US embassy cable - 95TOKYO3257

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 003257 
 
E.O.12356:  DECL: 25 JUL 2025 
TAGS:  PREL, ASEAN, APEC, NPT, UNSC, BX, JA 
SUBJECT:  BRUNEI FOREIGN MINISTER MOHAMED BOLKIAH'S 
          MARCH 7 - 9 VISIT TO JAPAN 
 
1.  CONFIDENTIAL -- ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
2.  SUMMARY:  BRUNEI FOREIGN MINISTER MOHAMED BOLKIAH 
VISITED JAPAN MARCH 7 - 9 IN AN OFFICIAL CAPACITY AND 
VACATIONED IN TOKYO THROUGH THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND.  HE 
MET WITH THE EMPEROR, CROWN PRINCE, AND GOJ FOREIGN 
MINISTER KONO.  WITH THE LATTER HE DISCUSSED THE ASEAN 
REGIONAL FORUM (ARF) AND PMC, NORTH KOREA, NPT 
EXTENSION, UN REFORM, APEC, AND BILATERAL ISSUES.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
3.  MOFA 2ND SOUTHEAST ASIA DIVISION DEPUTY DIRECTOR 
MAEDA ON MARCH 16 BRIEFED US ON BRUNEI FOREIGN 
MINISTER PRINCE MOHAMED BOLKIAH'S MARCH 7 - 9 VISIT TO 
JAPAN, DURING WHICH HE HAD AN AUDIENCE WITH THE 
EMPEROR AND CROWN PRINCE AND MET AND JOINED IN A 
WORKING DINNER WITH GOJ FM KONO.  MAEDA SAID THAT THE 
JAPANESE HAD SUGGESTED MOHAMED'S VISIT, PRIMARILY TO 
DISCUSS ISSUES RELATED TO BRUNEI'S 1995 CHAIRMANSHIP 
OF ASEAN.  ACCOMPANIED BY HIS WIFE AND NINE OF HIS 
CHILDREN, MOHAMED REMAINED IN JAPAN DURING THE 
FOLLOWING WEEKEND, WHICH HE SPENT AT DISNEYLAND TO 
CELEBRATE THE END OF THIS YEAR'S RAMADAN SEASON. 
 
ASEAN 
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4.  MOHAMED DISCUSSED MEMBERSHIP ISSUES PERTAINING TO 
ASEAN AND ITS ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES.  HE SAID THAT 
ASEAN CURRENTLY SUPPORTS THE NOTION THAT, IF A COUNTRY 
HAS OBSERVER STATUS AT AN ASEAN EVENT, SUCH A COUNTRY 
SHOULD BE ALLOWED FULL MEMBERSHIP IN THE ARF.  THUS, 
IN MOHAMED'S VIEW (AND, ACCORDING TO HIM, IN ASEAN'S 
VIEW), CAMBODIA SHOULD BE ALLOWED FULL MEMBERSHIP 
STATUS IN THE ARF RATHER THAN ITS HERETOFORE LESSER 
STATUS.  MOHAMED SAID THAT AUSTRALIAN FM EVNS HAD 
RECENTLY EXPRESSED AGREEMENT WITH THIS POLICY. 
 
5.  MOHAMED SAID THAT THE ASEAN COUNTRIES ALSO BELIEVE 
THAT THE ARF MEETING LAST YEAR WAS NOT LONG ENOUGH AND 
SHOULD BE EXTENDED.  ASEAN WOULD BE WILLING TO SHORTEN 
THE PMC TO ACCOMMODATE THIS CHANGE.  MOHAMED SAID THAT 
ASEAN IS NOW CONSIDERING THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING 
SUCH A CHANGE IN THE ARF/PMC SCHEDULE.  DECISION- 
MAKING WITHIN ARF SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT ON A "STRICTLY 
CONSENSUS BASIS," MOHAMED SAID.  THE "SPEED" OF THE 
ARF'S DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE SOMETHING WITH WHICH ALL 
PARTICIPANTS ARE "COMFORTABLE," HE FURTHER ADVISED 
 
6.  MOHAMED SAID THAT IT WOULD BE "REASONABLE" FOR 
NORTH KOREA AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE TO JOIN THE 
ARF.  HE REFERRED TO ASEAN'S POLICY OF ENGAGEMENT WITH 
BURMA AND SAID THAT A SIMILAR POLICY OF INCLUSION 
MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE WITH RESPECT TO NORTH KOREA. 
 
NORTH KOREA 
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7.  MOHAMED SAID THAT BRUNEI WOULD LIKE TO COOPERATE 
WITH KEDO "AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE."  HE SAID THAT THE 
ASEAN COUNTRIES WERE THINKING ABOUT ASKING TO JOIN 
KEDO AS ASEAN AND NOT IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITIES. 
 
NPT 
--- 
8.  KONO EXPRESSED JAPAN'S SUPPORT FOR THE UNLIMITED 
EXTENSION OF THE NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION TREATY.  HE 
ASKED THAT BRUNEI ADOPT A SIMILAR POSITION.  MOHAMED 
COMMENTED THAT THE U.S. HAS BEEN ENERGETICALLY 
LOBBYING BRUNEI TO SUPPORT UNLIMITED EXTENSION.  HE 
SAID THAT BRUNEI'S POSITION IS THE SAME AS THAT OF THE 
NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT BUT HE COMMENTED THAT, IN LIGHT 
OF KONO'S REQUEST, BRUNEI WOULD GIVE THE QUESTION OF 
UNLIMITED EXTENSION "DUE CONSIDERATION." 
 
