United States-Japan Joint Statement: A Shared Vision for the Future

The U.S.-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of peace, security, and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.  This partnership has underwritten the dynamic growth and prosperity of the region for 60 years.

The strength of this Alliance, which was demonstrated during the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, is founded on the close bonds between our two nations and our people.  These bonds will continue to anchor and sustain our partnership. 

Japan and the United States share a commitment to democracy, the rule of law, open societies, human rights, human security, and free and open markets; these values guide us in our joint efforts to address the global challenges of our time.

The U.S.-Japan partnership continues to be defined by our enduring commitment to the maintenance of peace.  Over the decades, our Alliance has steadily developed into a comprehensive partnership that contributes to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, an important center for global economic growth, and beyond. 

Japan and the United States pledge to fulfill our roles and responsibilities by utilizing the full range of capabilities to advance regional and global peace, prosperity and security.  Our cooperation and dialogue extend to all levels and areas of government and the private sector.

To accomplish our shared vision for the future, we seek to further enhance our bilateral security and defense cooperation.  We reaffirm the indispensability of the U.S.-Japan Alliance to the security of Japan, and to the peace, security, and economic prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region, which faces diverse challenges in a changing international environment.  We will pursue our respective commitments, including the development of Japan’s dynamic defense force under the 2010 National Defense Program Guidelines, and the U.S. strategic rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific with its efforts to achieve a more geographically distributed and operationally resilient force posture in the region.  Our updated U.S. force realignment plan will further enhance the Alliance’s ability to respond to a variety of contingencies in the region.

Japan and the United States are working with partners in the region to strengthen institutions and foster networks that are open, inclusive, and support internationally accepted rules and norms, including through fora such as the East Asia Summit (EAS) and APEC.  This approach respects diversity in the region, while promoting mutual understanding, confidence, and transparency.  Japan and the United States welcome all regional partners to make positive contributions to this process.

We face both conventional and emerging security threats, and commit to act together based on our 2011 Common Strategic Objectives in addressing global challenges such as terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and piracy.  We pledge to work together to promote the rule of law, protect human rights, and enhance coordination on peacekeeping, post-conflict stabilization, development assistance, organized crime and narcotics trafficking, and infectious diseases.  We must also work to protect and develop the tremendous potential of critical areas such as the high seas, space, and cyberspace, ensuring their use is responsible and rule-based.

We aim to enhance economic growth and prosperity for both our nations through bilateral economic harmonization and the promotion of regional economic integration.  We will continue to seek ways to deepen our bilateral trade and investment ties and to promote cooperation on innovation, entrepreneurship, supply chain security, the Internet economy, and science and technology, as well as women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.  We are also committed to working together to develop high standard trade and investment rules in the region and promote regional economic integration, consistent with the long-term objective of the APEC economies to develop a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP).  We will continue to advance our ongoing bilateral consultations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and further explore how bilateral economic harmonization and the promotion of regional economic integration could be achieved.

We also affirm our commitment to cooperating on energy, including the development of clean and renewable energy sources, peaceful, safe, and secure uses of nuclear energy, and on energy security.  We share a mutual commitment to address the global impact of climate change.   

The close bond between our people remains the greatest resource for our Alliance and for our shared vision of the future. To develop the strong ties between future generations of Japanese and American citizens, we commit to strengthening people-to-people connections at all levels through efforts such as the Kizuna Project and the TOMODACHI initiative. We pledge to increase the number of students and researchers attending one another’s schools and universities and work together to facilitate greater travel and tourism.

In these areas and beyond, Japan and the United States of America are determined to expand our cooperation and further strengthen the Alliance in order to realize our shared vision for a future of peace and prosperity for all of our citizens and for the world.