02/21/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09718

BUSH IN JAPAN

One of the stops President George W. Bush made on his trip to Asia was Japan. The United States and Japan have enjoyed five decades of friendship. And, as President Bush said, the American-Japanese alliance "is the bedrock for peace and prosperity in the region...[Japan] is a generous host to America’s forward-deployed [military] forces, providing an essential contribution to the stability of Asia."

Japan has been cooperating with the American-led coalition in the war against terrorism. Junichiro Koizumi (joo-NEE-chee-ro ko-ee-zoo-me), Japan’s prime minister, said that "We shall need to sustain our cooperation and carry forward this fight against terrorism."

Japan is also making contributions to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Despite economic problems of its own, Japan has extended a generous hand to the Afghan people. Funds are being provided for the resettlement of refugees, education, medical and health care projects, and the empowerment of Afghan women. Japan is also providing equipment to assist with the removal of millions of land mines, planted in Afghanistan during two decades of Soviet occupation, civil war, and oppressive Taleban rule. In all, Japan has pledged up to five-hundred million dollars over the next two and a half years to help the people of Afghanistan and to provide economic assistance to several of Afghanistan’s neighbors in order to promote broader regional stability.

Japan and the U-S are committed to helping post-Taleban Afghanistan to achieve prosperity, security, and peace. "Japan," said President Bush, "plays an incredibly important role in that."

Another critical issue for Japan and the U-S is North Korea. North Korea’s Communist regime is arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction, while starving its own citizens. In a speech to Japanese legislators, President Bush said that both the U-S and Japan want to see an Asia where "the proliferation of missiles and weapons of mass destruction does not threaten humanity."

As Mr. Bush said, "Freedom will prevail. Civilization and terrorism cannot coexist. And by defeating terror, we will defend the peace of the world."