VZCZCXRO6283
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH RUEHPB
DE RUEHKO #1597 1630850
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 110850Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4966
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS TOKYO 001597
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ARF EAID ASEAN JA
SUBJECT: JAPAN,S RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON SEEKING VIEWS ON
AN ARF STATEMENT ON REGIONAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
REF: STATE 61440
(SBU) Aid Counselor and Political Officer delivered Reftel
nonpaper to MOFA National Security Policy Division Deputy
Director Kazutoshi Hayashi on June 11. Hayashi thanked
Embassy Tokyo for sharing the information and agreed on the
need to enhance ARF,s efforts in disaster preparedness
before a disaster strikes. Japan welcomes the USG,s efforts
and will likely support issuing a ARF Ministerial Statement
on regional disaster preparedness at the July 24 meeting in
Singapore, he stated. He noted that he needs to discuss this
with his colleagues before providing a substantive response,
however. In particular, the text related to an ARF SOFA
template will need to be examined closely, Hayashi said.
SCHIEFFER