Prime Minister Kishida speaks to U.S. Congress Joint Meeting, emphasizes importance of U.S.-Japan partnership but does not request cooperation for “world without nuclear weapons”
Apr. 12, 2024
by Masaya Akiyoshi, Staff Writer
WASHINGTON D.C. — On the morning of April 11 (Japan time: predawn hours of April 12), Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is in the United States as an invited state guest, spoke to a Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress. The prime minister stressed the importance of the bilateral partnership between the United States and Japan to deal with changes taking place in the world, including the rise of China, climate change, and progress in the area of artificial intelligence (AI). As a prime minister elected from the A-bombed Hiroshima, Mr. Kishida spoke about “a world without nuclear weapons” but did not request specific cooperation from the U.S. Congress with regard to that goal.
Mr. Kishida delivered his remarks, titled “For the Future: Our Global Partnership,” in English. He shared his experience of living in the United States when he was in elementary school and offered praise for how “the U.S. shaped the international order in the postwar world.” He also said that the defining agenda going forward was to protect the international order from disasters caused by climate change, dangers from abuses of AI, and China, which he called “an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge.”
Mr. Kishida described Japan’s position amid the U.S.-Japan alliance. He said, “We have transformed ourselves from a reticent ally, recovering from the devastation of World War II, to a strong, committed ally, looking outward to the world,” based on Japan’s increased defense budget and cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Adding, “You are not alone. We are with you,” Mr. Kishida proclaimed, “I myself have stood at the forefront in making our bilateral alliance even stronger.”
Mr. Kishida described the realization of “a world without nuclear weapons” as something to which “I have devoted my political career.” He criticized North Korea’s continued nuclear development and Russia’s showing off of its nuclear capability amid its aggression against Ukraine as representing an “imminent danger of nuclear weapons proliferation in East Asia.” Nevertheless, he did not request specific cooperation for nuclear disarmament while speaking before Congressional members of the U.S. nuclear superpower.
In terms of the economy, Mr. Kishida stated with pride, “Japan is the number one foreign direct investor in the United States.” Adding, “Japanese companies have invested around 800 billion dollars, creating almost one million American jobs,” Mr. Kishida explained his view that, “A growth-oriented Japanese economy should also spur even greater investment in the United States.”
Mr. Kishida was the fifth Japanese prime minister to address the U.S. Congress, and the second, following former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2015, to address a U.S. Congress Joint Meeting.
(Originally published on April 12, 2024)
WASHINGTON D.C. — On the morning of April 11 (Japan time: predawn hours of April 12), Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is in the United States as an invited state guest, spoke to a Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress. The prime minister stressed the importance of the bilateral partnership between the United States and Japan to deal with changes taking place in the world, including the rise of China, climate change, and progress in the area of artificial intelligence (AI). As a prime minister elected from the A-bombed Hiroshima, Mr. Kishida spoke about “a world without nuclear weapons” but did not request specific cooperation from the U.S. Congress with regard to that goal.
Mr. Kishida delivered his remarks, titled “For the Future: Our Global Partnership,” in English. He shared his experience of living in the United States when he was in elementary school and offered praise for how “the U.S. shaped the international order in the postwar world.” He also said that the defining agenda going forward was to protect the international order from disasters caused by climate change, dangers from abuses of AI, and China, which he called “an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge.”
Mr. Kishida described Japan’s position amid the U.S.-Japan alliance. He said, “We have transformed ourselves from a reticent ally, recovering from the devastation of World War II, to a strong, committed ally, looking outward to the world,” based on Japan’s increased defense budget and cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Adding, “You are not alone. We are with you,” Mr. Kishida proclaimed, “I myself have stood at the forefront in making our bilateral alliance even stronger.”
Mr. Kishida described the realization of “a world without nuclear weapons” as something to which “I have devoted my political career.” He criticized North Korea’s continued nuclear development and Russia’s showing off of its nuclear capability amid its aggression against Ukraine as representing an “imminent danger of nuclear weapons proliferation in East Asia.” Nevertheless, he did not request specific cooperation for nuclear disarmament while speaking before Congressional members of the U.S. nuclear superpower.
In terms of the economy, Mr. Kishida stated with pride, “Japan is the number one foreign direct investor in the United States.” Adding, “Japanese companies have invested around 800 billion dollars, creating almost one million American jobs,” Mr. Kishida explained his view that, “A growth-oriented Japanese economy should also spur even greater investment in the United States.”
Mr. Kishida was the fifth Japanese prime minister to address the U.S. Congress, and the second, following former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2015, to address a U.S. Congress Joint Meeting.
(Originally published on April 12, 2024)
