    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [April 18, 1996]
    [Pages 595-598]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the Diet in Tokyo
    April 18, 1996

        Madam Speaker, Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, ladies and
    gentlemen: Here in this great hall of democracy, on behalf of all of our
    American delegation, including my wife, the Secretary of State, the
    Secretary of Commerce, and all other Americans here, let me begin by
    thanking the people of Japan, the Government of Japan, and of course,
    the Emperor and Empress for the remarkable hospitality we have been
    accorded in our visit here. And let me thank you for giving me a chance
    to address the representatives of the people of Japan and, through you,
    all the Japanese people, perhaps especially your young people.
        I'd also like to thank Madam Speaker for mentioning the
    distinguished Americans who were also born in my home State, General
    MacArthur and Senator Fulbright. I thank you for applauding the mention
    of Senator Fulbright's name. He not only helped many Japanese to get an
    education, but he also gave me a job so that I could complete my
    university education. So therefore, in a very real sense, I would not be
    here today if it were not for him.
        One hundred and thirty-six years ago, Japan sent its very first
    diplomatic delegation to the United States of America. It was a
    remarkable year for our country. Abraham Lincoln was nominated by his
    party to become President, and he subsequently became the first
    President of his party and, many of us believe, the greatest American
    President.
        It was a long time ago, 8 years before the beginning of your Meiji
    Restoration. But some things don't change very much. In his diary of
    that experience, one of your envoys to the United States described his
    visit to our Congress, and here's what he said: ``We were shown to a
    large hall where affairs of state were being discussed. One of the
    Members was on his feet, screaming at the top of his voice and
    gesticulating wildly like a madman. When he sat down, his example was
    followed by another and yet another. Upon our inquiring what this was
    all about, we were informed that all the affairs of state were publicly
    discussed in this way.'' Well, today I hope I can show you at least that
    we Americans have made some improvement in the way we discuss affairs of
    state. [Laughter]
        It seems impossible to believe that it was just 50 years ago that
    the United States and Japan began to forge what is perhaps the modern
    world's most remarkable partnership for peace, prosperity, and progress.
    Today, we celebrate the results. Japan has built one of the greatest
    success stories the world has ever known. You turned a closed society
    into an open, thriving democracy. You transformed economic devastation
    into powerful growth and opportunity for your people. You enriched the
    lives of millions by harnessing technology for positive change. You have
    set an example for all of Asia and, indeed, for all the world.
        After World War II, a wise generation of Americans reached out a
    hand of reconciliation to support your extraordinary evolution, first
    with a security guarantee that allowed you to focus on rebuilding and
    with aid that helped to lay the foundation of economic growth. Now Japan
    and the United States are full partners,

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    bound together by shared values and a shared vision. All around the
    world, the spread of democracy and the greater prospects for peace and
    prosperity owe much to the work that our two nations are doing together.
        Today I ask you to look with me ahead to the next 50 years of our
    partnership. What will it bring and how shall we build it? As the
    world's two largest economies and two of its strongest democracies,
    Japan and the United States must forge an alliance for the 21st century.
    Working together and leading together, I am confident that we can seize
    the possibilities and meet the challenges of today and tomorrow to bring
    even greater security and prosperity to our own people and to bring the
    blessings of peace and progress to other people all around the world.
        Forging such an alliance will not be easy or automatic. I am well
    aware that there are people in both the United States and Japan who
    believe that because the cold war is over and won and because the United
    States and Japan face challenges at home, we should pull back from the
    world, and we should pull back from each other. But with all respect, I
    believe those views are wrong.
        Think about the world we live in, the revolution in information and
    technology, from laptops to lasers, from microsurgery to megabytes. This
    revolution has lit the landscape of human knowledge and brought all of
    us closer together. Now information and ideas flash across our planet in
    the stroke of a computer key, bringing with them extraordinary
    opportunities to create wealth, to protect the environment, to prevent
    and conquer disease, to foster greater understanding among people of
    diverse cultures.
