III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 626 

Recognizing the importance of the United States-Japan alliance and 

welcoming the visit of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 8, 2024 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. RISCH, Mr. HAGERTY, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. VAN

HOLLEN, and Mr. ROMNEY) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the importance of the United States-Japan alliance and welcoming the visit of Prime Minister Kishida 

Fumio to the United States. 

Whereas the United States-Japan alliance remains a cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity and underscores 

the unwavering commitment of United States to Japan 

and the Indo-Pacific region; 

Whereas the United States and Japan established diplomatic 

relations with the signing of the Treaty of Peace and 

Amity on March 31, 1854; 

Whereas January 19, 2024, marked the 64th anniversary of 

the signing of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan; 


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Whereas, in May 2016, then-President Barack Obama made 

a historic visit to Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park, and 

in December 2016, then-Prime Minister Abe Shinzo 

made a historic visit to Pearl Harbor, demonstrating the 

willingness both nations to overcome the most sensitive 

aspects of our shared history to form the powerful alliance that exists today; 

Whereas, during the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee (2+2) on January 11, 2023, both countries resolved to advance bilateral alliance modernization initiatives to build a more capable, integrated, and agile alliance that bolsters deterrence and addresses evolving regional and global security challenges; 

Whereas, under the premiership of Kishida Fumio, the Government of Japan has taken historic steps to modernize 

Japan’s national security strategy and defense policy 

through the release of the 2022 National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup 

Program, including commitments to increase defense 

spending to 2 percent of GDP within 5 years and to develop counterstrike capabilities; 

Whereas the United States and Japan have deepened their 

defense cooperation through various bilateral and multilateral exercises and across domains that include space 

and cyber; 

Whereas the Government of Japan shares the costs of stationing approximately 55,000 members of the United 

States Armed Forces, civilians, and family members in 

Japan, and enables the United States to forward deploy 

significant military resources such as the USS Ronald 

Reagan and the F–35 Joint Strike Fighter, to meet the 

alliance’s current and future security challenges; 


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Whereas the United States extended deterrence commitments 

to Japan remain ironclad and backed by the full range 

of United States capabilities; 

Whereas the Senkaku Islands fall within the scope of Article 

V of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and 

Security; 

Whereas a strong trilateral relationship between and among 

the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan is 

vital for promoting Indo-Pacific security, defending freedom and democracy, and upholding human rights and 

rule of law; 

Whereas, in August 2023, Japan Prime Minister Kishida 

Fumio, Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol, and 

United States President Joseph R. Biden announced a 

‘‘new era of trilateral partnership’’ at the Camp David 

Summit, including a ‘‘commitment to consult’’ in an expeditious manner regarding regional challenges, provocations, and threats affecting trilateral collective interests 

and security; 

Whereas the United States, Japan, and the Republic of 

Korea have deepened mutual cooperation and dialogue in 

a series of fields, including— 

(1) the trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue; 

(2) the expansion of a multi-year schedule for trilateral military exercises, including the first-ever trilateral aerial exercise; 

(3) the activation of the real-time Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) missile warning data 

sharing mechanism; 

(4) the establishment of new trilateral people-to-people exchanges, including a trilateral youth summit and a 

technology leaders training program; and 


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(5) the creation of a trilateral Diplomatic Working 

Group to counter cyber threats posed by the DPRK; 

Whereas the trilateral partnership currently faces a unique 

opportunity to drive shared priorities at the United Nations Security Council, while both Japan and the Republic of Korea serve as nonpermanent representatives; 

Whereas, in May 2023, during the G7 Hiroshima Summit, 

G7 leaders underscored their enduring support for 

Ukraine’s sovereignty, reaffirmed the importance of peace 

and stability in the Taiwan Strait, took steps to secure 

critical supply chains, demonstrated ongoing commitments to strengthening global health security, and more; 

Whereas Japan continues to work closely with the United 

States and other G7 partners to stand against economic 

coercion by adversaries, including through the establishment of the G7 Coordination Platform on Economic Coercion; 

Whereas, since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, Japan has demonstrated its 

strong support for Ukraine, including through high-level 

diplomatic engagements, humanitarian and security assistance, financial support, and coordinating sanctions 

against Russia with the United States and other G7 

countries; 

Whereas, in February 2024, Japan hosted the Japan-Ukraine 

Conference for Promotion of Economic Growth and Reconstruction, which facilitated cooperation between Japan 

and Ukraine, including public-private partnerships, to 

support Ukraine’s future development across sectors, including infrastructure, energy, agriculture, and information technology, and announced the opening of a new 


