Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori offered his congratulations Thursday to U.S. President-elect George W. Bush and said he hopes to visit the United States "as quickly as possible" after Bush takes office in January.

Speaking to reporters at his official residence, Mori said: "I would like to congratulate the president-elect. He won a fierce election battle."

Government sources said later in the day that Mori's U.S. visit may come as early as Feb. 10. They added, however, that the date is still uncertain, since Bush may have some difficulty launching his administration in January.

Mori said he expects Bush to act not only as the U.S. leader but the leader of the world. "The U.S. and Japan are allies sharing common values, such as freedom, democracy and human rights. Based on those values, we will cooperate to tackle upcoming issues in the 21st century," he said.

The prime minister sent a message to Bush through the Japanese Embassy in Washington on Thursday morning, congratulating him and expressing hope that the two leaders will be able to strengthen bilateral ties, the Foreign Ministry said.

"I am convinced that Japan-U.S. relations is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, and am reassured by the fact that you have called for closer relations in the Japan-U.S. alliance," the ministry quoted Mori as saying in the message.

In a separate news conference, Foreign Minister Yohei Kono expressed hope that the U.S. government will now begin a smooth transition.

Kono said he highly respects Vice President Al Gore's decision to accept defeat. "It must have been a very difficult decision. . . . I have a lot of respect for that."

On Japanese-U.S. relations, Kono said he welcomes Bush's call during the campaign for a deeper security alliance. "The security alliance with the U.S. is the pillar of Japan's diplomacy and is the cornerstone for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

Japanese government officials had avoided commenting on the U.S. election while the presidency hung in a protracted legal battle. But Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda admitted he was relieved that the U.S. election result has been made final.

"To be honest, I was gravely concerned about the situation," he said, adding that prolonged chaos in the world's economic and military superpower could have blemished its leadership.

Makoto Koga, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, expressed hope that Bush will take the initiative to further develop bilateral relations.

Eisei Ito, a Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker in charge of the party's foreign and security policies, stressed the need for Japan and the U.S. to build an equal relationship as "true partners."

Japanese Communist Party Chairman Kazuo Shii meanwhile criticized Bush for calling for increased U.S. military spending during his campaign, saying the JCP plans to closely monitor the new administration's policies.