Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida headed to Capitol Hill on Thursday for an address to US lawmakers meant to underscore the importance of keeping a strong partnership between the two countries at a time of tension in the Asia-Pacific and skepticism in Congress about US involvement abroad.
Kishida is in Washington this week visiting President Joe Biden as the White House completes hosting each leader of the Quad an informal partnership between the US, Japan, Australia and India that is seen as important to countering China’s growing military strength in the region. Kishida is highlighting the importance of the US commitment to global security and offering reassurances that Japan is a strong partner.
He is addressing many Republicans who have pushed for the US to take a less active role in global affairs as they follow the America First” ethos of Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
The Republican-controlled House has sat for months on a USD 95 billion package that would send wartime funding to Ukraine and Israel, as well as aid to allies in the Indo-Pacific like Taiwan and humanitarian help to civilians in Gaza and Ukraine. While the package does not include any direct funding for Japan, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said earlier this week that he hoped Kishida’s visit would underscore that we’re in a worldwide situation here against the enemies of democracy led by China, Russia and Iran.
Japan has taken a strong role in supporting Ukraine’s defense against Moscow as well as helping humanitarian aid get to Gaza. It is also seen as a key US partner in a fraught region where China is asserting its strength and North Korea is developing a nuclear program. Japan is a close ally critical to both our national and economic security, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a statement. “This visit will continue to deepen the diplomatic and security relationship between our two countries and build on the strength of decades of cooperation.
Kishida was also attending a US-Japan-Philippines summit on Thursday in another effort to bolster regional cooperation in the face of China’s aggression. The United Kingdom also announced Thursday that it would hold joint military exercises with Japan and the US in the Indo-Pacific next year. In Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson has held up the foreign security package since its Senate passage in February but is now working to advance it in the coming weeks. It will be a difficult task to navigate the deep divides on support for Kyiv among Republicans. Making matters worse for the Republican speaker, he is already facing the threat of being ousted from the speaker’s office.
Kishida, who was elected in 2021, arrived in Washington while facing political problems of his own in Japan. Polls show his support has plunged as he deals with a political funds corruption scandal within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The nation’s economy has also slipped to the world’s fourth-largest last year, falling behind Germany. This is the first time a Japanese prime minister addresses Congress since Shinzo Abe traveled to Capitol Hill in 2015. Kishida is the sixth foreign leader to address Congress during Biden’s presidency.
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