LEAD: Bush 'appreciated' relationship with Abe, White House says

Japan Policy & Politics, Sept 15, 2007

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 Kyodo

(EDS: CHANGING ATTRIBUTION IN GRAFS 6, 7)

The White House said Wednesday that U.S. President Bush appreciated his working relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who earlier in the day announced his intention to resign, adding that the United States would continue to work closely with Japan on a range of issues.

Bush ''certainly appreciated the working relationship with Prime Minister Abe,'' said White House Press Secretary Tony Snow. He declined to say whether Bush was disappointed by the news of Abe's resignation, calling it a matter of internal Japanese politics.

''But Japan remains a vital ally,'' Snow said. ''We continue to work closely with the Japanese on a whole range of issues, obviously, and we'll continue to do so.''

From the U.S. perspective, a key question surrounding the news of Abe's resignation is the possible impact on the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in support of U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan. Abe cited difficulty in securing an extension of the mission, which is strongly opposed by the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, as a factor in his decision to step down.

Asked whether the White House was concerned about the effect of Abe's departure on the future of the refueling mission, Snow said, ''at this point, let's let Japanese politics work its way through. The prime minister obviously addressed some of those concerns in his public comments.''

In a separate statement, National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe called Japan and the United States ''strong and steadfast allies.''

''We look forward to continuing that relationship with future Japanese governments,'' Johndroe said.