Hatoyama, U.S. envoy Roos agree to enhance bilateral ties

TOKYO, Sept. 3 Kyodo -
Japan's prime minister in waiting, Yukio Hatoyama, and new U.S. Ambassador to
Japan John Roos agreed Thursday to enhance relations between the two countries
after Hatoyama spoke on the phone with U.S. President Barack Obama.
Roos told reporters after the talks that the two had a ''wonderful meeting,
very warm meeting,'' calling Democratic Party of Japan President Hatoyama the
''future prime minister.''
Hatoyama, the 62-year-old DPJ chief who took up the post in May, led his party
to an overwhelming victory in Sunday's general election and is set to be voted
in as next prime minister in a special Diet session on Sept. 16.
''We spent a lot of time talking about how to enhance and further deepen the
relationship across a broad range of issues, not only strategic issues, but
scientific issues, cultural matters,'' Roos said.
Hatoyama also seemed to enjoy his first face-to-face diplomatic talks after
Sunday's victory.
''The meeting was held in a quite comfortable atmosphere'' and both sides
agreed to further develop bilateral ties, he told reporters in the evening.
According to a DPJ official, Roos referred to Japan-U.S. relations as ''special
and unique,'' stressing the importance of strengthening them.
Hatoyama was quoted by the official as saying that the Japan-U.S. alliance
constitutes the cornerstone of world peace and that it should be developed into
a constructive one.
Stanford University-trained Hatoyama also said to Roos that he decided to
become a politician as his love for the nation grew after he went abroad to
study.
Roos said in the talks that Japan and the United States both experienced a
transfer of power to the Democratic Party and that is ''historic'' for both of
the countries.
The talks between Hatoyama and Roos came after the DPJ leader assured Obama in
telephone talks earlier in the day that the Japan-U.S. alliance remains the
''foundation'' of Japanese foreign policy and that he wants to build
''constructive, future-oriented'' bilateral relations.
Roos also told reporters that Obama ''is looking forward to working with the
incoming prime minister.''
''We have a lot of work to do, but we are going to do it together,'' he said.
Roos, a California-based lawyer who was one of Obama's major fundraisers during
the presidential campaign, was sworn in Aug. 16 and arrived in Japan three days
later.
==Kyodo