Cable, US Embassy Tokyo 10346 to Secretary of State, November 9, 1996, Subject: Climate Change: MITI Calls for Differentiation and Developing Country Involvement (Confidential)
National Security Archive
A 1996 Tokyo lunch between U.S. enviro‑diplomats and MITI laid the groundwork for the differentiated targets that later defined the Kyoto Protocol.
Source: Cable, US Embassy Tokyo 10346 to Secretary of State, November 9, 1996, Subject: Climate Change: MITI Calls for Differentiation and Developing Country Involvement (Confidential) Date: Mar 3, 2015 Archive: Department of State FOIA Collection: The Clinton White House and Climate Change: The Struggle to Restore U.S. Leadership Dec 11, 2015
Editorial Analysis
Original analysis by the DriftSeas editorial desk. The complete primary-source document, transcribed from the National Security Archive scan, appears in full below.
A Tokyo Lunch that Shaped the Kyoto Blueprint
On 31 October 1996 senior officials from the U.S. State Department sat down for a working lunch with Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). The cable – a routine diplomatic dispatch from the American embassy in Tokyo – records the conversation in surprising detail. It was not a casual chat about trade; it was a high‑level negotiation over the architecture of the next United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) protocol, later known as the Kyoto Protocol. The participants – Eileen Clausen, senior adviser to the Under‑Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, and her team, alongside MITI’s Director‑General Yasuhiro Inagawa and senior officials from the Environment Ministry – were mapping the political terrain that would determine whether the United States could retain any leadership on climate policy.
The timing is crucial. The UNFCCC had entered its second Conference of the Parties (COP‑2) in Geneva in July 1996, and negotiators were already eyeing a third meeting (COP‑3) in Kyoto, Japan, scheduled for late 1997. In the United States, the Clinton administration was wrestling with a domestic political backlash against “environmental regulation” while simultaneously trying to salvage a reputation for international leadership after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. The cable therefore reflects a moment when the U.S. was both a reluctant participant and a potential broker of the next round of commitments.
Differentiation, Development, and the Long‑Term Lens
Inagawa’s three‑point framework – long‑term focus, differentiated targets for Annex I (industrialized) nations, and mandatory involvement of developing countries – mirrors the core of what would become the Kyoto text. The cable shows MITI pushing hard for “differentiation” – a principle that would let the United States and other Annex I parties negotiate softer targets than the EU’s flat‑rate proposal. The Japanese delegation also insisted that any future regime must embed developing‑country participation, but framed it in terms of “national self‑interest” rather than binding obligations. This diplomatic phrasing reveals Japan’s strategic balancing act: it wanted to appear a global climate leader while protecting its own export‑driven economy from costly emissions caps.
Clausen’s response is equally revealing. She signals U.S. willingness to accept a long‑term vision – an acknowledgement that the technology to achieve deep cuts was not yet in place – but she also emphasizes the need for a “vision” that can galvanize the private sector. The cable notes her suggestion to channel bilateral cooperation through APEC’s Clean Technology Initiative, hinting at a preference for market‑based mechanisms over multilateral mandates. The U.S. side’s cautious stance on emissions trading – “reservations but not ruled out” – foreshadows the later inclusion of flexible mechanisms (Joint Implementation, Clean Development Mechanism) in Kyoto, which the United States would later criticize as loopholes.
The European Context and U.S. Leverage
Inagawa’s report that European counterparts were split between a “EU bubble” of flat targets and France’s support for differentiation adds another layer. The cable indicates that Japan had just returned from European consultations, positioning itself as a conduit of European concerns to Washington. This triangulation underscores how Japan, as the host of COP‑3, sought to mediate between a fragmented EU, a hesitant United States, and an emerging coalition of developing nations demanding a voice.
The document also hints at internal U.S. calculations. The distribution list includes the Department of Energy, EPA, and the Science Collective, suggesting that the State Department was coordinating the climate message across domestic agencies. The classification note (by Gerald J. Whitman, then senior official) and the “confidential” label indicate that the administration considered these policy nuances sensitive, likely because any shift toward stronger commitments could trigger domestic political fallout.
