Abe to be 1st Japan PM to address US Congress
Washington, March 20: Shinzo Abe is expected to become the first Japanese Prime Minister to address a joint session of the US Congress next month, crowning a visit focused on deepening trade and military ties.
Abe is due to make the speech during a trip to Washington at the end of next month, diplomatic and legislative sources said, with an official announcement expected soon. Few Japanese politicians have ever addressed Congress and none have done so in a coveted joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Japan’s neighbours, which have perennially
Abe’s visit is likely to push forward talks on the partnership — a trade deal bringing together a dozen nations including Australia, the US, Japan, Mexico and Vietnam.
Negotiators hope that by the time Abe arrives US President Barack Obama will have won backing from Congress to close negotiations on the deal.
strained ties with Tokyo given the bitter legacy of World War II and ongoing territorial disputes, were muted in their reaction.
Seoul called on Abe to use the opportunity to express his “sincere repentance” for wartime atrocities, while China’s ministry of foreign affairs merely noted the reports of the invitation.
“If the speech by Prime Minister Abe is made, it should share the view about history held by (Japan’s) previous governments and show sincere repentance for the past,” an official with South Korea’s foreign ministry told journalists.
— PTI