Mori Seeks U.S. 'Sunshine' Help

WASHINGTON - Stressing that South Korea's engagement policy toward the North is important because it aims to resolve the North Korean missile threat through dialogue, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori of Japan urged U.S. President George W. Bush to support the Kim administration's "sunshine policy."

Japanese sources said that Mr. Bush responded positively to Mr. Mori's appeal, but offered no details. The U.S. and Japanese leaders also agreed that three-way policy coordination - between the United States, Japan and South Korea - is essential in relations with the North.

The two leaders met at the White House on Monday to discuss pending issues, including measures to manage the economic downturn each country is currently experiencing, although Japan's is of ten years' duration.

Noting that the two countries account for about 40 percent of the world economy, Mr. Bush and Mr. Mori emphasized the importance of responding effectively to the slowdown in both economies.

Explaining that American and Japanese officials each walked out of the meeting with different accounts of the meeting, the New York Times reported Monday that the session ended with only a "vague commitment by Japan to confront its problems."

The U.S. daily also said that a weaker yen could pose the next major economic challenge for Mr. Bush.

"A weaker yen could increase America's trade deficit, an issue that was dormant in Congress as long as the economy was growing, but is already becoming a point of contention," the Times reported. "That issue plagued Mr. Bush's father in 1991 and 1992, and contributed to his defeat, a point the current president understands well."

In general, the world's media played down the significance of the talks between the two leaders, because Mr. Mori is expected to step down next month.

by Kim Jin