McCaul, Meeks, Kim, Bera Request Japanese PM Kishida to Address Congress Upon Visit to DC
Washington, D.C. — Last week, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific Chairwoman Young Kim (R-CA), and Ranking Member Ami Bera (D-CA) sent a letter to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson requesting he formally invite Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to address a joint session of Congress on his next official visit to the United States on or around April 10th.
“The alliance between the United States and Japan encompasses robust democratic, security, economic, technological, and people-to-people ties. In response to the evolving security landscape in the Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Kishida has taken transformative action to bolster Japan’s defense capabilities and modernize our alliance. Japan, which plans to double its annual defense budget by 2027, has stood by the United States in global conflicts, including support to Ukraine and joining our military operations in the Red Sea…Inviting Prime Minister Kishida to address a joint session of Congress will signal congressional support for this critical alliance and help Members of Congress understand its importance to the economic and strategic interests of the United States.”
The full text of the letter can be found here and below.
Mr. Speaker,
We are writing to respectfully request that you extend a formal invitation to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to address a joint session of Congress on his next official visit to the United States on or around April 10th. Such an invitation would underscore the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance as the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
The alliance between the United States and Japan encompasses robust democratic, security, economic, technological, and people-to-people ties. Japan currently stands as the U.S.’s fourth-largest trading partner and is the foremost source of foreign direct investment in the United States. Japan also currently hosts the highest number of active-duty U.S. service members, totaling around 56,000 people.
In response to the evolving security landscape in the Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Kishida has taken transformative action to bolster Japan’s defense capabilities and modernize our alliance. Japan, which plans to double its annual defense budget by 2027, has stood by the United States in global conflicts, including support to Ukraine and joining our military operations in the Red Sea. It has also been a vital ally in securing high-end technology supply chains and pushing back against malign influence and economic coercion as we work to uphold a rules-based global order.
Inviting Prime Minister Kishida to address a joint session of Congress will signal congressional support for this critical alliance and help Members of Congress understand its importance to the economic and strategic interests of the United States.
We respectfully request that, at your earliest convenience, you invite Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to address Congress when he is next in the United States.
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