Pittsburgh, September 25: Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said on Thursday the first topic he wants to address in relations with the United States was to come up with a plan for contributing to Afghan security.
Hatoyama’s Democratic Party swept to power in an election last month vowing to forge a more independent stance from main security ally the United States and specifying a range of changes it wanted to make.
Speaking to reporters in Pittsburgh, where he is taking part in the G20 financial summit, Hatoyama said he was not sure a disagreement over the relocation of U.S. Marine bases in Japan needed to be resolved within the year.
“I think when it comes to relations between the Obama administration and the Japanese government, what we have to deal with first is Afghanistan,” Hatoyama said.
Security has been worsening in Afghanistan, leading a top U.S. general to call for a hike in troop levels, but Japan is considering ending its contribution.
The Democrats have said there will be no “simple” extension of a refuelling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan, whose legal mandate expires in January.
Washington is urging Tokyo to come up with an alternative plan before Obama makes his first visit to Japan in November, Japanese media reports say.
“In my first meeting with President Obama, we did not decide on concrete plans, but I did explain my feelings about Afghanistan, if somewhat vaguely,” Hatoyama said, referring to a meeting in New York this week.
On the issue of U.S. bases on Okinawa, he appeared to contradict his foreign minister, Katsuya Okada, who has said he wants to resolve the problem within the first 100 days of the administration.
“We have not changed our basic thinking, but we have to consider carefully whether we really need to reach a decision by the end of the year,” Hatoyama said.
–Agencies