The President Thank you very much.
Prime Minister Abe, on behalf of the American people, I welcome you to the very famous White House. You honor us with your presence. This is one of our earliest visits from a foreign leader, and I'm truly glad that it could be from such an important and steadfast ally.
The bond between our two nations and the friendship between our two peoples runs very, very deep. This administration is committed to bringing those ties even closer. We are committed to the security of Japan and all areas under its administrative control, and
to further strengthening our very crucial alliance. The U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability. In the Pacific region, it is important that both Japan and the United States continue to invest very heavily in the alliance to build up our defense and our
defensive capabilities, which, under out mutual leadership, will become stronger and stronger. And as time goes by, ultimately, they will be impenetrable. We face numerous challenges, and bilateral cooperation is essential.
Our country is committed to being an active and fully engaged partner. We will work together to promote our shared interests, of which we have many, in the region, including freedom from navigation and of navigation, and defending against the North Korean
missile and nuclear threat -- both of which I consider a very, very high priority. On the economy, we will seek a trading relationship that is free, fair, and reciprocal, benefiting both of our countries. The vibrant exchange between us is a true blessing.
Japan is a proud nation with a rich history and culture, and the American people have profound respect for your country and for its traditions. I also want to take this opportunity, Mr. Prime Minister, to thank you and the people of Japan for hosting our armed forces.
Working together, our two countries have the ability to bring greater harmony, stability, and prosperity to the Pacific region and beyond, improving countless lives in the process. We are committed to that goal, highly committed. Prime Minister Abe, on behalf of the United States
of America, I thank you for being with us today. We will soon be traveling to the great state of Florida, where I know we will have a long and very successful talk, negotiations, and a very, very productive weekend. Mr. Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Abe: (as interpreted) This is the fourth time in six months for me to visit the United States. The last time was in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, at the end of last year. And I'm indeed sincerely grateful for the always
heartwarming welcome accorded to me by the American people. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to President Trump. Donald, you must have been very busy in this very important period of 100 days after your inauguration.
And thank you very much for inviting me over to the White House. My name is Abe, but in the United States, some people mistakenly pronounce my name as "Abe," but that is not bad, because even in Japan, everybody knows the name of that great president -- that former carpenter's son can
become a president. And that fact, 150 years ago, surprised the Japanese, who were still under the Shogunate rule. The Japanese opened their eyes to democracy. The United States is the champion of democracy. Donald, President, you are an excellent businessman,
but you have never been in the Congress or been a governor. You have not experienced being in the public office, but you have fought the uphill struggle and fight for more than a year in the election campaign, to become a new president.
And this is the dynamism of democracy. I would like to celebrate and congratulate Donald, being sworn in as the president. United States is a country having the largest number of chances, opportunities in the world. That has always been the case right now, as well
as going forward. This will never change. And that is the reason why automotive industries and other Japanese businesses have built factories all over the United States, to engage in local production here.
Last year, from Japan to the United States, there have been more than $150 billion of new investment being made into the United States. And those Japanese businesses have created a large number of jobs. The mutually beneficial economic relations have been
built by Japan and the United States. With President Trump taking on the leadership, I'm sure there will be -- major scale infrastructure investment will be made, including the fast-speed train. Those of you who have rode on the Japanese Shinkansen, I'm sure you would appreciate the speed, the
comfort, and safety with the latest Maglev technology from the Washington D.C., to New York, where Trump Tower exists. Only one hour would it take if you ride the Maglev train from Washington D.C., here, to New York. Japan, with that, our high level of technical
capability, we will be able to contribute to President Trump's growth strategy. There will be even more new jobs being born in the United States. To further deepen these bilateral economic relations between Deputy Prime Minister Aso and Vice
President Pence, there will be a cross-sectoral dialogue to be held, and we have agreed on this. And furthermore, in Asia Pacific, where we see dramatic growth to expand free trade and investment, this will be a big chance for both Japan and United States.
