- Title: JAPAN: U.S. and Japan hold summit talks in Tokyo
- Date: 14th November 2009
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (NOVEMBER 13, 2009) (REUTERS) SUPPORTERS FROM OBAMA CITY IN FRONT OF KENYAN EMBASSY (SOUNBITE) (Japanese) SEIJI FUJIWARA, LEADER OF BARACK OBAMA SUPPORTERS' GROUP FROM OBAMA CITY, SAYING "We're really hoping that we'll meet him, but it will be rather difficult in reality. We'll do as much as we can though." SUPPORTER HOLDING "WORLD PEACE CHOCOLATE CAKE" CANDY OBAMA VICTORY 2008 PIN OBAMA SUPPORTERS FROM OBAMA CITY WALKING SIGN FOR EMBASSY OF REPUBLIC OF KENYA AND SUPPORTERS IN FRONT AMERICAN AND JAPANESE FLAGS ATOM BOMB VICTIMS HOLDING NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT BANNERS PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES BANNER THAT READS "WE CAN CHANGE! WE CAN ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS" POLICE STANDING GUARD (SOUNBITE) (Japanese) FUMIKO HASHIZUME, 78-YEAR OLD A-BOMB VICTIM, SAYING "Obama said that he would work to get rid of nuclear weapons. But everyone is saying that they want him to come to Hiroshima and Nagasaki." (SOUNBITE) (Japanese) TADAO WAKASUGI, 78-YEAR OLD A-BOMB VICTIM, SAYING: "The US has a lot of nuclear weapons itself. First, get rid of those and then continue efforts towards denuclearisation. I want him to convince the US people." BANNER WITH TRACED HANDS CONTAINING ANTI-NUCLEAR MESSAGES PROTESTERS WEARING OBAMA AND HATOYAMA MASKS HOLDING SIGN THAT READS "OBAMA OUR SURVIVAL, YOUR DECISION, STOP CLIMATE CHAOS." PROTESTER WEARING HATOYAMA MASK PROTESTER WEARING OBAMA MASK OBAMA AND HATOYAMA PROTESTERS LOOKING AROUND (SOUNBITE) (Japanese) WAKAO HANAOKA, GREENPEACE CAMPAIGNER, SAYING: "There's of course climate change. If Obama does something, the whole world will change." OBAMA AND HATOYAMA PROTESTERS SHAKING HANDS STATUE OF LIBERTY REPLICATION IN FRONT OF TOKYO BAY
- Embargoed: 29th November 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVA3JODJ9LDWCOPZZ90QGPLT5DOK
- Story Text: U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama held a summit meeting on Friday (November 13) in Tokyo, putting strained security ties on a firmer footing as they adjust to a rising China set to overtake Japan as the world's number two economy.
Tokyo is President Obama's first stop in a nine-day Asian tour that will take him to Singapore for an Asia-Pacific summit, to China for talks on climate change and huge trade imbalances and to South Korea where Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions will be in focus.
Washington's relations with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's new government, which has pledged to steer a diplomatic course less dependent on its long-time ally and forge closer ties with Asia, have been frayed by a feud over a U.S. military base.
Obama and Hatoyama, whose Democratic Party ousted its long-dominant rival in a historic August election, were expected to turn down the heat in the dispute over the U.S. Marines' Futenma air base on Japan's southern Okinawa island, a key part of a realignment of the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan.
Outside, both Obama fans and protesters gathered in various locations of Tokyo, trying to draw the attention of the visiting U.S. president.
A group of Barack Obama supporters from Obama City, western Japan, had little shot at seeing the president up-close, but they came to town anyway. The city was Japan's biggest cheerleader of Obama by namesake during his presidential election campaign.
"We're really hoping that we'll meet him, but it will be rather difficult in reality. We'll do as much as we can though," said Seiji Fujiwara, leader of the Obama supporters' group.
The group wasn't granted a visit to the U.S. Embassy, so instead they visited the embassy of Kenya, the country where Obama's father is from.
Near the U.S. Embassy, meanwhile, eight survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings and their supporters held a rally, urging President Obama to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki down the road and keep pursuing a nuclear-free world.
"Obama said that he would work to get rid of nuclear weapons. But everyone is saying that they want him to come to Hiroshima and Nagasaki," 78-year-old survivor Fumiko Hashizume told Reuters.
Others, such as another A-bomb survivor Tadao Wakasugi, hoped that Obama would be able to push the United States towards a nuclear free future.
"The US has a lot of nuclear weapons itself. First, get rid of those and then continue efforts towards denuclearisation. I want him to convince the US people," Wakasugi said.
In addition to nuclear issues, other groups brought up America's commitment to combat global warming, with less than a month left before the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen.
Wearing Obama and Hatoyama masks, protesters from Greenpeace appealed to Obama to lead the world with climate change goals.
"There's of course climate change. If Obama does something, the whole world will change," said Wakao Hanaoka when asked what he hopes Obama will do.
Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama has promised a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020, while the US has yet to commit to a concrete number.
While Obama begins his Asian trip in Tokyo, he will spend just 24 hours in the Japanese capital compared to three days in China, where he will discuss revaluing the yuan, encouraging Chinese consumers to spend and opening Chinese markets further. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
