Oct. 29 - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara held a joint press availability following their bilateral meeting on Oct. 27 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Regarding the U.S.-Japan alliance, Secretary Clinton emphasized, "This alliance is the cornerstone of American strategic engagement in the Asia Pacific. It has helped both countries prosper and weather economic storms. It has underwritten peace and security, and it has allowed us to cooperate on a range of global issues, including nuclear nonproliferation, climate change, combating violent extremism, and I'm grateful that we are the two largest contributors to reconstruction in Afghanistan."