TNAG-1684-FCO40-2334-Hong-Kong-Jubilee-Sports-Centre-(Amendment)-Ordinance-1987-1987 — Page 3

布政司署

香港下亞厘畢道

RESTRICTED

so

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

DIFU ET MON

本署檔號 Our Ref.: SCR 11/4841/62

來函檔號 Your Ref.:

A R Paul Esq

ний

Hong Kong Department

FCO

24 December 1987

Dear Alan

PA

Acron Tzk

HONG KONG

JAPAN CULTURAL AGREEMENT

Mr Woodway

W4/1

Misy Elliot

and

pa.

CME 41

The agreement was duly signed on 15 December. I was away for the signing, after having worked on the project, man and boy, for not much less than two years. It went smoothly on the day. Eight or nine reporters turned up, asked no questions, and the newspapers carried low key and factual articles the next day. OMELCO have had no queries either.

2.

Two last minute hiccups occurred, mercifully while I was

the beach in Borneo. Ron Bridge fell ill, with what at first appeared but luckily turned out not to be a heart attack. Mike Pagliari therefore signed as Secretary for Education and Manpower. Then, on the very eve of the signing, the Japanese asked for the originals, if you please, of the Secretary of State's entrustment to the Governor and the Governor's authorisation to the Secretary for Eduction and Manpower. which is as you know a general entrustment; we merely showed it to them. We handed them the latter, which they have sent to Tokyo and have promised to return to us in due course.

3.

We declined to hand over the former,

This affair has been my first sustained exposure to Japanese bureaucratism. I now know what the Japanologists are talking about. How Japan manages to steal marches on everyone else in business or applied technology is now a mystery to me. It would have been easier to take if the prize had been rather larger than ¥40 million. A case of "parturient montes

if ever there was one.

cc C O Pigott Esq, PEKING

CE J Wilton Esq, TOKYO

11

ever

Yous

Вов

R N Peirce

RESTRICTED