ニュース 2010/11/12 Okada receives courtesy call from Senator Daniel Inouye On November 12, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada received a courtesy call from US Senator Daniel Inouye inside the Diet building. The two exchanged views on a variety of issues. The meeting was also attended by Administration Chair Makoto Taki, International Department Director-General Chinami Nishimura and International Department Vice Director-General Mieko Nakabayashi for the DPJ. At the start of the meeting, Okada referred to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting currently being held in Yokohama. He stated that “The ministerial meeting has been fruitful, and the Leaders’ Summit Meeting is now scheduled to take place.” Okada went on to express his expectations for the summit meeting, stating that he hoped it would be as successful as the recent G20 summit. Okada added, “I had been looking forward to participating in the Ministerial Meeting as Minister for Foreign Affairs, but my role has changed from Minister for Foreign Affairs to that of Secretary General, and it is in this capacity that I am meeting with you today.” In response, Inouye said that this was “an extremely important position.” Okada repeated that his work as Minister for Foreign Affairs had been fascinating and so he had regrets about leaving the post. He then pointed out that in any event, the Japan-US relationship was one that should be emphasized when conducting diplomacy. Okada stated that as Secretary General he intended to make every effort “to further strengthen Japan-US relations.” 　 Senator Inouye is a senior US lawmaker who has served as a member of the Senate for more than 47 years since 1963, and is one of the most influential Democratic Senators.　His home state of Hawaii will host next year’s APEC meeting.