On October 17, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had a bilateral meeting with President George W. Bush in Tokyo. Both leaders confirmed the strong partnership between the two nations and emphasized the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance working for the peace and stability of the entire world. President Bush highly appreciated Japan’s $1.5 billion assistance for reconstruction of Iraq, saying that Japan’s announcement of its assistance package was significantly timely and impressive. President Bush also said that Japan’s contribution to the adoption of the U.N. resolution on Iraq deserved credit. The two leaders frankly discussed other issues such as North Korea, the United Nations, Okinawa, and economic situations in the U.S. and Japan. As President Bush invited Prime Minister Koizumi to Crawford several times during the meeting, the two leaders greatly promoted the friendship.
