1990-03-02
The President and Prime Minister Kaifu met for approximately 1 hour this afternoon. Their meeting began with a brief one-on-one session, followed by a plenary. In their private session, the President and the Prime Minister took the opportunity to reaffirm the close and friendly bilateral relationship of the two countries and the growing significance of their global partnership. The President congratulated the Prime Minister on his recent electoral victory. The President noted that the pillars of the relationship are the U.S.-Japanese security relationship, the global partnership, and the bilateral economic relationship.
The plenary session was devoted to a discussion of security issues of common concern. The President and the Prime Minister noted the mutual benefits that the security relationship brings to both countries and noted that it continues to be the best guarantee for stability and prosperity in the Pacific region. The President stated that the adjustments the United States is contemplating in its defense posture in the Pacific area will not affect either deterrence or stability, nor its commitment to its Asian allies. The two leaders discussed the issue of burden sharing, noting the need for suitable arrangements for balanced cost sharing. The President reaffirmed the United States support for the Northern Territories issue, and noted that Secretary Baker had raised the subject during his Moscow ministerial and that the U.S. would continue to raise the Territories with the Soviet Union.
The President emphasized that this summit should lay the conceptual framework through which the two countries could realize the full potential of the already close bilateral relationship. The Prime Minister stressed the importance to coordinate our policies and tackle the issues from the standpoint of mutual cooperation.
