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CNN Sunday Morning

Main Agenda Item to Say Thanks in Japan

Aired February 17, 2002 - 10:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: As we said President Bush is in Tokyo, the first leg of his week-long visit to Japan, South Korea, and China. CNN Tokyo bureau chief Rebecca MacKinnon has our report.

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REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN TOKYO BUREAU CHIEF: President and First Lady are taking some down time ahead of a big day on Monday in the summit between President Bush and Prime Minister Koizumi. A main item on the agenda for President Bush will be to thank Japan for its unprecedented contribution to the war on terrorism.

Secondly, though, will be the issue of Japan's failing economy. While in public President Bush is expected to praise Koizumi for his vision and leadership in economic reform, in private he's expected to push him very hard to clean up the bad debt weighing down Japan's financial system and also to tackle deflation.

Meanwhile as the Bush's landed, a number of protests were going on, on the streets of Tokyo. One was a group of environmental demonstrators protesting the United States' withdrawal from the Kyoto protocol on greenhouse gas emissions last summer. A number of protesters calling the - President Bush's proposed alternative to the protocol as not enough and calling their own government timid on the issue.

There were also in an interesting twist some Americans came out to protest against their government's environmental policies when some right-wing national demonstrators drove up blasting the U.S. National Anthem. Now these demonstrators tend to be quite anti-communist and were welcoming President Bush and particularly welcoming his stance towards North Korea. Not all Japanese support President Bush's North Korea policy, however, over 300 demonstrators coming out into the streets and an anti-war demonstration condemning the "axis of evil" characterization. Also many demonstrators calling on the United States to withdraw its nearly 50,000 troops from Japan.

However, in the summit tomorrow Prime Minister Koizumi is expected to reaffirm Japan's commitment to the U.S.-Japan security alliance although he is also expected to caution President Bush on his stance towards North Korea and caution him not to cut off any possible avenues of dialogue with that country, which is after all just a medium range missile shot away from Japan.

Rebecca MacKinnon, CNN, Tokyo.

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