Legacy: From Tokyo Lunch to Kyoto’s Compromise
The positions articulated in this cable map directly onto the final Kyoto Protocol. The protocol adopted differentiated targets for Annex I parties, incorporated long‑term emission reduction goals, and introduced flexible market mechanisms – all points debated in this Tokyo meeting. While the United States ultimately signed but never ratified Kyoto, the negotiations that produced it were shaped by the very arguments recorded here.
Why the cable matters today is twofold. First, it provides a rare, contemporaneous glimpse of how senior diplomats framed the “differentiation” debate that still underpins the Paris Agreement’s nationally determined contributions. Second, it shows how the United States, even when reluctant, engaged in substantive technical discussions that influenced the architecture of global climate governance. As policymakers revisit the question of U.S. leadership in a new climate regime, the 1996 Tokyo lunch reminds us that diplomatic nuance, inter‑agency coordination, and the strategic framing of national self‑interest are as decisive as the science itself.
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
PTQ2590
[RELEASED IN FULL]
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ2590
PAGE 01 TOKYO 10346 01 OF 03 090026Z ACTION OES-01
INFO LOG-00 ACDA-10 ACDE-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 AMAD-01 CEA-01 CEQ-00 CIAE-00 CIP-00 COME-00 CTME-00 OASY-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 ANHR-01 SRPP-00 DS-00 EAP-01 EB-00 E-00 FRB-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 ITC-01 L-01 ADS-00 M-00 NASA-01 NAS-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 NSF-01 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 P-00 CIO-00 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 STR-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-09 G-00 /034W ----------------79ECB8 090027Z /38 P 090002Z NOV 96 FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9432 INFO DOE WASHDC PRIORITY HQEPA WASHDC PRIORITY SCIENCE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY AMCONSUL NAHA AMCONSUL SAPPORO AMCONSUL FUKUOKA AMCONSUL NAGOYA AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE AMCONSUL HONG KONG AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 010346
STATE FOR OES/EGC, EAP/J, G-DHARWOOD CONFIDENTIAL
[REVIEW AUTHORITY: Alan Flanigan, Senior Reviewer]
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 TOKYO 10346 01 OF 03 090026Z EPA/OIA FOR STROTHER DOE FOR HASPEL, PO-2; BRADLEY, PO-63
E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV, PGOV, ENRG, JA SUBJECT: CLIMATE CHANGE: MITI CALLS FOR DIFFERENTIATION AND DEVELOPING COUNTRY INVOLVEMENT
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
- CONFIDENTIAL - CLASSIFIED BY GERALD J. WHITMAN, EST MIN-COUN. REASON: 1.5(D).
SUMMARY AND PARTICIPANTS
SUMMARY: IN HIS MEETING WITH OES A/S CLAUSSEN, MITI DIRECTOR GENERAL INAGAWA DISCUSSED A RANGE OF TECHNICAL MATTERS REGARDING CLIMATE CHANGE AND POSSIBLE PROVISIONS FOR A COP-3 PROTOCOL. MITI CONTINUES TO ADVOCATE A DIFFERENTIATION OPTION FOR ANNEX ONE COUNTRIES. MITI ALSO BELIEVES A NEW CLIMATE CHANGE PROTOCOL MUST INVOLVE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, BUT THE SPIN SHOULD BE ON NATIONAL SELF-INTEREST, RATHER THAN MANDATORY MEASURES. MITI EXPRESSED RESERVATIONS ABOUT INTERNATIONAL EMISSIONS TRADING, BUT DID NOT RULE IT OUT. A/S CLAUSSEN SAID BILATERAL COOPERATION TO DEVELOP ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY COULD WORK BETTER THROUGH A VEHICLE LIKE APEC'S CLEAN TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE. END SUMMARY.
