[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1118 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1118
Recognizing the importance of the United States-Japan alliance and
welcoming the visit of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to the United
States.
_______________________________________________________________________
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
Resolved, 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.
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