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Prime Minister Visits the United States
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Click photographs to enlarge
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Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda visited the United States of America as his first overseas visit since assuming the office of Prime Minister.
Having arrived at Andrews Air Force Base on the afternoon of November 15 (Japan time: early morning of November 16), Prime Minister Fukuda held a meeting with Mr. George W. Bush, the President of the United States of America, at the White House the following morning. At the meeting, the two leaders first confirmed the solid and resilient Japan-U.S. alliance that has been built over the course of more than half a century. To further cement the Japan-U.S. bilateral relations in the future, without taking for granted the current solid relations, Prime Minister Fukuda proposed to President Bush his initiative to strengthen Japan-U.S. exchanges, including intellectual exchanges. In response, President Bush expressed his heartfelt support for the initiative. The two leaders further shared the view that the solid Japan-U.S. alliance will provide the foundation for Asia's peace and prosperity and that an Asia that advances in prosperity will further the mutual interests of Japan and the U.S. On the North Korean nuclear issue, the two leaders agreed to maintain close coordination with each other, in order to achieve complete abandonment of all nuclear programs by North Korea, through the Six-Party Talks. They also discussed the abduction issue, which President Bush said that the U.S. will never forget. President Bush expressed his commitment for unchanged support to the Japanese government on this issue. Then, in regard to the fight against terrorism, Prime Minister Fukuda stated that he shall do his level best to achieve an early passage of a bill for the early resumption of the refueling activities in the Indian Ocean by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. In response, President Bush expressed his appreciation for Japan's support in the fight against terrorism and the hope that refueling operations will be resumed soon. The two leaders also discussed the world situation, including the situations in Afghanistan, Myanmar and Iran. After the joint statements that followed the meeting, Prime Minister Fukuda and President Bush exchanged opinions, over lunch, on various issues such as cooperation at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit and the 4th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV), both of which are extremely important international conferences that Japan will host next year. In the afternoon, Prime Minister Fukuda laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery and then attended a meeting on Japan-U.S. exchanges. Having completed his itinerary in the U.S., Prime Minister Fukuda returned to Japan on the night of November 17. Related link:
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