Kishida Says ‘World Needs US,’ Warning Congress of Global Risks

Yoshiaki Nohara and Isabel Reynolds
·4 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the world needs the US to maintain its key role on the global stage, warning that Ukraine would lose hope and much of Asia would face “harsher realities” without American support.

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In an address to Congress on Thursday, the Japanese leader said he sensed “self-doubt” in the US over its involvement abroad. He pledged that his country will take a more proactive role as a US ally to counter growing threats posed by the likes of China, Russia and North Korea.

“The world needs the US to continue playing this pivotal role in the affairs of nations,” Kishida said. China’s actions present an unprecedented challenge “to the peace and stability of the international community at large,” he added.

Although most members rose to applaud Kishida’s remarks championing a free and open Indo-Pacific, a number of conservative Republicans sat out his calls for support of Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

Kishida is on an official visit in the US this week to underscore the importance of keeping a strong partnership between the two countries. Allies are concerned that the possible return of former President Donald Trump to the White House after elections in November could call the alliance into question.

The speech marked the first time a Japanese premier has addressed Congress since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe traveled to Capitol Hill in 2015. Kishida reminisced about his time living in New York as a child, eating hot dogs at Coney Island and watching “The Flintstones” cartoons.

Kishida spoke about the “loneliness and exhaustion” for the US of securing the global order single-handedly, and said democracies around the world should step up efforts to safeguard common values.

He outlined Japan’s moves to boost defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product by 2027, and take part in wider security frameworks with countries such as South Korea, Australia and the Philippines, as well as the Group of Seven nations.

Kishida and President Joe Biden unveiled a list of initiatives Wednesday to deepen their military cooperation as they jointly condemned China’s “dangerous and escalatory” actions in the region. They will look to collaborate more closely on defense procurement, while the US, Britain and Australia are considering working with Japan through their Aukus security pact.

Later on Thursday, Biden and Kishida were scheduled to hold a three-nation summit at the White House with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to discuss advancing three-way cooperation in strategic areas including security, emerging technologies and supply chains.

“Japan has changed over the years,” Kishida said. “We have transformed ourselves from a reticent ally, recovering from the devastation of World War II, to a strong, committed ally looking outward to the world.”

Foreign Investment

Kishida also highlighted Japan’s role as the biggest foreign investor in the US, saying Japanese companies have invested about $800 billion and created roughly 1 million jobs, half of them in manufacturing. This comes amid differences over Nippon Steel Corp.’s plan to take over United States Steel Corp., which both Trump and Biden have publicly opposed.

Rob Jones, 53, a United Steelworker from Pennsylvania, was among those in the audience for Kishida’s speech as a guest of Chris Deluzio, a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania who opposes the deal.

Jones also wants the deal blocked and for US Steel to remain domestically owned, although he allowed that the sale could possibly work if there are worker guarantees.

“If Nippon were to put some guarantees on the table, then it might work. I’m not saying it wouldn’t work, I’m just saying it might work,” Jones, 53, said. “But you still have that issue of being owned domestically. That’s a big issue for me, that’s how I feel, I think it should stay domestically owned.”

Still, as Japan’s long-running territorial dispute with China simmers and nuclear-armed North Korea develops increasingly advanced missile technology, Kishida kept his focus on security and US partnership.

“Without US support, how long before the hopes of Ukraine would collapse under the onslaught from Moscow?” he said. “Without the presence of the US, how long before the Indo-Pacific would face even harsher realities?”

--With assistance from Yuki Hagiwara, Josh Wingrove, Christian Hall and Erik Wasson.

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