Minister says Japan-US ties have new importance

TOKYO: Japan's alliance with the United States will become even more important with China's rise as a military power, Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said yesterday, dismissing concerns that ties could weaken.

The new Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) government's pledge to take a more independent diplomatic stance from the United States has caused uncertainty among investors, given the pivotal role of the alliance in a region also home to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Zhou Yongsheng, an expert on Japanese studies with China Foreign Affairs University, said Kitazawa's statement shows the DPJ's shift from idealism to realism after getting elected.