But of course, it must be done in a fair manner. Never should a state-owned company, backed by state capital, should not make any economic intervention. Free ride on intellectual property should not be condoned. In Asia-Pacific region -- which Japan and U.S.
taking on the leadership to create a free and fair market, based upon rules -- should be built. I and President Trump has confirmed, on our strong will, to do so. The cornerstone of peace and prosperity in Asia-Pacific, that is the strong Japan-U.S.
alliance and this is an unwavering tie between our two countries. I and President Trump will work together to further strengthen our alliance. We have shared this strong resolve. As we see increasingly difficult security
environment, we have confirmed that U.S.-Japan security pact, Article 5, will be applied to Senkaku Islands. The United States will strengthen its presence in the region, and under the banner of the proactive contribution to peace, Japan will play a greater role.
At the same time, we will maintain the deterrence and also proceed on reducing the impact we had well fought through under the realignment of the U.S. forces in Japan. And Henokos -- relocation to Henoko of the MCAS Futenma is the only solution.
And Japan and U.S. will continue to work closely on this. On North Korea, we had both strongly demand North Korea abandon nuclear and ballistic missile program, and not to make any more provocations. And we have completely agreed on the importance of
the early solution for the abduction issue in the East China Sea, South China Sea, and the Indian Ocean. Everywhere, we need her to maintain the freedom of navigation and rule of law. And such international order must have to be maintained. Japan and United States have confirmed that we will
strongly protest any use of force, as well as [inaudible], to change the status quo. I and the president will address not only bilateral, but regional issues, and we have had a very frank exchange of views on the peace and prosperity of the world, that we should contribute.
For any form of terrorism, should be strongly condemned. And we hope to cooperate in our fight against terrorism. Japan had the will -- of course, exercise our commensurate rule in this regard. And furthermore, the regional conflict -- the
refugees, poverty, and infectious diseases -- there are many challenges faced by the world which will be a serious issue to threaten the peace and stability for Japan, as well as the United States. But Japan and the United States, and the international community must work hand-in-hand in order to
solve these questions. Of course, there are disagreements. But we should not close down our (inaudible) dialog just by pointing to the differences and ignoring the common interests and common goals. We need to have a dialog
because there are disagreements. What we mostly desire -- what is mostly desired by those who are challenging the existing international order is to just focus on differences. We should not close the dialog. Japan have four years that I have consistently fought
through on our foreign policy. Now whatever the challenge and difficulty ahead of us, I and President Trump will continue our dialog to seek shared solutions. And after lunch, I'm looking forward to a weekend in Florida with Donald.
We will play golf together. My scores in golf will -- is not up to the level of Donald at all, but my policy is never up, never in, always aiming for the cup. Never to just the goal with the shortcuts and short chops.
Those are the words never found in my dictionary, but in a relaxed atmosphere, I hope to take the time to discuss with Donald on the future of the world, future of the region, and future of Japan and United States. Thank you. The President: Very much.
We'll take a few questions unless you don't want to ask any questions if that's possible. Maybe we'll start -- where is Daniel Halper, New York Post? Daniel. The Press Thank you, Mr. President. I'm curious about yesterday's ruling in the
Ninth Circuit Court. Has it caused you to rethink your use of executive power? And how will you respond? And will you sign a new executive order? Perhaps a new travel ban? And Mr. Prime Minister, I'm curious about your reaction
to America's withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the TPP. Do you think that that's weakened America's position in Asia? And how do you think -- how do you envision any sort of trade deal with the President working out?
