1454
CONFIDENTIAL
-2-
JARDINES LAST YEAR WOULD NOT QUALIFY. THIS WOULD CREATE A PECULIAR SITUATION.
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
''HONG KONG''
|
7. WE ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION ON WHAT THE INTENDED BY PROPOSING TO DELETE THE WORDS ''SINGAPORE'' AND ''FEDERATION OF MALAYA'' FROM THE 1957 UK/JAPAN AGREEMENT. FIRSTLY, WHY DELETE ''SINGAPORE' AND #1 'FEDERATION OF MALAYA i t IN THE CONTEXT OF AN ARRANGEMENT OF HONG KONG? SECONDLY, DID THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT BELIEVE THAT DELETING THE WORDS 'HONG KONG' WOULD HAVE ANY PRACTICAL EFFECT, IN PARTICULAR ON THE HOLDERS OF BN (0) PASSPORTS AFTER 1997? WE MADE IT CLEAR THAT WE BELIEVED DELETING THE WORDS WOULD MAKE NO PRACTICAL DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER AND IT WAS ON THIS BASIS THAT WE HAD EARLIER INDICATED A WILLINGNESS TO CONSIDER THEIR DELETION.
8. SEKI DID NOT HAVE MUCH TO SAY IN REPLY. AFTER CLARIFYING ONE OR TWO POINTS, HE UNDERTOOK TO CONSUL TOKYO AND REVERT.
CONFIDENTIAL