Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and U.S. President Barack Obama are set to affirm a strengthening of the bilateral alliance when they meet Friday, with support for Afghan reconstruction also topping the agenda.
As Tokyo's ongoing review of a bilateral deal to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within Okinawa casts a shadow over bilateral relations, the relocation issue is expected to take a back seat at the summit.
Obama's visit to Japan — the first leg in a four-country swing through Asia — is his first since assuming office in January, and government officials say that signifies the importance Washington attaches to the alliance with Tokyo.