however, mr. noda, just a comment and a footnote correction. you mentioned that iran was supporting the bonn conference and approach. my memory and my -- as i eyewitness, yes, very active, great respect for him and facilitating the meeting, but the iranians were support rabbani and coalition of rabbani. and then finally they realized that there was no way, and that's why their faction, which is called cyprus faction, in protest did not participate in the government of karzai. thank you. that is just for your information. >> thank you. we'll start with you. >> yes. regarding your question, i never said pakistan supported jendola. i said the iranian government accused pakistan of supporting jendola. [ inaudible ] >> the microphone, please. >> why would they support a sunni group? it's in its interests. iran's interests are not just based on religion. the islamic republic doesn't let religion get in its way. it does things that we wouldn't think are -- you know, that would be contradictory for its interests. iran supports lots of sunni and shia gr

when prime minister noda and i first met in september, we agreed to modernize our alliance to meet the needs of the 21st century. and mrprime minister, i want to thank you for the personal commitment you brought to this effort. you called the alliance our greatest asset. in our work together, we've seen your trademark determination and humility. in fact during our discussions today, the prime minister compared his leadership style to that of a point guard in basketball. he may not be the flashiest player but he stays focused and gets the job done. he has brought that same sense of team work to our partnership and it has helped make this visit a part of our alliance. i'm proud to announce that we have agreed to a new joint vision to guide our alliance and help shape the asia pacific for the days to come. this is part of the broader effort i discussed in australia last year in which the united states is once again leading in the asia pacific. first we recognize that the u.s./japan alliance will remain the foundation of the security and prosperity of our two nations, but also, a cornerstone of regional peace and security.

now this afternoon during a joint news conference with yoshihiko noda, president obama sidestepped the question about reports mrchen is under u.s. protection in china. >> obviously i'm aware of the press reports on the situation in china. but i'm not going to make a statement on the issue. >> and tonight secretary of state hillary clinton heads for beijing. >> we have a full range of issues that covers all of the political and economic matters that are of concern to our nations and our people. i'm not going to address the specific case at this time. >> and the administration's point man on the ground is assistant secretary for asian affairs, kurt campbell. he is in beijing. act gists claim he is involved in intense negotiations with the chinese to decide where chen should go next. treasury secretary tim geithner will join hillary clinton in leading the latest round of strategic dialogue with china, set to again on thursday. both sides say those talks will go forward. larry? >> all right, thank you very much, hampton pearson. so just what will the overall impact be on u.s.-chinese relations? let's bring in jorda

mr. imachi of tbs from japan to ask a question. >> [speaking japanese] >> translator: i have a question for both president obama and prime minister noda regard to the context of this joint statement, although you do not refer specifically to your location and concern. [inaudible] u.s. forces japan realignment, it leaves this question open to some extent, and what do you think of the possibility that the air station, ultimately, will be relocated to a place other than that agreed upon by japan and the united states? now, it is most meaningful that in the two plus two joint statement as well as the summit meeting today that we were able to confirm that our two countries will cooperate in the context of deepening bilateral alliance towards the realization of the optimum u.s. force posture in the region and the reduction of burden on okinawa, and we'll continue to work for an early resolution of this issue by taking into account the development of the -- [inaudible] >> as the prime minister just noted, the realignment approach that's being taken is consistent with the security interests of both japan and the united states. we think we've

noda. i'm told that over the past year, many japanese have found strength in what they call the bonds of solidarity between friends and neighbors, bonds which cannot be broken. mrprime minister, the same na sinrs dsd of the bo ffe. enri misr ndand fit t isteerwe agedo merzeur alliance meet the needs of the 21st century. and mr. prime minister, i want to thank you for the personal commitment you brought to this effort. you called the alliance our greatest asset. in our work together, we've seen your trademark determination and humility. in fact during our discussions today, the prime minister compared his leadership style to that of mehi si pt ofur alan. i'ro t aoueha w vegrd t aew jnt vision to guide our alliance and help shape the asia pacific for the days to come. this is part of the broader effort i discussed in australia last year in which the united states is once again leading in the asia pacific. first we recognize that the u.s./japan alliance will remain the foundation of the security r teagnmecany of our rc i pa iseectsourefrto morne ari's defen posturinhe asi pacific with forces that are more broadly distbuted, more flexible, and more sustainable. at