Japan chief offers ‘ condolences’
Primeminister urges lawmakers to pass trade deal
WASHINGTON — In a historic speech to Congress, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe celebrated the evolution of ties with the United States since his nation’s defeat in World War II and urged lawmakers to seal a groundbreaking AsiaPacific trade deal.
Abe’s address to a joint meeting of Congress was the first by a Japanese head of state.
He offered “eternal condolences” for American lives lost in World War II and underscored what he called his country’s aim to make a “proactive contribution to peace.”
Before the address, he laid a wreath at the National World War II Memorial on Washington’s National Mall.
Japan
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“resolved
to Protesters gather Wednesday on Capitol Hill inWashington, D. C., after Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed a session of Congress earlier in the day. take yet more responsibility for the peace and stability in the world,” Abe said. “Let the two of us, America and Japan join our hands and do our best to make the world a better, a much better place to live“
Abe’s congressional address was the highlight of his week- long visit to the United States, aimed at showcasing the world’s third- largest economy as a close ally willing and able to help advance American economic and strategic goals in Asia and beyond. He depicted the 12- nation trade pact, known as the trans- Pacific Partnership, as a keystone of the relationship.
Defying protesters outside the Capitol, Abe offered no new apology to women from Korea and other nations forced into prostitution by the Japanese Imperial Army in the early 20th century. He instead expressed “deep remorse” for unspecified suffering caused by his nation’s wartime actions, for which the Japanese “must not avert our eyes.”
Abe, 60, said that Japan’s war- era military “brought suffering to the peoples in Asian countries,” and that he “will uphold the views expressed by the previous prime ministers in this regard.”
The speech was Abe’s opportunity to pitch reluctant lawmakers on the AsiaPacific trade deal.
Hesaid Japan had undertaken “sweeping reforms” of its agriculture sector, to address U. S. concern about the industry’s decades- long reluctance to open its markets. He invited Congress to visit the “New Japan” and witness changes made to “old habits.”
“Japan’s agriculture is at a crossroads,” he said. “In order for it to survive, it has to change now.”