Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Japan-US Summit Meeting

On February 24 (local time), during his visit to Washington, D.C., the United States of America, Prime Minister Taro Aso, the first foreign head of state to visit the White House [after the inauguration of the Obama administration], held talks with Mr. Barack Obama, President of the United States of America.

At the meeting, the leaders agreed to further strengthen the Japan-US alliance. They also confirmed that Japan and the United States would jointly address global issues facing the two countries, the Asia-Pacific region, and the international community, with the Japan-US alliance as the cornerstone. Those issues include ones concerning finance and the international economy, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and climate change and energy.

On finance and the international economy, the Prime Minister and the President agreed that it was important to maintain the dollar's credibility as reference currency and that Japan and the United States held a grave responsibility to counter protectionism, deciding to further accelerate cooperation, toward the London Summit in April, to further stabilize the international financial system and promote growth.

On the issue of North Korea, Prime Minister Aso emphasized the importance of a comprehensive resolution of the outstanding issues of concern, including the abduction, nuclear, and missile issues. President Obama agreed with that, stating that it was important to maintain close cooperation between Japan and the United States. The leaders restated their intention to make efforts to achieve a verifiable, complete denuclearization of North Korea through the Six-Party Talks. In response to North Korea's announcement that it was preparing to launch a satellite on a rocket, they concurred that North Korea should not take actions that would increase tensions.

On the issue of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Prime Minister Aso revealed his intention to appoint, in the near future, Ambassador of Japan to Spain Motohide Yoshikawa as the Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Prime Minister announced that Special Envoy Yoshikawa, together with Ms. Sadako Ogata, President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), would visit the United States at the beginning of March to discuss a comprehensive strategy with the US side.

On the issue of energy and the environment, Prime Minister Aso and President Obama agreed to launch consultations to advance Japan-US cooperation in a concrete manner in the areas of clean energy and energy conservation.

After the summit meeting, Prime Minister Aso held a lunch meeting in Washington, D.C. with US-based experts, to exchange views on issues concerning finance and the world economy, Afghanistan and Pakistan, climate change and energy, and other global issues; Asia-Pacific region issues; and the further strengthening of the Japan-US alliance.

Afterwards, the Prime Minister visited Arlington National Cemetery in the Commonwealth of Virginia and offered wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the graves of those who lost their lives in the line of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After offering wreathes and returning to Washington, D.C., Prime Minister Aso received a courtesy call from Mr. Daniel K. Inouye, United States Senator, and exchanged views in a frank and forward-looking manner on matters such as overall Japan-US relations.

Related Link

• Japan-U.S. Relations (Ministry of Foreign Affair of Japan)
• Readout on the President's Meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Aso (The White House)
• Welcoming the Japanese PM to the Oval Office (The White House)