MITI ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND INDUSTRIAL LOCATION BUREAU DIRECTOR GENERAL YASUHIRO INAGAWA HOSTED A WORKING CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 TOKYO 10346 01 OF 03 090026Z LUNCH OCTOBER 31 FOR OES A/S EILEEN CLAUSSEN. DCM DEMING, EST MINISTER COUNSELOR WHITMAN, OES POLICY ADVISOR KIM-MITCHELL, OES SPECIAL ASSISTANT LAPHAM AND ESTOFF COMPRISED THE USG SIDE. FROM THE GOJ SIDE, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY DIVISION DIRECTOR KAZUO MATSUNAGA, GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS OFFICE DIRECTOR KAZUHITO SAKURAI AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR MICHIHIRO KISHIMOTO, AND MITI'S AGENCY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY (ANRE) DIRECTOR FOR COORDINATION OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES TORU KOBAYASHI ATTENDED THE LUNCH. FOLLOWING THE LUNCH, A/S CLAUSSEN CALLED ON MITI VICE MINISTER FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS HISASHI HOSOKAWA (SEPTEL).
GOJ: THREE CLIMATE CHANGE PRINCIPLES
- DG INAGAWA OUTLINED THE THREE KEY PRINCIPLES ON WHICH MITI BASES ITS VIEWS ON CLIMATE CHANGE. FIRST, A FUTURE PROTOCOL MUST FOCUS NOT JUST ON THE MEDIUM-TERM (I.E. UNTIL 2010) BUT ALSO ON ADDRESSING THE LONG-TERM CLIMATE CHANGE SITUATION. SECOND, EACH COUNTRY'S CO2 EMISSIONS DIFFER
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
BASED ON A VARIETY OF FACTORS SO A FUTURE REGIME SHOULD OUTLINE REDUCTIONS ON A DIFFERENTIATED BASIS. FINALLY, A REGIME WHICH CAN ACHIEVE REAL CO2 REDUCTIONS MUST INCLUDE DEVELOPING COUNTRY INVOLVEMENT.
INAGAWA: EUROPEAN CONSULTATIONS
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 TOKYO 10346 01 OF 03 090026Z 5. INAGAWA HAD JUST RETURNED FROM CONSULTATIONS IN EUROPE, WHERE HE SHARED THE ABOVE VIEWS WITH HIS COUNTERPARTS IN GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, GERMANY AND THE NETHERLANDS. HE SAID THE EU CONTINUED TO PUSH ITS DESIRE FOR AN EU "BUBBLE," IN WHICH THE EU WOULD AGREE TO AN OVERALL FLAT TARGET FOR CO2 EMISSIONS, WHILE SETTING DIFFERENTIATED RATES FOR EU MEMBERS WITHIN THE "BUBBLE." NEVERTHELESS, FRANCE CONTINUES TO SUPPORT DIFFERENTIATION, WHILE THE UK, GERMANY AND THE NETHERLANDS SUPPORT A FLAT TARGET. INAGAWA REPORTED ALL FOUR COUNTRIES AGREED DEVELOPING COUNTRIES' EMISSIONS MUST BE FACTORED IN A FUTURE PROTOCOL, BUT THE EUROPEANS HAD NO NEW IDEAS. INAGAWA SAID THE EUROPEANS ALSO AGREED THE USG WOULD PRESENT A POSITIVE REDUCTION PROPOSAL, BUT THEY THOUGHT THE UNITED STATES WOULD FACE DIFFICULTY ACHIEVING THOSE REDUCTIONS.
