At their June 29 White House summit, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President George W. Bush issued a joint statement titled "The Japan-U.S. Alliance of the New Century," declaring that the partnership "stands as one of the most accomplished bilateral relationships in history."
Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, Koizumi dramatically changed Japan's security policy, supporting the Bush administration's war on terror and its campaign to control the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. He thereby won the president's trust.
Koizumi also promoted Japan-U.S. cooperation on missile defense and pushed through the Diet a legislative package for dealing with military contingencies.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.