Barack Obama has hailed Japan as a “stalwart ally” before his first visit to Tokyo as US president.

But Mr Obama also made clear that he expects the new Japanese government to bow to Washington’s wishes on plans to move a military base. The US president’s praise for Japanese support on a “host of global issues” in an interview shown by NHK, Japan’s state broadcaster, came as Tokyo announced that it would give up to $5bn (€3.3bn, £3bn) in aid to Afghanistan over five years, a dramatic increase.