The United States hopes to resume talks on its troop levels in Japan shortly after the Japanese elections in September, the State Department said Tuesday.
Spokesman Sean McCormack confirmed that Washington had received a letter from Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura on what is formally referred to as "military transformation" but would not give details.
"What I would say about that is that the US and Japan continue to engage in useful, positive, working-level discussions on defense transformation issues to ensure our alliance remains strong in the coming decades," he said.
Transformation refers to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's plans to review the US force posture worldwide, including in Japan, where some 40,500 American troops are stationed under a security alliance.
"We look forward to continuing high-level discussions at an early opportunity following the Japanese elections" scheduled for September 11, McCormack said.
"I think that, on both sides, there's a desire to move the process forward."
