TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio said Monday he will deliver a speech at a joint session of the U.S. Congress on April 11.

The prime minister is scheduled to visit the United States as a state guest starting April 8 and hold a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on April 10.

The trip “will be very meaningful to further deepen close cooperation” between Japan and the United States “and to show the strong Japan-U.S. alliance to the world,” Kishida told a House of Councillors Audit Committee meeting.

Kishida also said his administration will try to establish constructive, stable Japan-China ties through mutual efforts to understand each other at all levels, including the summit level.

The two countries are “major powers that bear a significant responsibility for the region’s peace and stability,” he stressed.

When asked by an opposition lawmaker whether the prime minister intends to visit North Korea to resolve the long-standing issue of Pyongyang’s abductions of Japanese nationals, Kishida only said he will continue to directly promote “high-level” talks to materialize a bilateral summit.

On the domestic front, Kishida denounced harassment among members of the Self-Defense Forces as the act of destroying their mutual trust and shaking the foundation of the SDF.

JIJI Press