Obama is to arrive in Japan late Friday and hold talks with Prime Minister Naoto Kan Saturday on the sidelines of a summit of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) nations in Yokohama, just south of Tokyo.

"The US-Japan alliance serves as the cornerstone of American strategic engagement in the Asia Pacific," Obama said in a written statement to the Yomiuri Shimbun daily.

"I am confident that our relationship will flourish over the coming 50 years," Obama said.

Japan is trying to mend ties with Washington that were strained over the fate of a controversial air base, a dispute that helped topple Yukio Hatoyama, Kan's predecessor as prime minister.

In the statement, Obama stressed the need for stable ties among the United States, Japan and China, and called for the two Asian giants to resolve the "outstanding differences" between them.

"The United States, China and Japan represent the world's three largest economies and, thus, we all share an interest in promoting security and prosperity with each other and throughout the region," Obama said.

"The United States and our regional allies and partners share a fundamental interest in ensuring security, stability and prosperity in Asia in the 21st century," he said.

"The peaceful resolution of outstanding differences and respect for international norms and law are central to these latter goals," he said.

Tokyo's feud with Beijing stems from the arrest of a Chinese trawler captain whose vessel collided with Japanese patrol boats in waters near a disputed island chain in the East China Sea in September.

Prosecutors released the captain after Beijing cut political, economic and cultural exchanges and detained four Japanese citizens for video recording in a military area, but the seething dispute continues.

Asia's two top economies are seeking to mend ties after their prime ministers, Kan and Wen Jiabao, failed at recent summits in Brussels and Hanoi to hold formal talks, amid uncertainty whether they will meet this weekend in Yokohama.

China's increased assertiveness, particularly in the South China Sea, has caused jitters among other neighbouring nations as well as the United States, which is also at odds with China over trade and currency issues.

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