US seeks to reassure Japan amid Ukraine crisis fallout

TOKYO, Apr 5 (AP): Against the backdrop of Russia's takeover of Ukraine's Crimean region, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Saturday a key message he will deliver to leaders in Tokyo this weekend is that the U.S. is strongly committed to protecting Japan's security.

Hagel said it is understandable for nations to be concerned as they watch the events unfold in Ukraine, where Russian troops are still massed along the border. The issue reverberates in Asia where China, Japan and other nations are locked in bitter territorial disputes, including over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

Hagel, on a two-day visit to Japan as part of a tour of Asia, acknowledged Russia's annexation of Crimea had sparked worries among allies in the Pacific and elsewhere.