US embassy cable - 05MUSCAT470

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 000470 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INR/B, EAP/J, NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2015 
TAGS: PINR, PREL, JA, MU, International Relations 
SUBJECT: NEW JAPANESE AMBASSADOR: KEIJI OMORI 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard L. Baltimore III. 
Reason: 1.4 (b). 
 
1. (C) Japan's newly arrived ambassador-designate to Oman, 
Keiji Omori, paid a courtesy call on the Ambassador on March 
14.  Omori's background is in military intelligence.  Most 
recently serving as Director General of the Defense 
Facilities Administration Agency of the Japanese Defense 
Agency, he characterized himself as having been among the top 
4-5 special advisers to current PM Koizumi.  He was 
intimately involved in issues related to the Japan-US Defense 
Treaty, and was one of the architects of clearing legal 
hurdles that permitted the deployment of Japan's Self Defense 
Force to the Middle East.  He previously attended a U.S. 
military training institute at Bolling AFB (note: possibly 
the Defense Intelligence University). 
 
2. (SBU) Omori, age 62, is married with three adult daughters 
and several grandchildren.  One of his daughters is 
struggling to pass the bar exam back in Japan.  Omori's 
assignment in Oman is his first as a diplomat, and likewise 
marks his first time in the region.  He fervently believes 
that the U.S. is Tokyo's most important bilateral 
relationship.  He looks forward to visiting other states in 
the Middle East during his tenure in Muscat.  He speaks 
English with a heavy accent. 
BALTIMORE