CONFIDENTIAL
RECORD OF BRIEFING ON AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND OFFICIAL
CONSULTATIONS WITH JAPAN
1. Mr Wilson (Political Counsellor, Australian Embassy) and Mr Blackstock (Counsellor, New Zealand Embassy) briefed me on their
respective political consultations with the Japanese.
2. The agenda for the Australia-Japan talks comprised East-West relations, Asia, Disarmament, the Middle East and the Pacific. The New
Zealanders omitted the Middle East. Both were impressed by the Japanese performance; Mr Wilson noted that until 1979-80, the Japanese had tended to. read out prepared statements. and avoid getting involved in unscripted discussions whereas they were now prepared to improvise. On this occasion, Nakajima had opened on each subject with a fairly broad assessment, and the specialists had then weighed in with a more detailed analysis.
East-West Relations
3. There was a close identity of views on this subject. All agreed that East-West relations were as bad as they ever had been and that the increase in tension was largely attributable to Soviet behaviour Afghanistan, the KAL incident, the Soviet military build-up in the Far East "especially in Japanese territory".
4.
The Japanese were rather relaxed about the chances of a significant improvement in Sino-Soviet relations. They thought some improvement in atmosphere and in trade relations possible, but full normalisation unlikely. On US-Soviet relations, all supported the limited and measured US reaction to, the KAL incident.
5. The Japanese described their own relations with the Soviet Union as "very tense" but said they were trying gradually to return to a situation of "business as normal". They were resuming cultural and scientific exchanges and going ahead with trade talks. intend to do anything to undermine Western solidarity.
But they did not
CONFIDENTIAL
/Asia