UN ISSUES 
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9.  MAEDA NOTED THAT BRUNEI HAS IN THE PAST EXPRESSED 
SUPPORT AT THE WORKING-LEVEL FOR JAPAN'S OBTAINING A 
PERMANENT UNSC SEAT.  MOHAMED TOLD KONO THAT BRUNEI 
SUPPORTS SUCH A SEAT FOR JAPAN.  MAEDA SAID THAT THE 
JAPANESE WERE PLEASED WITH THIS UNEQUIVOCAL SUPPORT 
AND THAT IT WAS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SUPPORT JAPAN HAS 
SO FAR RECEIVED FROM BRUNEI. 
 
APEC 
---- 
10.  BRUNEI'S FOREIGN MINISTER EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR 
JAPAN'S "PARTNERSHIP FOR PROGRESS" CONCEPT OF REGIONAL 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS AN APEC ACTIVITY.  MOHAMED 
SAID THAT HE WAS NOT OPPOSED TO OTHER SUGGESTED APEC 
ACTIVITIES (E.G., TRADE LIBERALIZATION) BUT THAT IT 
WAS IMPORTANT ALSO TO WORK ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS 
JAPAN HAS SUGGESTED IN ITS PARTNERSHIP CONCEPT. 
 
BILATERAL ISSUES 
---------------- 
11.  THE JAPANESE THANKED MOHAMED FOR THE ASSISTANCE 
(BOTTLED WATER, CLOTHES, FOOD) THAT BRUNEI PROVIDED IN 
RESPONSE TO THE JANUARY KOBE EARTHQUAKE.  MAEDA 
COMMENTED THAT BRUNEI LEASED TRUCKS AND DISTRIBUTED 
THE GOODS ITSELF, WITHOUT INVOLVING THE GOJ.  HE SAID 
THAT THE GOJ WELCOMED THE INITIATIVE BRUNEI TOOK IN 
THAT REGARD.  MOHAMED THANKED JAPAN FOR ITS 
COOPERATION IN HAVING SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED LAST FALL 
A BILATERAL AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE REGULAR DIRECT 
FLIGHTS BETWEEN OSAKA AND BRUNEI.  THERE ARE NOW TWO 
FLIGHTS A WEEK.  MAEDA SAID THAT NO JAPANESE CARRIERS 
HAVE ASKED TO FLY THIS ROUTE, ALTHOUGH THE JAPANESE 
ARE ENTITLED UNDER LAST FALL'S AGREEMENT TO DO SO IF 
THEY WANT THEM.  THUS ONLY BRUNEI'S CARRIER IS NOW 
USING THE ROUTE. 
 
12.  KONO AND MOHAMED DISCUSSED THE FACT THAT BRUNEI 
WILL SOON "GRADUATE" FROM THE OECD'S DAC LIST AND WILL 
THEREFORE BECOME INELIGIBLE FOR JAPANESE OFFICIAL 
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE.  MAEDA SAID THAT THIS WOULD 
OCCUR AROUND THE BEGINNING OF 1996.  BOTH SIDES WOULD 
LIKE TO CONTINUE SOME FORM OF ECONOMIC COOPERATION TO 
REPLACE JAPAN'S ODA PROGRAM BUT NOTHING FIRM HAS BEEN 
DECIDED.  MAEDA SAID THAT BRUNEI, BECAUSE OF A LACK OF 
EXPERIENCE AND HUMAN RESOURCES, WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE 
IN THE POSITION THAT SINGAPORE WAS WHEN JAPAN AND 
SINGAPORE WORKED OUT THEIR ONGOING "PARTNERSHIP 
PROGRAM."  UNDER THIS PROGRAM, JAPAN AND SINGAPORE ARE 
TO CARRY OUT A FIVE-YEAR EFFORT, FUNDED INITIALLY IN 
LARGE PART BY JAPAN BUT FUNDED TOWARD THE END MAINLY 
BY SINGAPORE, UNDER WHICH JAPAN WILL ASSIST SINGAPORE 
IN BECOMING AN ODA DONOR RATHER THAN RECIPIENT.  MAEDA 
SAID THAT BRUNEI IS NOT AT A STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT 
WHERE A SIMILAR PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM WOULD BE 
APPROPRIATE. 
 
13.  COMMENT:  CONSISTENT WITH MAEDA'S ASSESSMENT, 
MOHAMED'S VISIT TO JAPAN APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN FAIRLY 
ROUTINE.  THE JAPANESE SIDE MADE ITS USUAL POINTS ON 
UN ISSUES AND ON THE APEC "PARTNERSHIP FOR PROGRESS" 
CONCEPT.  WE NOTE THAT IN RECENT HIGH LEVEL EXCHANGES, 
THE JAPANESE HAVE BEGUN INCLUDING THE NPT EXTENSION 
ISSUE AS AN AGENDA ITEM.  END COMMENT 
 
 
  MONDLE