Tokyo, January 10, 1957

No.3
Excellency:
It appears that the Japanese Foreign Office sources consider the hopes for an early return of the fishermen from Pusan are dwindling. Upon our refusal to return the fishermen by the year-end, the Foreign Office sources leaked out to the press stories that the Korean side is attaching additional conditions irrelevant to the detainee issue.
At the UN headquarters, Japan's Ambassador Sawada told the press that there are good propects for an early resumption of the Korea-Japan talks, implying that Japan is ready to reopen the talks. In addition, the Japanese are beginning to stress, in their statement to the press, "humanitarian point of view" in the settlement of the detainee issue, forgetting that they themselves refused to release our detainees from the OMURA camp, when we demanded it from humanitarian standpoint.
During the past week Foreign Minister Kishi stated at the Cabinet meeting held Tuesday (as reported by cable this morning) that informal talks between Asian Affairs director Nakagawa and the Korean Minister had proven unsuccessful and he intended to employ a new approach in settling the detainee issue, saying that the Korean side attached additional conditions which are irrelevant to the original issue, etc.
Mr. Kishi also stated that he has a new approach His Excellency
President Syngman Rhee in finding a solution to the detainee issue, including a plan to instruct the Japanese Representative at the UN, Amb. Sawada, to find out the real intention of the Korean Government regarding the release of the Japanese fishermen who served their terms.
As I mentioned in my cable report, Mr. Kishi intends to take heretofore informal talks (exchanged between Mr. Nakagawa and myself on the detainee issue) formal, probably by starting talks between either himself or his vice Minister and myself and to make public the contents of the talks at each phase of the development in the detainee issue. This action of the Japanese Government can only be interpreted as an attempt to shift the blame for failure in settling the issue to our side.
Another piece of evidence that the Japanese have already launched an active propaganda campaign against us is that the Japanese Representative at the UN spoke in favor of an early realization of our membership of the UN. It shows that Japan is eager to impress the world as if she were veryfair vis-a-vis the Republic of Korea.
According to the information Prime Minister Ishibashi, now touring Hokkaido, said in his statement to the press that "the Korean side attached new conditions, when Japan agreed to release Korean residents from the OMURA camp" and he considers it better to make the talks formal rather than informal one, as heretofore, and to announce the contents at each phase of their development.
Foreign Minister Kishi separately told the press conference for foreign correspondents yesterday that the release of each other's detainees should be the prerequisite to the settlement of the Korea-Japan dispute. He also stated that if this question is solved, the long-pending problems will be taken up. Upon question by a reporter, Mr. Kishi, however, said that he did not consider the formalization of the talks at this moment.
The above is roughly a report on the development here following my last report. I would like to have instructions regarding the settlement of the current detainee issue, as it appears that it is approaching the stage of a showdown, along the following line:
(i) Whether we are ready to release the Japanese fishermen who served their terms, now that I managed to obtain Japan's agreement to release our residents from the OMURA camp and make a written pledge not to detain our residents hereafter in addition to the retraction of the Kubota statement and the withdrawal of the property claim along the line of SD note.
(ii) In case our policy requires simultaneous settlement of the detainee issue along with all other pending problems, including the compensation problem, it is believed that the first thing to be done by our side is to map out our strategy with a view to countering Japanese propaganda effectively which, in a way, can be considered to have been launched already.
It is believed that Foreign Minister Kishi is planning to wait for a few days to find out if the return of the fishermen is altogether impossible. But, by the time the Diet is reconvened on Jan. 20, the Japanese Government will probably either send an official note on the detainee issue or make formal proposal to commence formal talks on the issue to this office, and then will make public views of both sides.
I have definite information that Mr. Kishi stated at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting that Japan would make the talk on the detainee issue formal and announce the contents of arguments by both sides at such formal talks, as Prime Minister Ishibashi told the press on Jan. 9 on the occasion of his stumping tour of Hokkaido.
With sentiments of loyalty and esteem, I remain,
Most respectfully,