美日領導人推動加強雙邊聯盟大綱

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda meets with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House Monday for talks that are expected to reaffirm a strong bilateral alliance that has weakened in recent years. The two leaders are expected to discuss a range of issues, including last week's relocation announcement of about 9,000 U.S. Marines from the Japanese island chain of Okinawa. The deal is aimed at alleviating tensions between the two allies over the longtime U.S. military presence on Okinawa. Under the agreement, the troops will be relocated to other locations in the Pacific region, including Hawaii, the U.S. territory of Guam, and Australia. A timetable for the relocation has not been set.

Security issues are also expected to highlight the talks, particularly concerns that North Korea will test another nuclear bomb or missile. Japan and South Korea have both threatened to try to shoot down any test missile that strays over their territory, an action Pyongyang has said would amount to a declaration of war. On the economic front, the two sides are expected to discuss Japan's possible participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an emerging U.S.-led trade deal involving nine nations across the Asia Pacific. While Mr. Noda has voiced interest in the pact, he faces heavy opposition at home from his party and farmers concerned about the loss of large government subsidies. Mr. Noda is Japan's sixth prime minister in six years. He is the country's first leader to visit Washington since a 2009 election ushered in his Democratic Party of Japan, which favored a foreign policy that was more independent of the United States.日本首相野田佳彥星期一在白宮與美國總統奧巴馬會晤，預計將討論加強雙邊聯盟。美日聯盟最近幾年有所削弱。預計這兩位領導人將討論一系列問題，其中包括上週宣佈的遷走駐紮在日本沖繩島的大約9000名美國海軍陸戰隊員的協議。該協議旨在緩解美日兩國就美軍長期駐紮沖繩而引起的緊張關係。根據這一協議，這批軍人將被部署到太平洋地區其它地點，其中包括夏威夷、美國海外屬地關島和澳大利亞。調動時間表還沒有確定。

預計安全問題也將是此次會談的重點，特別是雙方對朝鮮將要試驗另一枚核彈或導彈的擔憂。日本和韓國都威脅將擊落飛躍其領空的試驗導彈。平壤說，這一舉動將等同於宣戰。在經濟方面，美日領導人預計將討論日本參與泛太平洋夥伴關係的可能性。泛太平洋夥伴關係是美國領導的、由亞太地區9個成員國參與的新興貿易協議。野田佳彥表示對該協議有興趣，但他面臨來自日本執政黨以及日本農民強烈的反對呼聲。日本農民擔憂，參加這一協議將使他們失去政府的大量補貼。野田佳彥是日本6年來第6任首相。自從日本民主黨在2009年的大選中獲勝上臺後，野田佳彥是首位訪問華盛頓的日本首相。日本民主黨提倡在外交政策上更加獨立於美國。