Cablegate: Tokyo Media Reaction - Wto

VZCZCXRO4845
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #5327 3300237
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 260237Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9750
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RHHMHBA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI//N541// PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA// PRIORITY
RUHBANB/OKINAWA FLD OFC US FORCES JAPAN CP BUTLER JA PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/USFJ PRIORITY
INFO RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 4557
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 6960
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 3345
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 5219
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 8222
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0274
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1972
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 6326
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 7092
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS TOKYO 005327

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR I/RF, PA/PR/FPC/W, IIP/G/EA, EAP/PD, R/MR,
EAP/J, EAP/P, PM;
USTR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE;
TREASURY FOR OASIA/IMI;
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA;
CP BUTLER OKINAWA FOR AREA FIELD OFFICE;
PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO JA
SUBJECT: TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - WTO

LEAD STORIES: Top stories on Monday morning included a
GOJ plan to enact new legislation to prevent technology
that could be used for military purposes from being
transferred to terrorists and criminal groups.

"WTO Negotiations Should Not Be Allowed to Fail" The
business-oriented Nikkei editorialized (11/26): "The
prospects for strengthening the global free trade
system have become uncertain, as WTO Director-General
Lamy officially expressed his position last week of not
seeking a basic agreement by the end of the year on the
Doha Round trade liberalization talks.... Conflict
between developed nations, including the US, Japan, and
European countries, and developing nations, such as
Brazil and India, especially over agriculture, is
blocking progress in the negotiations.... If the WTO
gives up on an agreement by year's end, there is no
telling when the next opportunity will come. The Bush
administration has been unable to cut farm subsidies,
something that would be unpopular among farmers. It
appears likely that substantive talks on the round will
be postponed until after the US presidential election
in November 2008. Many of the participants in the round
have blamed the US for the impasse. The failure of the
WTO talks, however, would hurt Japan more than the
US...."

DONOVAN

© Scoop Media