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Sean Dorney in Guam
for Correspondents Report, ABC
November 1, 2009, 4:13 pm
The massive relocation of thousands of American servicemen and their families from Okinawa, Japan to the US territory of Guam in the Pacific is set to go ahead despite funding concerns.
Japan's new government appears to be wavering on a commitment by its predecessor to pour $US6 billion into the relocation, which is estimated will cost between $US 10 billion and $US 15 billion.
United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates was in Tokyo about two weeks ago attempting to force the issue.
Guam has been a US territory since 1898; it was captured by Japan in 1941 during World War II but was liberated by the US in 1944.
The island's population - currently about 173,000 - will dramatically increase by more than 25 per cent in the four to six years of relocation, according to Paul Shintaku, who works for the Governor of Guam as the director of Joint Guam Build-up Office.
"It's probably the biggest build-up in the Pacific since World War Two," he said.
"[We are relocating] 19,000 troops, service members - 19,000 dependents.
He says 8,000 of these officers are Marines, who will bring with them 9,000 family members.
The existing Anderson Air Force Base will be expanded to include the air elements of the Marine Corps while a new marine base will be right next door.
The construction list also includes barracks, houses, playing fields, gyms and "everything that goes into building a small town", Mr Shintaku said.
'Love affair' with US
The Guam's Chamber of Commerce's treasurer, Joe Arnett, says there is overwhelming support on Guam for the influx of marines and their dependants.
"The Chamber of Commerce has conducted a couple of surveys done by an independent marketing firm to test the waters to see what the population as a whole feels about this immense change in the build-up here," he said.
"In both cases - one done two years ago and one done as little as six months ago - the approval rating is up to 80 per cent or more."
Mr Arnett says the people of Guam are wholly devoted to their sovereign land.
"It is a patriotic place - very much so," he said.
"Obviously there's a little World War Two history here - [Guam] is the only American soil really conquered by a foreign power.
"The subscription rates here in Guam for the military are - per capita - as high as any place in the nation."
Marine Captain Neil Ruggiero - a public affairs officer with the Joint Guam Program Office - says the people of Guam "have a love affair" with the US military.
"The main road - north-south - is called Marine Corps Drive," he said. "The biggest holiday of the year is Liberation Day."
At the Guam International Airport there is a room with three walls covered in photos of the Micronesians who have been killed fighting with the American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Outside the Guam Airport is a sign with the slogan We Support Our Troops.
High price
Guam will have a cost to pay in the expansion though: Mr Shintaku says the island's government is still trying to work out exactly how much it is responsible for.
"We're looking at ... $US 6 billion - that's quite a change for the local government and the local economy to bear," Mr Shintaku said.
However Frank Campillo - chairman of the Guam Chamber of Commerce - says the island's business community has much to gain from the expansion and has done a lot of preparation.
"The capital investment is tremendous and that creates a lot of activity in many different aspects, whether it is financial; whether it is infrastructure; whether it is construction," he said.
Guam's economy is currently doing quite well, with Japanese tourists flocking to the island to enjoy its all-year-round tropical climate.
For many Guam's surfing is closer and more convenient than Australia's Gold Coast and its downtown is a shopping Mecca, not only for the tourists but for much of Micronesia.
While there are concerns about the social impacts the relocation of military personnel will cause, Mr Campillo says these are controllable.
"We understand that some of the social impacts that the island of Okinawa had were with the Marines going outside, drinking a little bit and getting a little bit rowdy," he said.
"So since we understand what the potential problems could be, then I think we have an opportunity to address them in a manner that's going to be effective for everybody."
The US Defence Department has commissioned a major social impact study on the relocation, which is due to begin late next year.
Now the question everybody on Guam would like an early answer to is whether the new Japanese Government will honour the deal struck by its predecessor to contribute billions of dollars to the move.
Sun Nov 1, 1:52 am ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – A meeting between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Japanese counterpart planned for Friday has been postponed, the State Department announced.
A revised schedule of Clinton's activities made public late Saturday dropped any mention of the meeting with Katsuya Okada, which had been previously scheduled in Washington for November 6 at 11:30 am (1530 GMT).
No formal explanation was given.
Clinton's talks with Okada were to come ahead of US President Barack Obama's first official visit to Japan on November 12-13 and amid a row over the planned relocation of a controversial US base in Japan.
