Obama and Shinzo Abe open US-Japan White House talks
Obama and Shinzo Abe affirm US-Japan security alliance
(about 2 hours later)
US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have opened a round of White House talks aimed at fortifying their key security alliance.
US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have affirmed their security alliance and pledged to stand firm against North Korea.
Economic ties, tensions with Beijing over a territorial dispute, and North Korea's recent nuclear test are expected to top the agenda.
At the White House, they said the two powers would co-operate to promote regional stability and economic growth.
Mr Abe, who was elected in December, has said US support is "critical" in Japan's dispute with China.
Mr Abe, elected in December for his second stint as Japanese leader, said Japan would proceed in a "calm manner" in a territorial dispute with China.
China has fiercely criticised Mr Abe for comments made before his departure.
He said "the trust and the bond" in the US-Japan alliance was restored.
In remarks to the press after the Oval Office talks, Mr Obama said the alliance between the US and Japan was the "central foundation for our regional security and so much of what we do in the Pacific region".
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing was "astonished" by the report, saying it was rare for a country's leader to insult its neighbour, China's Xinhua news agency reports.
Mr Abe said both countries had to take a tough stance on North Korea, which recently conducted a third nuclear test.
"We agreed that we would co-operate with each other in dealing resolutely with North Korea," Mr Abe said.
Mr Abe is serving as Japan's top leader for a second time, after a brief period in power in 2006-7. He is the fifth Japanese prime minister that Mr Obama has met in office.
Mr Abe is serving as Japan's top leader for a second time, after a brief period in power in 2006-7. He is the fifth Japanese prime minister that Mr Obama has met in office.
His visit is seen as a bid to shore up a security alliance between the two countries that goes back decades.
'Strengthen our alliance'
Ties were strained somewhat under the previous Democratic Party (DPJ) administration amid a row over the relocation of a US military base in Okinawa.
His visit is seen as a bid to shore up a security partnership between the two countries that goes back decades.
But Mr Abe, who heads a Liberal Democratic Party administration, has spoken out about the need to prioritise the Japan-US alliance amid a changing regional dynamic.
"We intend to continue to strengthen our alliance," he said.
'Critical'
Ahead of the visit, Mr Abe said US support was critical in a bitter row between Japan and China over disputed islands in the East China Sea.
In his Washington Post interview, Mr Abe said improved ties with Washington were top of his agenda in the US.
On the bitter row with China over disputed islands in the East China Sea, he said US support was key.
Both Beijing and Tokyo have ships in waters around the islands - known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China - leading to fears of a clash. Japan controls the islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan.
Both Beijing and Tokyo have ships in waters around the islands - known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China - leading to fears of a clash. Japan controls the islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan.
"It is important for us to have them recognise that it is impossible to try to get their way by coercion or intimidation," Mr Abe said, referring to China.
US-Japan ties were strained somewhat under the previous Japanese Democratic Party (DPJ) administration amid a row over the relocation of a US military base in Okinawa.
"In that regard, the Japan-US alliance, as well as the US presence, would be critical."
But Mr Abe, who heads a Liberal Democratic Party administration, has spoken out about the need to prioritise the Japan-US alliance amid a changing regional dynamic.
The US has urged restraint from both sides, while Chinese state media have warned the US against taking sides.
After the meeting, Mr Abe and Mr Obama dined with US Vice-President Joe Biden.
Mr Obama's top Asia advisor, Danny Russel, said on Thursday that the president "remains supportive of the peaceful efforts to find diplomatic resolution to outstanding issues of territorial claims", AFP reports.
Mr Obama said the leaders would discuss economic co-operation and steps they could take to encourage growth.
He added that Mr Obama has "been clear in the United States' opposition to coercive actions or unilateral steps that threaten the stability of the region".
On North Korea, both the US and Japan support action against Pyongyang in the UN Security Council in the wake of its third nuclear test, on 12 February.
Economic ties are also expected to be on the agenda for the Oval Office meeting, which Vice-President Joe Biden will also attend.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposal for a free-trade agreement between countries in North America, Asia and South America.
Japan has discussed becoming part of the TPP over the years. But this has been met with opposition from farmers, who say that tariff removals will have an a negative impact on their industry.
