ID :
101202
Tue, 01/19/2010 - 22:42
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/101202
The shortlink copeid
Japan, U.S. vow to `deepen` alliance on 50th anniv. of treaty signing
TOKYO, Jan. 19 Kyodo -
Japan and the United States proclaimed Tuesday that their alliance remains the
anchor of regional stability and vowed to deepen cooperation including between
the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and U.S. forces, as the day marked the 50th
anniversary of the signing of their current security treaty.
While a deadlock over where to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air
Station in Okinawa is casting a shadow over the alliance, Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama stressed that U.S. nuclear deterrence continues to play a large role
in ensuring the peace and stability of his nonnuclear country.
In a joint statement, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, Defense Minister Toshimi
Kitazawa and their U.S. counterparts -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and
Defense Secretary Robert Gates -- pledged to build ''an unshakable Japan-U.S.
alliance to adapt to the evolving environment of the 21st century.''
To that end, they vowed to intensify dialogue to ''further promote and deepen''
bilateral cooperation, including between the SDF and the U.S. military, in
''wide-ranging areas of common interest.''
The two allies effectively began discussions about deepening the alliance when
Okada met with Clinton in Hawaii last week, with Tuesday's statement seen as
the first result of that effort.
The two countries are aiming to release a final report during a planned meeting
between Hatoyama and President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the summit of
the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Yokohama in November.
In a separate statement, Hatoyama said his government will work jointly with
the U.S. government to deepen security arrangements in a manner suitable for
the current century, adding, ''I would like to present the people of Japan with
the results of this work before the end of this year.''
Kitazawa told a press conference that the upcoming talks to deepen the alliance
would likely involve how to respond to ''new factors'' in the regional security
situation, such as the ''North Korean missile program and China's military
expansion.''
The defense minister denied that the two countries would revise the text of the
security treaty but said Tokyo would likely propose discussions on cutting
''wasteful spending'' in Japan's host nation support as the country faces
economic difficulties.
Okada told a separate news conference that the Japanese ministers and their
U.S. counterparts will meet in the first half of this year to advance
negotiations to deepen the alliance.
Although the Futemma issue is weighing on bilateral relations, the foreign
minister said he believes the two countries can proceed with discussions on the
alliance by coming to a shared understanding of current security conditions.
Hatoyama says his government will try to reach a final conclusion on the base
relocation issue by May.
The joint statement remained abstract on the whole and avoided addressing the
Futemma issue directly, saying only that the four place special importance on
sustaining public support for the alliance.
The four, meanwhile, endorsed efforts to reduce the burden on the people of
Okinawa and maintain U.S. deterrence, ''including appropriate stationing of
U.S. forces.''
Kitazawa said the geopolitical importance of Okinawa has increased since the
end of the Cold War with new threats posed by neighboring countries. The two
countries should make efforts all the more to ease local base-hosting burdens,
he added.
The four touted the current arrangements as the foundation for the security and
prosperity of the two countries, expressing their commitment to ensuring the
alliance's continued effectiveness in meeting new challenges in a changing
security environment.
In East Asia, Japan and the United States will work to strengthen their ability
to respond to contingencies that could threaten the security of Japan and peace
in the surrounding region, they said.
In particular, the two countries are ''working closely together and cooperating
with their partners'' through the six-nation talks to deal with North Korea's
nuclear and missile programs and the abduction issue, they added.
They called for China to play a ''constructive and responsible role'' in the
international community, while Tokyo and Washington work to improve their
cooperation with Beijing.
The two countries will also cooperate closely in countering global threats by
boosting efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction and seek
a world without nuclear weapons, they said.
In his statement, Hatoyama stressed the importance of the continued stationing
of U.S. forces in Japan, saying, ''The presence of the U.S. forces based on the
treaty will continue to function as a public good by creating a strong sense of
security to the countries in the region.''
The current treaty, which was signed Jan. 19, 1960, and took effect June 23
that year, rectified ''inequality'' in the 1951 treaty by deleting from the
original document a clause under which the United States was able to intervene
in times of insurrection in Japan.
The revised treaty also made clearer the U.S. obligation to defend Japan in the
event of an armed attack and allowed the United States to use bases in Japan.
But it does not obligate Tokyo to defend Washington when the latter is
attacked.
In 1996, the two countries signed the Japan-U.S. Joint Declaration on Security,
an add-on to the treaty that expanded the alliance's scope -- which had
hitherto been configured for the Cold War era -- to one encompassing the entire
Asia-Pacific region.
Obama will also issue a statement on the subject on Tuesday.
Hatoyama, whose Democratic Party of Japan came to power after an election in
August that ended more than half a century of almost unbroken rule by the
Liberal Democratic Party, has called for ''close and equal'' ties with the
United States and indicated a preference to forge closer ties with China.
While seeking a new relationship with the United States based on the alliance,
the Hatoyama government has created tension with the Obama administration by
calling for a review of both the Futemma relocation plan and the status of
forces agreement for U.S. military personnel in Japan.
