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US reassures Japan over their ‘enduring’ alliance

TOKYO — The United States has “enduring” interests in the Asia-Pacific region and is working for an orderly transfer of power to the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said yesterday.

TOKYO — The United States has “enduring” interests in the Asia-Pacific region and is working for an orderly transfer of power to the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said yesterday.

“The United States has important interests in this region, and therefore, because many of those interests are shared with Japan, we have a common interest in strengthening the capabilities of the alliance,” Mr Carter told reporters.

Mr Carter said he could not speak for the incoming administration but he knew and respected Mr James Mattis, a retired Marine General, who is Mr Trump’s nominee to run the Pentagon.

“I am committed to an orderly handover of responsibilities in the Department of Defence so that my successor can hit the ground running,” he said. “American interests in this region are enduring and our alliance provides many benefits to both our sides.”

Mr Carter is in Japan to try to soothe anxieties caused by the victory of Mr Trump, who has called for allies to pay more to sustain US forces, or face their possible withdrawal. He met his counterpart, Ms Tomomi Inada, yesterday.

The outgoing administration of Barack Obama made Asia and US alliances there a top priority. Details of Mr Trump’s approach to the region remain scant, but he wants to see key US allies, such as Japan and South Korea, shoulder a greater share of defence costs. On her part, Ms Inada said the Japan-US alliance will not waver. “I want to reinforce and deepen it (the alliance) also under the new administration,” she told a joint press conference with Mr Carter after their talks.

The Japanese Defence Minister was able to reconfirm the US’ pledge to defend Japanese-administered territories including the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which China claims and calls Diaoyu, and US commitment to offer nuclear deterrence for the protection of Japan, said a Japanese Defence Ministry official.

On issues related to US military presence in Japan’s southern island prefecture of Okinawa, Ms Inada and Mr Carter agreed to continue working-level talks to flesh out the details of a bilateral deal reached in July that effectively narrows the scope of US military base workers who come under American jurisdiction.

The move was prompted by the arrest of a civilian US base worker over the murder of a local woman in April that has fuelled anger among people in Okinawa.

“We are working through the details of that. I am confident we will be able to do so and we will be able to conclude those arrangements in the near future,” Mr Carter said, but did not elaborate on the specific schedule.

Under the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement, Japanese prosecutors cannot indict members of US forces or their “civilian component” if offences are deemed to have been committed while on duty, giving the US authorities, in principle, the primary right of jurisdiction over them in such cases.

Mr Carter added that Japan “makes a very strong financial contribution to the US presence” in the country, in reference to concerns in Japan that the incoming Trump administration could demand an increase in payments.

In a nod to concerns about a rising China, whose aggressive maritime activities in the East and South China Seas have fed territorial rows with several countries in the region, including Japan, Mr Carter said Washington and Tokyo share common interests and values.

“It is very important to stick up for things like freedom of navigation in this region and freedom from coercion, and these are areas that we also have a shared vision,” he said. AGENCIES

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