        But we know, too, that this greater openness and faster change also
    mean that problems that start beyond our borders can quickly penetrate
    our borders: the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the threats of
    organized crime and drug trafficking and terrorism, environmental decay,
    severe economic dislocation. And in open and flexible societies like
    ours, homegrown forces of destruction can take advantage of the freedoms
    that we all cherish. After the sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway and
    the bombing of Oklahoma City, the people of Japan and the people of the
    United States know this all too well.
        No nation can isolate itself from these problems, and no nation can
    solve these problems alone. To meet and seize the opportunities and
    challenges of the 21st century, Japan and the United States must
    continue to be partners. We must join forces, and we must join with
    those who believe as we do.
        Over the next few years we will have ample opportunities to do that.
    Over the past few years, we have made a good beginning. Of course, we
    have had some differences. What two great, complex nations would not
    have differences? The important point is that we have worked through
    them respectfully, patiently, pragmatically. And we have done so much
    together that today we can say with absolute confidence that the
    foundation for cooperation between the United States and Japan is
    stronger than it has ever been.
        The security alliance between our two nations is the cornerstone of
    stability throughout Asia. We have just completed a security review, the
    product of more than a year's hard work and study. The Joint Security
    Declaration that Prime Minister Hashimoto and I signed yesterday
    reaffirms our commitment to keep this alliance strong and to adapt it to
    the challenges of a new era.
        In our declaration, Japan reaffirmed its fundamental commitment to
    the United States-Japan security framework and to supporting modern
    self-defense forces. To guarantee its security and the stability of the
    region, the United States will maintain 100,000 troops in East Asia,
    including a strong presence in Japan at about current levels, with the
    help of your host nation support. And we will more closely coordinate
    our efforts to meet new security challenges, from stopping the spread of
    weapons of mass destruction to strengthening regional and international
    security cooperation, from countering terrorism to promoting peace.
        Recently, the hospitality the Japanese people extend to our troops
    was put to a terrible test in Okinawa. The American people profoundly
    regret the horrible violence done to a young schoolgirl there. Our
    hearts go out to her, to her family and her loved ones, and to the
    entire Okinawan community. We are gratified that justice has been done.
        In the months since this incident, we have worked with the
    Government of Japan to minimize the burden of our military presence on
    the Japanese people. The joint action plan we announced this week calls
    for the consolidation of our bases in Okinawa and a major reduction

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    in inconveniences to the people who live there, like noise and training
    and exercises. These steps will reduce the burden of our bases without
    diminishing our mutual defense capability or our commitment to safeguard
    a Pacific at peace.
        I want to say again how much I appreciate the leadership of the
    Prime Minister and his government and the opportunity the United States
    has been given to do something we probably should have done some time
    ago. I thank you for that.
        Both our nations recognize that peace has its price. But the price
    is much less than the cost of putting peace at risk. Consider what might
    happen if the United States were to withdraw entirely from this region.
    It could spark a costly arms race that could destabilize Northeast Asia.
    It could hinder our ability to work with you to maintain security in a
    part of the world that has suffered enough in the 20th century through
    world war and regional conflicts and that is now in the midst of
    profound change. It could weaken our power to deter states like North
    Korea that may still threaten the peace and to take on urgent problems
    like terrorism, organized crime, and drug trafficking.
        Let me say especially to the young people here in Japan and back
    home in America who will inherit the stewardship of our nations: Some
    people in my country believe our security alliance is basically a favor
    to Japan, and some people in Japan doubtless believe that our security
    alliance is basically a favor to the United States. The truth is, our
    security alliance benefits both our countries, the entire region, and
    the world. So to the young people I say, this alliance is our commitment
    to your freedom and to your future.
        And what an extraordinary future it can be. The economies of the
    Asia-Pacific region are the most dynamic on Earth, already accounting
    for one-quarter of the world's output and growing every day, improving
    the lives of your own people and creating ever-expanding markets for
    others who produce competitive products and services.
        Many of these products and services, of course, are American.
