Bloomberg.com: Japan Says Clinton’s Visit Shows Country’s Importance to U.S. - by Viola Gienger and Takashi Hirokawa

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Japan Says Clinton’s Visit Shows Country’s Importance to U.S. - by Viola Gienger and Takashi Hirokawa

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Tokyo as her first stop on a four-nation tour this month shows the importance the U.S. places on ties with Asia’s biggest economy, Japan’s top government spokesman said. In her first trip abroad as President Barack Obama’s top diplomat, Clinton will spend a week going to Tokyo, Jakarta, Seoul and Beijing beginning Feb. 15. The agenda will focus on efforts to halt North Korea’s nuclear-arms program, the global financial crisis, security and climate change, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said in Washington yesterday. “Making Japan the first overseas destination is meaningful and a concrete demonstration of the importance that President Obama and the secretary attach to the Japan-U.S. alliance,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said today in Tokyo.