ITY TOKYO
TO FOR HIGH A COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELEGRAM NUMBER 898
18 DEC IBM 1970
3530
CONFIDENTIAL 180050Z
[NEUTRAL]
ADDRESSED TO F CO TELNO 898 OF 1/12 38. ATE) FOR INFORMATION
TO WASHINGTON UKDEL BRUSSELS UKI:
GUNEVA OECO HONG KONG.
YOUR TELNO. 818 GENERALISED PREFE
KONG,
348
6356
WAKEFIELD SAW HARADA IN/MITI TODA
HARADA SAID THAT A FINAL DECISION ON VONG KONG HAD NOT TET
BEEN TAKEN, NOR WAS IT LIKELY TO E IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE.
THE LEGISLATION SHOULD PASS BY THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR.
IN GENERAL, HIS REMARKS ON TIMING SUP. ORTED ENDO'S LINE
CKEMMIS' MINUTE OF 30 NOVEMBER) THAT A FINAL DECISION WILL BE
TAKEN ONLY SHORTLY BEFORE DRAFT ISLATION IS SUBMITTED TO
[? GP OMITTED ]
THE DIET IN THE HALF OF JANUARY FEBRUARY.
2. WHEN WAKEFIELD SPOKE ALONG THE INDS OF PARAGRAPH 3 OF
YOUR TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE, HAT D DID NOT MAKE ANY DIRECT
COMMENT BUT HIS REMARKS THROUGHOUT THE HEATING SUGGESTED THAT
THE JAPANESE WERE AT LAST LOOKING AREFULLY AT THE POSSIBILITY
OF INCLUDING HONG KONG, SUBJECT TO SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR
CERTAIN ITENS. APART FROM TEXTILES HARADA SUGGESTED THAT.
FIREWORKS, ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS, PER JONAL ORNAMENTS AND
LUCKLES MAY BE AMONGST THE ITEMS WHICH WOULD CAUSE THE JAPANESE
DIFFICULTY. WAKEFIELD REPLIED THAT THE EXCLUSION OF TEXTILES
:
WAS ONE THING BUT SPECIAL ARRANGEM HITS FOR OTHER ITEMS WOULD
CLEARLY NEED TO BE LIMITED IF THE XTCNTICN OF THE JAPAKESE
OFFER TO HONG KONG WAS TO HAVE ANY MEANION,
PAKKG/1
/2.[SIC]
AT