U.S., Japanese presidents meet in Washington to boost ties

PanARMENIAN.Net - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is meeting United States President Barack Obama in Washington to boost the alliance between the two countries, BBC News reported.

His visit comes amid tension over North Korea's recent rocket launch and just days after both nations announced a new deal over U.S. troops in Okinawa - a controversial issue between the allies.

Under the agreement, the U.S. will move some 9,000 Marines out of Japan. The two countries would also consider setting up joint training bases. The first permanent joint bases could be established in Guam or the nearby Northern Mariana Islands.

This would mean an expansion of Tokyo's role in regional security and be hugely symbolic for Japan, which has been in a pacifist role since the end of World War II, analysts say.

Both nations are showing that their relationship is getting back on track, says the BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo.

Mr Noda and Mr Obama are expected to discuss North Korea's failed rocket launch on April 13 and expectations that it may soon carry out a third nuclear test.

They will also address Japan's interest in joining the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), which aims to create a free trade zone across the Pacific.