The gentleman from Nebraska, Mr. Smith, the gentleman from Arkansas, Mr. Hill, the general woman from Virginia, Miss Higgins, gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Rauser, gentleman from New York, Mr. Jeffries, a gentleman from Massachusetts, Miss Clark, a gentleman from California, Mr. Aguilar, gentleman from California, Mr. Lu, gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Get, gentleman from California, Miss Ms. Matsui, a gentleman from California, Mr. Takano, and the gentleman from Hawaii, Mr. Kuda. The President of the Senate at the direction of that body appoints the following senators as members of the committee on the part of the Senate to escort his excellency, Kishida Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, into the House chamber. The Senator from Illinois, Mr. Durban. The Senator from Washington, Mrs. Murray. The Senator from Minnesota, Ms. Klobuchar. The Senator from West Virginia, Mr. Manchin. The Senator from New Jersey, Mr. Booker. The Senator from Maryland, Mr. Carden. The Senator from Hawaii, Ms. Horono. The Senator from Kentucky, Mr. McConnell. The Senator from South Dakota, Mr. Thune. The Senator from Wyoming, Mr. Barasso. The Senator from West Virginia, Mrs. Capito. The Senator from Iowa, Ms. Ernst. The Senator from Alaska, Ms. Murkowski. The Senator from Idaho, Mr. Rich. And the Senator from Tennessee, Mr. Hackety.
Members of the escort committee have exited the chamber through the lobby doors. Mr. Speaker, the acting dean of the diplomatic corps. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister of Japan. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the President's Cabinet. Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you his excellency, Kushida Fumio, the Prime Minister of Japan.
Mr. Speaker, Madame Vice President, honorable members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you. I never get such nice applause from the Japanese diet. And let me introduce my wife, Yuko, who is in the gallery. The fact that I married Yuko should give you great confidence in all my decisions. I'm truly honored to speak here in this seat of democracy and before you the representatives of the American people. Nine years ago, the late Prime Minister Abe, who was a close friend of mine, stood in this very spot and gave an address titled, Third, an Alliance of Hope. I was falling minister in his cabinet at that time and I was deeply struck to witness the bond between our two countries.
Since childhood, I have felt a connection to the United States, perhaps because I spent my first three years of elementary school at PS20 and PS13 in Queens, New York. In the middle, I was the only Japanese student there. My classmates kindly accepted me and helped me immerse myself in a new culture. We arrived in a fall of 1963 and for several years, my family lived like Americans. My father would take the subway to Mahatthon where he worked as a trade official. We rooted for the men's and the Yankees and eight hot dogs at the Cody Island. On vacation, we would go night agri-folds or here to Washington DC. And I remember things that were strange and funny to a little Japanese boy like watching the French ones. I still miss that show. I could never translate, yeah, but I do. After 60 years, I have a message for the good people of Queens. Thank you for making my family and we feel so welcome. I have never forgotten it.
So I speak to you today as a long and close friend of the United States. I know that the National Park Service is undertaking a rehabilitation project in the title basin. As a gesture of friendship, Japan will provide 250 cherry trees that will be planted there in anticipation of the 2050th anniversary of your independence.
As you might also remember, the 1964 World's Fair was held in Queens. It symbol was a giant unisphere and the fair's theme was peace through understanding. But yet, we also know that peace requires more than understanding. It requires resolve. The U.S. shaped the international order in the post-war world through economic, diplomatic, military and technological power. It championed freedom and democracy. It encouraged the stability and prosperity of nations, including Japan. And when necessary, it made noble sacrifices to fulfill its commitment to a better world.
The United States policy was based on the premise that humanity does not want to live a press by the authoritarian state where you were tracked and surveilled and denied from expressing what is in your heart and on your mind. You will believe that freedom is the oxygen of humanity. The world leads the United States to continue playing this pivotal role in the affairs of nations.
And yet, as we meet here today, I detect and the current of self-doubt among some Americans about what your role in the world should be. This self-doubt is arising at the time when our world is at history's turning point. The post-Cold War era is already behind us, and we are now at inflection point that will define the next stage of human history.
The international order that the U.S. worked for a generation to build is facing new challenges, challenges from those with values and principles very different from ours. Freedom and democracy are currently under threat around the globe. Climate change has caused natural disasters, poverty and displacement on the global scale. In COVID-19 pandemic, all humanity suffered.
Rapid advances in AI technology have resulted in a battle over the soul of AI that is raising between its promise and its perils. The balance of economic power is shifting. The global South plays a greater role in responding to challenges and opportunities and calls for a larger voice. According to Japan's own neighborhood, China's current external stance and military actions present unprecedented and greatest strategic challenge not only to the peace and security of Japan, but to the peace and stability of international community at large.
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 defining agenda going forward. As a Hiroshima native, I have devoted my political career to bringing about the world without nuclear weapons. For years, I have worked to revitalize the nonproliferation treaty regime so that we can gain momentum in pursuit of the aspiration. But there exists an imminent danger of nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons proliferation in East Asia.
North Korea's nuclear and missile program is a direct threat. The issue of abductions by North Korea remains a critical issue. North Korea's provocations have impact beyond the vision. It has also exported its ballistic missiles to support Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, a greatly increasing the suffering of the Ukrainian people. Because unprovoked and just and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has entered its third year.
As I often say, Ukraine of today may be East Asia of tomorrow. Furthermore, Russia continues to threaten the use of nuclear weapons which has contributed to worldwide concern that yet another catastrophe by nuclear weapon use is real possibility. In this reality, close coordination between Japan and the U.S. is required more than ever to ensure that the deterrence our alliance provides remains credible and resilient. New forms of oppression are being imposed on the world.
