Japan, U.S. affirm cooperation on disputed Senkaku Islands | The Japan Times Online: "Japanese and U.S. defense chiefs agreed in their talks Monday that their countries will jointly respond in line with a bilateral security pact toward stability in areas in the East China Sea covering the Senkaku Islands that came into the spotlight in disputes between Japan and China, according to Japanese officials.
The officials said Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa his U.S. counterpart Robert Gates also affirmed the need for strengthening collaboration with countries in the region over the situation in the East China Sea.
Kitazawa reaffirmed with Gates the policy to implement an accord reached in May to transfer the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station within Okinawa and told him of the Japanese Defense Ministry's proactive stance toward reviewing the country's policy of banning arms exports, the officials said.
Kitazawa, an advocate of reviewing the policy, said earlier that the arms export ban has prevented Japan's defense industry from participating in joint international technological development, potentially putting it at a disadvantage in the race for defense business.
During their talks, Kitazawa told Gates that Japan is grateful the United States has stated that the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea are covered by the Japan-U.S. security pact, the officials said."
