Japan trying to repair ties with U.S.

The new government is trying to earn back trust from the United States, its most important ally, by showing support for initiatives that recent prime ministers have let languish.

The ideas include support for a multination free-trade agreement and for allowing easier exports of Japanese weapons technology, ventures that have strong support in Washington. New leaders have also signaled their intention to carry out a long-stalled agreement with Washington that would put the U.S. Marine presence in Okinawa Prefecture on a more solid footing.

But it is not clear whether Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has the political capital to carry out these plans, which face strong opposition, while also focusing on domestic concerns, particularly those related to fiscal tightening and disaster reconstruction.