Obama vows closer ties by 'refreshing' Japan treaty

Published on Friday 13 November 2009 21:23

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama yesterday opened a weeklong trip to Asia by insisting that the United States and Japan must find ways "to renew and refresh the alliance for the 21st century".

Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama said the two leaders had agreed to spend the next year refining the nearly 50-year-old treaty that defines relations between the two Second World War adversaries.

"Both Yukio and I were elected on the promise of change," Mr Obama said. "But there should be no doubt that as we lead our nations in a new direction, our alliance will endure and our efforts will be focused so that it will be even stronger in meeting the challenges of the 21st century."

Mr Hatoyama also vowed to co-operate with the US on combating climate change, with both men saying their countries "aspire" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

When asked if he would visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only cities destroyed by atomic bombs, Mr Obama said he would be honoured to do so – but not on this trip.

Calls have grown in Japan for Mr Obama to visit the cities after his speech in April calling for a nuclear-free world.