Title: A resolution recognizing the importance of the United States-Japan relationship to safeguarding global security, prosperity, and human rights and welcoming the visit of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to the United States.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution welcomes Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to the United States. It also reaffirms the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance for maintaining peace and stability and fostering a free and open Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 142 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 142

 Recognizing the importance of the United States-Japan relationship to 
    safeguarding global security, prosperity, and human rights and 
  welcoming the visit of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to the United 
                                States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 25, 2021

Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Markey, Mr. Romney, and Mr. 
 Coons) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the importance of the United States-Japan relationship to 
    safeguarding global security, prosperity, and human rights and 
  welcoming the visit of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to the United 
                                States.

Whereas the United States-Japan alliance is a cornerstone of global peace and 
        stability and underscores the past, present, and future United States 
        commitment to the stability and prosperity of Japan and the Indo-Pacific 
        region;
Whereas the United States and Japan established diplomatic relations on March 
        31, 1854, with the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Amity;
Whereas 2021 marks the 76th anniversary of the end of World War II, a conflict 
        in which the United States and Japan were enemies, and the strength of 
        the alliance is a testament to the ability of great nations to overcome 
        the past and to work together to create a more secure and prosperous 
        future;
Whereas, January 19, 2021, marked the 61st anniversary of the signing of the 
        Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and 
        Japan;
Whereas the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee (2+2) met on March 16, 
        2021, in Tokyo and ``reaffirmed that the U.S.-Japan Alliance remains the 
        cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific 
        region'';
Whereas the American and Japanese people share deeply rooted values of defending 
        freedom, championing economic and social opportunity and inclusion, and 
        respecting the rule of law;
Whereas the peoples of Japan and the United States support each other in times 
        of need with Japan being one of the first countries to offer assistance 
        following the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina, and Americans 
        supporting Japan in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, 
        ten years ago this month, through Operation Tomodachi;
Whereas the strength of the United States-Japan relationship is due in part to 
        the substantial reservoir of goodwill created by the close ties between 
        the American and Japanese people at the grassroots level, often 
        supported by the governments of the United States and Japan;
Whereas there are more than 30,000 United States alumni of the Government of 
        Japan-sponsored Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program, including 
        nearly 200 JET program alumni working at the Department of State;
Whereas the Fulbright program has sent nearly 7,500 young Japanese on Fulbright 
        scholarships to the United States since 1952, and there are 37 United 
        States-based Japan-America Society chapters, and the United States and 
        Japan also share more sister city relationships than any other two 
        countries;
Whereas the governments and people of the United States and Japan share a 
        commitment to free and open markets, high standards for the free flow of 
        commerce and trade, and the establishment of an inclusive architecture 
        for regional and global trade and development;
Whereas the United States and Japan are top trading partners that exchange over 
        $300,000,000,000 worth of goods and services each year, Japan serves as 
        the biggest cumulative Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) contributor to 
        the United States and the biggest job creator in the United States 
        manufacturing sector regarding trade, and the United States-Japan 
        bilateral economic relationship is one of strongest in the world;
Whereas the United States and Japan are working closely via whole-of-government 
        initiatives, bilateral partnerships, cooperation with like-minded 
        countries, multilateral mechanisms including the Asia-Pacific Economic 
        Cooperation (APEC) forum, and enhanced private-sector engagement to 
        assist countries in the Indo-Pacific and across the globe to catalyze 
        investment in infrastructure, energy, and the digital economy to promote 
        connectivity and economic growth;
Whereas United States-Japan economic cooperation has also led to close 
        collaboration in science and technology and promoted shared values in 
        research, including on COVID-19 response, the digital economy, national 
        security-focused investment screening, quantum sciences, artificial 
        intelligence, space exploration, biosciences, collaborative 5G networks, 
        and interoperable approaches for Open RAN (radio access network) 
        technologies;
