U.S. ties vital, Japanese minister says

HONOLULU, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Japan's foreign minister reaffirmed his country's desire to maintain close ties with the United States, saying he hoped the alliance lasted many more decades.

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada told the Washington Post the United States shouldn't be worried that Japan was interested in developing closer relations with China nor should Americans worry that Japanese leaders wanted U.S. troops out of the island country.

Okada's statements are the clearest yet from a senior official that the Democratic Party of Japan, swept into power in August, that the alliance remains important to Japanese leaders.

In the interview published Tuesday, Okada said his purpose in meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before she embarks on her fourth Asia-Pacific trip was to explore ways the two countries could strengthen their relationship. He met with Clinton in Honolulu.

"I am here to start the dialogue," Okada said, explaining he wanted to discuss a number of global issues.

Since Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's victory, several disputes have buffeted U.S.-Japanese relations. At the center is a proposed $26 billion military realignment undertaken to address a rising China that would relocate Futenma Marine Air Station from a population center in Okinawa to a less dense region. The Hatoyama government opposes the move and said it could be May before an alternative is proposed.

"Futenma is a very important issue," Okada told the Post, "but we can't let it affect the broader alliance."

Clinton said U.S. officials view the Japanese alliance as "very broad and deep, and security is obviously a critical part of that, but it is by no means the only part."