[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 132 (Wednesday, November 17, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S11426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND JAPAN ON SOCIAL 
                            SECURITY--PM 96

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report; which was referred to the Committee on Finance:

To the Congress of the United States:
  Pursuant to section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act, as amended 
by the Social Security Amendments of 1977 (Public Law 95-216, 42 U.S.C. 
433 (e)(1)), I transmit herewith the Agreement between the United 
States of America and Japan on Social Security, which consists of two 
separate instruments: a principal agreement and an administrative 
arrangement. The Agreement was signed at Washington on February 19, 
2004.
  The United States-Japan Agreement is similar in objective to the 
social security agreements already in force with Australia, Austria, 
Belgium, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, 
Italy, Korea, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, 
Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Such bilateral agreements 
provide for limited coordination between the United States and foreign 
social security systems to eliminate dual social security coverage and 
taxation, and to help prevent the lost benefit protection that can 
occur when workers divide their careers between two countries. The 
United States-Japan Agreement contains all provisions mandated by 
section 233 and other provisions which I deem appropriate to carry out 
the purposes of section 233, pursuant to section 233(c)(4).
  I also transmit for the information of the Congress a report prepared 
by the Social Security Administration explaining the key points of the 
Agreement, along with a paragraph-by-paragraph explanation of the 
provisions of the principal agreement and the related administrative 
arrangement. Annexed to this report is the report required by section 
233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act, a report on the effect of the 
Agreement on income and expenditures of the United States Social 
Security program and the number of individuals affected by the 
Agreement.
  The Department of State and the Social Security Administration have 
recommended the Agreement and related documents to me.
  I commend to the Congress the United States-Japan Social Security 
Agreement and related documents.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, November 17, 2004.

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