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who took power in September, has pledged to review a 2006 agreement to relocate the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Base from an urban to a coastal part of the southern island of Okinawa.
Hatoyama has suggested the base -- which has angered residents because of aircraft noise and friction with US servicemen -- could be moved off the island altogether, a move Washington has strongly
Mon Jul 6, 6:20 am ET
TOKYO (AFP) – Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso's ruling coalition lost a key regional election at the weekend, officials said Monday, dealing a fresh blow to the embattled leader in the run-up to national polls.
Heita Kawakatsu -- backed by the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) -- narrowly won Sunday's contest for a governor's post in central Shizuoka prefecture with 728,706 votes, local election officials said.
"We will carry this victory over to the Tokyo assembly election," Katsuya Okada, secretary general of the DPJ, said in a statement. "We will then achieve a change of power at the general elections."
Yukiko Sakamoto, supported by Aso's conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner, won 713,654 votes, officials said.
"The result was a great shock to Aso as there had been a good chance of victory this time for the ruling coalition," said Yoshikazu Sakamoto, emeritus professor of politics at the University of Tokyo.
"Aso has already lost his power in terms of political leadership," the professor said. "Nothing appears to show his authority now except for his power to dissolve the Diet (parliament)."
It was one of two polls that will likely influence Aso's decision on the timing of a general election he must call by September -- the other is the Tokyo assembly election on July 12.
"It was extremely regrettable," LDP secretary general Hiroyuki Hosoda told reporters. "It was a very close contest. Now we have to work hard for the general elections."
Aso was due to travel to Italy later Monday ahead of the Group of Eight rich nations' summit -- an event which many pundits say may be his last on the international stage.
Sunday's defeat, which came after three LDP-backed mayoral candidates also lost in electoral contests since April, will be a serious setback for the premier, whose approval ratings have been hovering around 20 percent.
Public support for Aso's cabinet fell to 17.7 percent from 23.5 percent last month according to a poll by the Nippon Television Network, which questioned 1,088 eligible voters across the nation at the weekend.
The premier, who has been in office less than a year, faces mounting pressure from within his party to quit before the general election.
Many pundits predict that the LDP, having lost the upper house in 2007, is likely also to lose its large majority in the powerful lower house to the DPJ.
Asked when Aso is likely to call an election, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said: "He will make the right decision at the right time, considering the result of the gubernatorial election and other factors."
Thursday, April 24, 2008 6:14 PM CST
TOKYO - The Kyodo News agency says Japanese prosecutors have charged a U.S. sailor in the stabbing death of a taxi driver near Tokyo.
Olatunbosun Ugbogu is a 22-year-old Nigerian citizen serving in the Navy.
The sailor is accused of killing the taxi driver near the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, on March 19.
The Navy handed Ugbogu over to Japanese authorities earlier this month. The news agency reported the indictment on Thursday.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa--A U.S. sailor suspected of stabbing a taxi driver to death in Yokosuka last month entered the U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base at which he was stationed to withdraw cash from an ATM immediately after the alleged murder, according to a special investigation squad at Yokosuka Police Station.
Since the U.S. military had been searching for Olatunbosun Ugbogu on the ground of desertion, the fact that the Nigerian national was not spotted reentering and leaving the base is likely to call into question the base's security system.
Ugbogu, 22, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murdering taxi driver Masaaki Takahashi, 61, in his vehicle after leaving the base without permission on March 8.
It has now been confirmed that the seaman first class returned to the base--about 500 meters from the murder scene--to withdraw cash from an ATM in the base's welfare facility, a police source said.
Ugbogu is then believed to have left the base and returned to Tokyo.
The base has two gates, both of which are manned by military police who check the identities of people entering.
However, the U.S. Naval Forces Japan commander, Rear Adm. James Kelly, did not make clear how strict the checks were, saying that military police did not always demand people show their identity cards.
Kelly also told reporters at a press conference Saturday that Ugbogu had previously been brought back to the base after causing trouble there and going AWOL.
(Apr. 7, 2008)
Photo: A demonstrator is seen through a placard symbolising pacifist Article 9 of Japan's Constitution during a demonstration in Tokyo against a U.S. Marine under suspicion of raping a 14-year-old Japanese girl in the southern island of Okinawa February 14, 2008. Angry lawmakers on Japan's southern island of Okinawa called for progress on shrinking the U.S. military presence and tighter discipline among U.S. troops after the arrest of a U.S. Marine on suspicion of raping a local schoolgirl.
