) in 
certain countries such as Tanzania, but agreed we can do much more 
in a part of the world that is a clear mutual development priority 
and where Japan is substantially increasing its foreign aid.  Africa 
was also focal point for AID Counselor visit with Deputy DG Yamada 
and will report Septel on delivery of Embassy demarche urging 
increased assistance for Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya. 
 
¶4. Regional Foci, Climate Change stand out in Re-org: DG Kitera 
shared the outline re-organization of the International Cooperation 
Bureau, which goes into effect on July 27.  The re-org dissolves 
divisions organized along mechanism or "scheme" lines within the 
Bureau, such as for grants, loans, or technical cooperation.   This 
tracks with last year's consolidation of responsibility for aid 
implementation within JICA, in to which the formerly independent 
development loans bank JBIC was subsumed.   The re-organization now 
solely divides responsibility along regional, functional, or sector 
lines, and structures the International Cooperation Bureau into nine 
divisions.   The regional re-org adds a third country or regional 
division and integrates Afghanistan and Pakistan oversight into its 
"Second Country" planning division for Southwest/Central Asia and 
Latin America.   MOFA's First Country Planning Division is in charge 
of East/Southeast Asia and Oceania, the obvious area of most 
interest to Japan, and its "Third country" planning division will 
handle Europe, Middle East, and Africa.  The re-organization also 
notably designates a separate division solely for Climate Change, 
one of only three "sector" divisions, the others being "Global 
Issues," and "Global Environment."  DG Kitera indicated he would 
personally follow and be involved with the Climate Change Division 
owing to its priority, and agreed with AID Counselor that climate 
change is a particularly promising area for expanded U.S.-Japan 
cooperation 
 
¶5. Kitera closed the meeting by pledging his ongoing interest in 
expanding aid coordination and expressed keen interest in travelling 
to Washington to visit with the next USAID Administrator as soon as 
he/she is named and confirmed. 
 
¶6. "Co-Equal Cooperation":  AID Counselor also met with Kazuo 
Sunaga, who recently returned from a Middle East posting to take up 
one of three deputy DG positions in the International Cooperation 
Bureau.  Sunaga, a well-respected MOFA diplomat and veteran of 
Japanese aid policy issues, indicated Afghanistan-Pakistan 
assistance oversight would be among his principal responsibilities 
in the Bureau.  Sunaga also was involved in the 1990s in drawing up 
the long-standing U.S.-Japan partnership on global public health, 
just recently renewed in June through the signing of a joint action 
plan by USAID and MOFA. 
 
¶7. Sunaga offered his view that ODA will be a very good area for 
close cooperation between the United States regardless of which 
administration assumes power following the August 30 elections. 
Reading directly from a copy he had of the Democratic Party of Japan 
(DPJ) campaign "manifesto," Sunaga cited DPJ goals of fighting 
global pandemic diseases, protecting the environment, reducing 
poverty, and realizing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 
Sunaga pointed out that while the DPJ goals seem very similar to the 
LDP's own  current objectives and initiatives, DPJ tries to 
differentiate by saying foreign aid will be delivered through the 
prism of what it calls "benefit for human security."  Sunaga also 
cited the DPJ mantra-like focus on being "co-equal" with the U.S. as 
a potential opening for continued strong foreign aid cooperation 
between the two countries if it is to be the DPJ that assumes power. 
 Sunaga, himself involved in the U.S.-Japan security alliance 
negotiations, and referring to what he called an obvious imbalance 
there, stated that foreign aid and global development may be the 
single most promising area in which both countries can truly work 
together as "co-equals." 
 
ZUMWALT