Japan's Kishida says U.S. not alone in upholding world order
Prime minister tells Congress that now is not the time for self-doubt
WASHINGTON -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told U.S. legislators Thursday that Washington does not have to single-handedly shoulder the responsibility of upholding the international order -- and that Japan is ready to be a "shipmate" in that endeavor.
"I detect an undercurrent of self-doubt among some Americans about what your role in the world should be," the 66-year-old leader said in a speech to a joint session of Congress, which he delivered in English.
"This self-doubt is arising at a time when our world is at history's turning point. The post-Cold War era is already behind us, and we are now at an inflection point that will define the next stage of human history," he said.
The international order that the U.S. worked for generations to build is facing new challenges from those with values and principles very different from the U.S. and Japan, he said, pointing to China, Russia and North Korea.
"I want to address those Americans who feel the loneliness and exhaustion of being the country that has upheld the international order almost single-handedly. I understand it is a heavy burden to carry such hopes on your shoulders," he said.
"The U.S. should not be expected to do it all, unaided and on your own," he said.
"As the United States' closest friend, tomodachi, the people of Japan are with you, side by side, to assure the survival of liberty," the prime minister added.
"On the spaceship called 'Freedom and Democracy,' Japan is proud to be your shipmate. We are on deck, we are on task. And we are ready to do what is necessary," he said to big applause.
"You are not alone. We are with you."
This was the second time a Japanese prime minister has addressed a joint session of Congress, following former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2015. Three other prime ministers have addressed one chamber: Shigeru Yoshida addressed a Senate reception in 1954, Nobusuke Kishi spoke to the Senate in 1957 and Hayato Ikeda to the House of Representatives in 1961.
The first address by a foreign dignitary was by Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette to the House in 1824, according to the Congressional Research Service. Recent Asian speakers include South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in April last year and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi two months later.
Kishida started the speech by introducing his personal history with the U.S.
"Since childhood, I have felt a connection to the United States, perhaps because I spent my first three years of elementary school at PS 20 and PS 13 in Queens, New York," he said.
"We arrived in the fall of 1963, and for several years my family lived like Americans. My father would take the subway to Manhattan where he worked as a trade official. We rooted for the Mets and the Yankees, and ate hot dogs at Coney Island," he said.
"After 60 years, I have a message for the good people of Queens. Thank you for making my family and me feel so welcome. I have never forgotten it," he said. The line could have been a nod to former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who is from Queens.
Kishida gave credit to the U.S. for shaping the international order in the postwar world through economic, diplomatic, military and technological power.
"It championed freedom and democracy. It encouraged the stability and prosperity of nations, including Japan," he said.
But going forward, like-minded countries will together realize a free and open Indo-Pacific, he said, through a "multilayered regional framework where our alliance serves as a force multiplier."
Emma Chanlett-Avery, the director for political-security affairs at the Asia Society Policy Institute who spent 20 years at the Congressional Research Service observing Japan, said Kishida's efforts to pour much more resources into defense and to acquire counterstrike capabilities are a "big leap" considering Japan's deep strains of pacifism.
"Yet there's a fragility surrounding the alliance and that mostly has to do with U.S. leadership," she said. "There's anxiety about the return of President Trump, who was very openly skeptical of the value of these alliances and certainly has a different outlook on the international rules-based order and national institutions. But I don't think it's limited to Trump."
"I spent 20 years looking at the U.S. Congress. There are very deep isolationist strains that are emerging," she added.