Obama calls Hatoyama on closer cooperation on N. Korea's denuclearization: White House

By Hwang Doo-hyong

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday expressed hope for closer cooperation with the soon-to-be-launched Japanese government on North Korea's denuclearization, economic recovery and other bilateral and global issues, the White House said.

Obama made the remarks while speaking to Yukio Hatoyama, president of Democratic
Party of Japan, on the phone earlier in the day to congratulate him on the
landslide victory in Sunday's elections, spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a
statement.
"President Obama stated his strong wish to work with Mr. Hatoyama and the
Japanese government on behalf of the people of both nations to strengthen global
economic recovery, combat climate change, ensure the denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula, defeat al Qaeda and its extremist allies in Afghanistan, and
build peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region," Gibbs said.
Japan's major opposition Democratic Party (DP) won 308 seats in the 480-seat
Lower House in Sunday's elections to put an end to the one-party rule by the
conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has dominated the Japanese
politics since 1955.
The landslide victory by the liberal DP came amid growing voter dissatisfaction
with the protracted economic slump.
Some analysts worry the liberal DP government, seeking less dependence on the
U.S. and a possible cutback in the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan, may undermine the
decades-old alliance with the U.S.
Gibbs said that Obama and Hatoyama "stressed the importance of a strong
U.S.-Japan Alliance and their desire to build an even more effective
partnership."
Unlike Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and his conservative predecessors, who
focused on a strong alliance with the U.S. amid criticism of subservience,
Hatoyama, soon to be elected to the next prime minister, has sought better
relationship with South Korea, China and even North Korea, calling for an East
Asian Community modeled after the European Union.
The DP has also sought better ties with North Korea compared with the hardline
LDP, which has refused to talk to North Korea on its nuclear programs and
normalization of ties unless Pyongyang addresses the issue of kidnapped Japanese
citizens.
North Korea returned five abductees after the visit to Pyongyang by then-Japanese
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2002 and claimed the others are dead. Japan
refused to believe the North, calling on it to investigate further the fate of
several others.
Apart from the kidnapping issue, the six-party talks are deadlocked over
international sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests in
recent months.
North Korea wants bilateral talks with the U.S. in lieu of the multilateral
dialogue, which it said is already dead, while Washington insists on Pyongyang
returning to the multinational talks.
Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, earlier in
the day begin a trip to Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo to discuss resumption of the
nuclear talks.
hdh@yna.co.kr
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