Obama affirms U.S. commitment to defense of Japan

YOKOHAMA, Japan — U.S. President Barack Obama said the commitment of the United States to the defense of Japan
is “unshakable” Saturday during talks in which the leaders of the two
countries reaffirmed the importance of their nations’ alliance.

In the talks, held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit meeting in Yokohama, Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan largely avoided the U.S. base relocation issue that had strained ties.

After a one-hour discussion that Kan described as “fruitful,” the prime minister thanked the United States “for constantly standing by Japan” during recent territorial disputes with Russia and China.

At a joint press conference after the talks, Obama said that “the partnership between Japan and the United States has been the foundation for our security and our prosperity, not only for our two countries, but also for the region.”

Obama invited Kan to visit the United States next spring. Kan accepted.

The leaders also agreed to draw up a joint security
declaration by the time Kan visits next year. An original plan to draw
up the declaration this year — the 50th anniversary of the signing of
the revised Japan-U.S. Security Treaty — was dropped last month.

The commitment of the United States to the defense of Japan
is “unshakable,” Obama said. “Our alliances, bases and forward presence
help us ensure stability and address regional challenges across Northeast Asia.”

Kan said, “I, as well as many Japanese citizens and
people in our neighboring countries, recognize the importance of the
presence of the United States and the U.S. military in promoting peace and security in the region.”

During the talks, Obama expressed support for Japan’s bid to gain a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

In his comments, Obama offered remarkably clear backing for Japan’s bid, a gesture of support that was appreciated by Kan. Japan has been seeking a permanent seat on the council for years.

Obama said: “I reiterated our long-standing belief that Japan stands as a model of the kind of country we would want to see as a permanent member of the Security Council, and I look forward to a reformed Security Council that includes Japan as a permanent member.”

Kan said the U.S. military remains crucial to ensuring the security of Northeast Asia.

A Japanese government spokesman said the leaders only touched on the relocation issue of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture. The Japanese government’s muddled handling of the Futenma issue cooled Tokyo’s ties with Washington.

After considerable vacillation, the government
eventually agreed in May to basically stick to an original bilateral
accord to shift the base from Ginowan to the less-crowded Henoko
district in Nago, also in the prefecture.

At the press conference, Kan refrained from making
any promises on the Futenma relocation issue, simply saying he “would
make every effort in line with the May 28 Japan-U.S. agreement, after this month’s Okinawa gubernatorial election.” Both candidates in the Nov. 28 election want the air base moved out of the prefecture.

Before the talks, Kan gave Obama a copy of a letter President Abraham Lincoln sent to Tokugawa Iemochi, the 14th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, on Nov. 14, 1861. Obama presented Kan with a copy of the first patent taken out in the United States by a person of Japanese descent — who was from Yokohama — and a plate bearing the U.S. and Japanese flags.

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(c) 2010, The Yomiuri Shimbun.

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