The United States is increasingly paying attention to Japan's economic situation, Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Ryozo Kato indicated Tuesday.
At a news conference, Kato made special note that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage took up the issue of Japan's economic woes in a meeting Monday with Defense Agency chief Gen Nakatani.
In the meeting, Armitage told Nakatani that Japan should cooperate with the U.S. not only in security, but also in stabilization of the global economy.
Kato said Japan and the U.S. should avoid friction and promote dialogue to address mutual concerns about their economic situations.
"It is quite natural for growing attention to be paid to finding good prescriptions by promoting dialogue," he said.
In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. has been increasing pressure on Japan to revive its economy and serve as an engine for global economic growth.
Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Kenneth Dam, who visited Japan last week, also said Monday that Japan should remove deflationary pressure through monetary policy action.