U.S. President Barack Obama held his first talks with new Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Wednesday, saying relations with Tokyo were of “critical importance” and a “cornerstone” of U.S. diplomacy. Hatoyama said that ties with Washington would form a “key pillar” of his diplomacy. The U.S. president said their talks at a New York City hotel on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly were “very good preliminary discussions about the critical importance of the U.S.-Japanese alliance.” Obama compared his and Hatoyama's change-themed election races, congratulating him for running an “extraordinary campaign” and leading a “dramatic change” in Japan.
