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

Bill: 118-hres-1118
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5]
Introduced: 2024-04-09
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2024-04-09
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Summaries:

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1118 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 9, 2024 Mr. Meeks (for himself, Mr. McCaul , Mr. Bera , and Mrs. Kim of California ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 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 the 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; Whereas, in May 2016, then-President Barack Obama made a historic visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, and in December 2016, then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a historic visit to Pearl Harbor, demonstrating the willingness of both nations to overcome the most sensitive aspects of our shared history to form the powerful alliance that exists today; Whereas, on January 11, 2023, during the United States-Japan Security Consultative Committee (2+2), 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 the Defense Buildup Program, including commitments to increase defense spending to 2 percent of the gross domestic product 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 United States servicemembers, civilians, and family members in Japan, enabling 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; Whereas the extended deterrence commitments of the United States to Japan remain ironclad and backed by the full range of the capabilities of the United States; Whereas the Senkaku Islands fall within the scope of Article V of the United States-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 the rule of law; Whereas, in August 2023, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol, and 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 multiyear 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 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 (5) the creation of a trilateral Diplomatic Working Group to counter cyber threats posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; Whereas the trilateral partnership currently has 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, on May 19, 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 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 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; 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 in the United States, making the United States-Japan bilateral economic relationship one of the world’s strongest; Whereas, during an official visit to Japan in November 2017, 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 United States-Japan Trade Agreement and the United States-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 Summit; Whereas the Government of Japan-sponsored Japan Exchange and Teaching 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 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

That the House of Representatives— (1) welcomes Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to the United States; (2) reaffirms the strong and longstanding partnership between the United States and Japan, rooted in a shared commitment to upholding peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond; (3) stands ready to support efforts to build a more capable and modernized alliance to address regional and global security challenges; (4) applauds the Government of Japan’s commitment to defense modernization, including its goal to increase defense spending to 2 percent of the gross domestic product by 2027; (5) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the defense of Japan under Article V of the Japan-United States Security Treaty; (6) reaffirms that the Senkaku Islands fall within the scope of Article V of the United States-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, and that the United States remains opposed to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea or undermine Japan’s administration of these islands; (7) recognizes the unprecedented convergence of the national security and defense strategies between our two nations as well as the need to further bolster deterrence in the Indo-Pacific; (8) supports Japan’s efforts to expand security cooperation with other United States allies and partners, most notably with the Republic of Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, and India; (9) applauds recent advancements in trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, as well as bilateral Japan-Republic of Korea relations; (10) encourages efforts to strengthen engagement with Japan in bilateral and multilateral forums, including the Quad; (11) acknowledges Japan’s leadership as the G7 host nation in 2023, including its coordination among G7 members to address economic coercion, as well as the announcement of the G7 AI Principles and Code of Conduct, and focus on support for Ukraine; (12) calls for continued cooperation between the United States and Japan in promoting our shared democratic values and respect for human rights; and (13) commits to strengthening and deepening diplomatic, economic, security, and people-to-people ties between the United States and Japan.