Obama Reiterates US Support for Japan

President Barack Obama has reiterated U.S. support for Japan, pledging any assistance needed as the nation recovers from multiple disasters.

At the start of a speech on education Monday outside Washington, D.C., the president said he continues to be "heartbroken" by the images of devastation in Japan. He said the United States will stand with the people of Japan in the "difficult days ahead."

He described the Japanese people as some of the closest friends and allies of the United States. He said he told Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan that the United States will continue to offer any assistance it can.

In a statement Sunday, the White House said President Obama has been kept fully briefed on the situation in Japan and that the United States has been helping in a number of ways, including sending experts in nuclear matters and disaster response.