- Title: SINGAPORE: Japan and U.S. hold bilateral defence talks in Singapore.
- Date: 31st May 2008
- Summary: (BN05) SINGAPORE (MAY 31, 2008) (REUTERS) SECURITY CHECK OUTSIDE OF CONFERENCE VENUE
- Embargoed: 15th June 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Singapore
- Country: Singapore
- Topics: International Relations,Defence / Military
- Reuters ID: LVA6IG7F6ALWZHL4TUSAIOE63JJG
- Story Text: Japan's Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the sidelines of a defence summit in Singapore.
Japan's Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates held bilateral talks on Saturday(May 31) on the sidelines of a regional defence summit held in Singapore.
The talks come after Gates' visit to Guam where 8,000 marines currently posted in their long-time base in Japan's southern island of Okinawa, are due to move.
"We talked about the next steps in terms of the realignment process and reaffirmed our mutual commitment to fulfilling that process as negotiated," said Gates following his meeting with Ishiba.
"Secretary Gates also mentioned his gratitude of our resumption of our re-fuelling activities in the Indian ocean, and we also agreed that the two countries would cooperate further for the stability and peace for the international community," Ishiba said.
The Japanese government is paying for much of the move which is due to be completed by 2014 as part of a global realignment of U.S. forces.
"We agreed to exchange information, including on budget issues.
We will share our opinions of the situation and make effort for concrete progress -- we agreed completely on this matter," added Ishiba.
A 212 sq mile (550 sq km) island in the Western Pacific Ocean, Guam was ceded to U.S. control at the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898. The territory has a population of around 170,000.
It is the only significantly populated U.S. territory to have ever been occupied by a foreign power -- the Japanese during World War Two.
The island returned to U.S. control in 1944. U.S. forces then built up an air base there, which was used for bombing runs during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
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