Monday April 30, 12:10 PM
Aso, Rice to reaffirm alliance, cooperation on N. Korea standoff
(Kyodo) _ Visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are set to reaffirm cooperation on tackling the North Korean nuclear standoff and other international issues when they meet in Washington on Monday.
The ministerial talks will come just days after summit talks between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday, during which the two leaders issued a strong message urging North Korea to act on its promise to take initial denuclearization steps and warned of more sanctions if Pyongyang continues to drag its feet.
Aso and Rice are also scheduled to attend "two-plus-two" security talks on Tuesday when they will be joined by Japanese Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to discuss progress in the realignment of the U.S. military presence in Japan and conclude an agreement on protecting shared military information.
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