U.S. Secretary of State Clinton to visit Japan Feb. 16-17

TOKYO, Feb. 4 Kyodo - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Japan on Feb. 16-17 for
talks on issues including the financial crisis and Afghanistan, likely making
Japan the first stop on her first overseas trip as the top U.S. diplomat,
Japanese government and Foreign Ministry sources said Wednesday.
With Tokyo wary that Washington's North Korea policy could shift from focusing
on denuclearization to nonproliferation under President Barack Obama's
administration, Japan plans to stress at the talks the need for Pyongyang to
abandon its nuclear programs and to reaffirm close Japan-U.S. cooperation on
the matter, the ministry sources said.
During the two-day visit, Clinton is expected to meet Prime Minister Taro Aso
and Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone. She may also hold talks with Defense
Minister Yasukazu Hamada.
''As there are many issues between Japan and the United States such as
responses to the financial crisis, we need to sort them out,'' Chief Cabinet
Secretary Takeo Kawamura told a news conference, while falling short of
confirming a date for the visit.
Issues such as the global financial crisis, support for Afghanistan's
reconstruction, North Korea's nuclear ambitions and resolving Pyongyang's past
abductions of Japanese nationals are expected to top the agenda of the
meetings, a ministry source said.
The stalled implementation of a 2006 plan agreed by Japan and the United States
to realign the U.S. military presence in Japan is also likely to be a major
topic of the discussions, the official said on condition of anonymity.
In a Senate hearing to consider her nomination for secretary of state last
month, Clinton stressed the importance of U.S. leadership in nonproliferation
and said, ''We will continue to work to prevent proliferation in North Korea
and Iran.''
In the Japanese government's view, the emphasis on nonproliferation implies
that North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons and programs has been
accepted, the sources said.
While Obama has expressed his willingness to achieve a verifiable abandonment
by North Korea of its nuclear weapons and programs through six-party
denuclearization talks, ''North Korea will gain an advantage if we neglect the
subtle differences in understanding between Japan and the United States,'' a
senior Foreign Ministry official said.
On the issue, Akitaka Saiki, Japan's chief delegate at the six-way talks,
expressed his hope last week to engage in working-level discussions with the
United States at an early date so as to press forward negotiations with
Pyongyang on its denuclearization.
Japan is expected to be the first leg of Clinton's first overseas trip since
assuming office, possibly followed by stops in South Korea and China, the
sources said.
Clinton said in the January Senate hearing that she embraces the alliance with
Japan as a cornerstone of U.S. policy in Asia.
Clinton appears to be showing sensitivity to Japanese concerns that the new
administration could pay insufficient attention to Japan, as during the
administration of her husband, Bill Clinton, who placed emphasis on U.S. ties
with China.
Clinton held her first face-to-face talks with her foreign counterparts on
Tuesday as she met separately with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Washington.
The talks focused on the Middle East peace process, the situation in
Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear standoff.
==Kyodo