Photo: Demonstrator hold placards symbolising pacifist Article 9 of Japan's Constitution during a demonstration in Tokyo against a U.S. Marine under suspicion of raping a 14-year-old Japanese girl in the southern island of Okinawa February 14, 2008. Angry lawmakers on Japan's southern island of Okinawa called for progress on shrinking the U.S. military presence and tighter discipline among U.S. troops after the arrest of a U.S. Marine on suspicion of raping a local schoolgirl.
Hidemichi Katsumata / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer
A bill for a new antiterrorism law is likely to pass the Diet this week, when the House of Representatives, controlled by ruling coalition parties, votes for the bill for a second time. But discussions on antiterrorism measures should begin, rather than end, at that point.
Terrorist groups, including Al-Qaida, have moved from Afghanistan through Pakistan to Iran, from where they use sea routes to transport drugs, arms and personnel. In an effort to check this move, the navies of the United States, Britain, France, Pakistan and other nations of the so-called coalition of the willing have been continuing interdiction and surveillance activities. Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels refueled multilateral ships engaged in such missions.
Prior to resuming the refueling mission, MSDF and other Self-Defense Forces personnel have been raising questions about whether the refueling activities are the best form of cooperation that Japanese troops can offer. Some suggest considering different forms of assistance while continuing the refueling operations, pointing out that the war on terrorism will be protracted.
When the terrorist attacks on the United States occurred in September 2001, the important thing was the speed with which Japan took part in international cooperation activities while taking steps to secure the safety of participating Japanese troops.
At that time, the government considered a plan to dispatch air forces consisting of P3-C reconnaissance units for offshore surveillance in addition to refueling activities. Even after Japan started offshore refueling activities in December 2001, the International Security Assistance Force, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led international force in Afghanistan, informally asked Japan to send Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter units to undertake peacekeeping activities in that country. NATO, for its part, sounded out Japan on whether the SDF could take over duties from New Zealand's Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), which was conducting rebuilding activities with civilians in Bamiyan, central Afghanistan.
But the P3-C dispatch plan could not be realized because of the difficulty in securing an airfield to park and guard the aircraft. The request for PRT participation was never studied because SDF troops are not empowered to protect civilians in their international cooperation activities.
To prevent Afghanistan from becoming a hotbed of terrorism, more than 40 countries have dispatched troops to take part in the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom, including ISAF and PRT activities. But given the fact that the number of coalition war deaths in Afghanistan topped 720 as of November in the six years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the countries involved are considering whether to continue their war on terrorism.
War deaths in Afghanistan to date total more than 70, 20 and 10, respectively, for Canada, Germany and France. Despite this, the three countries have been continuing ISAF participation and patrol activities in the Indian Ocean. The operations are risky in that the lives of their troops and civilians are at stake.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged Japan's increased assistance to PRT activities when he visited NATO headquarters in Brussels last January. But since autumn, the Diet has heard such arguments as "Is there any need for Japan to cooperate in a war waged by the United States to defend itself?" and "the OEF has not been endorsed by a U.N. resolution." No other country has had such an argument.
Pending the enactment of the new antiterrorism law, the MSDF is expected to dispatch a vessel to the Indian Ocean at the end of this month at the earliest so the refueling mission can be resumed late next month. With this, Japan will be able to resume international cooperation activities suspended since November.
Taking advantage of this chance, Japan should call on countries such as the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Australia, with which Japan is strenuously waging the war on terror, to establish a forum to review the validity of the campaign and study how to continue antiterrorism activities.
Through such discussions, it will become clear to the people what other countries want Japan to do. For example, the Air Self-Defense Force currently deploys three C-130 transport planes to ferry goods from Kuwait to Baghdad. If Kabul is also included in the C-130 route, it would lead to Japan's assistance in ISAF and PRT activities. Of course, there are many things Japan cannot undertake due to legal constraints. But such attempts at least would enable Japan to leave behind the complacent Diet debate on international cooperation.
(Jan. 6, 2008)
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The minor cuts agreed by Japan and the United States in the so-called sympathy budget allocations that Japan pays toward the cost of utilities used by U.S. military forces stationed in the country can be seen as a result of Japanese compromise.
