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Bush, Japanese PM Meet at White House
Bush, Japanese PM Meet at White House
US President George W. Bush on Monday met with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori at the White House in a bid to reaffirm the alliance between the two countries and discuss other issues of mutual concern.
"I would like to reaffirm the strong alliance between Japan and the United States, and would like to discuss a very broad range of issues, including various issues in international affairs," Mori told reporters at the Oval Office in a photo opportunity before his talks with Bush began.
Mori, who arrived here Sunday afternoon for a two-day visit, said that he "would like to set out the fundamental direction in which the Japan-US alliance should head in the 21st century."
Bush described his meeting with Mori as an "important" one, saying that the summit gave both sides a chance to confirm the importance of the relationship between the two countries.
"We'll discuss a lot of issues. We'll discuss our economies,... trade,...our alliance and how best to work together to keep the peace," he added.
He noted that the interrelationship between the US and Japanese economies was going to be a very important part of his discussion with Mori.
The meeting is expected to last two hours, including a working lunch.
US, Japan Urge Each Other to Revive EconomyPresident George W. Bush and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on Monday urged each other to take steps to revive their sagging economies.
Bush and Mori, who arrived here on Sunday, met at the White House for two hours against a backdrop of economic uncertainty in the US and Japanese economies.
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, Mori expressed his determination to "continue pursuing appropriate economic policies and to promote vigorously structural and regulatory reform to revitalize the Japanese economy and strength the financial system."
The statement said that both Bush and Mori "agreed on the importance of promoting deregulation, restructuring and foreign direct investment."
It said that the two leaders also pledged to work closely together for a new round of global trade talks this year.
During his meeting with Mori, Bush expressed deep regrets over the sinking of Japanese trawler Ehime Maru by US submarine Greeneville off Hawaii on February 9.
The two sides also discussed issues on regional security, US military presence on Okinawa and missile defense.
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