    Already more than 50 percent of America's trade is with the nations of
    the Pacific, sustaining 3 million good American jobs. Business and
    tourism are growing rapidly, and they will continue to do so. And to
    cite just one example of this region's extraordinary potential, in the
    next decade alone, East Asia plans to spend 1 trillion United States
    dollars on infrastructure projects alone.
        My country, with 7 million citizens who trace their roots to Asia
    and five States which border the Pacific Ocean, wants to share in and
    add to this promise. That's why we convened a summit of the leaders of
    the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation nations in Seattle 3 years ago.
    There, aided by the leadership of Japan, we began to give an
    extraordinarily diverse region a common identity and purpose, that of a
    community of nations committed to free trade and investment, to taking
    down barriers that block commerce and building stronger bridges of
    cooperation among our people.
        As the world's economic leaders, Japan and the United States must
    set a good example. And we are, from our common commitment to bring free
    trade to the Asia-Pacific nations to our efforts to improve our own
    economic relationship.
        Three years ago, our nations entered into a framework agreement to
    better structure our economic dialog and open markets here in Japan.
    Since then, we have completed 21 separate trade agreements that are
    making a difference to people on both sides of the Pacific. The sectors
    covered by these agreements, from auto parts to medical supplies, have
    seen their sales to Japan grow by some 85 percent, more than twice as
    fast as exports in other sectors.
        Of course, for the American people, these exports mean more jobs at
    better pay. For the people of Japan, allowing these American goods and
    services to compete for the favor of the Japanese consumer means greater
    choice at lower prices. Your own Keidanren projects that deregulation
    will cut consumer prices to Japanese citizens by 20 percent by the year
    2000. Already, to cite one example, because cellular telephone companies
    can now compete here, there has been a one-third cut in the cost of
    startup and service fees in the Tokyo region.
        Of course, our trading relationship is not entirely free of
    friction. More work will have to be done to fully implement the
    agreements we have reached and to deal with other issues. But the
    important part is that after years of frustration on both sides, for the
    first time we have actually established a way to work through our
    differences and to resolve them.
        Beyond sustaining our security and building a future of open
    markets, there are other responsibilities that Japan and the United
    States have decided to assume because of our position

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    in the world today, responsibilities we have committed to a Common
    Agenda: bringing the blessings of peace, democracy, and rights to
    others; protecting our shared environment; harnessing the power of
    science and technology for the benefit of all. Together, our nations
    have a unique opportunity to help people the world over to learn, to
    change the way they work, indeed, to transform how they live. We must
    seize this opportunity because it is also our responsibility.
        The United States is very grateful that, more and more, Japan is
    taking on the responsibility of leadership that flows from its place as
    a great nation. From peacekeepers in Cambodia to minesweepers in the
    Arabian Gulf, Japan is there. From financial and political support for
    the Middle East peace process to the $500 million reconstruction package
    you have just announced for Bosnia, Japan is there. The people of Bosnia
    and the entire international community are grateful for this
    extraordinary effort on your part. From seeking an end to polio by the
    year 2000 to finding better ways to respond to natural disasters like
    earthquakes, Japan is also there leading the way. From cleaning up the
    environment here on Earth to exploring the heavens above, Japan is
    there. We are all better off for your commitment to this kind of
    leadership.
        Today, to the Japanese people, whose pride in the past is now
    matched by your focus on the future, I say, stay true to that commitment
    to lead. Make it even stronger. We have come so far in the last 50
    years. Think about it: from the waste of war to the wealth of peace;
    from conflict to cooperation and competition; from mistrust to
    partnership.
        Now, I submit to you that our generation has a sacred duty to make
    the next 50 years even better for all of our people. In this time of
    remarkable possibility, I am absolutely confident that we will succeed
    if we continue to lead and work together as allies, as partners, and as
    friends.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:52 a.m. in the Chamber of the House of
    Representatives. In his remarks, he referred to Takako Doi, Speaker,
    House of Representatives, and Juro Saito, President, House of
    Councillors.