Bush arrives in Tokyo to mixed welcome

ISABEL REYNOLDS

TOKYO, FEBRUARY 17: US President George W. Bush arrived in Tokyo on Sunday at the start of an Asian tour, during which he hopes to win more support for his declared war on terror and to cajole Japan to bite the bullet on economic reforms.

About 100 demonstrators wearing helmets and face masks marched through central Tokyo to protest against Bush’s hard line on Iran, Iraq and North Korea, the countries he referred to as an ‘‘axis of evil’’ in his State of the Union speech last month.

‘‘Stop Bush’s war against Afghanistan and Iraq’’ read one banner. One demonstrator standing in the cold and wet wore a bib reading ‘‘Bush the Fascist’’. Tight security prevented the demonstration, organised by a Left-wing students’ group, from approaching the US Embassy. Environmental groups also staged a demonstration against US rejection of the Kyoto pact on global warming, delivering a letter to the US Embassy.

Bush also had supporters and right-wing groups used megaphones to blare out the message: ‘‘Welcome Bush’’.

During a stop-off in Alaska at the start of the tour that takes him to South Korea and China as well as Japan, Bush hit out at the three governments he cited as being a threat to the world. ‘‘One of the most dangerous things that can happen to...our nation is that these terrorist organisations hook up with nations that develop weapons of mass destruction,’’ Bush said. (Reuters)

Koizumi to visit pub with Bush

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi plans to entertain US President George W. Bush and his wife Laura in an informal Japanese pub, or izakaya, the Financial daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun said on Sunday.

It quoted a source close to the PM’s office as saying Koizumi was planning a small gathering at a tavern in Tokyo on Tuesday evening as a way of demonstrating the trust between the two leaders. If the outing goes ahead, Bush will experience the boisterous, smoke-filled atmosphere of the inexpensive eateries many ordinary Japanese frequent on a daily basis, a far cry from expensive sushi restaurants.

He will likely be offered traditional, home-cooked dishes such as grilled rice balls and pork boiled with potatoes, which the Japanese pair with beer, sake and shochu, a liquor distilled from grain. Bush and Koizumi have been on friendly terms since the two met at Camp David in June last year. Bush expressed hopes for a good relationship at the time, saying: ‘‘After all he’s the only world leader I’ve played catch with, with a baseball.’’ (Reuters)