TOKYO: US President Barack Obama vowed on Thursday to defend Japan if China attacks over a tense territorial dispute, but also urged Beijing to step in to thwart North Korea’s “dangerous” nuclear march.

In Tokyo on the first leg of his Asian tour, Obama stopped short however of fully endorsing Japanese sovereignty over disputed East China Sea islands, keeping one eye on Beijing where his trip is being weighed for any hint of US hostility.

Hopes that Obama’s trip would revive the stalled Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) meanwhile looked doomed when there was little progress on one of the key sticking points — US access to the Japanese auto market — after his talks with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

After flying into a region boiling with tension, Obama carefully underlined US support for Japan’s security, saying that islands at the centre of its feud with Beijing are covered by a defence treaty that would oblige Washington to act if they were attacked.

“Article five (of the US-Japan security treaty) covers all territories under Japan’s administration including (the) Senkaku islands,” he said, referring to the archipelago which Beijing calls the Diaoyus.

“We do not believe that they should be subject to change unilaterally, and what is a consistent part of the alliance is that the treaty covers all territories administered by Japan. “Obama added that “this is not a new position” and “there’s no red line that’s been drawn”.

“We stand together in calling for disputes in the region, including maritime issues, to be resolved peacefully through dialogue,” he said.

Strategic ambiguity: Along with Manila — the fourth stop on Obama’s tour — Tokyo craved reassurance that Washington was prepared to support it if push comes to shove with Beijing over their separate sovereignty rows.

Obama did not spell out in detail what Washington would do if Beijing stormed the islands — preserving some strategic ambiguity.

And though he stressed that the islands had been administered by Japan for years he added: “We do not take a position on the particular sovereignty of this piece of land or this rock. “Relations between Tokyo and Beijing are at their lowest point for years.

Some observers warn they might come to blows over the islands, where ships from both sides lurk to press claims for ownership.

Abe’s position on historical issues also annoys the Chinese, who accuse him of playing down Japanese atrocities. They are particularly upset by visits he and his cabinet ministers have paid to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours war criminals among other fallen warriors.

Obama did not mention the issue publicly, but US officials say it is often raised in private in talks with the Japanese.

Obama also made a point of addressing North Korea, as fears mount that Pyongyang could stage another nuclear test in a grab for attention during Obama’s tour of the region, which takes him to Seoul on Friday.—AFP