Obama Says U.S., Japan Must Solve Base Dispute âExpeditiouslyâ (Bloomberg)
Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama said the U.S.
and Japan must act “expeditiously” to settle a dispute over
American troops based in Okinawa as the two nations reassess a
half-century old security alliance.
Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama stressed
after a meeting today in Tokyo that the relationship between the
world’s two biggest economies was the “foundation” for
stability in Asia.
“There should be no doubt, as we move our nations in a new
direction, our alliance will endure and our efforts will be
focused on revitalizing that friendship so that it is even
stronger,” Obama said at a press conference with Hatoyama.
Obama arrived in Japan today to start an eight-day swing
through Asia, during which he will meet with U.S. creditors and
trading partners to assure them he intends to maintain American
influence in the region.
The U.S. president will deliver a speech tomorrow intended
to articulate his vision for a Pacific alliance that focuses on
geopolitical and economic issues including trade, climate
change, and halting the spread of nuclear weapons.
The future of the U.S. is linked to that of Asia, Obama
said, adding that Japan is a player in the region’s security.
Hatoyama came into office two months ago pledging to change
a 2006 accord that would relocate a Marine base in Okinawa, host
to more than half of the 47,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan.
The U.S. wants to keep the base on the island, and agreed this
week to set up a cabinet-level group to resolve the dispute.
Seeking Compromise
Remarks by the two leaders indicated that it may take time
before a compromise is reached.
Hatoyama said that while he “takes seriously” agreements
made under previous governments, “it’s also a fact that we
promised to remove it out of Okinawa prefecture.” Obama
countered by saying the working group “will focus on the
implementation of the agreement that our two governments
reached.”
Okinawan complaints that the U.S. military presence has
resulted in increases in pollution and crime are among the
reasons Hatoyama’s Democratic Party of Japan has called for a
more equal relationship with the U.S. Obama sought to reassure
his host that the he has no objection to Hatoyama’s review of
the bilateral security alliance that next year marks its 50th
anniversary.
The anniversary “represents an important opportunity to
step back and reflect on what we’ve achieved in our
friendship,” Obama said.
‘Cornerstone’
Hatoyama called relations with the U.S. a “cornerstone”
for Japan’s foreign policy.
“But as time changes and as the international
environment changes there is a need for us to further develop
and deepen the U.S.-Japan alliance to make it even more
constructive,â€
During their meeting, Obama and Hatoyama said they covered
several other areas of mutual interest, including denuclearizing
the Korean Peninsula and working toward a global agreement on
cutting emissions linked to climate change.
In a joint statement after they met for more than an hour,
Obama and Hatoyama said North Korea should return to the six-
party talks, which were last held in December 2008, without
conditions and that Iran’s recent activities, specifically the
discovery of an enrichment facility near the city of Qom, have
reinforced concern about its nuclear ambitions.
The two leaders said they’re committed to reducing carbon
emissions 80 percent by 2050 and endorsed a proposal to reduce
global emissions by 50 percent that same year.
From Japan, Obama, 48, is stopping in Singapore for
meetings with leaders from the 20 other economies that are part
of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group. The members of
the organization make up more than half of the world’s gross
domestic product.
After a day of meetings, Obama flies to China for a two-day
visit, then makes a stop in South Korea before heading home.
To contact the reporters on this story:
Edwin Chen in Tokyo at
echen32@bloomberg.net ;
Julianna Goldman in Tokyo at
jgoldman6@bloomberg.net
