Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009Despite pledge, alleged secret security pacts not discussed
NEW YORK (Kyodo) The new administration may be seeking a more independent relationship with the United States, but Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reaffirmed during their first meeting Monday the importance of the bilateral alliance.
News photo
Furthering ties: Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton get together prior to talks at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York on Monday. AP PHOTO
Okada, speaking to reporters after the talks, said he did not broach the issue of alleged secret security pacts between Tokyo and Washington despite having earlier vowed to take up the issue with Clinton.
According to Okada, Clinton advised against modifying the 2006 bilateral deal on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, which the new government wants to do.
Okada reportedly replied that although there are some facets of the plan that the DPJ does not support, such as the relocation of the Futenma Air Station in Okinawa, the government is willing to study and discuss its differences with the U.S.
The Democratic Party of Japan has said it will aim to relocate the Futenma base outside Okinawa Prefecture, which would involve revising the 2006 road map on the transfer of the facility within the prefecture. Relocating Futenma is closely tied to another key element of the agreement — moving 8,000 marines from Okinawa to Guam.
Top Japanese and U.S. diplomats met in New York on the sidelines of a U.N. General Assembly session and ahead of the first meeting of new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and President Barack Obama in the city on Wednesday.
Clinton sidestepped a reporter's question on the Hatoyama government's plan to end its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan.
"Obviously, the alliance between the United States and Japan is a cornerstone of our foreign policy and indispensable to the security and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific," Clinton said at the outset of her talks with Okada.
"I look forward to working with (Okada) to develop and strengthen even stronger bonds of partnership, friendship and alliance in pursuit of our common values and a future that we hope will be even better for our people," she said.
Responding that he wants a deep bilateral relationship sustainable for the next 30 to 50 years, Okada said it is necessary to hold talks to resolve various issues facing the two nations.
A Japanese official who briefed reporters said it is unclear why Okada refrained from raising the secret security pacts.
Okada had reiterated his desire to swiftly get to the heart of the alleged pacts — two related to the revision of the Japan-U.S. security treaty in 1960 and two related to the 1972 reversion of Okinawa to Japanese control from U.S. administration.
During a meeting Friday in Tokyo with Kurt Campbell, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, Okada said the issue arose from a "discrepancy" between the government's explanation and information the U.S. has disclosed, so he did not foresee anything that would "trouble" the U.S.
Among the pacts, a 1960 nuclear deal drew renewed attention earlier this year after former vice foreign ministers came forward to say knowledge of its existence had been passed down to key bureaucrats who told only a handful of "trusted" prime ministers and foreign ministers.
Under the deal, Tokyo is alleged to have given tacit approval for stopovers by U.S. military aircraft or vessels carrying nuclear weapons, even though the security treaty stipulates that Washington must consult with Tokyo before bringing nuclear weapons into Japan.
Since 1967, Japan claims to have maintained the three principles of not possessing, producing or permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons into the country.
U.S. diplomatic documents have already confirmed the existence of the deal, which was reached during the Cold War.
On North Korea, Okada said it is the Hatoyama government's intention not to normalize relations with Pyongyang unless the North's nuclear and missile threats, as well as the abduction issue, are resolved.
Posts
