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TELNO 876
OF 180839Z NOVEMBER 93
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MOLIAN 0806
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INFO ROUTINE WASHINGTON, MOSCOW, PEKING, UKMIS NEW YORK
INFO ROUTINE SEOUL, HONG KONG
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SEOUL TELNO 482: VISIT BY JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER TO REPUBLIC OF KOREA, 6-7 NOVEMBER
SUMMARY
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1 HOSOKAWA'S DETAILED APOLOGY AND PERSONAL STYLE HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO A MARKEDLY IMPROVED RELATIONSHIP, AT LEAST BETWEEN LEADERS. THAT IS A HISTORICAL STEP. BUT THE MFA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE MUST BE PROGRESS ON SUBSTANCE TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT. COMFORT WOMEN WERE NOT DISCUSSED IN DETAIL, BUT THE JAPANESE ARE WORKING ON SOME KIND OF EX-GRATIA GESTURE. DISTINCTION DRAWN BETWEEN THE CLAIMS OF KOREAN COMFORT WOMEN AND OTHERS.
DETAIL
2.
PRIME MINISTER HOSOKAWA VISITED THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA ON 6-7 NOVEMBER FOR AN INFORMAL SUMMIT MEETING WITH PRESIDENT KIM. WE HAVE BEEN BRIEFED ON THE OUTCOME BY NAKAMURA (DIRECTOR, NORTH EAST ASIA DIVISION) AND SUBSEQUENTLY, IN GREATER DETAIL, BY FUJII (DEPUTY DIRECTOR).. NAKAMURA CONFIRMED THAT IT HAD BEEN HOSOKAWA'S OWN IDEA TO BRING FORWARD HIS FIRST MEETING WITH PRESIDENT KIM, WHICH HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN SCHEDULED FOR THE MARGINS OF APEC. THE TWO HAD ESTABLISHED A SOUND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP UNDERPINNED BY RECOGNITION THAT THEY WERE BOTH COMMITTED TO POLITICAL REFORM.
BILATERAL RELATIONS
3.
FUJII EXPLAINED THAT HOSOKAWA'S AIM HAD BEEN TO DEMONSTRATE THAT JAPAN WAS READY TO FACE UP SQUARELY TO ITS PAST AS A NECESSARY CONDITION FOR ESTABLISHING A FIRM AND QUOTE FUTURE-ORIENTED UNQUOTE RELATIONSHIP. HOSOKAWA'S FULL AND FRANK APOLOGY AT THE JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE ON 7 NOVEMBER (TEXT BY FAX TO FED) WAS MADE WITH EVEN GREATER FORCE IN THE PRIVATE SESSION. FUJII SAID THAT WHILE THERE WAS NOTHING NEW IN SUBSTANCE, THE STYLE, SINCERITY AND DETAIL OF HOSOKAWA'S STATEMENT WERE QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS JAPANESE GOVERNMENT STATEMENTS. SPEAKING TO KIM HOSOKAWA HAD
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