On November 20, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met with President George W. Bush in Santiago, Chile, where the 12 th meeting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) was held. During the 35-minute meeting, they focused on important issues such as North Korea, Iraq, the transformation of the U.S. military forces and the economy. Their remarks at a press conference reflected the success of the meeting. President Bush said, “it was my honor to have spent some quality time with my friend, the leader of our strong ally, Japan.” The President also praised Koizumi as “a man of clear vision and inner strength.” Prime Minister Koizumi responded by saying, “it was a meeting of great content, so I’m very happy about that.”
On the issue of North Korea, President Bush and Prime Minister Koizumi reconfirmed their determination to continue to place importance on the Six-Party Talks process and their effort to pursue a diplomatic solution to dismantle all the nuclear programs of North Korea.
On the issue of Iraq, Prime Minister Koizumi said that the nation building and reconstruction of Iraq must succeed. He stated that Japan intended to continue to do as much as it could and that he would like President Bush to leave it to Japan to decide what kind of assistance Japan should provide, and the President agreed. They also agreed upon the importance of further strengthening the framework of international cooperation to deal with the issue of Iraq. The Prime Minister also appreciated the U.S. support during the hostage incident involving a Japanese national.
On the issue of transformation of the U.S. military forces, Prime Minister Koizumi emphasized the importance of maintaining the deterrence capability of U.S. forces in Japan and also of reducing the burden that the U.S. bases are imposing on Japanese communities, including in Okinawa. President Bush reiterated the strategic importance of the presence of U.S. forces in stabilizing the Asia-Pacific region. Both leaders agreed to continue close consultations.
On the issue of the economy, President Bush stated that the United State was committed to a strong dollar and that he would work with Congress to reduce the short-term and long-term deficit. Prime Minister Koizumi agreed with the view that a strong dollar has a beneficial impact on the U.S. economy and is also important for the world economy.
At the conclusion of the meeting, President Bush cordially invited Prime Minister Koizumi to visit him in the United States next year.
[Related links]
* Japan-U.S. relations
* Japan-U.S. VIP visits
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