CLAUSSEN: USG VIEWS ON GOJ PRINCIPLES
- A/S CLAUSSEN SAID THE USG AGREES COMPLETELY THAT A NEW REGIME MUST CONSIDER THE LONG-TERM. BECAUSE THE TECHNOLOGY DOES NOT YET EXIST FOR SUBSTANTIAL GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) REDUCTION, POLITICAL LEADERS MUST PRESENT A VISION FOR LONG- TERM GHG REDUCTION GOALS, BY WHICH THE PRIVATE SECTOR CAN
CONFIDENTIAL
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
NNNNPTQ2591
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ2591
PAGE 01 TOKYO 10346 02 OF 03 090027Z ACTION OES-01
INFO LOG-00 ACDA-10 ACDE-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 AMAD-01 CEA-01 CEQ-00 CIAE-00 CIP-00 COME-00 CTME-00 OASY-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 ANHR-01 SRPP-00 DS-00 EAP-01 EB-00 E-00 FRB-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 ITC-01 L-01 ADS-00 M-00 NASA-01 NAS-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 NSF-01 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 P-00 CIO-00 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 STR-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-09 G-00 /034W ------------------79ECCA 090027Z /38 P 090002Z NOV 96 FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9433 INFO DOE WASHDC PRIORITY HQEPA WASHDC PRIORITY SCIENCE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY AMCONSUL NAHA AMCONSUL SAPPORO AMCONSUL FUKUOKA AMCONSUL NAGOYA AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE AMCONSUL HONG KONG AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 03 TOKYO 010346
STATE FOR OES/EGC, EAP/J, G-DHARWOOD CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 TOKYO 10346 02 OF 03 090027Z EPA/OIA FOR STROTHER DOE FOR HASPEL, PO-2; BRADLEY, PO-63
E.O. 12958: N/A
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
TAGS: SENV, PGOV, ENRG, JA SUBJECT: CLIMATE CHANGE: MITI CALLS FOR DIFFERENTIATION AND DEVELOPING COUNTRY INVOLVEMENT
PURSUE TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT. A/S CLAUSSEN SAID THE USG DISAGREES WITH THE GOJ VIEW ON DIFFERENTIATION. REACHING CONSENSUS ON A DIFFERENTIATED REGIME BEFORE COP-3 CONVENES WILL BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. INSTEAD THE USG BELIEVES SETTING A UNIFIED TARGET FOR ANNEX-ONE COUNTRIES WHILE ALLOWING EACH COUNTRY MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY IN ACHIEVING THE TARGET IS THE BEST STEP FORWARD. A/S CLAUSSEN AGREED WITH THE GOJ VIEW THAT INVOLVING NON-ANNEX ONE COUNTRIES IN A FUTURE PROTOCOL WILL BE IMPORTANT. SHE TOLD INAGAWA SHE WAS ENCOURAGED THAT DURING HER CHINA VISIT, PRC OFFICIALS AT THE POLICY-MAKING LEVEL SEEMED VERY WELL INFORMED ON CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES AND SAID THEY WERE WILLING TO TAKE ACTION. A/S CLAUSSEN SAID HER CONCERN WITH REGARDS TO CHINA WAS ITS ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT THE NECESSARY MEASURES.
REDUCTION BASELINE
- IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION FROM INAGAWA, A/S CLAUSSEN SAID THE USG BELIEVES IT WOULD BE EASIER POLITICALLY TO CONTINUE TO USE 1990 AS THE MEDIUM-TERM BASELINE IN A NEW PROTOCOL. BOTH INAGAWA AND A/S CLAUSSEN AGREED IT WAS EASY CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 TOKYO 10346 02 OF 03 090027Z FOR GERMANY, IN PARTICULAR, TO CALL FOR REDUCTIONS BELOW 1990 LEVELS AS IT BENEFITED FROM LOWER GHG EMISSIONS FOLLOWING REUNIFICATION.
DIFFERENTIATION
INAGAWA FOUND THE EU "BUBBLE" PROPOSAL INTERESTING, BUT TO ENSURE EQUITY, A DIFFERENTIATION OPTION SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ALL COUNTRIES. IN THAT REGARD, INAGAWA THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE BEST TO LAY OUT TWO GHG REDUCTION OPTIONS FOR COUNTRIES TO CHOOSE FROM: ONE BASED ON A FLAT RATE TARGET AND ANOTHER BASED ON A PER CAPITA OUTPUT TARGET.
