[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 154 (Tuesday, September 24, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H7885-H7886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING SENSE OF THE HOUSE ON IMPORTANCE AND VITALITY OF THE UNITED 
         STATES ALLIANCES WITH JAPAN AND THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

  Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 127) expressing the sense of the House 
of Representatives on the importance and vitality of the United States 
alliances with Japan and the Republic of Korea, and our trilateral 
cooperation in the pursuit of shared interests, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 127

       Whereas the governments and the people of the United 
     States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea share comprehensive 
     and dynamic partnerships and personal friendships rooted in 
     shared interests and the common values of freedom, democracy, 
     and free market economies;
       Whereas the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea 
     are all free societies committed to the principles of 
     inclusive democracy, respect for human potential, and the 
     belief that the peaceful spread of these principles will 
     result in a safer and brighter future for all of mankind;
       Whereas the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea 
     are indispensable partners in tackling global challenges and 
     have pledged significant support for efforts to counter 
     violent extremism, combat the proliferation of weapons of 
     mass destruction, prevent piracy, improve global health and 
     energy security, promote human rights, address climate 
     change, contribute to economic development around the world, 
     and assist the victims of conflict and disaster worldwide;
       Whereas the governments and the people of the United 
     States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea all share a 
     commitment to free and open markets, high standards for the 
     free flow of commerce and trade, and the establishment of an 
     inclusive, transparent, and sustainable architecture for 
     regional and global trade and development;
       Whereas the United States-Japan and the United States-
     Republic of Korea alliances are the foundation of regional 
     stability in Asia, including against the threat posed by the 
     regime in Pyongyang;
       Whereas cooperation between and among our nations spans 
     economic, energy, diplomatic, security, and cultural spheres;
       Whereas the United States and Japan established diplomatic 
     relations on March 31, 1854, with the signing of the Treaty 
     of Peace and Amity;
       Whereas the relationship between the peoples of the United 
     States and the Republic of Korea stretches back to Korea's 
     Chosun Dynasty, when the United States and Korea established 
     diplomatic relations under the 1882 Treaty of Peace, Amity, 
     Commerce, and Navigation;
       Whereas 2019 marks the 74th anniversary of the end of World 
     War II, a conflict in which the United States and Japan were 
     enemies, and the strength of the United States-Japan alliance 
     is a testament to the ability of great countries to overcome 
     the past and to work together to create a more secure and 
     prosperous future;
       Whereas the United States-Korea alliance was forged in 
     blood, with United States military casualties during the 
     Korean War of approximately 36,574 killed and more than 
     103,284 wounded, and with Republic of Korea casualties of 
     more than 217,000 soldiers killed, more than 291,000 soldiers 
     missing, and over 1,000,000 civilians killed or missing;
       Whereas, for the past 70 years, the partnership between the 
     United States and Japan has played a vital role, both in Asia 
     and globally, in ensuring peace, stability, and economic 
     development;
       Whereas, approximately 50,000 United States military 
     personnel serve in Japan, along with some of the United 
     States most advanced defense assets, including the 7th Fleet 
     and the USS Ronald Reagan, the only United States aircraft 
     carrier to be homeported outside the United States;
       Whereas, since the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United 
     States and the Republic of Korea, signed in Washington on 
     October 1, 1953, and ratified by the Senate on January 26, 
     1954, United States military personnel have maintained a 
     continuous presence on the Korean Peninsula, and 
     approximately 28,500 United States troops are stationed in 
     the Republic of Korea in 2019;
       Whereas the United States and the Republic of Korea have 
     stood alongside each other in the four major wars the United 
     States has fought outside Korea since World War II--in 
     Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq;
       Whereas Japan is the fourth-largest United States trading 
     partner and together with the United States represents 30 
     percent of global Gross Domestic Product, and Japanese firms 
     have invested $469,000,000,000 in the United States;
       Whereas, the economic relationship between the United 
     States and its sixth-largest trading partner, the Republic of 
     Korea, with which we have a free trade agreement, includes 
     358,000 jobs in the United States that are directly related 
     to exports to the Republic of Korea, and has resulted in more 
     than $40,000,000,000 in investments by Korean firms in the 
     United States;
       Whereas Japan and the Republic of Korea stand as strong 
     partners of the United States in efforts to ensure maritime 
     security and freedom of navigation, commerce, and overflight 
     and to uphold respect for the rule of law and to oppose the 
     use of coercion, intimidation, or force to change the 
