Obama congratulates Japan's incoming PM

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday talked over telephone with Japan's incoming Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, congratulating him and his Democratic Party of Japan on a landslide election victory, and expressing hope to beef up bilateral relations, the White House said in a statement.

"President Obama and Mr Hatoyama stressed the importance of a strong U.S.-Japan Alliance and their desire to build an even more effective partnership," the statement said.

The United States will work with Japan's new government on economic recovery, climate change, nuclear disamament on the Korean peninsula, fighting against Al-Qaida and building peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, the statement added.

The Obama administration pledged to keep a "strong alliance" with a new Japanese government, the White House said on Sunday, following the center-left Democrat Party of Japan predicted a victory over the ruling Liberty Democratic Party in the election for lower house of parliament.

"We are confident that the strong U.S.-Japan Alliance and the close partnership between our two countries will continue to flourish under the leadership of the next government in Tokyo," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

"President Obama looks forward to working closely with the new Japanese prime minister on a broad range of global, regional and bilateral issues," said the spokesman.