U.S.-Japan statement: Treaty covers Senkakus, will work on trade

TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States and Japan agreed in a joint statement on Friday that a key security treaty covers islands at the centre of a territorial dispute between Japan and China, and said they would continue working towards a bilateral trade deal after talks failed to reach a conclusion.

In the statement, issued shortly before U.S. President Barack Obama left Japan after a state visit, the two nations said they shared strong concern over China's air defence zone in the East China Sea but reaffirmed interest in building productive ties with Beijing.