PRESIDENT Clinton declared US Japan ties were better and stronger than ever" after talks with the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Ryutaro Hashimoto, reaffirming the strategic alliance between the two countries.
Mr Clinton said the joint security declaration he and Mr Hashimoto signed amounted to a relationship between two old, friends maturing" but was not a dramatic departure" from the existing alliance under a 1960 treaty.
The declaration called for the first time for joint co operation in "areas surrounding Japan" and said it was "extremely important" for China to play a positive and constructive role" in the Asia Pacific region.
The US and Japanese leaders said they agreed that about 100,000 US troops should be maintained in the region, including "about the current level in Japan," which amounts to 47,000 personnel.
"The President and the Prime Minister reaffirmed their strong determination, on the eve of the 21st century, to build on the successful history of security co operation and to work hand in hand to secure peace and prosperity for future generations.
Mr Clinton, who arrived on Tuesday on a three day visit, told a news conference that the trade relationship between the world's biggest two economies was now on the "right track" after years of acrimonious disputes. "Now there is more work to be done, of course, areas like insurance and semiconductors and film."
The so called Alliance for the 21st Century, signed by the two leaders under sunny skies outside the ornate Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, noted that stability on the Korean peninsula was "vitally important" for the region.
Mr Clinton and Mr Hashimoto reaffirmed that both countries would continue to make "every effort" in this regard in "close Co operation" with South Korea. On the South Korean island of Cheju on Tuesday, Mr Clinton and President Kim Young sam proposed four way peace talks with North Korea and China.
The US Japan alliance and its role in Asia were graphically illustrated after the news conference when Mr Clinton flew by helicopter to meet the crew of the USSR Independence at its home port of Yokosuka, south of Tokyo.
"Your last deployment off Taiwan helped calm a rising storm,"
Mr Clinton told some 10,000 personnel on board. Alongside the aircraft carrier, Japanese sailors lined the deck of the frigate Myoko and saluted Mr Clinton, who returned their gesture.
The two leaders welcomed Monday's agreement on logistical support for US troops and a report calling for the return of about 20 per cent of the land occupied by the US military in Okinawa, the site of major protests following the rape of a 12 year old girl by three US servicemen in September.