Hatoyama delivers 1st Diet speech, pledges to deepen ties with U.S.+

TOKYO, Oct. 26 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama underscored his pledge Monday in his first policy
address in parliament to seek to deepen ties with the United States amid
heightened concern over friction with Japan's closest ally, while vowing afresh
to cut administrative waste and wrest power from bureaucrats.

Hatoyama, 62, also reiterated his determination to create a world without
nuclear weapons, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels
by 2020, work hard to denuclearize North Korea and seek an early resolution of
the abduction issue by ''all conceivable means.''
In a bid to protect the lives of socially vulnerable people under his political
philosophy of ''fraternity,'' Hatoyama also promised to tackle the pension
recordkeeping fiasco, improve Japan's battered labor situation, and put more
cash into the hands of people through such steps as monthly allowances for
families with children and free public high school tuition.
But the premier, who took office Sept. 16, failed to elaborate on how
specifically he intends to bankroll these measures or rebuild the public
finances of the country, which is struggling with a massive deficit.
Hatoyama heads the Democratic Party of Japan, which won a resounding victory in
August's general election, taking power from the Liberal Democratic Party,
which had ruled Japan since 1955 except for about 11 months in the early 1990s.
He delivered the speech during an extraordinary parliamentary session convened
Monday, the first Diet session since the change of government.
In reference to Japan-U.S. relations, Hatoyama said the basis for peace in the
Asia-Pacific region will be a ''close and equal Japan-U.S. alliance.'' He
defined this as a relationship in which not only the United States but also
Japan can proactively propose the role both Tokyo and Washington play in
maintaining peace and security in the world.
He said the government will deepen the ''multilayered'' Japan-U.S. alliance in
which the two countries will tie up and cooperate to address a raft of global
challenges, including nuclear disarmament and the fight against climate change.
Hatoyama said he aims to map out a policy on the contentious realignment of
U.S. forces in Japan, taking into consideration ''the burdens, the suffering,
and the sorrow borne by the people of Okinawa (Prefecture),'' while carefully
examining the process that led to the bilateral agreement on military
consolidation.
His government has been evasive as to whether it will stick to the 2006
Japan-U.S. accord, which the LDP-led government forged with the United States,
to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station within Okinawa, or try
to alter it so the facility can be moved outside the southernmost prefecture to
lighten the burden of local people who suffer from noise, crime and pollution.
Washington has pressed Tokyo not to renege on the bilateral agreement that took
years to reach.
On other diplomatic issues, Hatoyama pledged to continue promoting the idea of
forming an ''East Asian community'' for close regional cooperation in such
areas as the economy, trade and the environment, and deal with the
reconstruction of Afghanistan and Pakistan as ''the most critical issues''
facing the international community.
But he laid out no specific plans on how to help reconstruct the
conflict-ravaged area, only repeating that his government will not ''simply''
extend the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in support of the
U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan after its expiry in
January.
In a rare gesture in parliament for a prime minister, Hatoyama apologized for
having bred public distrust with his political fund management body's false
funds reporting case. He said he will continue to cooperate fully with
prosecutors in their ongoing investigation.
In tandem with the DPJ's campaign pledges, Hatoyama reiterated that his
government will eliminate wasteful spending at administrative offices, with the
Government Revitalization Unit set to review all existing projects.
It also aims to shift more power to politicians in the decision-making process
regarding budgets and other basic policies, which he said has often been
controlled by Tokyo's powerful bureaucrats.
The prime minister also vowed to take legal action to provide efficient support
for small and midsize companies, which are struggling amid a lingering economic
crisis.
Hatoyama's government is also seeking to transfer power to local governments,
reexamining the postal privatization scheme spearheaded by former Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi that has been blamed for causing regional
disparities, to revitalize the local economies.
==Kyodo