WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Jim Risch (R-ID), Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the recent election of Takaichi Sanae as Japan’s next prime minister:
“We congratulate Takaichi Sanae on her historic election as Japan’s first female prime minister. This is a significant moment for Japan, and we look forward to working closely with Prime Minister-elect Takaichi to further strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance.
“The United States and Japan share one of the most important economic partnerships in the world, supporting innovation and resilient supply chains. Our cooperation on trade and innovation has bolstered our countries’ leadership on semiconductors and emerging technologies and reaped significant rewards for communities and businesses in Idaho and New Hampshire that benefit from strong export ties with Japan.
“At the same time, our nations confront a growing number of shared security challenges, including increased alignment between China, Russia and North Korea. We must confront these challenges with increased security investments and updates to our historic alliance. We must also improve coordination with regional allies, including through enhancing the trilateral U.S.-Japan-South Korea partnership and extended deterrence.
“We look forward to working with Prime Minister-elect Takaichi to deepen our economic ties, including increased market access in Japan for U.S. products, expand people-to-people connections and advance the shared values that have long defined our alliance.”
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