A/S CLAUSSEN TOLD INAGAWA THE USG HAD YET TO ACCEPT THE CONCEPT OF AN EU "BUBBLE." ON THE LATTER POINT, SHE SAID IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE HOW ONE COULD FIND AN EQUITABLE SOLUTION IF COUNTRIES ARE GIVEN A CHOICE OF REDUCTION
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
TARGETS. THE USG VIEW IS THE MEDIUM-TERM TARGET SHOULD BE REALISTIC AND NEED NOT BE OVERLY STRINGENT. IT MUST, HOWEVER, SIGNAL A SERIOUS COMMITMENT BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO REDUCE GHG EMISSIONS OVER THE LONG-TERM.
- A/S CLAUSSEN TOLD INAGAWA THE USG VIEWS THE NEXT TWO AGBM SESSIONS AS KEY VEHICLES TO HAMMER OUT AGREEMENT ON THE FRAMEWORK OF A LEGAL INSTRUMENT, WITHOUT FOCUS ON THE TARGET LEVELS. DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING TARGET LEVELS WILL ONLY START TO MAKE SENSE ONCE NEGOTIATORS AGREE ON A FRAMEWORK. INAGAWA SAID HE UNDERSTOOD THE USG POSITION ON THE SEQUENCE OF DISCUSSIONS, BUT SAID A TARGET LEVEL CALLING FOR CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 TOKYO 10346 02 OF 03 090027Z REDUCTIONS, RATHER THAN EMISSION STABILIZATION, AFTER 2000 COULD RE-OPEN THE DEBATE ON PAST PRACTICES AND METHODS AND ULTIMATELY PREVENT CONSENSUS AT COP-3. A/S CLAUSSEN REPEATED THE USG'S VIEW IN SUPPORT OF A FLAT RATE WITH MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY, OF WHICH EMISSIONS TRADING COULD BE AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT.
EMISSIONS TRADING
- INAGAWA AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY DIVISION DIRECTOR MATSUNAGA EXPRESSED MITI RESERVATIONS REGARDING AN INTERNATIONAL EMISSIONS TRADING REGIME, QUESTIONING WHAT BASELINE WOULD BE USED AND WHO WOULD SET THE ALLOCATION. A/S CLAUSSEN SAID AN EMISSIONS TRADING REGIME WAS THE MOST FLEXIBLE, COST-EFFECTIVE AND EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO ACHIEVE REAL EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS. THE USG IS PREPARING A PAPER ON THIS ISSUE AND HOPES TO PRESENT IT AT AGBM-5. A/S CLAUSSEN SAID 1990 MADE THE MOST SENSE AS A BASELINE FOR A TRADING REGIME AND ACKNOWLEDGED THAT ESTABLISHING AN ACCOUNTING SYSTEM TO ALLOCATE LEVELS WOULD BE THE KEY ISSUE FOR DISCUSSION. SHE ALSO SAID THE USG COULD ACCEPT AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE AT COP-3 FOR A TRADING REGIME WITH A LATER DATE-CERTAIN FOR FORMAL ACCEPTANCE.
