[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 8 (Monday, February 25, 2002)]
[Pages 257-260]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the Diet in Tokyo

February 19, 2002

    Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Prime Ministers, distinguished members 
of the Diet, Ambassador and Mrs. Baker, Secretary Colin Powell and the 
American delegation, Japanese delegation, distinguished representatives 
of the great people of Japan: Laura and I are honored to be here. And 
thank you so very much for your invitation, and thank you

[[Page 258]]

very much for the generous reception. Thank you so very much for the 
kind and generous reception that we have been shown by the Japanese 
people.
    We look forward to the great honor of meeting Their Imperial 
Majesties, the Emperor and Empress, later on today. And we bring to you 
the respect and good wishes of the American people.
    A century ago, our two countries were beginning to learn from and 
about one another after a long period of suspicion and mistrust. The 
great Japanese scholar and statesman Inazo Nitobe, a man who understood 
both our peoples, envisioned a future of friendship as he wrote, ``I 
want to become a bridge across the Pacific.'' That bridge has been 
built, not by one man but by millions of Americans and Japanese.
    My trip to Asia begins here in Japan for an important reason. It 
begins here because for a century and a half now, America and Japan have 
formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times. From 
that alliance has come an era of peace in the Pacific. And in that 
peace, the world has witnessed the broad advance of prosperity and 
democracy throughout east Asia.
    From its very birth, our alliance has been based on common 
interests, common responsibilities, and common values. The bonds of 
friendship and trust between our two people were never more evident than 
in the days and months after September the 11th. We were grateful, so 
very grateful, for the condolences and compassion of the Japanese people 
and the Japanese Government. We were especially touched--especially 
touched that the people of Ehime Prefecture sent a donation to the 
families of victims, showing empathy for loss, even when their own loss 
was so recent. This is a gesture of friendship my Nation will never 
forget.
    Last fall in Shanghai, the Prime Minister gave me a special gift, a 
samurai arrow in a box in which the Prime Minister had written, ``The 
arrow to defeat the evil and bring peace to the Earth.'' He also said, 
``This is a fight we have to win to ensure the survival of freedom.''
    I assured him then, and I assure you today, freedom will prevail. 
Civilization and terrorism cannot coexist, and by defeating terror, we 
will defend the peace of the world.
    Japan and America are working to find and disrupt terrorist cells. 
Your diplomats helped build a worldwide coalition to defend freedom. 
Your Self-Defense Forces are providing important logistical support, and 
your generosity is helping to rebuild a liberated Afghanistan.
    Your response to the terrorist threat has demonstrated the strength 
of our alliance and the indispensable role of Japan that is global, and 
that begins in Asia. The success of this region is essential to the 
entire world, and I'm convinced the 21st century will be the Pacific 
century.
    Japan and America share a vision for the future of the Asia-Pacific 
region as a fellowship of free Pacific nations. We seek a peaceful 
region where no power or coalition of powers endangers the security or 
freedom of other nations, where military force is not used to resolve 
political disputes. We seek a peaceful region where the proliferation of 
missiles and weapons of mass destruction do not threaten humanity. We 
seek a region with strong institutions of economic and political 
cooperation that is open to trade and investment on a global scale, a 
region in which people and capital and information can move freely, 
breaking down barriers and creating bonds of progress, ties of culture, 
and momentum toward democracy. We seek a region in which demilitarized 
zones and missile batteries no longer separate people with a common 
heritage and a common future.
    Realizing this vision, a fellowship of free Pacific nations, will 
require Japan and America to work more closely together than ever 
before. Our responsibilities are clear. Fortunately, our alliance has 
never been stronger.
    America, like Japan, is a Pacific nation, drawn by trade and values 
and history to be a part of Asia's future. We stand more committed than 
ever to a forward presence in this region. We will continue to show 
American power and purpose in support of the Philippines, Australia, and 
Thailand. We will deter aggression against the Republic of Korea. 
Together, Japan and the United States will strengthen our ties of 
security. America will remember our commitments to the people on Taiwan. 
And to help protect