Whereas, following a year of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan will host 
        the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2021, bringing 
        together athletes from around the world in a celebration of the 
        resilience of the human spirit;
Whereas a robust and effective trilateral relationship between and among the 
        United States, the ROK, and Japan is critical for joint security and 
        interests in defending freedom and democracy, upholding human rights, 
        championing women's empowerment, combating climate change, promoting 
        regional and global peace, security, and the rule of law in the Indo-
        Pacific and across the globe;
Whereas a robust and effective trilateral relationship between and among the 
        United States, the ROK, and Japan is critical for joint security and 
        interests in defending freedom and democracy, upholding human rights, 
        championing women's empowerment, combating climate change, promoting 
        regional and global peace, security, and the rule of law in the Indo-
        Pacific and across the globe;
Whereas the United States welcomes Japan's successive measures to enhance the 
        role of its Self Defense Forces in securing peace and stability in the 
        region and beyond, including its commitment on collective self defense 
        under Japan's laws, which strengthens the alliance's ability to defend 
        Japan and to continue safeguard regional security;
Whereas the United States-Japan alliance is essential for ensuring maritime 
        security and freedom of navigation, commerce, and overflight in the 
        waters of the East China Sea;
Whereas the United States invests significant military resources and 
        capabilities to meet the Alliance's current and future security 
        challenges and through the U.S.-Japan Host Nation Support framework, the 
        Government of Japan shares the costs of stationing United States forces 
        in Japan;
Whereas the United States and Japan, together with Australia and India, form a 
        quadrilateral security cooperation known as the Quad which met on March 
        12, 2021, and reaffirmed its commitment to a shared vision for an Indo-
        Pacific region that is ``free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by 
        democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion'';
Whereas people-to-people ties between the United States and Japan are long-
        standing and deep, as exemplified by the gift of the beautiful cherry 
        trees that dot our Nation's capital from the People of Japan to the 
        People of the United States in 1912, and the cherry blossom festivals 
        currently taking place across our Nation, signifying an unbreakable bond 
        between the two nations; and
Whereas, in April 2021, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will visit the United 
        States at the invitation of President Joe Biden: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) welcomes Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to the United 
        States;
            (2) reaffirms the importance of the United States-Japan 
        alliance for maintaining peace and stability and fostering a 
        free and open Indo-Pacific region and beyond;
            (3) supports ongoing efforts to further strengthen the 
        United States-Japan alliance, including the U.S.-Japan Security 
        Consultative Committee (2+2) to confront threats posed by 
        aggressive actors that threaten the peace and safety of both 
        nations;
            (4) supports strong cooperation between the United States 
        and Japan in safeguarding maritime security and ensuring 
        freedom of navigation, commerce, and overflight in the East and 
        South China Seas;
            (5) affirms the Senkaku Islands fall within the scope of 
        Article V of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and 
        Security, and remain opposed to any unilateral attempts to 
        change the status quo in the East China Sea or undermine 
        Japan's administration of these islands;
            (6) acknowledges Japan's critical role as the sole East 
        Asian member of the Quad, which commits to a shared vision for 
        a free and inclusive Indo-Pacific region;
            (7) stands in solidarity with Japan as it seeks justice and 
        accountability for its abductees, and pledges the full support 
        of the United States for Japan in seeking to resolve this 
        issue;
            (8) recognizes the support of the Government of Japan in 
        addressing global challenges, including COVID-19 challenges, 
        that threaten the health and safety of people everywhere;
            (9) supports the expansion of academic and cultural 
        exchanges between the United States and Japan, especially 
        efforts to encourage Japanese students to study at universities 
        in the United States, and vice versa, to deepen people-to-
        people ties;
            (10) encourages the expansion of collaboration for research 
        and development of new and emerging cyber technologies with 
        Japan, especially to address global challenges posed by the 
        proliferation of digital authoritarianism;
            (11) promotes deepening the economic and trade ties between 
        the United States and Japan, including the empowerment of 
        women, which is vital for the prosperity of both our nations, 
        the Indo-Pacific region, and the world; and
            (12) calls for continued cooperation between the 
        governments of the United States and Japan in the promotion of 
        human rights.
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