     regional or global status quo, including in the maritime 
     domains of the Indo-Pacific, which are among the busiest 
     waterways in the world;
       Whereas the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea 
     are committed to working together towards a world where the 
     Democratic People's Republic of Korea (in this preamble 
     referred to as the ``DPRK'') does not threaten global peace 
     and security with its weapons of mass destruction, missile 
     proliferation, and illicit activities, and where the DPRK 
     respects human rights and its people can live in freedom;
       Whereas section 211 of the North Korea Sanctions and Policy 
     Enhancement Act of 2016 (22 U.S.C. 9231; Public Law 114-122) 
     expresses the sense of Congress that the President ``should 
     seek to strengthen high-level trilateral mechanisms for 
     discussion and coordination of policy toward North Korea 
     between the Government of the United States, the Government 
     of South Korea, and the Government of Japan'';
       Whereas the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (Public 
     Law 115-409) underscores the importance of trilateral defense 
     cooperation and enforcement of multilateral sanctions against 
     North Korea and calls for regular consultation with Congress 
     on the status of such efforts;
       Whereas the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea 
     have made great strides in promoting trilateral cooperation 
     and defense partnership, including ministerial meetings, 
     information sharing, and cooperation on ballistic missile 
     defense exercises to counter North Korean provocations;
       Whereas the United States views the General Security of 
     Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) between the Republic 
     of Korea and Japan as important to United States security 
     interests in the region, and trilateral information sharing 
     as a critical aspect of cooperation between our allies;
       Whereas Japanese Americans and Korean Americans have made 
     invaluable contributions to the security, prosperity, and 
     diversity of our Nation, including service as our elected 
     representatives in the Senate and in the House of 
     Representatives; and
       Whereas the United States Government looks forward to 
     continuing to deepen our enduring partnerships with Japan and 
     the Republic of Korea on economic, security, and cultural 
     issues, as well as embracing new opportunities for bilateral 
     and trilateral partnerships and cooperation on emerging 
     regional and global challenges: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives reaffirms the 
     importance of--
       (1) the vital role of the alliances between the United 
     States and Japan and the United States and the Republic of 
     Korea in promoting peace, stability, and security in the 
     Indo-Pacific region, including through United States extended 
     deterrence, and reaffirms the commitment of the United States 
     to defend Japan, including all areas under the administration 
     of Japan, under Article V of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation 
     and Security Between the United States of America

[[Page H7886]]

     and Japan, and to defend the Republic of Korea under Article 
     III of the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States 
     and the Republic of Korea;
       (2) a constructive and forward-looking relationship between 
     Japan and the Republic of Korea for United States diplomatic, 
     economic, and security interests and for open and inclusive 
     architecture to support the development of a secure, stable, 
     and prosperous Indo-Pacific region;
       (3) strengthening and broadening diplomatic, economic, 
     security, and people-to-people ties between and among the 
     United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea;
       (4) developing and implementing a strategy to deepen the 
     trilateral diplomatic and security cooperation between the 
     United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, including 
     through diplomatic engagement, regional development, energy 
     security, scientific and health partnerships, educational and 
     cultural exchanges, missile defense, intelligence-sharing, 
     space, cyber, and other diplomatic and defense-related 
     initiatives;
       (5) trilateral cooperation with members of the United 
     Nations Security Council and other Member States to fully and 
     effectively enforce sanctions against the Democratic People's 
     Republic of Korea (in this resolution referred to as the 
     ``DPRK'') and evaluate additional and meaningful new measures 
     toward the DPRK under Article 41 of the United Nations 
     Charter;
       (6) trilateral cooperation to support and uphold a rules-
     based trade and economic order in the Indo-Pacific region, 
     including the empowerment of women, which is vital for the 
     prosperity of all our nations;
       (7) supporting the expansion of academic and cultural 
     exchanges among the three nations, especially efforts to 
     encourage Japanese and Korean students to study at 
     universities in the United States, and vice versa, to deepen 
     people-to-people ties; and
       (8) continued cooperation among the governments of the 
     United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea to promote 
     human rights.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Levin) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 127.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure, and I want to start 
by thanking Chairman Engel for his leadership in bringing this measure 
forward today and Mr. McCaul, Mr. Sherman, and Mr. Yoho for their 
partnership in demonstrating this is a bipartisan effort aimed at 
strengthening the trilateral ties among the United States, Japan, and 
the Republic of Korea.
