CONFIDENTIAL
FM TOKYO
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 882
OF 160806Z DECEMBER 92
CONFIDENTIAL
41
167045
TOP COPY Q DIST? MOHIAN 2570
Mrs Barner Jones
to see
السلام
$16/12
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
(39)
(46
YOUR TELNO 1718 TO HONG KONG AND HONG KONG TELNO 2897: HONG KONG/JAPAN
SUMMARY
1. I AGREE THAT THE JAPANESE ARE WELL AWARE OF OUR MESSAGE, BUT SEE MERIT IN THE MORE FORMAL REQUEST SUGGESTED BY THE JAPANESE EMBASSY IN LONDON, PERHAPS IN THE FORM OF A MESSAGE FROM COLES TO IKEDA. MINISTERIAL LEVEL VARIANTS ARE CONCEIVABLE (GIVEN IN PARTICULAR THE RETENTION AT THE MFA OF WATANABE AND PROBABLY KAKIZAWA), BUT THE ABOVE MAY BE ABOUT RIGHT AT THIS POINT.
DETAIL
2.
FROM THE GOVERNOR'S VISIT AND OTHER RECENT CONTACTS SUCH AS THOSE MENTIONED IN HONG KONG TUR AND COLES'S TALKS HERE IN EARLY NOVEMBER, THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT CAN BE IN NO DOUBT OF OUR VIEWS ON HONG KONG, I HAVE JUST FAXED TO HONG KONG AND FED MY RECORD OF DISCUSSION ON 15 DECEMBER WITH YUKIO SATOH, WHICH IS MORE IN THE SAME VEIN. I HAD A FURTHER CHANCE TO GO OVER THE GROUND BRIEFLY TODAY WITH DEPUTY MINISTER MATSUURA, ANOTHER FORMER CG. NO LOSS OF SUPPORT THERE EITHER. WE HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD THAT AT MORE JUNIOR LEVEL (DEPUTY DIRECTOR) THE MFA HAVE SPOKEN TO THE CHINESE EMBASSY URGING DIALOGUE, NOT CONFRONTATION (ROBERTS' FAX OF 16 DECEMBER TO BRADLEY, HONG KONG).
3. BUT WE HAVE ALSO HEARD IN PRIVATE THAT THE MFA'S CHINA DIVISION IS NOT ONLY ACUTELY AWARE OF JAPAN'S INTERESTS IN CHINA BUT INCLINED TO SYMPATHISE WITH CHINESE VIEWS. (YUKIO SATOH (SEPARATE REPORT) ADVISED US INCIDENTALLY TO KEEP AN EYE TOO ON THE MOOD OF THE JAPANESE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.) THE LONDON EMBASSY AND EUROPEAN BUREAU ARE VERY READY TO GO INTO BAT ON OUR BEHALF TO COUNTER SUCH TENDENCIES, BUT THE IMPLICATION OF TANAKA'S COMMENTS IN LONDON IS THAT THEY WOULD WELCOME IT IF WE CREATED A FURTHER, SPECIFIC PEG ON WHICH TO BASE SUCH ACTION. ADVICE HERE IS TO DIRECT A MESSAGE SPECIFICALLY TO THE ASIA BUREAU, ALTHOUGH SUPPORTING ACTION IN LONDON (EG WHEN THE PUS SEES KITAMURA ON 18 DECEMBER) WOULD OF
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