FROM: MAJOR SIR PATRICK WALL MC VRD RM(rid) MP
30th July 1982
The Prime Minister
10 Downing Street London SW1
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HOUSE OF COMMONS
LONDON SWIA OAA
Parime Minister.
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As you will know, the Select Committee on Defence recently visited Washington, Tokyo and Hongkong, after which some of us paid a four day visit to Peking.
In view of the fact that you will be visiting the Far East in September, I thought you might like to have a brief report on our own visit.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
We had discussions with the Senate Armed Services Committee, the State Department and the Department of Defence about the United States' relations with Japan.
The Senate complained that Japan was still spending under
of their GNP on defence although the Prime Minister had iven an undertaking that in due course, Japan would look after her own defence and be responsible for defence of sea communications for up to 1000 miles from Japan. The Senate believed this-undertaking could not be implemented for a decade
They believed that Japan was spending 47% of their defence budget on the Army and tending to neglect the Navy and the Air Force. The Japanese could not deal with the threat from the Backfire bomber and ships had little air defence. Reserve missiles and ammunition were practically non existent.
They believed that the American/Japanese Treaty was outdated as it was very one sided, and Japan was not bound to help the United States in Korea or elsewhere.
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