[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 626 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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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;
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;
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
(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 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;
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
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 Senate--
(1) welcomes Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to the United
States;
(2) reaffirms the strong and long-standing partnership
between the Governments of 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 commitment of the Government of Japan to
defense modernization, including its goal to increase defense
spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2027;
(5) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the
defense of Japan under Article V of the U.S.-Japan Security
Treaty;
(6) reaffirms that the Senkaku Islands fall within the
scope of Article V of the U.S.-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
(ROK), as well as bilateral Japan-ROK 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
Governments of 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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