Japan went into the Special Measures Agreement talks with the objective of beginning a process that would eventually cut Japan's support for these utility costs to zero.
The amount allocated to utility charges will be 25.3 billion yen in fiscal 2008--the same as this fiscal year--with cuts of 400 million yen, or 1.5 percent, in fiscal 2009 and 2010.
"[The settlement] is extremely beneficial from the point of view of reinforcing the Japan-U.S. alliance," Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura told reporters Wednesday following a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer.
A senior Defense Ministry official said, however, that during negotiations "some exchanges were akin to a shouting match."
The fiscal 2007 sympathy budget--combining the Special Measures Agreement and the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement--was 217.3 billion yen.
Japan's 74.5 percent burden in fiscal 2007 is much more than in other countries where U.S. military forces are stationed--South Korea pays 40 percent of costs and Germany just 32.6 percent.
"The Americans lack an awareness of the [utility] costs," said a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker with connections to the defense industry.
Tokyo had initially proposed in the negotiations that the 25.3 billion yen Japan paid in fiscal 2007 for utilities be reduced by 5 billion yen a year over the next five years to whittle it down to zero finally, according to government sources.
However, negotiations proved tough, as the United States, citing reasons such as the additional cost of sending further troops to Iraq and the increased militarization of China, strongly demanded that Japan increase the amount it contributes.
The United States eventually accepted Tokyo's demand that a minor cut was needed in order to retain Japanese public support for the payments.
While the settlement is still financially unsatisfactory for Japan, it is a step forward in terms of the system.
Until now, Japan has agreed to cover the cost of a specified maximum amount of electricity, gas and water.
Under the new agreement, Japan's total burden will be a fixed sum decided in advance.
"The United States will pay any costs in excess of the fixed sum," a senior Defense Ministry official said. "[This change] will have the effect of making the United States aware of the costs involved."
A senior Foreign Ministry official said the settlement would have a "cost reduction effect of 1.5 percent or more" as Japan would no longer face higher bills if energy prices rise.
(Dec. 14, 2007)
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Former Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya, who is under arrest on suspicion of taking bribes, played golf with his wife and Motonobu Miyazaki, former executive of defense trading firm Yamada Corp., even while the Self-Defense Forces were on a mission to help disaster victims in 2004, investigators said Friday.
The couple visited various locations nationwide to play golf with Miyazaki, and the practice continued until early May 2006, about two months before Miyazaki left Yamada, they added.
According to the special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, Moriya and his wife traveled to Kochi Prefecture with Miyazaki during the Golden Week holiday period in 2002 to play golf.
It was revealed in December 2001 that Yamada had inflated by about 190 million yen the price of equipment supplied for use on Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol helicopters in fiscal 2000. At the end of May that year, however, the then Defense Agency agreed on a new lower-priced contract with the company, and refrained from meting out any punishment for the bill padding.
Moriya became administrative vice defense minister on Aug. 1, 2003.
One week later, the agency decided to procure engines for the Air Self-Defense Force's C-X next-generation transport aircraft from General Electric Co., for which Yamada worked as a sales agent.
The following day, Moriya and his wife went on another golf tour to Hokkaido at Miyazaki's expense, playing golf on Aug. 11, according to the investigators.
On Feb. 11, 2005, the couple was in Fukuoka Prefecture with Miyazaki to play golf.
Four days later, the agency concluded a contract with Yamada to procure three engines for the C-X planes through the firm for about 2.64 billion yen.
The couple played golf in Hokkaido on July 18, 2004, when the Self-Defense Forces were dispatched to Niigata and Fukushima prefectures, which had been hit by torrential rains.
They were in Hiroshima Prefecture to play golf on May 6, 2006, three days after then Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga held a meeting with his U.S. counterpart in Washington.
The golf outings usually took place over the weekend or consecutive holidays, on a three-day schedule. The Moriyas visited locations nationwide, from Hokkaido to Tohoku, Hokuriku, Shikoku and Kyushu.
Miyazaki paid about 300,000 yen for each trip, covering not only the golf expenses but also accommodation, transport, sightseeing and the cost of evening meals.
The couple would sometimes invite friends who lived in the areas visited to join them for golf or dinner.
