Clinton In Tokyo Pledges Multilateralism

TOKYO — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says a possible missile launch hinted at by North Korea should not be carried out.

Clinton, in Japan on her first trip abroad as President Barack Obama's chief diplomat, said Tuesday that such a launch would hurt relations.

She told a news conference: "The possible missile launch that North Korea is talking about would be very unhelpful."

On Monday, the 67th birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, Pyongyang claimed it has the right to "space development" _ a term it has used previously to disguise a missile test as a satellite launch. When North Korea test-fired a long-range missile in 1998, it claimed to have put a satellite into orbit. Intelligence indicates the North may be planning another launch.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

TOKYO (AP) _ Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton kicked off the official program of her first overseas trip in Tokyo on Tuesday, visiting a Japanese cultural site and meeting U.S. Embassy staff under the shadow of threatening rhetoric from North Korea.

Clinton participated in a purification rite and welcoming ceremony at a Shinto shrine to the father of modern Japan, Emperor Meiji. She said its message of "balance and harmony" would set the tone for the Obama administration's foreign policy, especially in tough economic times.

"It's not only a good concept for religious shrines, it's a good concept for America's role in the world," she told about 200 embassy employees afterward. "We need to be looking to create more balance, more harmony. We're going to reaching out to friends and allies like our hosts here in Japan."

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"We're going to be listening but we're also going to be asking for more partnerships to come together to try to work with us to handle the problems that none of us can handle alone," Clinton said, mentioning again her top agenda items: climate change and the world financial crisis.

She did not specifically mention North Korea.

The Stalinist state's threat to press ahead with test-firing what wary neighboring governments believe is a long-range missile, is expected to be at the top of her discussions with Japanese officials on Tuesday, as well as talks later this week in South Korea and China.

Japan, led by a deeply unpopular government and struggling with dire economic woes, is particularly jittery at the moment and Clinton aims to reassure the country of its importance in the international arena.

"These are hard times economically for the Japanese people, just as (they are) in many places around the world," she said. But she said the U.S.-Japan alliance remains the bedrock of American policy in the Pacific, adding: "I am absolutely confident we will navigate our way through these difficulties."

Later Tuesday, Clinton will sign an agreement to move about 8,000 Marines on the Japanese island of Okinawa to the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam. About 20,000 of the 50,000 American troops in Japan are based in Okinawa and their presence is often a source of tension in U.S.-Japan relations.

She is also expected to announce that she will send a special U.S. envoy to a Japanese-hosted donors conference for Pakistan.

It is the first time in nearly 50 years that a secretary of state has made Asia the maiden voyage abroad. But efforts to focus the trip on the broader agenda were eclipsed by North Korea, which hinted at an upcoming missile test just hours before Clinton arrived in Japan.

Last week, Clinton warned North Korea against any "provocative action and unhelpful rhetoric" amid signs the Stalinist nation was preparing to test fire a missile capable of reaching the western United States.

But on Monday, the 67th birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, Pyongyang claimed that it has the right to "space development" _ a term it has used in the past to disguise a missile test as a satellite launch. When North Korea test-fired a long-range missile in 1998, it claimed to have put a satellite into orbit.

On Sunday, Clinton said told reporters aboard her plane that North Korea needs to live up to commitments to dismantle its nuclear programs, saying Washington is willing to normalize ties with it in return for nuclear disarmament.

"The North Koreans have already agreed to dismantling," she said. "We expect them to fulfill the obligations that they entered into."

To show solidarity with Japan, Clinton will also meet Tuesday with families of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, a subject of much angst in Japan and she said the U.S. would continue to press the North Koreans to resolve concerns on the matter.

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On the Net:

State Department: http://www.state.gov/

Comments

[dems08]

To everyone's surprise, while in Japan at her first news conference, Secretary Clinton slurred her words and repeatedly nodded off.

Later she said, "that double dose of cough syrup did a job on me" just prior to submitting her resignation to President Obama.

[BiggerBiggerPicture]

They have bombs, we have more bombs. What is a big deal? They would not dare to use it against us, because we can retaliate. The key to North Korea's relationship is to encourage North Korea to become a more economically developed country. If they focus on their people's living standard, they would not have energy to pursue their military ambitions. At the meantime, help the North and the South Korea reunite under one country-two systems. An united Korea will feel less threatened. They are a small country, even if they use 100% of their GDP for military development, it would still be not enough to pose a serious threat. Ms. Clinton need to have a bigger vision. The non-proliferation focused strategy is largely based on paronoia, which has alienated many people. With respect to Iran, it is the same thing: encourage them to develop economically, so that they would not focus on their military ambitions. Our paronoia is largely copy-cat from Israel whose survival is always on the line. We do not have this problem and should not worry about it that much. Our main focus domestically and internationally is economy, sustainable energy resources, environment. ALL THESE ARE THE COMMON INTERESTS OF ALL HUMANITY. They will help to unit the world. Clinton is highly conventional so far. Hope she will learn fast.

