VZCZCXRO9010
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #2077 2120220
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 300220Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6170
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RHHMHBA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI//N541// PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA// PRIORITY
RUHBANB/OKINAWA FLD OFC US FORCES JAPAN CP BUTLER JA PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/USFJ PRIORITY
INFO RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 9098
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 1472
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 7302
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 9681
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 2828
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4616
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 2440
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0608
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0995
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS TOKYO 002077
SIPDIS
STATE FOR I/RF, PA/PR/FPC/W, IIP/G/EA, EAP/PD, R/MR,
EAP/J, EAP/P, PM;
USTR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE;
TREASURY FOR OASIA/IMI;
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA;
CP BUTLER OKINAWA FOR AREA FIELD OFFICE;
PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO JA
SUBJECT: TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - WTO DOHA ROUND
1. LEAD STORIES: Most Wednesday morning Japanese
national dailies led with the ruptured WTO Doha Round
trade liberalization talks in Geneva.
2. "WTO Led by U.S. and Europe Shows Its Limits" The
top-circulation, moderate Yomiuri wrote from Geneva
(7/30): "...The fact that the Doha round failed to
reach an accord even after seven years of negotiations
demonstrates the limits of WTO rule-making in view of
the increasing difficulty in finding common interests
between developed and developing nations.... The
experience of the U.S. and Europe in running things
proved to be of no use.... It is a matter of course for
any country to make arguments to its advantage. The
bigger the presence of emerging economies and
developing nations becomes, the more difficult it will
be for the WTO to set trade rules."
3. "Cold Water Thrown on Trade Liberalization" The
business-oriented Nikkei's correspondent reported from
Geneva (7/30): "...The rise of emerging countries like
China and India has upset the power balance of WTO
negotiations, making it more difficult to reach a
consensus. With the WTO round adrift, concerns are
emerging that momentum toward a global free trade
system could be lost.... It was hoped that a WTO deal
would serve as a message to the world promoting trade
liberalization and concurrently act as a deterrent to
protectionism. However, the ministers assembled in
Geneva failed to live up to expectations."
SCHIEFFER