‘’We had meaningful talks over Iraq and North Korea issues,'’ Koizumi told reporters at his residence after the two-hour dinner meeting, which was held in a relaxed atmosphere designed to further boost their personal ties.

In an apparent bid to dodge domestic criticism about following the U.S. lead, Koizumi also made an unusual demand to Bush, urging him to place more importance on the United Nations.

Bush’s visit to Japan is taking place after the Japanese government pledged Wednesday to provide $1.5 billion in grants in 2004 for Iraq’s reconstruction. The announcement was an apparent effort to satisfy Washington, which has reportedly called on Japan for huge financial contributions and to send Self-Defense Forces (SDF) troops to Iraq as early as possible to assist in the reconstruction.

The two leaders, who met at the State Guesthouse over dinner, agreed on the need for a strong dollar but had different views on how to achieve it.

The foreign exchange issue is becoming politically sensitive in the United States as the Bush administration faces pressure from U.S. manufacturers who say Japan and China are trying to keep their currencies weak against the dollar to maintain export competitiveness and that this is leading job losses in the U.S.

The Japanese premier, however, called on Bush to place more importance on the United Nations. The U.S. ‘’should further consider utilizing the United Nations…as fostering it will be necessary for the U.S.,’ Koizumi was quoted as telling Bush.

Bush’s trip to Tokyo also comes after the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday, which gives U.N. authorization to a multinational force under a unified command led by the U.S. and calls for substantial pledges from the U.N. member states at the Madrid conference.

Earlier in the day, Bush arrived in the tightly guarded capital, where police assembled some 9,000 officers, on the first leg of his six-nation Asia-Pacific tour on the occasion of the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Bangkok on Monday and Tuesday. It will also take him to the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia.

Speaking to reporters at the guesthouse after the meeting, Bush said, ‘’The relationship between Japan and the United States is very good.'’

posted by Administrator at 3:28 am & filed under Dollars |