Tokyo points to mistranslation of Obama remarks on U.S.-China ties+

TOKYO, Aug. 4 Kyodo -
The Japanese Foreign Ministry insisted Tuesday that some Japanese media have
issued an ''inaccurate'' translation of recent remarks by U.S. President Barack
Obama on U.S.-China relations.

''Some media in our country have reported that (the U.S. president said) 'the
U.S.-China ties are more important than any other bilateral ties in the
world'...but that is an inaccurate translation,'' Foreign Ministry Press
Secretary Kazuo Kodama said at a regular press conference.
What Obama said during a recent U.S.-China ministerial dialogue was that ties
between the two countries are ''as important as any bilateral relationship in
the world.''
Kodama denied he was pointing out the mistranslation out of concerns that it
may give an impression that Obama believes the U.S.-China ties are more
important than ties between Washington and Tokyo.
''It's not something like that at all,'' Kodama said. ''We have contacted the
U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and hope that we want you media to understand
correctly.''
Obama made the comments as opening remarks of the first round of the
ministerial U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, which took place on
July 27 and July 28.
Obama said, ''The relationship between the United States and China will shape
the 21st century, which makes it as important as any bilateral relationship in
the world.''
==Kyodo