Clinton has busy day, meeting PM, Ozawa, empress, abductees' kin, students and visiting Meiji Shrine

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in Japan on her first overseas trip as the chief U.S. diplomat, assured Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone Tuesday of Japan's importance in the Asian region and confirmed bilateral solidarity in pressing for North Korea's denuclearization.

At the end of a busy day, officials announced that Prime Minister Taro Aso and U.S. President Barack Obama will meet in Washington on Feb 24 for Obama's first talks with a foreign leader at the White House since taking office, the nations' foreign ministers agreed Tuesday in a move to further demonstrate the U.S. emphasis on their alliance.

''The fact that the Japanese premier is the first to be invited (to the White House) reflects the importance placed on Japan-U.S. relations,'' Nakasone said in a joint press conference after the talks.

''I firmly believe this will be the perfect opportunity to show everyone that the world's No. 1 and No. 2 economies are working together to tackle the various difficult global issues including the economic situation,'' he added.

Clinton also agreed with Nakasone to reinforce cooperation on the global front on such issues as terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan, energy and climate change, nonproliferation, antipiracy, and the Middle East peace process.

''The alliance between the United States and Japan is a cornerstone of our foreign policy,'' Clinton said, describing the ties as being ''strong'' and ''vibrant'' in an attempt to allay anxieties in Japan that Obama may favor China instead.

''Working together to deal with the multitude of issues that affect not only Asia but the entire world is a high priority of the Obama administration,'' she said.

The two ministers shared expectations for China to play a ''constructive role'' in the international arena, while Clinton warned North Korea that a possible missile launch that Pyongyang has been hinting at would be ''very unhelpful'' to efforts to move the denuclearization process forward.

Clinton's weeklong visit to Asia, which will also take her to Indonesia, South Korea and China, comes amid recent bellicose rhetoric from North Korea and signs that it is preparing to test-fire a long-range missile. Pyongyang suggested Monday it would go ahead with the rocket launch for what it claims to be ''space development.''

''We must advance our efforts to secure a complete and verifiable denuclearization of North Korea,'' Clinton said, referring to a consensus with Nakasone to press ahead with the six-party talks and to strengthen collaboration to that end together with South Korea.

In response to Nakasone's request for understanding of Japan's position on resolving the North's abductions of Japanese citizens, Clinton agreed that the issue remains part of the six-party talks and should be part of the ''comprehensive engagement'' with North Korea.

''I am not worried that the United States will make significant changes to its North Korea policy in the near future,'' Nakasone said, dismissing concerns that the Obama administration may put aside the issue in negotiations with Pyongyang as his predecessor President George W Bush did.

To show that Washington will not neglect the abduction issue, a highly sensitive subject in Japan, Clinton met with some family members of the missing Japanese later Tuesday and told them she believes the issue should also be a priority for the U.S. government.

The families expressed their hopes and expectations for the role of the new U.S. administration in resolving the abduction issue after the meeting, with Shigeru Yokota, the 76-year-old father of abductee Megumi Yokota, saying, ''The secretary of state stressed that she has not forgotten about the abduction issue.''

Clinton said she will study how the United States can ''pressure'' the North to return the abductees while also mentioning the importance of ''discussion,'' according to Iizuka.

During the 30-minute meeting, Shigeru and Sakie Yokota, 73, the mother of Megumi -- who was taken to North Korea from Niigata in 1977 when she was 13 -- and Shigeo Iizuka, brother of abductee Yaeko Taguchi, showed pictures of their abducted family members and handed Clinton a letter from the families and a support group.

In the letter, the families and supporters said, ''International pressure against the North, particularly from the United States, is indispensable to any resolution of the issue.''

Although the families believe rescuing the Japanese abductees is primarily the task of the Japanese government, they consider U.S. support as essential and said re-listing North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism would be especially meaningful.

''We told (Clinton) we were deeply disappointed by the previous U.S. administration's premature delisting of North Korea from the State Department terrorism list,'' said Iizuka.

Clinton had earlier expressed sympathy for the abductees and their relatives and said she would meet with the families as a wife, mother, daughter and sibling.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura welcomed Clinton's approach as ''a step forward compared to the Bush administration'' and said he is hopeful the matter will move forward.

On the bilateral security alliance, Clinton and Nakasone signed a new accord on the sharing of costs for relocating 8,000 U.S. Marines and their families from Okinawa to Guam. It commits both sides to realizing an earlier agreed-on road map by 2014, aimed at reducing burdens on base-hosting communities while maintaining deterrence.

On antiterrorism cooperation, Clinton commended Japan for its contributions so far in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and promised high-level participation from the United States at a donor conference on Pakistan expected to be held in Japan next month.

In talks with Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, Clinton expressed appreciation for the Self-Defense Forces' support for U.S.-led missions in Iraq, around Afghanistan, and antipiracy operations off Somalia.

Meanwhile, she also said she hopes to encourage ''more engagement'' by Japan in peacekeeping operations within the limitations of the pacifist Constitution, Defense Ministry officials said.

In joint efforts to address the global financial crisis, Clinton said at the news conference the two nations are aware of their responsibilities to lead a ''coordinated global response'' and Nakasone added that both sides will also work on reviving their respective economies.

The two allies hope to coordinate measures at the Aso-Obama talks next week ahead of the financial summit to be held in London on April 2.

But while the United States hopes Japan will play a larger role in rebuilding the world economy, it comes at a time when Japan is facing its worst economic crisis since the end of World War II, with the economy contracting in the fourth quarter of 2008 at the fastest pace in about 35 years.

Nakasone also reiterated Japan's disappointment at the ''Buy American'' provision in the U.S. economic stimulus package, Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said.

Clinton started the day with a visit to Tokyo's Meiji Jingu shrine to ''show respect for the history and culture of Japan,'' she said to reporters at the shrine.

Her agenda in Tokyo also included talks with Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa in an unusual meeting between a top U.S. diplomat and the head of Japan's main opposition party. The meeting took place amid the looming possibility that the DPJ could oust the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party from power following a general election to be held this year, with public support for Prime Minister Taro Aso plunging.

According to DPJ officials, Clinton requested earlier this month that a meeting with Ozawa be included as part of her first overseas trip since assuming the post of secretary of state.opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa of the Democratic Party of Japan, whose camp could oust the ruling coalition from power in a general election this year.

It is rare for a U.S. secretary of state to meet a Japanese opposition leader on an official visit, a move observers say may stoke anxiety in the already fragile Aso administration which is suffering falling support rates.

Clinton also met Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace on Tuesday, rekindling their friendship after several years, the Imperial Household Agency said. Clinton had said she would like to see the empress again during her visit to Japan, according to the agency.

They had previously met in 1994 when Emperor Akihito and the empress visited the United States while Bill Clinton was president, and again in 1996 when the Clintons visited Japan.

The empress met Clinton at the entrance and the two women embraced. They then entered a palace building hand in hand and chatted for about an hour.

Apart from the official talks, Clinton, the first U.S. secretary of state to make Japan the destination of her overseas debut, also took part in a dialogue meeting with students at the University of Tokyo.

© Wire reports