INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Japanese Diet Members to Lobby Against Delisting

Published: Thu 11 Oct 2007 05:03 AM
VZCZCXRO6386
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #4769 2840503
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 110503Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8467
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 9461
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 5515
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA PRIORITY 3669
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA PRIORITY 2578
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA PRIORITY 6079
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE PRIORITY 7333
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO PRIORITY 4379
UNCLAS TOKYO 004769
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV KN JA
SUBJECT: JAPANESE DIET MEMBERS TO LOBBY AGAINST DELISTING
THE DPRK
1. A group of "more than 10" lawmakers from the nonpartisan
Parliamentarian League for Early Repatriation of Japanese
Citizens Kidnapped by North Korea are planning to travel to
Washington in early December to lobby against removing the
DPRK from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, according
to the office of League member and DPJ Representative Jin
Matsubara. The trip comes in response to a October 9 meeting
between League members and representatives from abductee's
families, including Teruaki Masumoto, who told the Embassy
that the family members planned to travel with the
parliamentarians.
2. The delegation hopes to meet with U.S. Representative
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and other U.S. legislators who have been
critical of delisting, as well as former Ambassador to the UN
John Bolton. Although the decision is still unofficial, the
League is putting together a group that will probably include
LDP Rep. Keiji Furuya, Independent Rep. Shingo Nishimura, and
Matsubara. Matsubara made headlines last June when he stated
in the Diet "there should not be a possibility" that the DPRK
will be delisted without progress on abductions. It is
unclear whether League Chairman Rep. Takeo Hiranuma will be
able to join the delegation due to health problems.
DONOVAN
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