President Obama Begins Asian Tour

The travels began with the President's reassurance of U.S. support, in Tokyo's territorial conflict with China. Obama's trip will last for one week, with stops in Malaysia, South Korea and the Philippines.

President Obama met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a premier sushi restaurant, along with newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy. Thursday marks his formal visit and will include a state dinner, royal family meetings and a Meiji shrine visit. Obama's Japanese trip is the first one traveled by an American president, in almost twenty years.

Concerning the Toyko and Beijing dispute, over uninhabited East China Sea islands, Obama remarked: "We oppose any unilateral attempts to undermine Japan's administration of these islands". The White House administration is hoping that the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal will grant economic advancements in the region, which President Obama is expected to promote during his Asian stay.