US has 'indispensable' role in world affairs, Japan PM Kishida tells Congress

WASHINGTON: Ukraine risks collapsing under Russia's onslaught without US support, a disaster that could embolden China and spark a new crisis in East Asia, Japan's prime minister told US lawmakers on Thursday (Apr 11).

In the first speech to a joint meeting of the US Congress by a Japanese leader in nine years, Fumio Kishida urged Americans not to doubt its "indispensable" role in world affairs and said Tokyo was undertaking historic military upgrades to support its ally.

President Joe Biden's request for US$60 billion in aid for Ukraine has been stalled for weeks as Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to allow a vote on an issue that has sowed division ahead of a Nov 5 presidential election.

"I want to address those Americans who feel the loneliness and exhaustion of being the country that has upheld the international order," Kishida said.

"The leadership of the United States is indispensable. Without US support, how long before the hopes of Ukraine would collapse under the onslaught from Moscow? Without the presence of the United States, how long before the Indo-Pacific would face even harsher realities?"

Addresses to joint meetings of the US Senate and House of Representatives are generally reserved for the closest US allies or major world figures, typically taking place no more than once or twice a year. The last was by Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Jul 19, 2023.

Kishida is only the second Japanese prime minister ever to address a joint meeting, after Shinzo Abe on Apr 29, 2015.

His remarks were interrupted several times by standing ovations, especially as he recounted the years of his childhood spent in New York.

Kishida said the world was at a "historic turning point," with freedom and democracy under threat, emerging countries holding more economic power and climate change and rapid advances in artificial intelligence disrupting people's lives.

CHINA "UNPRECEDENTED" CHALLENGE

He also warned about North Korea's nuclear programme and exports of missiles supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. But the biggest challenge the world faces comes from China, he said.

"China's current external stance and military actions present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge, not only to the peace and security of Japan but to the peace and stability of the international community at large," he said. "Ukraine of today may be East Asia of tomorrow."

Japan has consistently raised concerns about Chinese military activity close to its islands and neighbouring Taiwan.

Taiwan, claimed by China as its territory, has raised its alert level since Russia invaded Ukraine, wary of the possibility Beijing might make a similar move on the island, though it has reported no signs this is about to happen.

"While such a challenge from China continues, our commitment to upholding a free and open international order based on the rule of law, as well as peace, will continue to be the defining agenda going forward."

To stress the importance of Taiwan, Republican Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, brought Taiwan's Representative to the United States, Alexander Yui, as his guest for Kishida's speech.

China's state-run Global Times newspaper said in an editorial this week that Japan and the US were taking a leading role in efforts to "contain and suppress China."

Despite deep-rooted reservations in Japan about its militaristic past, Kishida said the country was embarking on a major shift in its defence posture to support US efforts to ward off current threats.

"Japan has changed over the years. We have transformed ourselves from a reticent ally, recovering from the devastation of World War Two to a strong, committed ally, looking outward to the world," he said.

Japan's pacifist constitution, adopted after its defeat in World War Two, prohibits it from waging war or maintaining the means to do so. But successive administrations have chipped away at the constitutional restraint, and plans unveiled at the end of 2022 to significantly beef up the military may see Japan become the world's third biggest military spender in coming years.

Kishida and Biden on Wednesday unveiled plans for military cooperation and projects ranging from missiles to moon landings, strengthening their alliance with an eye on countering China and Russia.

"On the spaceship called "Freedom and Democracy," Japan is proud to be your shipmate. We are on deck, we are on task. And we are ready to do what is necessary," Kishida said.