Japan, imported to reduce Iranian oil that support us

TOKYO (AP) - sanction Japan promised buy Thursday less Iranian oil, increase campaign U.S. Iran about its nuclear, even if program the China and Turkey to cool the efforts to respond.

The Iran "problem of nuclear development, the world ignored, so that this perspective, we understand the actions of U.S.," Finance Minister Jun Azumi said to journalists after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, who in Tokyo after two days of Beijing visit was.

About 10% of its imported oil from the Azumi said Iran the Japan.

"We expect start to reduce this set of 10 per cent as soon as possible of an orderly", he said.

Rapid agreement contrasts of the Japan with public silence of China on this issue during Geithner visit it. A diplomat, journalist on a next visit to the Middle East by the Prime Minister informed Wen Jiabao, that repeated Government earlier rejected explanations sanctions as a way to resolve the dispute with the Iran.

U.S. ally and an Iranian neighbour Turkey reported it will correspond to us sanctions and would apply only existing UN sanctions. Turkey imports about 30% of its oil from the Iran.

US sanctions will be settled, but his spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Selçuk "step feels unal Turkey, it is linked to all other penalties," said in Ankara Thursday.

Geithner travel to the two largest economies of Asia is part of a global lobbying efforts in support for the sanctions were designed to win, which Western Governments to put an end to the areas say the efforts of the Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Sanctions on the oil industry, financial institutions of the United States would have market cash if they do business with the Central Bank of the Iran.

The Iran has already threatened, respond to sanctions by the Strait of Hormuz, to obtain a his itinerary of transit for one-fifth of the world's oil reserves.

Geithner told journalists in Tokyo, that the United States were closely with "countries significantly increased the pressure of the world, we bring on the Iran" cutting "of the Central Bank of the international financial system and the result of the Iran its oil exports." He described the efforts "in the early stages."

China criticized approved by President Barack Obama on new, the new sanctions, an as inappropriate and ineffective. Beijing supports the nuclear program of the Iran UN sanctions, but says that the action must be multilateral.

"The national law of the country on international law and pressing the other obedience is not reasonable," foreign leaders Department Word Liu Weimin said Wednesday.

Experts say that in Tokyo, for imports from the Iran, probably the negative effects on the economy of the Japan as this can increase probably land of other producers of oil major such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates United could have imported the.

But the may sanctions - and geopolitical tensions accompanying it - increase world oil prices and the global economy.

"We are more concerned by the danger of the problem Iran grows and tracks can be too global economic instability with a possible increase in oil prices, said Hiromichi Shirakawa, Chief Economist for the Japan to the Credit Switzerland in Tokyo.".

The time is also bad for the Japan, because it is already an energy crisis. Most of its 54 nuclear plants are offline for routine inspection, mechanical problems or the crisis of radiation stress in March tests last on the site of Fukushima Dai-Ichi.

Azumi said that a work plan non-petroleum imports should be pleased. Japan is the Iran gas.

The United States will send a team to Tokyo to advise you with Japanese officials on how they will complement the plans, later said Geithner public NHK.

China, the largest consumer of energy in the world, depends on the Iran 11% of its oil imports. China bought about 600,000 barrels of Iranian oil a day in November, about a third of daily exports of the Iran of 2.2 million barrels, this cooperation key Chinese to the success of the sanctions.

Asked about China in his interview with NHK, said Geithner Beijing was "completely in tangible not supported". "I've heard on evidence of their intentions when I was there."

Official travel of the US Treasury in Asia, said Thursday he discussed with Philippine and Thai sanctions, but no commitments have been taken.

Assistant Secretary in the Treasury Neal Wolin said to journalists in Manila, between officials of the two countries, it seems "a broad desire be helpful here and cooperative."

Azumi discussed in Tokyo and Geithner also the debt crisis of the euro area and the reconstruction of the Japan of the disaster the tsunami in March.

"European leaders seem to be some progress in containing the crisis," Geithner said, adding that the United States "was fully ready to support a significant role" the European response supported by the Monetary Fund International.

The two leaders took a blow at the monetary policy in China with Azumi said, that he wanted to have a "more flexible" exchange rate policy Beijing.

Veiled reference to China, Geithner said that a stronger commitment by developing countries in the Group of 20 flexible exchange rates would like to see in the United States. The United States argues that its Yuan undervalued Beijing that keeps exporters an unfair advantage in price.

"We want to know appreciate the currencies of emerging markets, which continue to be undervalued against major currencies to the dollar, Yen and the euro," Geithner said.

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Associated press writer Joe McDonald and Louise Watts to Beijing, Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara and Teresa Cerojano in Manila contributed to this report.