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the Overview Committee had not been very successful. Dr Owen said that we were prepared to do something on debt, and hoped for general agreement in this area. If not, we would act unilaterally in extend- ing relief to the least developed countries, with some exceptions, eg on human rights grounds. It was ludicrous that our aid should be used to service debt. Sir Michael Palliser noted that the Japanese were making moves in this field. Mr Miyazaki said that the Japanese were thinking of giving comparable relief to less developed countries, such as Bangladesh, in the form of grants. But Japan had different legal procedures, and new legislation may be necessary to cancel debts. (Mr Sonoda returned at this point).
5. Mr Sonoda said the UK was close to the Africans, whereas Japan had not displayed great interest there in the past. The peace and prosperity of Africa was clearly important for the whole world. In return for increased Japanese interest, he hoped that there would be more understanding and concern in Britain and Europe about Asian problems.
6. Dr Owen said that he regretted not being able to visit Japan or indeed Asia as Foreign Secretary. He certainly intended to go both to Japan and China. There was a definite need for deeper and closer bilateral relations with Japan. One reason this did not exist already was the long argument in the UK for the last 15 years about the orientation of our foreign policy, centring on the EEC. This period was now over. We had made our decision and were bedding down well as members. We must now look at other foreign policy orien- tations. Asia, the ASEAN countries and China were all coming issues in the UK. Bilateral issues had focussed too exclusively on trade. Dr Owen wished to broaden our relationship so that trade would only be one part.
7.
But we must still accept that trade was a problem. In Britain, the man in the street had a long-standing, instinctive anxiety about Japanese goods. This to some extent reflected our own industrial weakness, but it was a sensitive issue. We welcomed Japanese investment in the UK on a joint venture basis. In his own constituency, Rank International were talking about doing business with Toshiba. There was no shop floor resistance whatsoever to co- operation of this kind. British workers needed some of Japan's technology and expertise, and welcomed it. We needed wider contacts on world political issues, and a working partnership which would go beyond trade, and put any disagreements into a wider perspective. The Japanese had such a relationship with the Americans, but not yet with us.
8. We were determined to push the Japanese hard on aid. The effect of doubling Japanese aid in dollar rather than yen terms reduced the increase from 100% to 60%. As for aid use, Zambia, and President Kaunda, who were suffering because of copper prices, deserved priority. Help for Zambia would help Africa and the Japanese themselves. A contribution to Rhodesia, once it had been brought to independence, would also be useful.
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/9. Mr Sonoda
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