Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, Paid Courtesy Calls on Mr. Taro Aso, Minister for Foreign Affairs (Summary)

March 22, 2007

For about 30 minutes from 9:30 am on March 21 (Wed), Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, paid a courtesy call on Mr. Taro Aso, Minister for Foreign Affairs, during his visit to Japan.

(The courtesy call was attended on the U.S. side by H.E. Mr. J. Thomas Schieffer, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, Commander, U.S. Forces Japan, and others; on the Japanese side by Mr. Shinichi Nishimiya, Director-General, North American Affairs Bureau, and Mr. Yasumasa Nagamine, Deputy Director-General, Foreign Policy Bureau, and others.)

The gist is as follows:

1. In the meeting, both sides exchanged views on Japan-U.S. bilateral relations, the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, cooperation on the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), and support for the reconstruction of Iraq.

2. On Japan-U.S. relations, both sides shared the view that the credibility of the deterrence of the alliance needs to be further enhanced while there are still unstable and uncertain factors in the region of North-East Asia.

3. On the realignment of the U.S. Forces in Japan, both sides highly recognized visible accomplishments of the roadmap which was agreed on last May including the relocation of F15 training, and agreed on the importance of steadily implementing the roadmap.

4. The cooperation between Japan and the U.S. on the BMD is constantly progressing, and both sides agreed on further cooperation in the future.

5. Chairman Pace expressed appreciation for Japan’s contribution to the stabilization of Iraq. In response, Foreign Minister Aso stated that Japan would continue to assist in the reconstruction and stabilization of Iraq.

(END)

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