Dinner Meeting between Mr. Mitoji Yabunaka, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr. John Negroponte, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State

May 8, 2008

1. For about two hours from 19:30 on May 8 (Thu), Mr. Mitoji Yabunaka, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, had a working dinner at Iikura House with Mr. John Negroponte, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, visited Japan.

2. At the working dinner:

(1) they exchanged views on the security environment in Asia and agreed to continue strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance, which is an indispensable basis for peace and stability in Asia, and to deal with the situation in Asia on the basis of the alliance;

(2) on North Korean issues, they agreed that it was important for North Korea to implement sincerely what it had promised, and they confirmed that Japan and the U.S. would continue to cooperate closely to resolve the outstanding issues of concern with North Korea including the abduction issue and the nuclear issue;

(3) on the issue of China, Mr. Yabunaka explained to Mr. Negroponte on the results of the meeting between Mr. Yasuo Fukuda, Prime Minister of Japan, and Mr. Hu Jintao, President of the People’s Republic of China. In response, Mr. Negroponte said that the U.S. welcomes the further development of Japan-China relations;

(4) they exchanged views on wide-ranging issues of the international situation including Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and they agreed that Japan and the U.S. continue to closely cooperate on these issues;

(5) they also exchanged views on such global issues as climate change, African development (TICAD IV), and the United Nations Security Council reform, and they agreed that the two countries continue to closely cooperate for the success of the forthcoming G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit.

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