US offers support for Japan's reconstruction

US Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday pledged Washington's continued support for Japan's reconstruction efforts after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and affirmed the two countries' long-standing alliance. "I came to Japan to express US sympathy and admiration for Japan's handling of the earthquake and he made a robust case that neither Japan nor the US was in decline," Biden said at a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan in Tokyo before heading for the tsunami-devastated northeastern city of Sendai. "There are voices in the world who are counting us out. They are making a very bad bet," said Biden. The US official also expressed admiration for the resolve and courage of the Japanese people following the disaster, calling it a "model for the whole world." Kan thanked Biden for US relief help after the disasters, which claimed more than 20,000 lives and triggered the ongoing radiation crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, saying, "We reiterate our gratitude for the enormous assistance the US provided us." US forces conducted a large-scale relief effort under "Operation Tomodachi (friend)" immediately after the March 11 disasters. Washington also offered technical assistance in containing the Fukushima nuclear crisis. The premier also said Biden's visit demonstrates to the world that Japan is open for business. Biden is the highest-ranking US official to travel to the disaster zone. Biden also assured Kan that Japan remains an ally of the US, "We are a Pacific power. You are a Pacific power. We are allies, both economically and politically, which is something that we value a great deal." The US relief work has helped to improve a bilateral relationship, which was strained by a relocation plan for a US military air base in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan. The two countries agreed last year to move a controversial US military base in Okinawa from crowded urban area to remoter place in line with an existing accord struck in 2006. However, the Japanese government has yet to secure a new location to move the air base due to lack of local support. Biden arrived in Tokyo on Monday for a three-day visit. Japan is the last stop in Biden's eight-day Asian tour that has also taken him to China and Mongolia.