Obama Says US Will Defend Japan’s Right to Disputed Islands
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Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(TOKYO) — President Obama’s week-long swing through Asia kicked off Wednesday with reassurances to Japanese leaders that the U.S. supports its rights to a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that Beijing has also staked a claim to.
The president’s words will be analyzed very closely in Japan and elsewhere as doubts have been raised over America’s commitment to the region due to the ongoing dispute between Russia and Ukraine that threatens to spin out of control.
Some of those fears may have been lessened after the Pentagon said it was sending 600 paratroopers to Poland and the Baltics as a message that the U.S. won’t be intimidated by Russian aggression.
Meanwhile, Obama told a Japanese newspaper that the island dispute with China falls “within the scope” of a treaty Washington has with Tokyo, adding, “We oppose any unilateral attempts to undermine Japan’s administration of these islands.”
Without saying so directly, the president may be signaling to Japan that the U.S. would come to its aid militarily if needed should China seize the territory known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
On Thursday, Obama, the first president to visit Japan since Bill Clinton in 1996, met separately with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Japanese royal family ahead of a formal state dinner.
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