JAPAN: US president George Bush welcomed Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi as a good friend yesterday and thanked Japan for support in Iraq and handling common threats such as terrorism and North Korea.
The visit, which will include a joint trip to Graceland to tour the home of Elvis Presley, is being billed as a sayonara (goodbye) summit because Mr Koizumi is to step down in September.
At an arrival ceremony at the White House, both leaders expressed their strong friendship, which began during a game of catch at Camp David in 2001.
"Decades ago, our two fathers looked across the Pacific and saw adversaries, uncertainty and war. Today, their sons look across that same ocean and see friends and opportunity and peace," Mr Bush said.
While yesterday's events included a press conference and a formal dinner, a highlight will be the trip to Memphis for Mr Koizumi, who is a big fan of Elvis.
"Officially, he's here to see the president, but I know the highlight of his visit will be paying his respects to the King," Mr Bush joked.
The wavy-haired Mr Koizumi (64) is seen in Japan as a maverick with keen political instincts. His passion for baseball and cowboy movies has endeared him to the US president.
Standing next to Mr Bush at the arrival ceremony, he waved to a group of children holding flags and advised them to learn both English and Japanese. One 10-year-old remarked afterward that he though the prime minister was "really cool". Mr Koizumi said there was no other world leader with whom he had felt such "heart to heart" deep friendship and trust as with Mr Bush.
"There is no doubt that the Koizumi-Bush chemistry has been really important personally to the president, personally to Koizumi and for the strength of the US-Japan alliance," said Michael Green, an expert in Japanese affairs and a former White House official.