On Saturday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and U.S. President George W. Bush renewed their friendship on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit conference in Santiago, Chile. At what was their first meeting since Mr. Bush's re-election, the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of the Japan-U.S. security alliance.
That there is no overt friction in Tokyo-Washington relations is to be welcomed. In fact, the alliance has solidified since Mr. Koizumi came to power in April 2001. It is also true, though, that cooperation between the two governments, particularly on the Iraq crisis, has been extraordinarily close in contrast to the cautious responses of the international community.
In the Nov. 2 election, Mr. Bush won a mandate to continue his "war on terrorism." The likelihood is that he will stick to his Iraq policy, though the reality on the ground is not promising -- for now at least. Mr. Koizumi expressed his continued support for Mr. Bush, promising full cooperation in the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.