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Updated Friday, November 13, 2009 3:20 pm TWN, By CHARLES HUTZLER, AP



	U.S. President Barack Obama goes down the stairs during his arrival at Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan, Friday, Nov. 13, 2009. (AP) Enlarge Photo

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Obama comes to Japan mulling Afghan war options

Japan, long billed by Washington as the cornerstone of U.S. Asia policy, is caught up in these shifts. Hatoyama came to power calling for a more equal partnership with Washington and a more positive embrace of China, which will soon supplant Japan as the world's No. 2 economy.

In a pre-trip interview with Japan's NHK network, Obama sought to minimize any friction and likened the election of Hatoyama's and his Democratic Party of Japan after nearly 50 years of rule by another party to a "political earthquake."

"I think that it is perfectly appropriate for the new government to want to re-examine how to move forward in a new environment," Obama said. "I don't think anybody expects that the U.S.-Japan relationship would be the same now as it was 50 years ago or 30 years ago or 20 years ago."

As part of an effort to shift focus away from difficult security issues, Obama and Hatoyama are expected to discuss and issue a statement on climate change, nuclear disarmament and other global issues. Attempts to coax nuclear-armed North Korea — which occasionally threatens Japan with fiery rhetoric — to return to disarmament negotiations are likely to feature prominently, as is Iran's nuclear program.

The stickiest issue in relations — the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on the southern island of Okinawa — is likely to be glossed over. Hatoyama has suggested moving Futenma off Okinawa while the U.S. wants to move the base to a more remote location on the island, as part of a 2006 agreement on relocating 47,000 American troops in Japan.

Trying to relieve some of the strain on relations, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada agreed earlier this week to form a new committee to resolve the base issue. Tokyo also announced a new $5 billion aid package for Afghanistan, even as it reaffirmed a pledge to end the Indian Ocean refueling mission in January.

Obama's visit would likely increase pressure on Japan to come up with a more rounded contribution to the Afghanistan war, Japanese media said.

"Counterterrorism in Afghanistan is the most important foreign policy for the Obama administration. The U.S. expects Japan will present an alternative, which will replace Japan's naval refueling mission," said the liberal Asahi Shimbun, which ran a special page Friday that included a profile on Obama and his inauguration speech.

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