TNAG-0423-FCO40-469-Construction-of-an-underground-railway-system-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 128

PRIORITY CYPHER CAT/A

GIS 180

M TOKYO 22868OZ

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

W

w 119

TO PRIORITY DTI TELNO EXCED 28 CF 22 MAY. 1973

PERSONAL FOR FELL, ECGD.

OZU CALLED ON ME TODAY TO SAY THAT, IN HIS VIEW, THE BRITISH

AND JAPANESE CONSORTIA LOOKED LIKE BEING THE STRONGEST BIDDERS

FOR THE HONG KONG MASS TRANSIT SCHEME. HE THOUGHT THAT THE

BRITISH TERMS, PARTICULARLY WITH RESPECT TO FINANCE, MIGHT

DE BETTER THAN THE JAPANESE BUT THAT THE JAPANESE TECHNOLOGY

WAS THE BEST. BECAUSE OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CONTRACT

AND POLITICAL FACTORS (WHICH HE DID NOT SPELL OUT) HE, AND THE VERY FEW OFFICIALS IN MITI WHO WERE IN THE PICTURE, THOUGHT

THERE WOULD BE ADVANTAGE IN COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE TWO

CONSORTIA.

HOWEVER, TIME WAS SHORT.

2. IF WE AGREED TO PURSUE THIS IDEA ANGLO-JAPANESE VIEWS MUST

NOW BE EXCHANGED. OZU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHETHER, IN YOUR VIEW,

APPROACH TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE MADE BEFORE, CR IMMEDIATELY AFTER, THE SECOND CONSULTATION SEMICOLON AND BY WHOM? OZU THOUGHT THAT IT SHOULD BE MADE BY GOVERNMENTS

RATHER THAN CONSORTIA SEMICOLON AND HE HOPED THAT HMG WOULD

TAKE THE LEAD.

WARNER

EXCED DISTRIBUTION

FED

FRD

HKIOD

1

Do Welfact

thow do we unet to this

I feel

we must still intet after the next Clateral rand.

CONFIDENTIAL

agree.

The Walin

22/5

Haloo What has Mi fell said

Mi fell said? Mw

? My 24/