Freedom is being suppressed through digital technologies. Social media is censored, monitored and controlled. There are growing cases of economic coercion and so-called debt trap diplomacy whereby the economic dependency of nations is exploited and weaponized. Facing such rapidly changing pressures, how do we continue to safeguard our common values?
I want to address those Americans who feel the loneliness and exhaustion of being the country that has upheld the international order almost single-handedly. I understand it is a heavy burden to carry such hopes on your shoulders. Although the world looks to you, the U.S. should not be expected to do it all. An-e-ed debt and on your own. Yes, the leadership of the United States is indispensable. Without U.S. support, how long before 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? Ladies and gentlemen, as the United States' closest friend Tomodachi, the people of Japan are with you side by side to assure the survival of liberty. Not just for our people, but for all people. I am not saying this out of my strong attachment to America. I am an idealist, but a realist too. The defense of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law is the national interest of Japan. The Japanese people are fully committed to these barriers. I do not want to leave our children in a society where human rights were suppressed, where political self-determination is denied, where our lives are monitored by digital technology. I know you don't either. A polling at these barriers is both a cause and a benefit for our two countries, as well as for the generations to come across the world.
Right now, Japanese and U.S. service members are working side by side to deter aggression and ensure peace. I admire them. I thank them. And I know I speak for all of us when I say they have the gratitude of both our nations. 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. The democratic nations of the world must have old hands on deck. I'm here to say that Japan is already standing shoulder to shoulder with the United States. You are not alone. We are with you. Japan has changed over the years. We have transformed ourselves from a rediscent ally recovering from the devastation of World War II to a strong committed ally looking outward to the world. Japan has transformed its national security strategy. Uncertainty about the future stability of the Indo-Pacific region caused us to change our policies and our very mindset. I myself have stood at the forefront in making our bilateral alliance even stronger. In 2022, we announced that we would secure substantial increase of our defense budget by fiscal year 2027 to 2 percent of GDP. For this, counter-strike capability and improved cybersecurity.
Today, the tolerance that our alliance provides is stronger than ever, bolstered by U.S. extended deterrence for Japan. Japan has taken strong sanctions against Russia in the wake of its aggression against Ukraine. We have announced over $12 billion in aid to Ukraine, including anti-drowned detection systems. This is a part of NATO's aid package. And yes, we were even working with NATO on the other side of the world from us. I might add that in February, I helped but devastated Ukraine get through this agonizing times. I hosted the conference for Ukraine's economic growth and reconstruction. Japan will continue to stand with Ukraine. As the geopolitical landscape changed and as Japan grew in confidence, we expanded our outlook beyond that of being America's closest ally. We first became a regional partner of the United States and now we have become your global partner. Never has our relationship been so close. Our vision and approach so united.
Today, our partnership goes beyond bilateral examples include trilateral and quadrilateral cooperation among the U.S., Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, India and the Philippines as well as cooperation through the G7 and with ASEAN. 3D leaders of the U.S., the Republic of Korea and Japan, convened at Camp Davis last summer to inaugurate a new era of our partnership. From these various endeavors emerges a multi-layered regional framework where our alliance serves as a force multiplier and together with these like-minded countries, we are working to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Here in this chamber we should have strong bipartisan support for these efforts. Japan believes in U.S. leadership and we also believe in the U.S. economy. Japan is the number one falling direct investor in the United States. Japanese companies have invested around $800 billion creating almost 1 million American jobs. These are good jobs with half a billion jobs in manufacturing sector alone. At home, I'm embarking on a set of initiatives called a new form of capitalism to drive the Japanese economy. The public and private sectors are joining hands to transform the social challenges we face into engines of growth, which increases capital investment, stock prices, all have attained levels not seen for 30 years. The Japanese economy is now making strides by capitalizing on these unprecedented and major changes.
A growth-oriented Japanese economy should also spur even greater investment in the United States. We can then help boost the global economy through steer toward a strong growth trajectory in the years to come. Just yesterday President Biden and I demonstrated our commitment to leading the world on the development of the next generation of emerging technologies such as AI, quantum, semiconductors, biotechnology and clean energy. The scope of our bilateral cooperation expands to space as well. In illuminating our path toward a brighter and more hopeful tomorrow, the TV broadcast of Apollo 11's Runo Landing of 1969 is still shared into my memory. Japan's Runo Land Mission in January achieved the first pinpoint landing in history. Yesterday President Biden and I announced that the Japanese National will be the first long American astronaut to land on the moon on the future of this mission. And we have two astronauts with us today. Would Mr. Hoshide and Mr. Tanih please stand.
Mr. Hoshide has flown to space three times and served as commander of the International Space Station for five months in 2021. The next to him is Mr. Danyar Tany. He is a retired Japanese American astronaut who has conducted six spacewalks and in his two missions logged over 50 million miles. Which is a lot of friggin fire points. Mr. Hoshide and Mr. Tanih are living symbols of our collaboration in space and we will have many more such collaborations in the future.
Thank you, Mr. Nae. Let me close with this final thought. I want you to know how seriously Japan takes its role as the United States' closest ally. Here we carry a large responsibility. I believe that we are essential to peace, vital to freedom and fundamental to prosperity. Added by our belief, I pledge to you Japan's foreign alliance and enduring friendship. We are your global partners for the future. We are your global partners today and we will be your global partners in the years ahead. Thank you for inviting me. Thank you for your hospitality and thank you for the role you play in the world.