Japan-U.S. Summit Meeting (Summary)
April 27, 2007
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the United States on April 26 and 27 for the first time as prime minister. On the 27th, a summit meeting with President Bush was held at Camp David that lasted approximately 1 hour 30 minutes (the first 45 minutes or so was a tête-à-tête meeting between the two leaders) as well as working lunch that lasted approximately one hour. Including the dinner on the previous day, the two leaders spent about 6 hours together in total.
Also present at the meeting were Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shimomura, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Koike, and Japanese Ambassador to the United States Kato from the Japan side, and Secretary of State Rice, Secretary of Defense Gates, Chief of Staff Bolten, National Security Advisor Hadley, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Schieffer from the U.S. side.
They agreed at the one-on-one meeting to call each other "George" and "Shinzo," a sign that the two leaders had deepened their personal relationship.
1. Strengthening the Alliance and Building an Individual Relationship of Trust
(1) As the Prime Minister said in opening remarks at the joint press availability, the greatest achievement of this visit to the United States was the confirmation with President Bush of the "irreplaceable and invaluable Japan-U.S. alliance" and their agreement to strengthen this alliance. Both leaders agreed to address the issues in East Asia based on the Japan-U.S. alliance and to strengthen cooperation across a broad range of areas.
(2) In the area of Japan-U.S. security arrangements, both leaders reaffirmed their recognition of the importance of deterrence based on the Japan-U.S. alliance and reconfirmed to push forward the realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan and deepen their cooperation on the development of ballistic missile defense (BMD). On the realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan, Prime Minister Abe emphasized the importance of steady implementation of the agreement reached in May of last year, and to relocate and return the Futenma Air Station as agreed.
(3) On economic cooperation, considering the effects on the world economy of the growth of newly developing economies, the two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation on a broad range of global economic issues including energy, intellectual property rights, and the secure and smooth flow of trade. They also confirmed the cooperative policy based upon the U.S.-Japan Joint Nuclear Energy Action Plan announced by Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Amari on April 24.
(4) In the area of cultural exchange, from the perspective that exchange and mutual understanding between the peoples of both countries lie at the foundation of the Japan-U.S. relationship, both leaders agreed to reform the U.S.-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON) to strengthen intellectual exchanges between the two countries.
(5) The two leaders agreed basically not to disclose the content of their one-on-one meeting. But, according to a statement by Prime Minister Abe at the joint press availability, as they were discussing their respective political convictions, Prime Minister Abe explained that as the mission of the Abe administration he would strive to move Japan beyond the post-war regimes and as part of this endeavor, he launched on the eve of this trip a blue-ribbon panel for the purpose of reshaping the legal foundation for national security in a way that will befit the times, now that the security environment surrounding Japan is undergoing major change. Further, with regard to the economy, from the perspective that the growth of Japan's economy is important not only to the growth of the U.S. economy but also to that of the rest of the world, Prime Minister Abe told President Bush that he was determined to carry through structural reforms. The President expressed his strong support for the Prime Minister's stances in these areas.
2. The Situation in Asia
(1) On North Korea, the two leaders agreed to strive to realize the complete abandonment of North Korea's nuclear weapons and nuclear programs through the six-party talks. They also agreed to increase pressure on North Korea should it not make the correct choices. President Bush remarked that his meeting last year with Sakie Yokota left him with strong impressions that remain vivid today, and he expressed his unwavering commitment to support the Government of Japan. He further agreed to work for progress on the situation in tandem with Japan.
Also, Prime Minister Abe's raised the subject of the issue of the United States removing North Korea from the list of countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism. The President confirmed that the United States had just agreed to begin the process to remove the designation and that there would be a long road ahead, and he expressed his willingness to consider the abduction issue in this process. During the press availability, President Bush went on to state that any discussion about the ways forward should not obscure his strong sentiment about the abductee issues.
(2) Regarding China, Prime Minister Abe explained the achievements during the visit to Japan of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Prime Minister Abe and President Bush agreed that Japan and the United States welcomed China's playing a more constructive role in the international society.
(3) The two agreed on strengthening cooperation among Japan, the United States and Australia. From the perspective of the importance for the major democratic nations in Asia and the Pacific to deepen dialogue and cooperation and to support regional prosperity and democratization as a basic direction, Prime Minister Abe said that it would be beneficial to hold talks among countries including such countries as India and Australia in the dialogue among nations. President Bush made a positive response and they decided to direct the matter to consultations at the working level.
3. Climate Change
Great progress was made on climate change. The two leaders issued a joint statement, agreeing to evaluate specific methods to stabilize concentrations of greenhouse gases and strengthen dialogue for that purpose. Prime Minister Abe also stated that it was important to establish an effective international framework among all the major emitter countries, including China and India, and that he had stated the same to Premier Wen Jiabao.
4. The Situation in the Middle East
(1) On Iraq and the fight against terrorism, Prime Minister Abe expressed his understanding of and support for the U.S. efforts for the stability and reconstruction of Iraq, and he explained the bill for a two year extension of the Law Concerning the Special Measures on Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance in Iraq, for which President Bush expressed his gratitude. In the context of the fight against terrorism, the two agreed to strengthen support for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
(2) On the situation in the Middle East, in the recognition that the stability of the Middle East is vital to Japan's national interests, Prime Minister Abe explained that he would visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and Egypt beginning the following day, April 28, and that he would strive to stabilize the region through strengthening Japan's relationship with these Arab nations. He explained that he wished to build broad and multi-layered relationships with these countries, which will not be limited to energy-related matters.
(3) On the Iranian nuclear issue, the two agreed to find a way to a peaceful resolution of the problem while increasing pressure upon Iran from the international community at large.
(4) Prime Minister Abe expressed his support for the U.S. efforts directed at resuming the peace process in the Middle East, and he mentioned Japan's concept for creating a "Corridor for Peace and Prosperity." The two agreed that both Japan and the United States should provide visible support for President Abbas of the Palestine Authority.
5. United Nations Reform
Prime Minister Abe expressed his gratitude for the U.S. support for Japan's permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and brought up the need for Security Council reform. Both leaders agreed to continue cooperation between Japan and the United States on Security Council reform.
6. The Comfort Women Issue
In response to an explanation of the comfort women issue by Prime Minister Abe, President Bush stated that he appreciated the sincere and frank words by Prime Minister Abe on this issue.
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