George H.W. Bush: “The Prime Minister has suggested I go first. So let me just say that we've had a highly productive and extremely…”

“The Prime Minister has suggested I go first. So let me just say that we've had a highly productive and extremely enjoyable visit to Japan. Last night's coverage might not have looked like I was enjoying myself, but all in all it's been great. And for those who have been so nice to inquire, I really do feel almost back to the way I felt before I got hit by this flu. But in any event, I want to first express my deepest appreciation to the Emperor and the Empress and to Prime Minister and Mrs. Miyazawa. I just can't imagine anything more hospitable than their kindnesses to us. We appreciate the warm and gracious welcome that they've extended to us, and I also want to thank the many other Japanese leaders and people that Barbara and I have met in the last few days for their kindnesses and for the wonderful cards and the flowers that came in when I had that little flu bug. We feel we have a much better understanding of your great country, sir, and the great promise of what truly is a global partnership. The substantive focus of my visit has been the three very productive sessions that I had with Prime Minister Miyazawa, an old and respected friend. As leaders of the two largest economies in the world with a wide range of security and political, as well as economic interest, we had an awful lot to talk about. And on the basis of these discussions, I can make three fundamental observations about U.S.-Japan relations. First, our security alliance is sound. The U.S.-Japan security treaty remains the core of stability in East Asia, a region still beset with the uncertainties of a world in profound change. Japan's generous host-nation support agreement has helped ensure our continuing ability to retain a forward-deployed presence in Japan, a presence that is essential to American, Japanese, and regional interests. Second, as we enter the post-cold-war era with its many challenges and opportunities, increased cooperation between the United States and Japan on global issues and regional problems is absolutely essential to achieve the foreign policy objectives of both countries. In this visit, we've dedicated ourselves to building a more prosperous and peaceful world. And for this purpose, the Prime Minister and I have stressed the common purposes of our global partnership, and we've set forth the principles for this partnership in a Tokyo Declaration. And third, we made progress in our all-important economic relationship. Over the past few years we've worked with some success to open markets here so both our countries can benefit from increased trade, lower prices, better goods, and more jobs. And indeed, we've increased our exports to Japan some 70 percent since 1987 and cut our trade deficit with Japan by about 30 percent. My administration has negotiated some 11 arrangements to increase our exports in specific sectors. This trip adds another significant but interim step to that progress, and, of course, we will keep pressing ahead and monitoring progress. I believe the U.S. Government and our business leaders have sent a strong message about the importance of fair access to markets. The detail in the Action Plan, including the voluntary import proposals involving many billions of dollars and increased U.S. content for Japanese cars made in the United States, make it clear that the message has been received. Our agreement on government computer procurement will open up additional opportunities in a large leading-edge industry for the United States. We've worked out specific commitments in other sectors representing increased opportunities for U.S. exports including auto parts, paper, and glass and resolved over 50 standards problems, this is the key, 50 standards problems that have impeded American businesses. And we've agreed to expand our Structural Impediments Initiative by adding new commitments that will help us follow up on this trip. And I'm pleased that we have worked out together the announcement from a day ago, a strategy for world growth. That one will be helpful to both economies. I'm also particularly pleased that Japan and the U.S. could agree on a strong joint statement about the Dunkel draft for the Uruguay round negotiations. We're sending a joint message that I hope will build momentum to drive the GATT negotiations to a successful finish. There is no doubt that we have much more work to do, abroad and at home, to increase U.S. exports and the jobs they create. Yet, we've made headway. There's no question about that. And I'm committed to accomplishing more in the future, using all available measures. In conclusion, this visit has been a success. It has reaffirmed our vital political, security, and economic relationship. It has advanced our goal of leveling the playing field in U.S.-Japan competition, of further opening Japan's markets to our exports. So, this progress translates into jobs and economic growth in America because I know the American worker can compete with anyone around the world if given a fair chance. And that's exactly what we intend to do. And the accomplishments I've mentioned here aim us directly in that direction. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. The Prime Minister. Well, those of you who watched the television last evening must have been concerned very much. But as you can see, the President is very well today. And I think people around the world feel assured now. And I sincerely pray for his continued good health. This is the first time in 8 years that we welcome the U.S. President here. And we had three meetings with him. We were able to have a very candid exchange of views. And I'm also very glad and satisfied that we have been able to strike very close personal relations. As shown by the dismemberment of the Soviet Union at the end of last year, the world in the post-cold-war era doubtless are developing new moves and trends towards the building of peace and democracy. And in creating such historic developments, I should like to express once again my deep respect to President Bush for his outstanding foresight and leadership as shown in the START agreement as well as the nuclear disarmament proposal. Japan and the United States have steadfastly maintained freedom, democracy, and basic human rights, and market economies; together account for 40 percent of the global GNP, establishing unprecedented prosperity together. And I think it's important that we together work to further promote the building of the new world order, the new world. And it is important that the United States continues to exercise leadership. And Japan wishes to actively support those efforts by the United States. I believe that the meetings that I had with the President would mark a concrete first step towards the building of a Japan-U.S. global partnership. I had a candid exchange of views on various trade and economic issues as well. And in addition to steadily implementing our economic policies as reflected in the joint statement issued yesterday, I believe we were able to engage in substantive discussions on various measures related to the automobiles and automotive parts and components, the central area of Japan-U.S. trade issue today. Now, in view of the closeness of the economic ties between our two countries, frictions would be inevitable from time to time, and, of course, our agreement this time would not necessarily resolve all the problems. But I believe that the discussions I had with the President have been very useful, and I'm satisfied with the meetings. Furthermore, on the basis of the discussions that I have had with the President this time, we have come up with the Tokyo Declaration and the attached document called the Action Plan. These documents are indeed very dramatic and epoch-making in that they spell out how our bilateral relations ought to be, bearing in mind the 21st century, and also spells out our responsibilities and roles that our two countries respectively should play and the issues we together ought to address. And we are determined to further strengthen global partnership between our two countries on visa fees and documents. I believe it is quite unprecedented that countries in terms of human history, countries with so strikingly different cultures and history have established a deep interdependence and cooperation. It is unprecedented that countries with such different cultural and historic backgrounds share the future together and together would work for the world. And I believe that we are attracting a lot of attention from around the world, and I intend to do my best, together with the President, to respond to these adaptations. I should like to give the first opportunity to the Japanese press. And when asking a question, please state your name and affiliation and also to whom you are directing the question. Japan-U.S. Relations”