On such occasions, Miyazaki covered all costs for the friends as well, with Sachiko reportedly telling them that they would not have to pay.
Miyazaki has reportedly admitted wining and dining Moriya in return for favors, telling investigators that the golf tours were intended to maintain his good relationship with Moriya and ensure that he would keep doing favors for Yamada.
===
4 mil. yen handed to prosecutors
Miyazaki voluntarily submitted about 4 million yen in cash to prosecutors about two months prior to Wednesday's arrests of Miyazaki, Moriya and his wife as evidence of loans Miyazaki claimed he offered to Moriya and later repaid.
The special investigation squad, suspecting the submitted money might have been Miyazaki's own, and part of an attempt by him to head off allegations of bribery, is looking into the case.
According to sources, in 2004 and 2006 Miyazaki instructed Osamu Akiyama, 70, former president of Yamada's U.S. subsidiary Yamada International Corp., who was arrested for alleged embezzlement involving Yamada, to transfer money on three separate occasions.
Miyazaki is said to have asked 2 million yen be transferred to a bank account belonging to Moriya's wife and more than 1 million yen be sent to a bank account belonging to Moriya's second daughter, from a slush fund kept in an account under the name of Akiyama.
Miyazaki reportedly said earlier the money was sent to different accounts in Japan before his arrest. However, Miyazaki later admitted to prosecutors the money was sent to the accounts of Moriya's family members, after prosecutors discovered the money.
Miyazaki later submitted the money in cash as evidence, saying, "The borrowed money was repaid by Moriya."
(Dec. 1, 2007)
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Defense Ministry will next month conduct Patriot missile deployment exercises at about 10 locations in Tokyo, including the Shinjuku Gyoen national garden and the Self-Defense Forces' Camp Ichigaya adjacent to the ministry, to test how the capital could be defended from a ballistic missile attack, sources said Saturday.
The exercises are meant to determine the best locations for deploying SDF missile defense units in an emergency, according to the sources.
The ministry will inspect the environment of those locations for operating the precision weapon, including whether there are any obstacles to communications in the surrounding areas, the sources said.
The Patriot Advanced Capacity-3 (PAC-3) system was deployed for the first time in the country in March at Iruma Air Base of the Air Self-Defense Force in Saitama Prefecture.
However, the range of the interceptor missile is only 15 to 20 kilometers. The Iruma base is about 40 kilometers away from central Tokyo, making it impossible for the system to intercept ballistic missiles aimed at the heart of the capital, which includes the political and bureaucratic center of Kasumigaseki, where the Prime Minister's Office and the Diet Building are located, in addition to the nearby Imperial Palace.
For this reason, the government needs to issue an order to mobilize the SDF as soon as it receives information or signs that a hostile country is preparing to launch ballistic missiles. PAC-3 equipment would then be moved into the center of Tokyo.
The redeployment exercise will start at state-administered facilities, including Shinjuku Gyoen, the Nerima station of the Ground Self-Defense Force's 1st Division in Nerima Ward and the Ichigaya camp in Shinjuku Ward. The Environment Ministry is in charge of the Shinjuku Gyoen national garden. All the locations are considered candidate sites for deploying the PAC-3 system by the Defense Ministry.
The ministry also plans to conduct the exercise at Tokyo metropolitan government-administered sites such as Harumi Wharf Park in Chuo Ward and Odaiba Seaside Park in Minato Ward, the sources said.
During the exercise, the main PAC-3 equipment will be moved from Iruma Air Base into central Tokyo. The SDF also will check whether some skyscrapers could be obstacles to Patriot missiles and inspect the communications environment for the fire control system, such as the radar used to track ballistic missiles.
Japan's missile defense is a two-step system comprising sea-to-air and ground-to-air interceptors. Aegis-equipped destroyers carry Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors. If these fail, ground-based PAC-3 interceptors are then launched. The SM-3-equipped destroyer Kongo of the Maritime Self-Defense Force is set to conduct its first live-weapons exercise off Hawaii in December.
The Defense Ministry plans to conduct similar exercises in the Hanshin, Chukyo and northern Kyushu regions from next fiscal year, the sources said.
(Nov. 25, 2007)
Saturday November 17 5:11 AM
Cross Hall
11:40 A.M. EST
PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to the White House. I really appreciate the opportunity to get to know you better. I'm looking forward to our lunch.