The President: Well, your question was unrelated to what we're here for today, but I'll answer it. We are going to keep our country safe. We are going to do whatever's necessary to keep our country safe. We had a decision, which we think will be very
successful with. It shouldn't have taken this much time because safety is a primary reason -- one of the reasons I'm standing here today is the security of our country. The voters felt that I would give it the best security. So we'll be doing something very rapidly having to do
with additional security for our country. You'll be seeing that some time next week. In addition, we will continue to go through the court process and ultimately I have no doubt that we'll win that particular case. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (as interpreted): Now, in
the world we are also facing the issues of the refugees and terrorism. We need to work closely together on these global issues. Japan have always played our own role, but going forward, we would continue to work with the international
community to execute our responsibility in a commiserate manner. And, each of our country has immigration control scheme as well as policy on immigration as well as refugees. These are to do with domestic affairs of that
country, so I would refrain from making any comments. The President: Okay, Blake Burman, Fox, Blake Burman. The Press: Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to pick up where Daniel left off if you don't mind. You said earlier this week, and I'm quoting for you.
You said, "I've learned a lot in the last two weeks and terrorism is a far greater threat than the people of our country understand, but we're going to take care of it." Based off of what you have learned, and now knowing that your executive order is at least temporarily on
hold, do you still feel as confident now as you have been at any point that you and the administration will be able to protect the homeland? And Mr. Prime Minister, thank you. I would just like to pick off, again, on what Daniel had asked about TPP.
Do you feel it's a mistake that the United States has at least signaled its intention to withdraw from the deal? Thank you both. The President: I feel totally confident that we will have tremendous security for the people of
the United States. We will be extreme vetting, which is a term that I developed early in my campaign because I saw what was happening. And while I've been President, which is just for a very short period of time I've learned tremendous
things that you could only learn, frankly, if you were in a certain position, namely President. And there are tremendous threats to our country. We will not allow that to happen. I can tell you that right now. We will not allow that to happen.
So we'll be going forward, we'll be doing things to continue to make our country safe. It will happen rapidly, and we will not allow people into our country who are looking to do harm to our people. We will allow lots of people into our country that will
love our people and do good for our country. It's always going to be that way at least during my administration, I can tell you that. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (as interpreted): On TPP, of course we are fully aware of President Trump's decision. On economic issues, we will be discussing at the working
lunch to follow. As for Japan and United States, in trade and investment as well as economic relations, how can we develop and grow our relationship? As I have already mentioned, Deputy Prime Minister Aso, and Vice President Pence will create a new
framework for dialog. And I am quite optimistic that the good results will be seen from the dialog. Now, for the free and fair common set of rules to be created for the free trade regime in the region, and that was the purpose of TPP.
And that importance have not changed. I, myself, believe that. The Press: Thank you. My name is (inaudible) from NHK. I have a question to Prime Minister Abe. Now, for the automotive market in Japan as well as
foreign exchange of Japan, in the prior remarks there have been discrepancy in your positions. So at the summit meeting, what were the discussions? And were you able to narrow down the gap? And President Trump had said that he will make United States a great country.
What is meant by the great country? And Prime Minister, what do you mean when you say United States is a great ally for you? Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (as interpreted): Now, with the birth of the Trump administration, a new genesis will be built between Japan and U.S.
in economic relations. In order to put forward such strong message I have proposed to launch a new framework for economic dialog and we were able to agree on this. As for sectorial discussions, we will be having a discussion at our working lunch in any case,
between President Trump and myself on Japan and U.S. economic relations. We will -- we have already agreed that we will have Vice President Pence and Deputy Prime Minister Aso to discuss fully on the economic relations between our two countries.
And we are looking forward for the good results to ensure from the debate between the experts. As for the foreign exchange, we will have Secretary of Treasury and Ministry of Finance will continue the close communication. For the United States to become a great nation the
various roles played by the United States and the responsibility to go with it. The world over is faced with increasing uncertainty that United States will become a great America and become a great and strong ally would be good for Japan. And for Japan and U.S.
alliance to be further strengthened would be good not only for two nations, but also contribute to the peace and prosperity of Asia Pacific. And United States to become even greater we will welcome that. The President: Thank you.
I will say that -- and you've seen it ever since I won the election and became President-Elect I've been telling companies, car companies, and other companies -- many companies -- come back into the United States. And they've been coming back in.
