Japan premier urges Obama to probe alleged US spying

US President Barack Obama on Wednesday apologised to Tokyo after WikiLeaks claimed Washington had spied on Japanese politicians, a government spokesman said Wednesday. According to WikiLeaks, the topics targeted by the telephone intercepts mainly involved internal Japanese discussions on worldwide trade and climate change policy, and spanned to the inauguration of Abe’s first government in 2006.

In July, WikiLeaks published the US National Security Agency’s list of 35 top surveillance targets in Japan, including the Cabinet Office, the finance and trade ministries and major Japanese companies.

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Obama said he knows the leaked documents caused a big stir in Japan and apologized for the trouble, Suga told a daily press briefing.

During the 40-minute talk, which took place at Mr. Obama’s request, the two sides also spoke about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled visit to the U.S. next month, in addition to tensions in the Korean peninsula, Mr. Suga said.

Abe apparently steered clear of taking a tough stance with Obama over the allegation because much of his foreign diplomacy hinges on Japan’s alliance with the United States.

The phone conservation had come a day after Abe told a committee in the House of Councillors that if the alleged spying were true, “Japan, as an ally [of the U.S.], would find it extremely regrettable”.

In an earlier conversation with US vice president Joe Biden, Mr Abe voiced similar concerns if the spying claims were confirmed.

Obama and Abe also discussed market turmoil that has seen a massive global equities sell off after China cut the value of its yuan currency in an apparent bid to boost exports, sparking fears of an economic slowdown and the subsequent impact on global growth.

Mr. Obama said he welcomed Mr. Abe’s statement commemorating the 70th year since the end of World War II, according to Mr. Suga.