

The US is duty-bound to come to Japan’s aid in the event of a conflict with China over a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea, Barack Obama declared at the start of a tour of Asia aimed at reassuring Washington’s allies in the face of threats to stability from North Korea and an increasingly assertive China. Obama went further than some analysts had expected in reassuring the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, that Japan’s dispute with China over the Senkakus – known in China as the Diaoyu – were covered by the allies’ post-war security treaty. But he reiterated Washington’s refusal to take sides in the sovereignty dispute and called on China and Japan to resolve their differences through dialogue. “Our commitment to Japan’s security is absolute and article five [of the security treaty] covers all territories under Japan’s administration, including the Senkaku islands,” Obama said during a joint press conference with Abe. “We don’t take a position on final sovereignty on the Senkakus but historically they’ve been administered by Japan and should not be subject to change unilaterally. “My hope is that Chinese will continue to engage with the US and other countries. We don’t take a position on this piece of land or this piece of rock but we do take a position on the peaceful resolution of these disputes.” Obama’s confirmation over the past two days that the Senkaku dispute falls under the US-Japan bilateral security treaty drew an angry response from China. On Wednesday a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said that China had "indisputable sovereignty" over the islands and that "the so-called Japan-US alliance" should be careful not to impinge on China's territorial rights. "The US should respect facts, take a responsible attitude, remain committed to not taking sides on territory and sovereignty issues, speak and act cautiously and earnestly play a constructive role in regional peace and stability," said Qin Gang. China, which is not on Obama’s itinerary, attempted to play down the significance of ties between Tokyo and Washington. On Thursday a commentary carried by the official Xinhua news agency described Obama’s visit "a carefully calculated scheme to cage the rapidly developing Asian giant”, adding that "the pomp and

circumstance Obama receives … cannot conceal the fact that Tokyo has become a growing liability to Washington's pursuit of long-term interests”.



The state-run Global Times said in an editorial that the US had “basically recognised a stronger China”, adding that while Washington “explicitly shows favour for Tokyo and Manila” in territorial disputes it had also sought to avoid irritating China due to its economic importance.



Obama, who is making the first state visit to Japan by a US president for almost 20 years, instead he was simply repeating Washington's traditional position on the Senkaku dispute. “This is not a new position,” he said. “I emphasised to Prime Minister Abe the importance of resolving this peacefully, keeping the rhetoric low and not taking provocative actions.”



The Senkakus have been a source of rising tension between the regions’s two biggest economies since 2012 when Japan effectively nationalised the uninhabited islands, which are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and large untapped deposits of natural gas. The move sparked fury in China, where protesters took to the streets in several cities, forcing the temporary closure of some Japanese businesses in the country.



Obama has come under pressure to demonstrate that the US is serious about its promised strategic "pivot” towards the Asia-Pacific. But he has to tread a fine line between reassuring allies while avoiding harming US ties with China, the world’s second-biggest economy with a growing military presence in the region.



“We have strong relations with China, a critical country not just to the region but to the world,” Obama said. “We want to encourage the continued peaceful rise of China, and work together on trade and climate change.



“But what we have also emphasised is that all of us have responsibility to maintain the rule of law – large and small countries have to abide by what is considered just and fair and resolve disputes in a peaceful fashion,” he added, in an apparent reference to China’s dispute with the Philippines over islands in the South China Sea.



Abe and Obama met as speculation mounted that North Korea is preparing to conduct another nuclear weapons test.



Obama said he was “not optimistic” that North Korea would end its irresponsible behaviour in the near future, describing the regime’s pursuit of a nuclear deterrent as the “the most destabilising situation in the Asia-Pacific region”.



He said: “North Korea has engaged in provocative actions for the last several decades – it is an irresponsible actor on the international stage.



“Our message has been consistent – they’re the most isolated country in the world, subject to more sanctions and condemnation than any other country. If you are serious about North Korea being a normal nation you have to start with normal behaviour, and that starts with denuclearisation. China’s participation in pushing North Korea in a different direction is critically important.”



US-Japan ties have occasionally shown signs of strain since Abe took office in December 2012 with a broadly nationalist agenda. His December 2013 visit to Yasukuni, a shrine in Tokyo that honours Japan’s war dead, including leaders convicted of war crimes, angered China and South Korea and prompted a rare show of concern from Washington.



On Thursday Abe repeated his contention that he had visited Yasukuni to pay his respects to Japanese who have fallen in battle and to renew his commitment to peace. "Japan has been walking on the path of peace for seven decades after the war," Abe told Obama at the start of their talks.



Attending an official welcoming ceremony by Emperor Akihito on Thursday morning, Obama was greeted by schoolchildren waving Japanese and US flags, and later inspected a military guard of honour. He was due to visit a science museum and the Meiji shrine before joining Abe at a meeting with relatives of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean spies in the 1970s and 80s.