For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 19, 2001
Joint Statement by President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori
President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori today
reaffirmed the strength of the bilateral relationship between their two
countries. The two leaders expressed their conviction that the
U.S.-Japan relationship is rooted in friendship, mutual trust, and
shared democratic values. They also concurred that these
solid ties enable the two countries to deal with problems, such as the
regrettable Ehime Maru accident. They noted that the
U.S.-Japan alliance is the foundation of peace and stability in the
Asia-Pacific region. Agreeing that the U.S. presence remains
vital to regional security, the leaders pledged to work together to
further strengthen the alliance.
The two leaders, noting that the United States and Japan together
account for roughly 40 percent of the world economy, reaffirmed the
importance of working together to promote prosperity in their two
countries and around the world. The leaders recognized the
need to address the challenges facing their two
economies. The Prime Minister reiterated his determination
to continue pursuing appropriate economic policies and to promote
vigorously structural and regulatory reform to revitalize the Japanese
economy and strengthen the financial system, including through
effectively addressing the issues of corporate debt and non-performing
loans. The President reaffirmed the importance of taking
appropriate policies to support sustainable growth in the United
States, which will benefit both countries and the world
economy. They agreed on the importance of promoting
deregulation, restructuring, and foreign direct
investment. They agreed to work together to seek new ways to
enhance the U.S.-Japan dialogue to address global, regional, and
bilateral economic and trade issues, and recognized that bringing views
from outside the two governments into this effort would strengthen the
bilateral relationship and improve economic performance in both
countries. Both leaders also agreed to work together closely
for the launch of a new WTO round this year.
President Bush and Prime Minister Mori recognized the growing threat
from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic
missiles. As part of a comprehensive strategy to meet such threats,
they agreed on the importance of stepping up diplomatic efforts,
including in the field of arms reduction. They also
reaffirmed the need to take effective measures to address such threats,
including defensive systems, strengthened proliferation controls, and
counterproliferation measures. The two leaders noted with
satisfaction that the United States and Japan are already conducting
cooperative research on ballistic missile defense technologies. They
agreed on the importance of close consultations on missile defense
among allies and with other interested parties.
The two leaders noted that uncertainty in the Asia-Pacific region
necessitates close bilateral cooperation, including a dynamic approach
to bilateral defense consultation and planning. The two
leaders reaffirmed the need to continue to carry out commitments under
the 1996 U.S.-Japan Joint Declaration on Security and related
undertakings, such as the new Guidelines for U.S.-Japan Defense
Cooperation and the SACO process, that strengthen the alliance, and
they agreed to continue to work closely on issues related to
Okinawa. The leaders also agreed that strategic dialogue
will be an important step in defining how the alliance can best promote
stability and address new challenges that may emerge. They
pledged to coordinate closely on pressing regional issues, and
reaffirmed the particular importance of maintaining close consultations
and coordination regarding North Korea, both bilaterally and
trilaterally with the Republic of Korea.
The President and Prime Minister recognized the need for the United
States and Japan to continue cooperation on global issues, taking note
of the important achievements this cooperation has produced thus
far. Noting that their two countries are the world's largest
aid donors, the leaders agreed to strengthen joint efforts to address
the transnational challenges of the 21st century. The two
leaders expressed their commitment to promoting United Nations Security
Council reform with the goal of strengthening its
effectiveness. In this context, they agreed to continue to
work together to obtain for Japan a permanent seat on the Security
Council.
The President accepted with gratitude the Prime Minister's invitation
for an early visit to Japan.
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