Cablegate: Country Clearance for Staffdel James and Party

VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKO #4554/01 2231004
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111004Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5291
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 3782
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 4154
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE PRIORITY 6737

UNCLAS TOKYO 004554

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OREP OTRA AMGT ASEC AFIN JA
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR STAFFDEL JAMES AND PARTY

REF: A. STATE 127081

B. STATE 128130

1. (U) Embassy welcomes and grants country clearance for
the August 15-17, 2006 visit to Japan by Staffdel James and
party.

2. (U) Embassy point of contact for the visit will be Brett
Blackshaw. He can be reached at:

Office phone: (81-3)3224-5337
Home phone: (81-3)3224-6811
Mobile phone: 81-90-4837-5822
(NOTE: when calling from within Japan, dial 080-4837-5822)
Fax: (81-3)3224-5322
E-mail: blackshawb@state.gov (unclassified)

Commander Naval Forces Japan (CNFJ) point of contact for the
visit will be LT Angela Edwards. She can be reached at:

Office phone: (81-46)816-7600
Home phone:
Mobile phone: (81-80)5471-1965
(NOTE: when calling from within Japan, dial 080-5471-1965)
Fax: (81-46)816-6616
E-mail: angela.edwards@fe.navy.mil

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Hotel Reservations
------------------

3. (U) Tokyo hotel reservations have been made for two
nights with check-in on August 15 and check-out on the
morning of August 17 at:

Hotel Okura
2-10-4 Toranomon
Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8416
Tel: (81-3) 3582-0111
Fax: (81-3) 3582-3707
Email: www.okura.com

Hotel confirmation numbers are as follows:

Ms. James: RSV 772927
Ms. Wada: RSV 772928
LCDR Diehl: RSV 772929

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Airport to Hotel Transportation
-------------------------------

4. (U) Staffdel will be met upon arrival outside customs at
Narita airport by CNFJ escort LT Angela Edwards with a CNFJ
vehicle and driver. Travel time from Narita airport to the
Hotel Okura is approximately 90 minutes. Transportation and
escort during the visit, including transport to Narita
airport for departure, will be provided by CNFJ.

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Per Diem
--------

5. (U) Embassy POC will provide per diem to Ms. James and Ms.
Wada upon arrival at Hotel Okura on August 15.

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Schedule
--------

6. (U) Visit schedule has been provided by CNFJ via Navy OLA
liaison.

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Visa
----

7. (U) Holders of U.S. diplomatic or official passports
must have a Japanese visa to enter Japan. Travelers on a
U.S. tourist (blue cover) passport may enter Japan as a
tourist without a Japanese visa for up to 90 days.

----------------------
Embassy Laptop Policy
----------------------

8. (U) The Embassy's laptop policy is as follows:
Absolutely no personal, non-government owned laptop computers
may enter the Embassy. Absolutely no laptop, even government
owned, may be connected to the Embassy network in any way.
TDY employees are reminded that no government owned laptops
may enter the Embassy without prior RSO approval. Absolutely
no laptop, even government owned, inside CAA areas unless
special pre-approval, based on business need, has been given.
If you would like to bring a US government owned and
provided laptop computer into the Embassy, please contact the
RSO's office prior to your visit for the briefing and
approval.

-----------------
Threat Assessment
-----------------

9. (U) U.S. Government facilities worldwide remain at a
heightened state of alert. The events of September 11 at the
World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Somerset, Pennsylvania,
serve as a cruel reminder of the continuing threat from
terrorists and extremist groups to Americans and American
interests worldwide. This situation remains fluid and
American citizens should be aware of the potential risks and
take these into consideration when making travel plans. The
Department will continue to develop information about
potential threats to Americans overseas and to share credible
threat information through its consular information program
documents available on the internet at the Bureau of Consular
Affairs home page: http://www.travel.state.gov.

10. (SBU) The general threat from crime in Tokyo and
throughout Japan is low. Crime is at levels well below the
U.S. national average. Violent crime is rare, but does
exist. The Japanese National Police report continued
problems with pick-pocketing of foreigners in crowded
shopping areas of Tokyo. Although street crime is low,
common sense security measures are advised for all American
citizens traveling in Japan.

11. (U) As the U.S. Government has reported in public
announcements over the last several months, U.S. citizens and
interests abroad may be at increased risk of terrorist
actions from extremist groups, which may target civilians and
include suicide operations. Most recently, we advised that
we had unconfirmed information that terrorist actions may be
taken against U.S. Military facilities and/or establishments
frequented by U.S. military personnel in Korea and Japan.
Americans should increase their security awareness and avoid
locations where Americans are generally known to congregate.

12. (U) In addition, we continue to be concerned about
information we received in May 2001 that American citizens
may be the target of a terrorist threat from extremist groups
with links to Usama Bin Laden's Al-Qaida organization. In
the past, such individuals have not distinguished between
official and civilian targets. The Embassy takes all threats
seriously. The U.S. Embassy Tokyo can be contacted 24 hours
a day at 03-3224-5000 (locally) or 81-3-3224-5000
(internationally).

13. (SBU) Visitors are urged to maintain a high level of
vigilance and to increase their security awareness.
Americans should maintain a low profile, vary routes and
times for all required travel, and treat mail and packages
from unfamiliar sources with suspicion. Visitors are also
urged to avoid contact with any suspicious, unfamiliar
objects, and to report the presence of such objects to local
authorities. Vehicles should not be left unattended and
should be kept locked at all times.
SCHIEFFER

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