CONFIDENTIAL
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
NNNNPTQ2592
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ2592
PAGE 01 TOKYO 10346 03 OF 03 090027Z ACTION OES-01
INFO LOG-00 ACDA-10 ACDE-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 AMAD-01 CEA-01 CEQ-00 CIAE-00 CIP-00 COME-00 CTME-00 OASY-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 ANHR-01 SRPP-00 DS-00 EAP-01 EB-00 E-00 FRB-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 ITC-01 L-01 ADS-00 M-00 NASA-01 NAS-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 NSF-01 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 P-00 CIO-00 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 STR-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-09 G-00 /034W ------------------79ECD2 090027Z /38 P 090002Z NOV 96 FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9434 INFO DOE WASHDC PRIORITY HQEPA WASHDC PRIORITY SCIENCE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY AMCONSUL NAHA AMCONSUL SAPPORO AMCONSUL FUKUOKA AMCONSUL NAGOYA AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE AMCONSUL HONG KONG AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 03 OF 03 TOKYO 010346
STATE FOR OES/EGC, EAP/J, G-DHARWOOD CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 TOKYO 10346 03 OF 03 090027Z EPA/OIA FOR STROTHER
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
DOE FOR HASPEL, PO-2; BRADLEY, PO-63
E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV, PGOV, ENRG, JA SUBJECT: CLIMATE CHANGE: MITI CALLS FOR DIFFERENTIATION AND DEVELOPING COUNTRY INVOLVEMENT
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
A/S CLAUSSEN TOLD INAGAWA SHE BELIEVED THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ISSUE WOULD BE THE MOST DIFFICULT ISSUE AT COP-3. THE USG ALSO HOPED TO PRESENT A PAPER ON THIS MATTER AT THE AGBM MEETING IN DECEMBER. SHE LAID OUT A LIST OF OPTIONS: IMPROVED REPORTING ON MEASURES TAKEN, AGREEMENT TO TAKE "NO REGRETS" ACTIONS, JOINT IMPLEMENTATION, AND AGREEMENT THAT NON-ANNEX ONE COUNTRIES WOULD BE BOUND BY POST-COP-3 REQUIREMENTS. A/S CLAUSSEN SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES UNDERSTAND NOW WHAT OPTIONS THEY MAY FACE SO DISCUSSION CAN BEGIN AND ADVANCE IN THE LEAD UP TO COP-3.
INAGAWA SAID DEVELOPING COUNTRIES CAN SEE A SELF- INTEREST IN CO2 REDUCTION, AS IT IMPROVES ENERGY EFFICIENCY. THE GOJ, THEREFORE, FEELS THE INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES SHOULD FOCUS ON A SYSTEM TO ASSIST DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY, RATHER THAN EMPHASIZING MANDATORY ACTIONS REQUIRED OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. A/S CLAUSSEN CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 TOKYO 10346 03 OF 03 090027Z AGREED A FOCUS ON NATIONAL INTEREST IS STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, NON-ANNEX ONE COUNTRIES SHOULD NOT BE LED TO BELIEVE THEY ARE NOT BOUND BY WHAT IS ULTIMATELY REACHED AT COP-3.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION
- INAGAWA SAID SIGNIFICANT TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS WILL BE NECESSARY FOR THE WORLD TO ACHIEVE MEANINGFUL REDUCTION OF GHG EMISSIONS AND ENERGY USE OVER THE LONG-TERM AND OUR TWO COUNTRIES SHOULD INCREASE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION, BECAUSE THE UNITED STATES AND JAPAN ARE CLEAR LEADERS IN THE FIELD. A/S CLAUSSEN TOLD INAGAWA SHE ALWAYS QUESTIONED WHAT TECHNOLOGICAL
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
COLLABORATION MEANT IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT, BELIEVING MOST SUCH ACTIVITIES WERE MORE TECHNOLOGICAL DIFFUSION RATHER THAN DEVELOPMENT. NEVERTHELESS, SHE CITED POTENTIAL COLLABORATIVE VEHICLES THROUGH THE APEC CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES INITIATIVE.
CONCLUSION
- BOTH A/S CLAUSSEN AND INAGAWA WELCOMED THE FRANK AND SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION AND PLEDGED TO MAINTAIN SUCH A DIALOGUE IN THE LEAD UP TO COP-3. INAGAWA SAID HE WILL BE IN WASHINGTON IN JANUARY AND HOPED TO MEET WITH BOTH A/S CLAUSSEN AND U/S WIRTH. INAGAWA ALSO INVITED USG CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 TOKYO 10346 03 OF 03 090027Z PARTICIPATION IN A MITI-SPONSORED CLIMATE CHANGE SYMPOSIUM, WHOSE MAIN FOCUS WILL BE EMISSIONS TRADING, TO BE HELD IN FEBRUARY IN TOKYO.
- OES A/S CLAUSSEN CLEARED THIS MESSAGE. MONDALE
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015
CONFIDENTIAL
NNNN
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2012-40055 Doc No. C05509671 Date: 03/03/2015