This is an important visit. It's the first visit the Prime Minister has taken since he has assumed his important office. It's a recognition that our alliance is vital for peace and security. The alliance between our two countries is rooted deeply in our strong commitments to freedom and democracy. The Prime Minister and I are going to keep it that way. One of the things we've decided to do is to continue to make sure the U.S.-Japanese relationship is the cornerstone of security and peace. And I appreciate you being here.
We'll continue to work together to advance freedom, security and prosperity in our respective regions and beyond. We discussed a lot of ways that we can make the world a better place by working together. We discussed North Korea and the six-party talks. I appreciate Japan's participation in the six-party talks. Together with China, Russia and South Korea, our two nations are pressing North Korea to fulfill its obligation to abandon all its nuclear weapons programs, as well as its proliferation efforts. The six-party talks have delivered measurable results. The plutonium production facilities at Yongbyon are now being disabled, under six-party supervision.
Hard work still remains to be done. North Korea has agreed to provide a full declaration of all its nuclear programs and proliferation activities by the end of this year. Full declaration is one of the next steps North Korea must take to keep the six-party talks moving towards the goal of a Korean Peninsula without nuclear weapons.
We also discussed the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea. I reminded the Prime Minister of one of the most moving moments of my presidency, when the mother of a young girl who had been abducted by the North Koreans came to visit me. I told her, and I'm going to tell the Japanese people once again, we will not forget this issue.
I understand, Mr. Prime Minister, how important the issue is to the Japanese people, and we will not forget the Japanese abductees, nor their families.
We discussed Afghanistan and Iraq. Japanese naval forces have made valued contributions to Operation Enduring Freedom, which supports Afghanistan's young democracy. Over six years, Japanese vessels refueled ships from 11 coalition nations nearly 800 times.
Mr. Prime Minister, I appreciate the great leadership that you are showing as you work to reauthorize the Japanese refueling mission. Japanese air defense -- Self-Defense Forces continue to serve bravely to support coalition efforts in Iraq. Japanese planes have flown more than 600 sorties, carrying more than half a million tons of cargo from many nations. And, Mr. Prime Minister, like I told you in the Oval Office, I appreciate the contribution that the Japanese people are making to help this young democracy.
We discussed the realignment of our military forces, and we'll continue to do so with Secretary Gates over lunch. Our two nations continue to implement changes in our force posture that will help our alliance meet the challenges of the 21st century.
We discussed Iran. The Prime Minister and I agree that a nuclear-armed Iran would threaten the security of the Middle East and beyond. Our two nations are united in our efforts to change the regime's behavior through diplomacy. We agreed that unless Iran commits to suspend enrichment, international pressure must, and will, grow.
We discussed Burma. The Prime Minister and I condemned the regime's crackdown on democratic activists. We call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners. We're for a genuine dialogue between the regime and those who seek a democratic future for Burma. U.S. sanctions on the regime are in place. Japan has canceled an aid grant. The Prime Minister told me his government is reviewing other aid projects to ensure that they directly benefit the people of Burma.
We discussed our strong economic relationship. Prime Minister Fukuda and I discussed his plans for economic reform in Japan. We discussed Doha, and will continue our discussions over lunch.
I think we're going to serve the Prime Minister -- I hope we serve him some good U.S. beef, which is a good way to bring up the subject of beef. We hope we're able to have the Japanese market fully open to all U.S. beef and beef products, consistent with international guidelines.
We discussed climate change and energy security. Our two nations share a similar approach to addressing the issues of climate change and energy security. We see real promise in our ongoing efforts to bring major developed and developing economies together around key elements of a future global agreement on climate change and energy security. And the truth of the matter is, we need to be in the lead, Mr. Prime Minister, because it's going to be our economies and our nations that develop most of the new technologies that will enable us to be better stewards of the environment.
And finally, we discussed the G8, and I want to thank you for taking the lead in the G8. I'm looking forward to attending.
All in all, we had a great discussion that will be continued during lunch. Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to the United States, and I thank you for your friendship.
PRIME MINISTER FUKUDA: (As translated.) Well, on this first overseas trip after taking office, I have come to this one and only ally for Japan, the United States of America. And I had a very substantive meeting with President Bush just now. And I look forward to a further exchange of views with the President after this. But since this is a very good opportunity, I would like to express some of my views on the basis of the discussions we had earlier.
