Prime Minister Kishida's press conference regarding his visit to the United States of America (2) (Prime Minister's speeches and statements)

[Provisional translation]

(On the impression of the Prime Minister after the conclusion of his speech at a joint meeting of the United States Congress; on the importance and outcome of the Japan-US-Philippines tripartite meeting and the possibility of the summit being held regularly)

I delivered my speech in the hope of conveying a visionary message not only to the United States Congress, but also to the American people and, moreover, to the world, that is, with the international community now at a historic turning point, what kind of world should A that Japan and the United States as global partners leave for the future and for the next generation, and what Japan and the United States must do to do so.

In concrete terms, the international order that the United States has built is now facing new challenges. In my speech, after pointing out that freedom and democracy are under threat throughout the world, I conveyed my view that US leadership remains absolutely necessary, and to that end, Japan is willing to shoulder responsibility alongside the United States. United. As a solid alliance, the Japan-US Alliance is based on enduring friendship, and global partners of this kind will continue to be so in the future. I believe my speech conveyed this along with a concrete vision for such a future. Judging by the reactions to my speech, I feel that I have succeeded in communicating those thoughts to a significant number of members of Congress.

As for the Japan-US-Philippines trilateral framework, it was the first time that a summit was convened between the three of us. To support and strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law, there is a need for multi-layered cooperation among allies and like-minded countries. I believe that Japan, the United States and the Philippines, as maritime nations connected by the same sea, are natural partners. As such, I consider it important that our three nations engage in extensive cooperation.

Our meeting included an exchange of views on regional and international issues, and in addition, we discussed a wide range of areas, including such economic issues as infrastructure, strengthening our supply chains and telecommunications as well as diplomacy and security issues. The result also included a Joint Vision Statement, through which we indicated our overarching direction.

As for whether or not this will become a regular meeting, while nothing has been decided yet, I believe all three leaders shared the view that this tripartite framework is something we want to continue to focus on in the future .

(On whether or not the Prime Minister succeeded in spreading an understanding of the importance of the Japan-US Alliance and investment from Japan; whether or not the Prime Minister is considering attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in July, and whether this topic was raised or not during the Japan-USA bilateral meeting)

During this visit to the United States, what I emphasized was what Japan and the US have achieved and what we have built so far in our bilateral relations through our deep relationship of trust as well as our multi-layered friendly relationship. I also emphasized the fact that Japan and the United States are important global partners in maintaining and strengthening the free and open international order based on the rule of law. In this sense, as an example, last night's State Dinner became a valuable opportunity for me to show that Japan-US relations are indeed supported and strengthened by people in a wide spectrum of fields.

Also, during today's speech to the US Congress, as I said just now, I sent a forward-looking message based on the common values ​​shared by Japan and the United States, and I think I succeeded in communicating that to the Congress, the American. people and, indeed, the larger international community.

As part of that, in terms of our economic relationship, President Biden and I were able to completely see eye to eye regarding Japan being the largest investor in the world to the United States, Japan creating significant employment. and contributing to not only the strengthening of industry, but also the development of local communities, as well as fostering investment flows in both directions, being extremely important to the Japan-US bilateral relationship that drives the global economy. Also, I felt that in the United States a strong common recognition of these points has spread as a common recognition across party lines.

Now I have come to North Carolina, and during the observation tour that I will continue starting tomorrow, I will confirm with my own eyes how much Japanese companies are contributing to the American economy, as I just mentioned, and I also hope to do is a possibility to send a message about it.

Then, regarding your question about the upcoming diplomatic schedule, regarding the NATO summit and the Japan-US-ROK trilateral summit that you mentioned, while nothing has been decided yet, from the position of the global partners that we confirmed during this. Traveling to the United States, I intend to act in response to such diplomatic cases.