NEW YORK (Kyodo) Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama tried to assure U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday that Japan's new government will make sure its bilateral alliance with Washington remains the linchpin of its foreign policy, Japanese officials said.

The summit talks, held on the sidelines of key United Nations meetings in New York, were the first since Hatoyama, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, took office Sept. 16 after a historic Diet election that brought about a sweeping change in government power.

Although the specifics of the talks were not immediately available, Hatoyama and Obama are believed to have focused on building personal trust and reaffirming joint efforts in addressing global issues, rather than seeking quick solutions to sticky bilateral problems.