[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1259 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1259

 Condemning the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo 
                 Abe and honoring his life and legacy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 26, 2022

Mr. Chabot (for himself, Mr. Meeks, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Bera, and Mr. Smith 
of Nebraska) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Condemning the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo 
                 Abe and honoring his life and legacy.

Whereas Shinzo Abe, a towering figure of Japan, was horrifically assassinated on 
        July 8, 2022, in the Japanese city of Nara while delivering a campaign 
        speech as part of Japan's electoral democracy;
Whereas the late former Prime Minister of Japan was born on September 21, 1954, 
        in Tokyo, Japan, the child of Yoko Abe and Shintaro Abe, and grew up in 
        Tokyo;
Whereas Shinzo Abe graduated from Seikei University in Tokyo in 1977, and 
        studied political science at the University of Southern California in 
        Los Angeles;
Whereas, after returning to Japan, Shinzo Abe won a seat in the lower house of 
        the Japanese Parliament in 1993 and was appointed Chief Cabinet 
        Secretary in 2005, before becoming Prime Minister in 2006;
Whereas September 20, 2006, Shinzo Abe was elected as President of the Liberal 
        Democratic Party (LDP) and on September 26, 2006, was inaugurated as 
        Prime Minister of Japan for the first time;
Whereas Shinzo Abe regained leadership of the LDP on September 26, 2012, and was 
        reelected as Prime Minister for a second time on December 26, 2012;
Whereas on December 24, 2014, Shinzo Abe was re-elected as Prime Minister for a 
        third term;
Whereas on November 1, 2017, Shinzo Abe was re-elected as Prime Minister for a 
        fourth term;
Whereas Shinzo Abe was the longest serving Prime Minister of post-World War II 
        Japan and leader of the LDP, holding those offices for more than 8 
        years;
Whereas Shinzo Abe was a stalwart champion of the United States-Japan alliance;
Whereas Shinzo Abe, in his capacity as Prime Minister, visited the United States 
        more than ten times to help strengthen the relationship;
Whereas, as Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe promoted peace, security, and prosperity 
        in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world;
Whereas Shinzo Abe supported the United States in many shared challenges, 
        including by sanctioning North Korea for nuclear testing, bolstering 
        multilateral cooperation with Taiwan, providing logistics support for 
        international peacekeeping missions, and conducting disaster relief 
        through Japan's Self Defense Forces;
Whereas Shinzo Abe is widely credited with creating the vision of a ``Free and 
        Open Indo-Pacific'', linking the like-minded democracies of the Indian 
        and Pacific Oceans to work together to advance prosperity and security, 
        a framework that the United States and other countries adopted as a 
        shared concept;
Whereas Shinzo Abe raised Japan's global stature through new partnerships and 
        diplomatic initiatives in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and beyond;
Whereas Shinzo Abe advanced regional economic integration and shared prosperity 
        in the Indo-Pacific region through numerous economic initiatives;
Whereas Shinzo Abe bolstered the relationship between the United States, Japan, 
        Australia and India by initiating the Quadrilateral grouping and 
        championing ``the Quad'';
Whereas Shinzo Abe led a pivotal improvement in Japan's relations with Taiwan, 
        describing Taiwan as ``an important partner and a precious friend of 
        Japan'', and taking up a leadership role in multilateral cooperation 
        with Taiwan by cosponsoring the Global Cooperation and Training 
        Framework;
Whereas, on April 29, 2015, Shinzo Abe became the first and only Japanese Prime 
        Minister to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress;
Whereas, in his address to the joint meeting of the United States Congress, 
        Shinzo Abe described how the United States and Japan, ``Enemies that 
        fought each other so fiercely have become friends bonded in spirit'' 
        calling it ``a miracle of history'';
Whereas Shinzo Abe made lasting and historic contributions to Japan's security 
        policy, including the 2014 reinterpretation of Japan's constitution to 
        allow participation in collective self-defense, and the 2017 decision to 
        move Japan's defense spending beyond the traditional limit of 1 percent 
        of gross domestic product;
Whereas Shinzo Abe made it his priority to revitalize the Japanese economy, spur 
        growth, and make it more resilient to shocks through his economic 
        policies, known as ``Abenomics'';
Whereas Shinzo Abe championed the concept of ``Womenomics'' to include and 
        elevate more Japanese women in the workforce and to provide a place 
        where ``women could shine'';
Whereas, under Shinzo Abe's leadership, the United States and Japan completed a 
        major update of the United States-Japan bilateral defense guidelines to 
        accelerate security cooperation;
Whereas Shinzo Abe symbolically embraced the accomplishment of United States-
        Japan reconciliation by visiting Pearl Harbor with former President 
        Barack Obama and joined former President Obama in Hiroshima;
Whereas Shinzo Abe became the first head of state to meet then-President-elect 
        Donald Trump in November 2016, and went on to have more conversations 
        with President Trump than any other foreign leader;
Whereas Shinzo Abe received numerous honors and awards over the course of his 
        long and distinguished career, including the Legion of Merit award from 
        the United States in 2020 and Japan's highest honor, the Collar of the 
        Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, which was awarded posthumously; and
Whereas Shinzo Abe leaves behind a legacy of democratic service, sacrifice, and 
        national pride: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns the heinous assassination of former Japanese 
        Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the strongest possible terms;
            (2) extends its deepest sympathy and condolences to the 
        family of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and to all the 
        people of Japan in this moment time of tragedy;
            (3) honors the life and legacy of former Prime Minister 
        Shinzo Abe for his commitment to--
                    (A) strengthening the United States-Japan alliance;
                    (B) safeguarding global peace and security; and
                    (C) advancing a vision for a free and open Indo-
                Pacific region; and
            (4) proclaims that--
                    (A) Shinzo Abe served the people of Japan 
                continually for nearly 40 years with an unwavering love 
                for his country;
                    (B) Shinzo Abe was instrumental in shaping modern 
                Japan and has left a clear mark on Japan's future; and
                    (C) the United States will honor the legacy of 
                Shinzo Abe with a renewed and redoubled commitment to 
                the United States-Japan alliance.
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