And big announcements are going to be made over the next short period of time. Some of you already know what those announcements are. We've lost a lot of our factories, a lot of our plants, and those factories and those plants
will be coming back. And jobs will be coming back to Michigan and Ohio and Pennsylvania and North Carolina and so many other places where we've lost so many jobs. And those are the people that were so good to me and now I'm being good to them.
So we've had a tremendous number of announcements. We've had Ford and General Motors and many, many others. Intel yesterday made a major announcement, they did that because of what is happening with our tax structure, which is going along very well, and we'll be having
some very big news over the next short period of time. But we are a nation of tremendous potential and the expression "Make America Great Again," I will tell you and I will add very strongly with great surety, it will be greater than ever before. And I just want to thank the Prime Minister for
friendship. You know, we developed a great friendship when we met in New York City at Trump Tower. We spoke for a long, long period of time and when I greeted him today at the car I was saying, I shook hands, but I grabbed him and hugged him because that's
the way we feel. We have a very, very good bond. Very, very good chemistry. I'll let you know if it changes, but I don't think it will. (laughter)
The President: So I just want to -- I just want to thank the Prime Minister for being here. We're going to be meeting your wife in a very short period of time and I look very much forward to that. And I want to thank everybody in the room. We're going to have a tremendous relationship --
long-term relationship of mutual benefit with Japan. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (as interpreted): One more, one more.
The President: Yes, certainly. Okay, go ahead. The Press: Thank you very much. From (inaudible), my name is Takita. I have a question to President Trump. Obama administration, under the rebalance to Asia, have
emphasized Asia, but China has taken hardline stance in South China Sea as well as China Sea. And North Korea has went on the missiles and nuclear development. So some countries in Asia are concerned over commitment of United States in Asia.
So, against this backdrop, as was mentioned earlier, for the Trump administration for the situations in Asia how would you respond to the increasing difficulty here? And President, you have repeatedly stated about China taking on the currency -- foreign exchange policies which are not good for the United States.
Do you that that eventually it will change in the future? The President: I had a very, very good conversation -- as most of you know -- yesterday with the President of China. It was a very, very warm conversation.
I think we are on the process of getting along very well and I think that will also be very much of a benefit to Japan. So we had a very, very good talk last night and discussed a lot of subjects. It was a long talk.
And we are working on that as we speak. We have conversations with various representatives of China. I believe that will all work out for everybody -- China, Japan, the United States, and everybody in the region. As far as the currency devaluations -- I've been
complaining about that for a long time and I believe that we will all eventually and probably very much sooner than a lot of people understand or think -- we will be all at a level playing field. Because that's the only way it's fair. That's the only way that you can fairly compete in trade
and other things. And we will be on that field and we will all be working very hard to do great for our country. But, it has to be fair and we will make it fair. I think the United States is going to be an even bigger player than it is right now by a lot when
it comes to trade. A lot of that will have to do with our tax policy, which you'll be seeing in the not-to-distant future. We'll have an incentive-based policy much more so than we have right now. Right now we don't even know -- nobody knows what
policy we have. But we're going to have a very much incentive-based policy. We're working with Congress, working with Paul Ryan, working with Mitch McConnell. And I think people are going to be very, very impressed.
We're also working very much -- and this has a lot to do with business -- on healthcare where we can get great healthcare for our country at a much reduced price both to the people receiving the healthcare and to our country. Because our country is paying so much.
And Obamacare, as you know, is a total and complete disaster. So we're going to end up with tremendous healthcare at a lower price and I think people are going to be extremely happy. Difficult process, but once we get going and you know
Tom Price was just approved a few hours ago. So we finally have our secretary and now we get down to the final strokes. Again, I want to thank everybody for being here. I want to thank Mr. Prime Minister -- what an honor, what a great honor it is.
And let's go to Florida. (applause)
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