PRIORITY CYPHER CAT/A
GIS 180
M TOKYO 22868OZ
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
W
w 119
TO PRIORITY DTI TELNO EXCED 28 CF 22 MAY. 1973
PERSONAL FOR FELL, ECGD.
OZU CALLED ON ME TODAY TO SAY THAT, IN HIS VIEW, THE BRITISH
AND JAPANESE CONSORTIA LOOKED LIKE BEING THE STRONGEST BIDDERS
FOR THE HONG KONG MASS TRANSIT SCHEME. HE THOUGHT THAT THE
BRITISH TERMS, PARTICULARLY WITH RESPECT TO FINANCE, MIGHT
DE BETTER THAN THE JAPANESE BUT THAT THE JAPANESE TECHNOLOGY
WAS THE BEST. BECAUSE OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CONTRACT
AND POLITICAL FACTORS (WHICH HE DID NOT SPELL OUT) HE, AND THE VERY FEW OFFICIALS IN MITI WHO WERE IN THE PICTURE, THOUGHT
THERE WOULD BE ADVANTAGE IN COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE TWO
CONSORTIA.
HOWEVER, TIME WAS SHORT.
2. IF WE AGREED TO PURSUE THIS IDEA ANGLO-JAPANESE VIEWS MUST
NOW BE EXCHANGED. OZU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHETHER, IN YOUR VIEW,
APPROACH TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE MADE BEFORE, CR IMMEDIATELY AFTER, THE SECOND CONSULTATION SEMICOLON AND BY WHOM? OZU THOUGHT THAT IT SHOULD BE MADE BY GOVERNMENTS
RATHER THAN CONSORTIA SEMICOLON AND HE HOPED THAT HMG WOULD
TAKE THE LEAD.
WARNER
EXCED DISTRIBUTION
FED
FRD
HKIOD
1
Do Welfact
thow do we unet to this
I feel
we must still intet after the next Clateral rand.
CONFIDENTIAL
agree.
The Walin
22/5
Haloo What has Mi fell said
Mi fell said? Mw
? My 24/