Bush Voices Support for Japan

US President George W. Bush on Tuesday declared that Japan will play an "indispensable" global role in what he predicted will be the "Pacific century," in a speech that appeared to signal a US strategic shift.

"We stand more committed than ever to a forward presence in this region," he said. "The success of this region is essential to the entire world, and I am convinced the 21st century will be the Pacific century."

In just the third speech by a US president to the Japanese Diet (parliament), Bush praised Tokyo's strong support for the war on terrorism he declared after the September 11 terror strikes on the United States.

"Your response to the terrorist threat has demonstrated the strength of our alliance, and the indispensable role of Japan -- a role that is global, and begins in Asia," he said as he wrapped up a three-day visit here.

Even as he celebrated the longstanding US-Japan alliance, Bush took pains to praise his host, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, whose sharply declining political fortunes have imperiled his efforts to reform the world's second-largest economy.

"Japan has some of the most competitive corporations, some of the most educated and motivated workers in the world. And Japan, thanks to my friend Junichiro Koizumi, is on the path of reform," said the president.

A day after Koizumi had warm words for Bush's controversial "axis of evil" label to describe Iran, Iraq and Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the US leader indicated his determination to defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula.

"We seek a region in which demilitarized zones and missile batteries no longer separate people with a common heritage, and a common future," said Bush.

Bush's "axis" rhetoric has drawn criticism from US allies who have tarred it as "simplistic" or belligerent, while South Korean officials have worried it imperils their "Sunshine" policy of seeking warmer ties with the North.

After the speech, he was to lunch with Japan's emperor and empress, then head off to Seoul, where he was to meet President Kim Dae-Jung and get his first glimpse beyond the "demilitarized zone" into the so-called "axis" member North Korea.

On Thursday, Bush heads to China, where he will talk to President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji.

"American, like Japan, welcomes a China that is stable, prosperous, and at peace with its neighbors," he said. "We will work with China in the great task of building a prosperous and stable Asia."

The president said China would not only be "a partner in trade" but "will find the respect it deserves as a great nation."

(China Daily February 19, 2002)