Prime Minister Taro Aso met with U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday in Washington, just a week after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, during her visit to Tokyo, invited him to meet with the president as the first foreign leader to be invited to the White House since Mr. Obama came to power.
The U.S. administration's solicitous treatment of Mr. Aso appears to be an attempt to quell worries in Japan that the United States under the new administration may give priority to China in its dealing with the Asia-Pacific region. But it also shows that the U.S. has high expectations that Japan will play meaningful roles in the international community in tackling various issues ranging from the world economic recession to the stabilization of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Mr. Aso, who is suffering from low approval ratings — 13.4 percent in a recent Kyodo News poll — apparently hoped that his meeting with the U.S. president will give his administration a shot in the arm. As if to respond to his wishes, Mr. Obama called Japan "a great partner" in coping with global issues and characterized the bilateral alliance as the "cornerstone" of security in East Asia. He pledged that the U.S. will continue to fulfill its responsibility of defending Japan, including providing a nuclear umbrella. He also said the invitation to Mr. Aso as his first foreign leader guest to the White House attested to "the strong partnership between the United States and Japan."