Kan has a chat with Obama over base
Source: Agencies |
June 7, 2010, Monday
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JAPAN'S new prime minister made his diplomatic debut yesterday in a telephone call with United States President Barack Obama.
Naoto Kan reaffirmed his country's alliance with Washington and promising to work hard on a pact to relocate a contentious US Marine base.
Kan, a straight-talking populist, was elected prime minister last Friday, replacing Yukio Hatoyama who stepped down last week after breaking a campaign promise to move the Marine base off the southern island of Okinawa.
Kan told Obama that relations with Washington were a "cornerstone" of Japan's diplomacy and vowed to "further deepen and develop the Japan-US alliance to tackle global and regional challenges," Japan's Foreign Ministry said.
He also promised Obama to "make a strenuous effort" to tackle the relocation of Marine Air Station Futenma.
Under an agreement signed last month between the two governments, the base is to be moved to a less-crowded part of Okinawa, but Kan faces intense opposition from the island residents who want it moved off Okinawa completely, as Hatoyama had promised.
Because their opposition is so intense, some analysts have questioned whether the plan can actually be carried out.
A White House statement said "the two leaders agreed to work very closely together" and consult on the nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran. An administration official added the leaders "hit it off well on a personal level."
The Futenma issue is just one of many tough challenges facing Kan, whose foremost mission is to win back voters disgusted by Hatoyama's broken promise and the corrupt image instilled by party heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa, who also resigned last week from the party's No. 2 post.
Kan spent the weekend crafting his Cabinet, which he plans to formally announce early this week.
Naoto Kan reaffirmed his country's alliance with Washington and promising to work hard on a pact to relocate a contentious US Marine base.
Kan, a straight-talking populist, was elected prime minister last Friday, replacing Yukio Hatoyama who stepped down last week after breaking a campaign promise to move the Marine base off the southern island of Okinawa.
Kan told Obama that relations with Washington were a "cornerstone" of Japan's diplomacy and vowed to "further deepen and develop the Japan-US alliance to tackle global and regional challenges," Japan's Foreign Ministry said.
He also promised Obama to "make a strenuous effort" to tackle the relocation of Marine Air Station Futenma.
Under an agreement signed last month between the two governments, the base is to be moved to a less-crowded part of Okinawa, but Kan faces intense opposition from the island residents who want it moved off Okinawa completely, as Hatoyama had promised.
Because their opposition is so intense, some analysts have questioned whether the plan can actually be carried out.
A White House statement said "the two leaders agreed to work very closely together" and consult on the nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran. An administration official added the leaders "hit it off well on a personal level."
The Futenma issue is just one of many tough challenges facing Kan, whose foremost mission is to win back voters disgusted by Hatoyama's broken promise and the corrupt image instilled by party heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa, who also resigned last week from the party's No. 2 post.
Kan spent the weekend crafting his Cabinet, which he plans to formally announce early this week.
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