  For many years now, our three countries have worked hard to lay the 
foundation for enduring regional security in Northeast Asia. We have 
found common ground in many areas: promoting a rules-based economic 
order in Asia, defending against aggression from North Korea, and 
ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight, to name a few.
  Recently, however, there has been an alarming deterioration of 
relations between Seoul and Tokyo. Of particular concern to U.S. 
interests has been the decision to end the 2015 agreement, an agreement 
the U.S. worked closely with Seoul and Tokyo to reach, as well as the 
politicization of bilateral trade disputes. There is no question that 
we need to get this relationship back on track.
  The United States, Japan, and Korea have nothing to gain from the 
current trajectory, but we all have a lot to lose. American businesses 
lose out when tense trade relations create uncertainty about markets 
and supply chains. American security is undermined when one of our 
greatest assets, our alliances, are weakened. And, of course, those who 
want to see the rules-based order in Asia topple benefit from all of 
this.
  This resolution calls on the United States, Japan, and the Republic 
of Korea to strengthen our trilateral cooperation in areas critical to 
all of us and to safeguard and strengthen our longstanding diplomatic, 
economic, security, and people-to-people ties.
  This is a good measure that I am pleased to support, and I urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, which 
Chairman Engel and I introduced earlier this year.
  The U.S. alliances with Japan and South Korea remain critical to U.S. 
national security interests in the Indo-Pacific and around the world. 
The trilateral cooperation we share with both of these allies is 
essential now more than ever, as we face China's aggressive expansion 
with its Belt and Road policy and North Korea's continued nuclear 
belligerence.
  But the relationship between South Korea and Japan continues to be 
burdened by historical grievances surrounding imperial Japan's conduct 
both before and during World War II.
  These tensions have flared up since late 2018, developing into an 
export control dispute and, more recently, affecting our security 
cooperation.
  For instance, last month, South Korea announced that it will withdraw 
from the General Security of Military Information Agreement with Japan. 
This key intelligence-sharing pact is essential to our joint responses 
to North Korean missile launches and other fast-developing military 
crises. South Korea's withdrawal will take effect in November, so it is 
essential that this confrontation between the two important U.S. allies 
be resolved as soon as possible.
  Chairman Engel's resolution is a timely reminder of the U.S. 
relationship with both of these critical security partners and the 
enduring importance of our trilateral cooperation.
  In addition, Mr. Speaker, Japan has now banned certain products to be 
exported to South Korea that are used by South Korea and Samsung, which 
is in my district. They are the largest foreign investment in the 
United States. Samsung will be hamstrung in its ability to create 
semiconductor chips and bring them to the United States and its 
facility out in Austin, Texas, in my district.
  For all these reasons, and national security reasons, most 
importantly, I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume for the purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution offers a positive vision for our 
trilateral relationship. Its passage today reaffirms the importance of 
our countries' cooperation on critical economic and security issues and 
calls on Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington, collectively, to develop a 
strategy to reverse the current trajectory and to work together to 
build stronger ties.
  It is a good resolution, and I urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 127, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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