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AT THIS STAGE SERIOUSLY CONTEMPLATING THE POSSIBILITY OF OMITTING HONG KONG AND ALL THEIR DEPENDENT TERRITORIES FROM THEIR OFFER, THE EXCEPTIONS LIST CLEARLY PRESENT PROBLEMS, BUT ONE OBVIOUS WAY OF TACKLING THIS WOULD BE FOR REPRESENTATIVES FROM HONG KONG TO DISCUSS THE MATTER WITH THE MYFA OR MITI. THE JAPANESE COULD NOT EXPECT US TO AGREE TO AN ALMOST COMPREHENSIVE EXCLUSION LIST WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT WAS IN IT (WE HAD BEEN ASKING FOR SUCH A LIST FOR MONTHS) AND WITHOUT ANY CHANCE TO DISCUSS IT
OR EVEN TO HEAR THE MITI CASE. IF TIME WAS IMPORTANT, A HONG KONG TEAM COULD VISIT TOKYO AS SOON AS THE HOLIDAYS WERE OVER ON
6 MAY. FINALLY, WHITEHEAD MENTIONED THAT THERE HAD BEEN SOME DISCUSSION ON THIS AND OTHER PROBLEMS BETWEEN JORDAN AND HARADA IN MANILA (MYFA DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE HAD AN ACCOUNT OF THIS CONVERSA -TION).
4. OHTAKA PERSONALLY SEEMED TO BE PERSUADED THAT A VISIT FROM HONG KONG WOULD BE A HELPFUL MOVE BUT HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO PERSUADE MIT! TO AGREE TO IT, SINCE THEY WOULD BE UNWILLING TO EXPOSE THEMSELVES TO STRONG PRESSURE FROM HONG KONG AS WELL AS JAPANESE INDUSTRY ON A SUBJECT MICH THEY COULD ASSERT WAS NOT A MATTER FOR NEGOTIATION. CHTAKA SUBSEQUENTLY TELEPHONED TO SAY THAT AFTER DISCUSSION WITH HIRAHARA AND THE VICE MINISTER, THE MYFA HAD DECIDED TO AIM FOR A 1-STAGE IMPLEMENTATION WHICH MIGHT HAVE TO BE DELAYED UITIL I SEPTEMBER OR 1 OCTOBER, THE NEED FOR AN IMMEDIATE DECISION ON HONG KONG HAD IN THEIR VIEW THEREFORE SOMEWHAT RECEDED AND THERE WAS NO NEED FOR A HONG KONG TEAM TO VISIT TOKYO AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING, HE HOPED HOWEVER THAT WE WOULD REALISE THAT THE EXCLUSION LIST FOR HONG KONG WOULD BE QUOTE RATHER LONG UNQUOTE.
5. OHTAKA'S APPROACH SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN AIMED AT BOUNCING US INTO ACCEPTING THE INEVITABILITY ON AN OFFER ON HONG KONG WITH NO SUBSTANCE AS FAR AS THE JAPANESE MARKET IS CONCERNED. THE MFA ALSO SEEM TO HAVE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE THE AUSTRALIANS' FLESH CREEP AND THE AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR SAW THE VICE MINISTER THIS WEEK ABOUT PAPUA AND NEW GUINEA. THIS SUGGESTS THAT THE MYFA ARE HAVING CONTINUING DIFFICULTY WITH MITI AND ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS OF MOVING MATTERS FORWARD IT ALSO SUGGESTS THAT THE MYFA, WHO HAVE SO FAR BEEN GENERALLY HELPFUL OVER HONG KONG AND OTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORIES, MAY NOW CONSIDER THAT ON HONG KONG THE BEST THEY CAN ACHIEVE IS PROFORMA INCLUSION.
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6 / WE THEREFORE
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