Obama looks forward to Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor.

(Baonghean.vn) - According to Kyodo News Agency, on December 6th in Tokyo, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter conveyed to the Japanese Prime Minister that President Barack Obama "very much looks forward" to Shinzo Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor.

The US Secretary of Defense shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on December 6. Photo: Kyodo.

Abe's trip to Hawaii and his meeting with Obama there would be a "great sign of shared commitment to peace and reconciliation" between the two nations, which are building a strong alliance, Secretary Carter said at the start of his meeting with Abe.

Just as Obama was the first US president to visit the atomic-bombed city of Hiroshima earlier this year, Abe will become the first Japanese prime minister to visit the site of Japan's surprise attack on a US naval base in 1941, which drew the US into World War II.

Carter also confirmed U.S. plans to hand over approximately half of the vast U.S. military training area in Okinawa to Japan by December 22, reducing the land area occupied by U.S. military facilities on the island that houses the majority of U.S. bases in Japan.

Speaking at a meeting in Prime Minister Abe's office, Carter affirmed that the U.S. "is ready to proceed with the largest land handover in the history of our alliance, and I can assure you that the U.S. shares the same goal as Japan in completing this before December 22."

Approximately 4,000 hectares of forest land in the U.S. Army's northern training area, encompassing the villages of Kunigami and Higashi, will be returned in accordance with a bilateral agreement signed 20 years ago. However, the construction of a new helicopter landing pad in the area remains under U.S. control and has faced opposition from local residents, with some even filing lawsuits demanding a halt to construction due to noise concerns. However, a local court dismissed the lawsuit on December 6th, stating there was no evidence that the noise would cause serious health problems.

According to plan, Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada will discuss the return of the land with Mr. Carter during their meeting on December 7th. According to a US official, the two sides may also discuss efforts to address Okinawa's concerns about crime related to US bases, especially following the arrest of a civilian employee working at a US base for murdering a local woman in April.

Also at the press conference on December 6, Ms. Inada said that she and Mr. Carter would reaffirm the bilateral alliance and discuss challenges that need to be addressed, hoping that these issues will be inherited by the new US administration when President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. According to Ms. Inada, the talks are expected to “lead to closer cooperation between Japan and the United States.”

Secretary Carter is visiting Japan as part of a global tour to meet with key regional partners.

Thu Giang

(According to Kyodo)