U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meet with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda for a bilateral meeting during the East Asia Summit at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 20, 2012. President Obama is the first U.S. President to visit Cambodia. [State Department photo by William Ng/ Public Domain]

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
October 23, 2012

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell will travel to San Francisco, Tokyo, and Seoul October 23-27.

Assistant Secretary Campbell will host Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai for the fourth U.S.-China Asia-Pacific Consultations in San Francisco on October 23.

Assistant Secretary Campbell will travel to Tokyo October 24 and will meet with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Chikao Kawai and other senior officials October 25-26 to discuss bilateral issues and U.S.-Japan coordination on regional and global issues such as Burma, Iran, and Syria.

Assistant Secretary Campbell will continue to Seoul October 26-27 to meet with Republic of Korea Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-Hyun and other senior officials to continue our close consultation and coordination on the broad range issues of importance to our alliance, including the DPRK, economic issues, and regional cooperation.

Assistant Secretary Campbell will return to Washington, DC, October 27.

Deputy Secretary of State William Burns says security and stability are key to continued economic prosperity in the East Asia and Pacific region as he addresses U.S. Policy Priorities for the East Asia and the Pacific Region during his visit to Tokyo, Japan, October 15, 2012. Go to http://video.state.gov for more video and text transcript.]

Deputy Secretary of State William Burns discusses the United States’ commitment to free and transparent trade as he addresses U.S. Policy Priorities for the East Asia and the Pacific Region during his visit to Tokyo, Japan, October 15, 2012. Go to http://video.state.gov for more video and text transcript.]

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba and Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, September 28, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
August 31, 2012

Following is the text of a joint statement issued by the United States and Japan on the sidelines of the Pacific Island Forum meetings in Rarotonga, Cook Islands on August 31, 2012:

Confirming that Pacific Island Countries (hereinafter referred to as ‘PICs’) have great potential for economic growth while facing various challenges, including sustainable development,

Renewing recognition of the growing importance to Japan and the United States of strengthening relations with PICs,

Recognizing the need to create open and multi-layered governmental and civil society networks in order to establish a prosperous and stable order in the Asia-Pacific region,

Acknowledging that the Communiqué of the Forty-Second Pacific Islands Forum identified certain areas and issues for focus in achieving sustainable economic development in PICs,

Bearing in mind the importance of disaster management measures in PICs, which have unique vulnerabilities to natural disasters,

Japan and the United States reaffirmed their continued dedication to promoting stability, prosperity, and sustainable development in the entire Pacific region.

The two countries reconfirmed the importance of ‘equal partnership’ and ‘respect for the Pacific Way’ as the basic principles of their coordination and collaboration with PICs. In order to provide greater impact and benefit to this critically important region, the two countries have identified the following areas as priorities for collaborative projects and efforts: MORE

About the Author: Hannah Johnson serves as an Assistant Editor for DipNote.

This week’s “Photo of the Week” comes to us from WIlliam Ng, Senior Producer at the East Asia and Pacific Media Hub, and shows U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton with a member of the Tomodachi youth program in Tokyo, Japan, on July 8, 2012. Secretary Clinton traveled to Japan as part of a nine country trip to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, Japan and the United States together mounted one of the largest overseas humanitarian relief operations in American history, and the largest U.S.-Japan joint military operation ever. More than 20,000 Americans from our military and other U.S. agencies took part in what we called Operation TOMODACHI — which means “friends” in Japanese. It is because… more »

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On July 11, 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Secretary Clinton participated in regional conferences, to both chair and attend ministerial events and to participate in bilateral meetings with Cambodian officials. Regional conferences included the ASEAN Regional Forum, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting, and the U.S.-ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference. Secretary Clinton co-chaired the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Ministerial as well as chaired the Friends of the… more »

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba shake hands after holding a joint press conference after the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo, Japan, on July 8, 2012. [State Department photo by William Ng/ Public Domain]

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton attended the July 8 Conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo, Japan, where she reaffirmed our enduring commitment to the Afghan people, met with Afghan civil society leaders, and joined the international community in supporting Afghanistan’s development needs. 

Building on the decisions made in Bonn and Chicago, as well as the U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement, the United… more »