First of all, we agreed that Japan-U.S. alliance is playing an indispensable role in enabling Japan and the United States to address global issues together, and also provides the basis for our active diplomacy vis-a-vis Asia.
For over half a century Japan and the United States at times have overcome difficulties together and have built a solid and resilient alliance. And we today enjoy this relationship, thanks to the efforts made by countless people in our two countries and exchanges among them.
To further cement the foundation for our bilateral relations in the future, without taking for granted our current solid relations, I explained to the President my initiative to strengthen Japan-U.S. exchanges, including intellectual exchanges. And I received heartfelt support for this idea from President Bush.
Secondly, we discussed synergies between our respective Asia policies and Japan-U.S. alliance. I explained to the President that the solid Japan-U.S. alliance will provide the foundation for Asia's peace and prosperity. And realizing a stable and open Asia that advances in prosperity by further deepening our relations with Asian countries on the basis of Japan-U.S. alliance will be in our mutual interests. And I told the President I'm convinced that such active diplomacy vis-a-vis Asia in turn will further strengthen our alliance.
Following this meeting here, I shall be attending a series of ASEAN-related summit meetings in Singapore, and I desired to visit Washington, D.C. and have discussions with President Bush because of my belief regarding our alliance. And I'm extremely encouraged by the President's support.
We also discussed issues that Japan and U.S. need to address jointly, and particularly -- in particular, North Korea and the fight against terrorism. With regard to North Korean nuclear programs, we agreed that Japan and U.S. need to maintain close coordination with each other, in order to achieve complete abandonment of all nuclear weapons and programs by North Korea, through the six-party talks. President Bush stated that he will never forget the abduction issue, and on that basis he once again expressed his commitment for unchanged support to the Japanese government.
We should never allow Afghanistan to once again become a hotbed for terrorism. And we agreed that Japan and the United States should continue to work together with the international community in the fight against terrorism. And I communicated to President Bush that I shall do my level best to achieve an early passage of a bill for the early resumption of the refuel act of -- (inaudible) -- in the Indian Ocean by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. President Bush expressed his appreciation for Japan's support for the international community's fight against terrorism and the hope that refueling operations will be resumed soon.
With regard to Myanmar, I stated that I have been working on the government of Myanmar for democratization and improvement of the human rights situation. And with regard to Iranian nuclear development, we cannot -- never tolerate and we agreed that we shall together work to raise pressure with the international community so that Iran will comply with the relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions.
And in this age of rapid changes, on the basis of Japan-U.S. alliance, Japan intends to exercise more active leadership in addressing the problems of Asia and international community.
And further, we shall have discussion with President Bush over lunch on new, important issues. Japan shall be hosting two important national conferences next year. One is the G8 summit at Lake Toya in Hokkaido, in July. And the important theme for that meeting will be climate change. On this issue, Japan and the United States, through close coordination over the past half year or so, have led international discussions. And through a new forum for negotiations at the U.N., we very much hope that we will have discussions with President on closer cooperation on global warming measures so that concrete results will be achieved for an effective framework for the future.
And through further coordination, we would like to achieve a successful G8 summit on the global climate change issue and other matters, as well, because I believe that we can have useful discussions that will allow science and technology to achieve continued economic growth, and also achieve global warming measures and energy security.
The other important conference Japan will be hosting is the International Conference in African Development, because that is a matter that the international community together should address. And this is the -- (inaudible) -- fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development that will be held in Japan in May. And we would like to tie the findings and results of that meeting to the G8 summit. And again, we'd like to engage in cooperation with the United States. And there also is a question of health care in Africa, and again we would like to work in cooperation with the United States on that health care issue.
As the world economy faces numerous challenges, Japan and the United States, I believe, should work together on a global scale in the economic area, including intellectual property protection and for the sustainable development of developing countries.
There was a reference to beef. I hope that -- well, we are addressing the beef issue on the basis of scientific findings. We are still in the process of our bilateral meetings.
I wanted to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the very warm welcome by President Bush and the people of the United States. And I look forward to addressing our common challenges together, hand in hand with President Bush.
END 11:53 A.M. EST
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Sean Dorney in Guam
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