By RIA Novosti,
Tokyo : U.S. President Barack Obama will pay a two-day visit to Japan on Friday in order to discuss bilateral relations with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
The U.S. president and the Japanese prime minister are expected to discuss the removal of a US military base on the Japanese southern island of Okinawa, issues of stability in the Asia Pacific region, and the North Korean nuclear issue.
Japan and the US agreed in 2006 to relocate the Futenma base from an urban area to reclaimed land in Okinawa’s northern city of Nago. However, the Japanese new government, following opposition protests, agreed to review the issue. The White House expressed its dissatisfaction over the move.
Six-party talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S., Russia, Japan and China on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula ground came to a halt in April when North Korea walked out of negotiations in protest against the United Nations’ condemnation of its missile tests.
Obama is also expected to discuss with Hatoyama reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan.
Japan said ahead of Obama’s visit it was ready to provide Afghanistan and Pakistan with $5 billion and $2 billion assistance, respectively, within the next five years.
On Saturday, the U.S. president is to deliver a speech on White House policy toward Asia. Later on Saturday, Obama will fly to Singapore for an APEC summit, which will take place in the southeast Asian state on the weekend.
According to Japanese media reports, Obama’s visit to Japan was originally scheduled for November 12, but was delayed in order to allow the president to attend a memorial ceremony for the victims of last week’s shooting at the Fort Hood military base.