==Kyodo
Japan and the United States proclaimed Tuesday that their alliance remains the
anchor of regional stability and vowed to deepen cooperation including between
the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and U.S. forces, as the day marked the 50th
anniversary of the signing of their current security treaty.
While a deadlock over where to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air
Station in Okinawa is casting a shadow over the alliance, Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama stressed that U.S. nuclear deterrence continues to play a large role
in ensuring the peace and stability of his nonnuclear country.
In a joint statement, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, Defense Minister Toshimi
Kitazawa and their U.S. counterparts -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and
Defense Secretary Robert Gates -- pledged to build ''an unshakable Japan-U.S.
alliance to adapt to the evolving environment of the 21st century.''
To that end, they vowed to intensify dialogue to ''further promote and deepen''
bilateral cooperation, including between the SDF and the U.S. military, in
''wide-ranging areas of common interest.''
The two allies effectively began discussions about deepening the alliance when
Okada met with Clinton in Hawaii last week, with Tuesday's statement seen as
the first result of that effort.
The two countries are aiming to release a final report during a planned meeting
between Hatoyama and President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the summit of
the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Yokohama in November.
In a separate statement, Hatoyama said his government will work jointly with
the U.S. government to deepen security arrangements in a manner suitable for
the current century, adding, ''I would like to present the people of Japan with
the results of this work before the end of this year.''
Kitazawa told a press conference that the upcoming talks to deepen the alliance
would likely involve how to respond to ''new factors'' in the regional security
situation, such as the ''North Korean missile program and China's military
expansion.''
The defense minister denied that the two countries would revise the text of the
security treaty but said Tokyo would likely propose discussions on cutting
''wasteful spending'' in Japan's host nation support as the country faces
economic difficulties.
Okada told a separate news conference that the Japanese ministers and their
U.S. counterparts will meet in the first half of this year to advance
negotiations to deepen the alliance.
Although the Futemma issue is weighing on bilateral relations, the foreign
minister said he believes the two countries can proceed with discussions on the
alliance by coming to a shared understanding of current security conditions.
Hatoyama says his government will try to reach a final conclusion on the base
relocation issue by May.
The joint statement remained abstract on the whole and avoided addressing the
Futemma issue directly, saying only that the four place special importance on
sustaining public support for the alliance.
The four, meanwhile, endorsed efforts to reduce the burden on the people of
Okinawa and maintain U.S. deterrence, ''including appropriate stationing of
U.S. forces.''
Kitazawa said the geopolitical importance of Okinawa has increased since the
end of the Cold War with new threats posed by neighboring countries. The two
countries should make efforts all the more to ease local base-hosting burdens,
he added.
The four touted the current arrangements as the foundation for the security and
prosperity of the two countries, expressing their commitment to ensuring the
alliance's continued effectiveness in meeting new challenges in a changing
security environment.
In East Asia, Japan and the United States will work to strengthen their ability
to respond to contingencies that could threaten the security of Japan and peace
in the surrounding region, they said.
In particular, the two countries are ''working closely together and cooperating
with their partners'' through the six-nation talks to deal with North Korea's
nuclear and missile programs and the abduction issue, they added.
They called for China to play a ''constructive and responsible role'' in the
international community, while Tokyo and Washington work to improve their
cooperation with Beijing.
The two countries will also cooperate closely in countering global threats by
boosting efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction and seek
a world without nuclear weapons, they said.
In his statement, Hatoyama stressed the importance of the continued stationing
of U.S. forces in Japan, saying, ''The presence of the U.S. forces based on the
treaty will continue to function as a public good by creating a strong sense of
security to the countries in the region.''
The current treaty, which was signed Jan. 19, 1960, and took effect June 23
that year, rectified ''inequality'' in the 1951 treaty by deleting from the
original document a clause under which the United States was able to intervene
in times of insurrection in Japan.
The revised treaty also made clearer the U.S. obligation to defend Japan in the
event of an armed attack and allowed the United States to use bases in Japan.
But it does not obligate Tokyo to defend Washington when the latter is
attacked.
In 1996, the two countries signed the Japan-U.S. Joint Declaration on Security,
an add-on to the treaty that expanded the alliance's scope -- which had
hitherto been configured for the Cold War era -- to one encompassing the entire
Asia-Pacific region.
Obama will also issue a statement on the subject on Tuesday.
Hatoyama, whose Democratic Party of Japan came to power after an election in
August that ended more than half a century of almost unbroken rule by the
Liberal Democratic Party, has called for ''close and equal'' ties with the
United States and indicated a preference to forge closer ties with China.
While seeking a new relationship with the United States based on the alliance,
the Hatoyama government has created tension with the Obama administration by
calling for a review of both the Futemma relocation plan and the status of
forces agreement for U.S. military personnel in Japan.
==Kyodo
