Business leaders pin hopes on Obama for exit from financial crisis+

TOKYO, Jan. 21 Kyodo - Japanese business leaders expressed strong hopes Wednesday for new U.S. President Barack Obama to rebuild the world's largest economy, which has been crippled by the global financial crisis, and hailed the rise of the first black
U.S. president as the dawn of a new age.

''I hope the new president will first concentrate his efforts on achieving an
exit from the economic crisis, economic reconstruction and job creation,''
Tadashi Okamura, chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said
in a statement.
Okamura said he expects Obama to exercise strong leadership to create a new
world order and praised the 44th president of the United States for signaling a
shift from a unilateral foreign and environmental policy to one emphasizing
dialogue and collaboration.
Masamitsu Sakurai, chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives,
also urged Obama to not only tackle the financial turmoil but also other global
challenges such as the expansion of free trade and the establishment of
international security.
Sakurai called on Japan to not only continue working together with the United
States under the Obama administration, but to fulfill its responsibilities in
addressing the global economic downturn and financial crisis that have also hit
Japan hard.
''Japan should recognize its own international responsibilities and make its
contribution to the stability and prosperity of the international community,''
Sakurai said in a statement.
==Kyodo