[BlackTom]

The true tragedy of this story is about to be experienced by the people of Guam, who will be overrun by 8000 more US Marines. Guam is a small island, and the US military took three huge chunks out of it for bases after WW2. That is ancestral land removed from the chain of inheritance. It has caused huge generational problems, and adding 8000 often-drunk, professionally- violent young American men to the picture will have consequences, to say the least. I

I am sorry that Guam will be used in this way. Again.

[CAskeptic]

Unfortunately this looks like a continuation of the Bush folks' shoot your mouth off diplomacy. What is with all the public stances about Korea. Get some progress made and then tell us what is going on.

[nwpolobserver]

Maybe some of those 50,000 troops in Japan could be moved to Afganistan.

When she visits South Korea, we'll learn there's an equal number stationed there that could be similarly moved.

[Sarah in Toronto]

At least she won't amuse the Japanese with stories of "100 years of mutual friendship and respect."

[jhamm1]

"To show solidarity with Japan, Clinton will also meet Tuesday with families of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, a subject of much angst in Japan "

Perhaps, during her incursion into North Korea, she might find time to visit the hundreds of thousands of families of those who have been displaced, killed, or sold into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army, atrocities which the Japanese Government continues to deny, let alone atone for. Otherwise, she can stand advised where to stick her double-standards undertaken in the name of demonstrating "solidarity".

.

[HPMC]

There will never be a secure, long-term solution to the problem of nuclear proliferation--in North Korea, Iran, or anywhere else--until the current nuclear powers themselves make a concerted effort to disarm as they have pledged to do under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The world is at a critical crossroads, with a new era of proliferation at hand, and the collective will must now be found to move toward disarmament or the sustainability of our species is in great doubt.

Hiroshima Peace Media Center
www.hirosh­imapeaceme­dia.jp

[NYC69]

I LOVE to read all these bitter comments made by angry republicans. It's just so freaking rewarding to see them swallowing their own bile!

[hamchunk]

I will tell you this: America, during this last election cycle, did not so much vote for the Democrats but against the Republicans that provided a ruinous leadership. The Democratic party does not realize that America did not vote for their agenda, but for change. And, the Democrats will continue with the strategy and political gaming theory instead of leading and find themselves on the minority once again during the next election.

[Freedoms Friend]

Hey Chunky, you are such a Ham
I expect you feel the folks who voted for Democrats voted for them to act like real Republicans would . See, if the Republicans we just had were real Republicans we would be in great shape.
Does that sum it up for you Ham Bone?

[awakeningnow]

So I wonder if she mentioned to the Japanese that they might want to STOP Whaling or we could impose a boycott on all Japanese products until they do so...now that would be foreign policy I'd cheer about.

[Virginia Plain]

And me!

[NPA]

Hillary is in her element, I voted for Obama, knew he would put her talents to good use. Hillary is tough as nails got to give her that.

[dct1999]

Did she land under sniper fire?

[starrianna]

Up yours.

I am so happy that she has this job. She's a million times better than that scary crazy Condoleezza.

[dct1999]

1 million multiplied by zero = zero

Therefore Hillary = a zero

[Yman]

OMG .... that was sooooooooooo funny!

(And original, too!)

Can you give us all a few minutes so we can stop laughing?

[dct1999]

Yes, I'll grant you the few minutes that you require. You obviously need all the help you can get.

[leonel]

Chimerica. Google that and get on board with new global village understanding. If you are still into personality and party pettiness and nastiness you need to be redirected also to positive psychology sites. Also try Hundred Monkeys. We are still learning from monkeys.

[Citizen-Jane]

Go Hillary! Time out for NK aka part III of the "axis of evil". Time out doesn't seem to effect on them the way that Bush imagined it would. Nor did the name calling.

I hope for the citizens of NK's sake that we at least try to talk with Kim Ill Jong. 8 years of a failed foreign policy of not speaking to our so called enemies has done little to weakens or slow down Jong's resolve to fire off weapons as oppose to feeding and heating his citizens. No. The money, he thinks, can be best served at firing rockets off in to the Pacific Ocean.

Dubya. The worst American President ever.
Make the worst President in the history of the whole wide world. ..........­........an­d the universe.

[CitizenFarmer]

She did not discuss Japanese whaling. I hoped she would have.