U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has paid a brief visit to Japan to express
support as that country grapples with a nuclear crisis following last month's
devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Clinton
voiced confidence that Japan will overcome the disasters and urged the nation, a
key U.S. ally in Asia, to remain active on the international
scene.
"We are
very confident that Japan will demonstrate the resilience that we have seen
during this crisis in the months ahead as you resume the very strong position
that you hold in the world today," she told a news conference after talks with
Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto.
Clinton
reiterated Washington's support at a meeting with Prime Minister Naoto Kan, she
also met briefly with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.
Hillary
Clinton also visited China on her recent Asian trip, highlighted at the second
annual high-level U.S.-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE)
co-chaired by Clinton and visiting Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong, who both
hailed the importance of people-to-people engagement.
rferl.org
The
United States and China on Tuesday highlighted major sports exchange programs
between them, a reminder of the important role sports play in bringing their
people together as "ping pong diplomacy" did forty years ago. xinhua The
disasters have hurt the Japanese economy severely, the world's third largest.
rferl.org Clinton,
who was accompanied by U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue,
encouraged U.S. citizens to continue working, traveling and investing in Japan.
rferl.org Washington initiated operation "Tomodachi" -- Japanese for "friend"
-- deploying thousands of troops, military aircraft, and navy ships stationed in
or near Japan to help with relief work in Japan's devastated northeastern
region. rferl.org She said
the two countries had agreed to create a public-private partnership to encourage
investment in the recovery effort, under the guidance of Japan's government.
rferl.org Matsumoto said his country was deeply grateful for the solidarity
shown by the United States. rferl.org
The
massive earthquake that hit Japan on March 11 and the tsunami it unleashed have
killed up to 28,000 people and crippled a nuclear power plant near the
northeastern town of Fukushima that has effectively been leaking radiation ever
since. rferl.org Total
damages have been estimated at $300 billion, making it the world's costliest
natural disaster. rferl.org The CPE
was launched in May 2010 in Beijing to enhance and strengthen China-U.S. ties in
the areas of women's issues, education, culture, sports, and science and
technology. xinhua Forty
years ago, "ping pong diplomacy" paved the way for the re-establishment of
diplomatic ties between the United States and China. Since then, sports have
continued to play a vital role in bringing the two peoples together, the press
release noted. xinhua
AG/SM/MMN
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