61750 HONREP B
"
+
4 RTT REF NR 01 165 290
17.10.85
8753
FOR: JEAFFRESON, SO S, HONG KONG
FROM WOODHOUSE, BRUSSELS OFFICE
(RPTD: NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, GENEVA (PLEASE COPY TO ADAMS AT
UKMIS), LONDON (PLEASE COPY TO LEEKS AT FCO))
EXCOM DISCUSSIONS: THE JAPANESE
1. ALTHOUGH THEY WERE THE FIRST DELEGATION I CONTACTED IN GENEVA, I WAS UNABLE TO SPEAK TO THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM JAPAN UNTIL MY LAST AFTERNOON. ON 15 OCTOBER I SPOKE TO TAKAHIKO HORIMUA, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND REFUGEE DIVISION AND MASARU ANTATSU FROM THE SAME DIVISION WHICH IS IN THE UNITED NATIONS BUREAU OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
2.
I EXPLAINED HONG KONG'S POSITION AND HANDED THEM MY SPEAKING NOTE. IN PARTICULAR, I ASKED ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL 5,000 REFUGEES WHICH JAPAN HAD ANNOUNCED IT WOULD TAKE.
3.
HARIMURA SAID THAT JAPAN WAS UNDER PRESSURE FROM ASEAN COUNTRIES TO HELP WITH THEIR REFUGEE PROBLEMS. IN PARTICULAR. THE THAIS HAD SOUGHT HELP WITH LONG STAYERS. HE SAID THAT DESPITE PROPOSALS FOR LOCAL INTEGRATION AND REPATRIATION, JAPAN EXPECTS TO CONTINUE TO BE PRESSED BY ASEAN AND THAILAND IN PARTICULAR. HE EXPLAINED THAT FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT JAPAN WOULD INCREASE ITS INTAKE TO 10,000, HIS DIVISION WAS CARRYING OUT A CAREFUL STUDY OF THE CASELOADS IN THE VARIOUS PLACES IN THE REGION. ON THE BASIS OF THIS EVALUATION, JAPAN WOULD DECIDE ON QUOTAS. HARIMURA SAID THAT HE WOULD CONSIDER HONG KONG'S
POSITION SYMPATHETICALLY WHEN HE RETURNED TO TOKYO.
4.
HE ASKED WHY HMG AND HKG WERE LAUNCHING THIS INITIATIVE NOW. HE SAID THAT JAPAN HAD BEEN UNAWARE OF HONG KONG'S PROBLEMS AND WHAT HAD BROUGHT THEM SUDDENLY TO PROMINENCE. I EXPLAINED THE BACKGROUND TO SCORRI AND THE WHITE PAPER BUT SAID THAT HONG KONG HAS HAD A REFUGEE PROBLEM FOR MANY YEARS. HE ALSO ASKED ABOUT THE REACTION FROM OTHER COUNTRIES WHICH I SAID HAD BEEN POSITIVE AND IN TWO INSTANCES (UNNAMED) SPECIFIC. HE WAS CONCERNED THAT HONG KONG'S REFUGEES MIGHT NOT WANT TO RESETTLE IN JAPAN. I REMINDED HIM THAT THE PREVIOUS JAPANESE MISSIONS TO JAPAN HAD BEEN OVERSUBSCRIBED.
?
I ASKED ABOUT THE PERIOD OVER WHICH THE 10,000 WOULD BE. TAKEN. HE SAID THAT IT WAS NOT SPECIFIED, BUT HE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE TAKEN UP WITHIN TWO YEARS HE SAID THAT THAILAND WOULD BE JAPAN'S TOP PRIORITY BUT HONG KONG WOULD BE NUMBER TWO (WE TRY HARDER).
·
F