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President Bush begins Asia tour in Tokyo
( 2002-02-18 10:58 ) (7 )

President Bush opened a three-nation Asian tour in Tokyo on Sunday, where he was expected to both praise Japan's support for the US-led anti-terrorism drive and express growing apprehension about that nation's deteriorating economy. The president, who will meet with Japanese Prime Minsiter Junichiro Koizumi, stepped off Air Force One with first lady Laura Bush, after rallying U.S. troops in Alaska to the cause of fighting terrorism.

Bush was greeted at Haneda airport by an old friend, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker, who was White House chief of staff when Bush's father was vice president, and by a delegation of Japanese dignitaries.

Bush and Koizumi meet on Monday for three hours at Iikura House, a government conference center, where White House aides expected the talks to focus on global implications of Japan's worsening economic slump.

Bush's visit is a balancing act of public expressions of confidence in Koizumi's economic reform plan, on the one hand, and private prodding of Koizumi to deliver quickly on the changes he has promised.

"We're obviously concerned about our friend's economy," Bush said in advance of Monday's meetings.

The Bushes capped their 14 hours in flight from Washington with an informal dinner at the ambassador's residence before retiring there for the night.

At a refueling stop in Alaska, Bush told U.S. military personnel that he was eager not only to thank Japan and other partners in his anti-terror campaign, but also to emphasize his resolve not to rest "until we have destroyed terrorism."

PRICKLY TOPIC

A much pricklier topic is Japan's economy, the world's second largest, whose problems run deep - years of recession, billions of dollars in bad government and private loans, a falling stock market, and record levels of corporate bankruptcy and unemployment. Bush is anxious to keep these troubles from spilling over into the already anemic global economy and potentially deepening America's own recession.

"The message is very clear that the United States expects more aggressive economic restructuring. And it is blunt: don't let your trouble spread across the region or the world; get it straight right now," said Naoko Munakata, a former official in Japan's Ministry of Economy.

Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill was in Tokyo just last month airing U.S. frustrations with the slow pace of reform and worries that Koizumi, whose public approval is crumbling, may be losing heart for tough rescue measures.

As such, Bush was clearly seeking to give the premier a personal boost on this trip.

Before embarking on the Asian tour, which will also take him to South Korea and China, Bush spoke warmly of Koizumi as a friend.

And there is a deliberate political message to Bush's Tokyo schedule, which includes a late Monday dinner on the town - something Bush rarely does at home - with just Laura Bush, Koizumi and none of the usual big entourage.

When the two leaders last met - at an Asian economic summit in Shanghai just weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks - Koizumi presented Bush with a "yabusame" bow and arrow as a symbol of Japanese commitment to help the United States strike back at terrorism.

On Monday, the president and Mrs. Bush are to get a look at exactly how the yabusame works, courtesy of a horseback archery demonstration arranged by Koizumi on the forested grounds of the Meiji Shrine.

The democratically elected Koizumi declined to accompany the Bushes on their morning tour of the shrine itself because of the awkward political symbolism of visiting a place where ruling emperors were once worshipped as divine.

Before a private dinner at a local "yakitori" restaurant (specializing in skewered grilled chicken) Monday, Bush and Koizumi are to hold a joint press conference at the Kantei, the prime minister's residence and Japan's equivalent of the White House.

RALLYING THE TROOPS

At a refuelling stop at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, before heading to Japan, Bush pledged to a cheering crowd of American troops on Saturday that "America will not blink" from a confrontation with Osama bin Laden and other terrorists.

In a patriotic send-off, he told hundreds of fatigue-clad U.S. soldiers that the United States will stand fast in its war against terrorists and vowed to bring that message to Asia.

He reinforced his absolute distinction between friend and foe for his global counterparts.

"It's us vs. them, good and evil, there's no in-between," Bush said. "Either you're with us or you're against us. Either you stand for freedom or you stand for tyranny. And the good news is, many nations have heard that message."

With the battle in Afghanistan yielding successes, Bush is starting to brace the American public and world leaders for a lengthy, global war against terrorists beyond Afghanistan.

Amid cheers of "USA! USA!", the commander in chief told the self-dubbed Arctic Warriors, "Oh, I know sometimes the people on the airwaves like to say, 'Well, so, bin Laden is hiding here and he's hiding there.' But this cause is much bigger than a single person. This is about fighting terror wherever it hides. This is about defending America and our friends and allies."

THE 'C' WORD

The President's rousing address to the troops did have one diplomatic faux pas. NBC's Campbell Brown reported that the President thanked Canadians for standing with the United States in its "crusade" to defend freedom. Bush has not used the word "crusade" to characterize the war on terrorism since late September. After he used the word, in unscripted comments made on the South Lawn, many Muslims in the United States and overseas were outraged.

The word "crusade" in the Muslim world is a loaded one given its historical context; the word defines the military expeditions undertaken by Christians from the 11th to the 13th centuries, to regain the Holy Land from Muslims.

Many phone calls were exchanged between Bush and world figures at the time. Bush had not used the word again, until the Saturday speech.