** FILE ** U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte gestures during a news conference at the US Embassy in Tokyo, Friday, March 2, 2007. John Negroponte, newly installed as the U.S. State Department's No. 2 official, met top Japanese officials Friday to kick off his first official overseas trip, a three-nation Asian tour seen as focusing on tensions with North Korea and regional security issues. Senior career diplomats are retaking control of key elements of U.S. foreign policy and have begun to assert significant influence as the Bush administration enters its waning months eager to salvage a legacy marred by the Iraq war(AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)