US congressional leaders meet Japanese premier

WASHINGTON

The top four leaders in the US Congress met Thursday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ahead of his address to lawmakers.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries welcomed Kishida before his address to a joint meeting of Congress.

McConnell said he was "proud" to welcome Kishida to the US Capitol.

"Japan is an essential partner in the security of the Indo-Pacific and clear-eyed about the global nature of the threats we face," he wrote on X.

Kishida will be the first Japanese prime minister to address Congress since the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did it in 2015.

Before his visit to the US, Kishida said with the international community approaching a "historic turning point," he intends to deliver an address firmly focused on the future -- what kind of international community and what sort of future should Japan and the US aim to bring about, and what must Japan and the US do to make those a reality.

"I wish to take this as an opportunity to send out a clear message to the US. Congress, the American people, and, indeed, the entire world regarding such matters as these, based on the various experiences and knowledge I have gained regarding diplomacy," he added.

In the first official visit to the US by a Japanese prime minister in nine years, Kishida met President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday, where they unveiled plans for military cooperation and projects to strengthen their alliance.