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government trade office in Kyiv, as well as $105,000,000 

in new aid for Ukraine; 

Whereas Japan has contributed to supporting the Indo-Pacific region’s development, stability, and prosperity 

through the Quad’s positive, practical agenda with the 

United States, Australia, and India, including through 

the third in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit in May 2023, 

where Quad members reaffirmed their commitment to a 

‘‘free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient’’; 

Whereas Japan has worked with the members of the Quad 

to strengthen cooperation on health security, environment, maritime domain awareness, critical and emerging 

technologies, space, infrastructure development, cyber resilience, and more; 

Whereas Japan has contributed to the promotion of quality 

infrastructure investment, and the United States and 

Japan continue to share an interest in energy security 

and cooperation on advanced energy technologies; 

Whereas Japan has made critical contributions to the development of Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) technology and worked closely with the United States to promote an open, free, interoperable, reliable, and secure 

internet, including through initiatives such as the Global 

Digital Connectivity Partnership; 

Whereas, in June 2023, Japan joined the United States and 

Australia in signing an agreement to develop a 

$95,000,000 undersea cable project that is expected to 

connect more than 100,000 individuals across three countries in the Pacific; 


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Whereas Japan is one of the largest trading partners of the 

United States, with bilateral trade totaling over 

$300,000,000,000 in 2022, and Japan continues to hold 

the largest share of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in 

the United States, making the United States-Japan bilateral economic relationship one of the world’s strongest; 

Whereas, during an official visit in November 2017 to Japan, 

President Donald J. Trump underscored the importance 

of expanding trade and foreign direct investment between 

the United States and Japan to strengthen economic 

growth and job creation, and on October 7, 2019, the 

Governments of the United States and Japan signed the 

U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement and U.S.-Japan Digital 

Trade Agreement, and these agreements entered into 

force on January 1, 2020; 

Whereas, in January 2022, the United States and Japan established the Economic Policy Consultative Committee 

(‘‘Economic 2+2’’), which convened for a second ministerial meeting in November 2023, on the sidelines of the 

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit; 

Whereas the Government of Japan-sponsored Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program has more than 

35,000 United States alumni and represents one of many 

exchanges that have cemented our close people-to-people 

ties; 

Whereas, every year, more than 1,000,000 individuals visit 

Washington, DC, to celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which serves as a reminder of the enduring 

friendship between the United States and Japan; and 


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Whereas, in April 2024, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will 

visit the United States at the invitation of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) welcomes Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to 

3 the United States; 

4 (2) reaffirms the strong and long-standing part5 nership between the Governments of the United 

6 States and Japan, rooted in a shared commitment to 

7 upholding peace, security, and prosperity in the 

8 Indo-Pacific region and beyond; 

9 (3) stands ready to support efforts to build a 

10 more capable and modernized alliance to address re11 gional and global security challenges; 

12 (4) applauds the commitment of the Govern13 ment of Japan to defense modernization, including 

14 its goal to increase defense spending to 2 percent of 

15 GDP by 2027; 

16 (5) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

17 States to the defense of Japan under Article V of 

18 the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty; 

19 (6) reaffirms that the Senkaku Islands fall 

20 within the scope of Article V of the U.S.-Japan 

21 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, and 

22 that the United States remains opposed to any uni23 lateral attempts to change the status quo in the 


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1 East China Sea or undermine Japan’s administra2 tion of these islands; 

3 (7) recognizes the unprecedented convergence of 

4 the national security and defense strategies between 

5 our two nations, as well as the need to further bol6 ster deterrence in the Indo-Pacific; 

7 (8) supports Japan’s efforts to expand security 

8 cooperation with other United States allies and part9 ners, most notably with the Republic of Korea, Aus10 tralia, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and 

11 India; 

12 (9) applauds recent advancements in trilateral 

13 cooperation among the United States, Japan, and 

14 the Republic of Korea (ROK), as well as bilateral 

15 Japan-ROK relations; 

16 (10) encourages efforts to strengthen engage17 ment with Japan in bilateral and multilateral fo18 rums, including the Quad; 

19 (11) acknowledges Japan’s leadership as the G7 

20 host nation in 2023, including its coordination 

21 among G7 members to address economic coercion, as 

22 well as the announcement of the G7 AI Principles 

23 and Code of Conduct, and focus on support for 

24 Ukraine; 


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1 (12) calls for continued cooperation between the 

2 Governments of the United States and Japan in pro3 moting our shared democratic values and respect for 

4 human rights; and 

5 (13) commits to strengthening and deepening 

6 diplomatic, economic, security, and people-to-people 

7 ties between the United States and Japan. 

Æ 


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