by William M. Reilly
NEW YORK, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Newly-elected Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama Wednesday assured U.S. President Barack Obama the Tokyo-Washington alliance was "the cornerstone" of Japan's foreign policy," allaying fears the change of government threatened the two countries' long-standing relationship.
Their first-ever meeting, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly annual general debate at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York, was described by Kazuo Kodama, Hatoyama's spokesman, as "very warm and cordial."
Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) election, held on Sept. 16, marked only the second time in the history of Japan since World War II the Liberal Democratic Party was ousted from power.
But the prime minister expressed hope the two countries "will further deepen and advance the Japan-United States alliance" and "by strengthening the bilateral relationship the United States and Japan will be able to cooperate and coordinate on regional issues and global issues."
Hatoyama and Obama agreed to continue a common policy to seek the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and in seeking the six-party talks involving the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said Kodama.
The leader of the only nation in the world to suffer a nuclear attack also lauded Obama's "unprecedented leadership" in calling for global denuclearization. Obama is to chair a UN Security Council meeting Thursday on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.
Kodama said the prime minister told the president he is grateful to Obama and the American people for "giving the Japanese people and the rest of the world the courage to embrace change."
The word "change" was the catch phrase of Obama's 2009 campaign for the presidency.
Hatoyama said the president's call for change during Obama's campaign reached the people in Japan and helped him win the Sept. 16 election.
Obama expressed gratitude for Hatoyama's pledge to reduce his nation's level of greenhouse gases 25 percent from its 1990 levels to a "mid-term target" by 2020, Kodama said.
Hatoyama made the promise during his speech at the UN Climate Change Summit on Tuesday.
However, the spokesman said Hatoyama said the pledge has evoked "anxiety among the business and industrial community" in Japan. The prime minister's goal has been described as "ambitious."
The prime minister told the president he and his government "will think hard about how best Japan can help with reconstruction and also re-establish security on the ground in Afghanistan, Kodama said, adding Japan was "most effective" in working on nation-building support and how to improve people's lives in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"He did not specifically refer to replenishment support to vessels engaged in the international fight against terrorism, counterterrorism and maritime interdictions in the Indian Ocean," Kodama said, referring to Hatoyama.
However, he added, "The DPJ has declared that this government will not simply extend the law to provide this fueling support for the vessels when this law expires by the end of January next year."
While this was not a new stance, a Japanese official traveling with Hatoyama, said it did not necessarily mean an end to that support for the vessels. He said it could mean a "modified" measure.
"On the issue of the DPRK," Kodama said Hatoyama and Obama "reached a shared understanding that, No. 1, nuclear (weapon) possession as well as nuclear development should not be tolerated."
"The two government leaders believe the six-party talks process is the most effective framework to address issues of the DPRK," the spokesman said.
The six parties are China, DPRK, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.
"Also the prime minister agreed with the president that while exploring the possibility of the resumption of talks, the international community must enforce Security Council Resolution 1874, Kodama told Xinhua, adding the DPRK should also be denied ballistic missiles.
The UN resolution he referred to calls for the toughest sanctions yet against the DPRK which were approved earlier this year.
"We have to be tough with the DPRK was the message delivered by Prime Minister Hatoyama and concurred by the president," Kodama said.
"The Japanese side has already conveyed to the United States that this government will engage in a comprehensive review regarding realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, including realignment of the air base in Okinawa," Kodama said.
The United States agreed with the previous Japanese government on a realignment of troops in Okinawa, but has promised to listen to the new government's concerns about that accord.
"All in all the prime minister summed up this meeting saying the two leaders agreed to address any important issues confronting our alliance whether security, economic or alliance management issues. We will cooperate together to overcome any of these issues" when problems arise, the spokesman said.
