.
"Although addresses to both houses by foreign leaders are
fairly rare, Abe's will be the third this year. Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to both houses on March 3, and
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani did so on March 25."
3/26/15, "UPDATE 2-Japan PM Abe to address joint session of U.S. Congress," Reuters, Patricia Zengerle
"Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe will address a joint meeting of the U.S. Senate and
House of Representatives on April 29, becoming the first
Japanese leader to do so.
Abe will spend eight days on a state visit expected to focus
on joint responses to growing Chinese assertiveness in Asia,
including his moves to loosen restraints on Japan's pacifist
postwar constitution.
In announcing the invitation to the Japanese leader, U.S.
Speaker of the House John Boehner said Abe's speech would be an
opportunity for Americans to hear from a close ally about ways
to expand cooperation on economic and security priorities.
"That, of course, includes working together to open markets
and encourage more economic growth through free trade," Boehner
said in a statement.
Trade is an important component of President Barack Obama's
diplomatic and security "pivot" to Asia. Progress toward a
12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal has been touted
as a key hope for Abe's visit to the United States, starting
April 28.
Congress, however, has been slow to finalize legislation to
speed such agreements. There had been some resistance to offering Abe the honor of
addressing both houses.
An organization for former U.S. prisoners of the Japanese
and a Korean-American forum said last week he should only be
allowed to make the address if he acknowledged Japan's World War
Two past....
U.S. State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said a Feb. 12
speech to Japan's parliament by Abe delivered "a very positive
message about history issues" and added: "We continue to
emphasize the importance of approaching historical legacy issues
in a way that promotes healing and reconciliation."
Speaking to Congress will be a personal milestone for Abe,
given that his grandfather, Kishi Nobusuke, addressed the house
as Japanese prime minister in 1957, and the most recent address
to that chamber by a Japanese leader was in 1961 by then-Prime
Minister Hayato Ikeda.
Although addresses to both houses by foreign leaders are
fairly rare, Abe's will be the third this year. Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to both houses on March 3, and
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani did so on March 25." via Free Rep.
.
==========================
Feb. 7, 2014, US Chamber of Crony Capitalism likes the Trans-Pacific trade deal.
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