Peace and prosperity rest on stability, and stability is what the U.S. and Japan are working together to achieve. After the meeting, Secretary Albright and Minister Kono renewed the Special Measures Agreement, providing a tangible demonstration of our nations' shared commitment to a continued U.S. presence in the region. The Special Measures Agreement and other Host Nation Support that Japan provides to U.S. forces here also demonstrate that freedom is not free. It requires a commitment of people, money and the energy necessary to maintain strong alliances. Japan and the United States both understand that a weak deterrence can not insure a strong, stable peace.
Good training is one key to maintaining forces that are strong, ready and flexible.
Our troops work very hard to train in a way that doesn't inconvenience the Japanese people. For example, most night landing practice takes place on Iwo Jima, so that it does not inconvenience people who live near bases. Unfortunately, sometimes unpredictable changes in the weather and other circumstances can alter our plans, as recently happened. I regret the inconvenience that recent changes in training sites may have caused and assure you that we will continue to our efforts to be good neighbors as we carry out the training that is the key to maintaining a successful deterrent. In recent years, Japan and the U.S. have strengthened and updated our security relationship with the 1996 Joint Security Declaration and the revised Defense Guidelines.