Japan said it would give Mugabe a hard time if he came for TICAD

Japan, which had invited African heads of State, including President Robert Mugabe, for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, said it was making it clear to Mugabe that he would have a hard time if he came for the conference.

Senior Foreign Policy Coordinator Takehiro Funakoshi said while Japan could not disinvite any of the African Heads of State that it had invited to the TICAD IV meeting in Yokohama, it was “diplomatically” attempting to discourage Mugabe from attending.

Funakoshi told United States officials that Japan was sensitive to US concerns regarding Mugabe’s participation at TICAD, but it could not single him out for exclusion.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 08TOKYO974, JAPAN SEEKING TO DISCOURAGE MUGABE FROM ATTENDING

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VZCZCXRO7157

OO RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO

DE RUEHKO #0974 1000817

ZNY CCCCC ZZH

O 090817Z APR 08

FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO

TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3309

INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 000974

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2018

TAGS: PREL EAID XA ZI JA

SUBJECT: JAPAN SEEKING TO DISCOURAGE MUGABE FROM ATTENDING

TICAD IV

Classified By: Ambassador J.T. Schieffer for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)

(C) While Japan cannot disinvite any of the African heads of

state it has invited to the TICAD IV meeting next month in

Yokohama, it has been “diplomatically” attempting to

discourage Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe from attending,

according to MOFA Senior Foreign Policy Coordinator Takehiro

Funakoshi. Funakoshi told visiting EAP/J Office Director

James Zumwalt April 9 that Japan is sensitive to our concerns

regarding Mugabe’s participation at TICAD, but cannot single

him out for exclusion. However, Japan is making clear to the

Mugabe regime that if he comes, he will be given a very hard

time by his hosts about the conditions in his country. Tokyo

hopes these warnings will help to convince him not to attend.

Of course, the better outcome, agreed Funakoshi, would be

for the democratic process in Zimbabwe to take its course and

result in the seating of a new president following the recent

elections.

SCHIEFFER

(35 VIEWS)