[[Page 259]]

the people of this region and our friends and allies in every region, we 
will press on with an effective program of missile defenses.
    In a few days, I'll visit China. America, like Japan, welcomes a 
China that is stable and prosperous and at peace with its neighbors. 
We're grateful for China's cooperation in the war against terror. We 
both supported China's entry into the World Trade Organization. And we 
will work with China in the great task of building a prosperous and 
stable Asia for our children and for our grandchildren.
    In the United States, China will find a partner in trade. China will 
find the respect it deserves as a great nation. And America will find--
and China will find that America speaks for the universal values that 
gave our Nation birth, the rule of law, the freedom of conscience and 
religion, and the rights and dignity of every life. Those are the values 
of my country, and those are the values of our alliance.
    America and Japan have joined to oppose danger and aggression. We 
have also joined to bring aid and hope to those who struggle throughout 
the developing world. We are the world's two largest economies and the 
two most generous contributors of economic and humanitarian aid. Japan's 
commitment to development is known and honored throughout the world. So 
is Japan's leading role in great international institutions, the United 
Nations, the World Bank, and the G-8, among others.
    The challenges of development are often deep and difficult, 
persistent poverty, widespread illiteracy, terrible disease. Money is 
necessary. Yet money alone will not solve these problems. Lasting help 
will come as we help to rebuild honest government and effective law 
enforcement, quality schools and quality hospitals and growing 
economies. Progress will require a long-term commitment, and we both 
must provide it.
    In the months ahead, our nations will take part in two world summits 
focused on development. Japan and the United States should work to 
expand our partnerships with the private sectors, to reform 
international financial institutions, to improve access to education for 
boys and girls in Asia and Africa and in the Middle East. In all our 
efforts we must put resources where they do the most good, with the 
people and the communities we are trying to help.
    Our two countries have unique strengths and a unique opportunity to 
combine them for the benefit of the world. In science, we're exploring 
new technologies to produce energy while protecting the environment. In 
medicine, we're exploring the human genome and nearing treatments and 
cures to extend lives and relieve suffering.
    Japan is making these great contributions even in a time of economic 
uncertainty and transition that has caused some to question whether your 
nation can maintain these commitments and your leadership in the world. 
I have no such questions, and I'm confident that Japan's greatest era 
lies ahead.
    Japan has some of the most competitive corporations and some of the 
most educated and motivated workers in the world. And Japan, thanks to 
my friend the Prime Minister, is on the path to reform. I value my 
relationship with the Prime Minister. He is a leader who embodies the 
energy and determination of his country. He and I have had very good 
visits. I trust him. I enjoy his sense of humor. [Laughter] I consider 
him a close friend. He reminds me of a new American star, Ichiro. 
[Laughter] The Prime Minister can hit anything you throw at him. 
[Laughter]
    Over the years we Americans have seen our share of economic 
challenges. In the late seventies and early eighties, our 
competitiveness was weak; our banks were in trouble; high taxes and 
needless regulation discouraged risktaking and strangled innovation. 
America overcame these difficulties by reducing taxes and by reducing 
regulations. We moved nonperforming loans to market, making way for new 
investment. As we made reforms, foreign investors regained faith in us, 
especially investors from Japan.
    We learned that, in times of crisis and stagnation, it is better to 
move forward boldly with reform and restructuring than to wait, hoping 
that old practices will somehow work again. Through bold action, we 
emerged a better and stronger economy, and so will you.
    Over the past few years, Americans have increased our investments in 
Japan, further binding our nations and showing confidence

[[Page 260]]

in your future. Japan has a proud history of moving forward, not through 
revolutions but through restorations.

    One of the heroes of the Meiji Restoration, Yukichi Fukuzawa, was a 
student of the economic ideas that transformed the Western world. He saw 
these ideas spark prosperity and lift millions out of poverty, and he 
sought to introduce them to his people. As he translated an influential 
economics textbook into Japanese, he came across an English word with no 
Japanese equivalent, ``competition''. So he coined a new word, 
``kyoso,'' and forever enriched the Japanese language.

    But kyoso is more than just a word. It is a spirit and an ethic. It 
is an engine that drives innovation and unleashes the potential of free 
people. More than a century ago, competition helped propel Japanese 
economy into the modern era. A half-century ago, it accelerated the 
Japanese postwar economic miracle admired by the world. Now Japan has 
embarked on a new restoration, a restoration of prosperity and economic 
growth through fundamental reform and the full embrace of competition.

    In all the work that lies ahead, in the defense of freedom, in the 
advance of development, in the work of reform, you'll have a firm ally 
in the American Government, and you'll have a constant friend in the 
American people.

    Thank you very much.
  

Note: The President spoke at 10:35 a.m. in the Chamber of the House of 
Councillors. In his remarks, he referred to Tamisuke Watanuki, Speaker, 
House of Representatives; Yutaka Inoue, President, House of Councillors; 
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; U.S. Ambassador to Japan 
Howard H. Baker, Jr., and his wife, former Senator Nancy Kassebaum 
Baker; Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan; and Ichiro Suzuki, 
right fielder, Seattle Mariners.