Highlighting JAPAN

Prime Minister Abe Attends the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly/Japan-U.S. Summit Meeting

Mr. Abe Shinzo, Prime Minister of Japan, visited New York from September 23 to September 26, 2019, for the seventh year in succession to attend the 74th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

In his address to the General Debate of the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Abe mentioned the international events that Japan is hosting this year and next year, including the G20 Summit, TICAD7, the Kyoto Congress (the 14th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice) and the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, etc., and stated the importance of the contributions of Japan in the fields of education and women, regional situations including the North Korea and Middle East situations, and using multilateral frameworks to address inequalities.

Also On September 25, the Japan-U.S. Summit Meeting was held between Prime Minister Abe, and the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America.

The leaders reaffirmed the recognition that the Japan-U.S. Alliance is stronger than ever before as it marks their fifth Summit Meeting this year alone, including the visit to Japan by President Trump and Mrs. Trump as the first State Guests in the era of Reiwa in this May, this year alone, and shared the view on continuing to further strengthen the unwavering Japan-U.S. Alliance.

Regarding the Japan-U.S. trade negotiations, the two leaders confirmed that the both sides reached final agreement on the Japan-United States Trade Agreement and the Japan-United States Digital Trade Agreement, and is issued the Joint Statement.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Abe explained to President Trump that investment by Japanese companies in the United States has been contributing to the expansion of U.S. employment, including the facts that since the inauguration of the Trump Administration, investment of a cumulative total of 25.7 billion dollars in the U.S. has been announced, that over 50,000 jobs have been created, and that Japan has become the largest investor in the U.S. In response, President Trump expressed his great appreciation.

Moreover, the leaders exchanged views on the situation on North Korea, including issues of concern such as the abductions, nuclear, and missiles issues, and confirmed that Japan and the United States, as well as Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea would continue to closely cooperate on these issues.

The leaders shared the view that Japan and the United States would continue to cooperate toward easing tensions and stabilizing the situation in the Middle East.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Abe said that the previous day he had called on President Rouhani to ensure that Iran exercised self-restraint to ease the situation and to ensure that Iran exercised its influence constructively. Prime Minister Abe also said that he intended to work closely with the United States to bring about peace and stability in the Middle East.