[Title] Press Conference by Prime Minister Kishida regarding His Visit to the United States of America

(On the Prime Minister's aims and eagerness regarding the first official visit to the United States of America by a Japanese prime minister in nine years; on how the Prime Minister will reinforce bilateral relations through the Japan-U.S. summit meeting and what the Prime Minister will make an appeal for during his address to the U.S. Congress; and on the significance and aims of the first-ever Japan-U.S.-Philippines trilateral summit meeting)

First, I will be making an official visit to the United States in response to the invitation by President Biden. With the international community now facing complex and diverse challenges and the security environment around Japan turning increasingly severe, I feel the Japan-U.S. Alliance is becoming all the more imperative.

During this visit, the first official visit to the United States by a Japanese prime minister in nine years, I intend to reaffirm first of all that Japan and the U.S. are global partners, that we will together take the lead on various issues facing the international community, and that, as we work to accomplish this, Japan-U.S. relations have become even more rock-solid. I also consider this an extremely valuable opportunity to communicate these points to the world.

As for my address to the U.S. Congress, now, with the international community approaching a historic turning point, I intend to deliver an address firmly focused on the future, namely, what kind of international community and what sort of future should Japan and the United States aim to bring about, and what must Japan and the U.S. do in order to make those a reality? I wish to take this as an opportunity to send out a clear message to the U.S. Congress, the American people, and, indeed, the entire world regarding such matters as these, based on the various experiences and knowledge I have gained regarding diplomacy.

With regard to the trilateral summit to be held among Japan, the U.S., and the Philippines, I regard partnership among our three nations as critically important in reality in terms of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, and furthermore, in defending the free and open international order based on the rule of law. This will be the first time for us to hold a Japan-U.S.-Philippines trilateral summit meeting, and, in the sense I just mentioned, reaffirming the partnership among our three countries is extremely important, in my view.

Those are my thoughts with regard to your questions. And, alongside all that, I will also pay a visit to North Carolina during this trip. North Carolina is an area where Japanese companies are making large-scale investments. I hope that by meeting with people related to Japanese-affiliated companies, people studying Japanese, and so on, I will have the opportunity to show that Japan-U.S. relations are underpinned by this broad array of fields and that our relations enjoy a wide-reaching base which also includes local areas rather than only the central government.