New US President George W. Bush telephoned Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori yesterday to tell the leader of his most important Asian ally that he wanted to meet soon.
The two leaders agreed to hold a summit "at an early date," a Japanese official said.
Bush called Mori early yesterday and stressed the importance of Japan as a key US ally in Asia at a time when the president was crafting his policy toward communist countries in the region, such as China and North Korea, the official said.
"You are one of the leaders I call first. This is a symbol of the close relationship between the US and Japan," the official quoted Bush as telling Mori.
The timing has yet to be fixed, but Japanese officials said Mori was expected to visit the US for talks with Bush as early as February or March.
While Bush stressed the importance of the US alliance with Japan during his election campaign, many Japanese officials believe he will adopt a tougher line than his predecessor, pressing Tokyo to play a greater military role in the region.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono is to visit Washington this week and hold talks with Secretary of State Colin Powell.
During his visit, Kono will propose Japan and the US set up a joint panel on security policy, Kyodo news agency quoted a Japanese diplomatic source in Washington as saying.
Japan welcomed Bush's victory in the US presidential election and voiced hope that his Republican administration would give Japan a more prominent place on the diplomatic agenda of its most powerful ally. Japan and the US have boosted their military alliance in recent years, a move that has unnerved China.
New defense guidelines drawn up by the two countries in 1999 authorize Japan to provide logistical support to the US military in the event of an emergency in the region.
Some neighboring countries, including China, have repeatedly opposed the guidelines, saying they are intended to protect Taiwan.
About 48,000 US military personnel are stationed in Japan, of which about 26,000 are based on the island of Okinawa and constitute a source of strain between the allies amid calls from the local population for them to go.
Tokyo has so far refrained from showing support for the Bush administration's controversial national missile defense (NMD) proposal, fearing criticism from China and setbacks to a tentative warming in relations with North Korea.
But Japan is studying with Washington a theater missile defense system, a variant of the NMD, aimed at shielding US troops in Asia.
Beijing has repeatedly accused Tokyo and Washington of exaggerating the North Korean threat as an excuse to project their dual military strength in the region, throw a protective arm around Taiwan and contain China's rise as a world power.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from