U.S. President Barack Obama and new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda pledged on Thursday to work closely to re-energize the global economy and promote "strong, sustainable and balanced growth," Reuters quoted the White House as saying. "The two leaders underscored the enduring nature of the U.S.-Japan friendship and alliance and its critical importance to the peace and stability of the Asia Pacific," the White House said in a summary of Obama's congratulatory telephone call to Noda.
