A HOUSE RESOLUTION URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO WORK MORE CLOSELY WITH JAPAN ON TRADE ISSUES AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT, EXPRESSING SUPPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS FOR THE UNITED STATES–JAPAN ALLIANCE and REMORSE AT THE SLAYING OF FORMER JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER ABE SHINZŌ, CELEBRATING one hundred thirty YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN NORTH CAROLINA AND JAPAN, AND REAFFIRMING THE BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION BETWEEN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA AND STATE OF JAPAN IN THE REIWA ERA.
Whereas, North Carolina and Japan have enjoyed 130 years of friendly relations since Japan sent its first student nationals, Mogi Shinzaburō, to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1893, and Sugishita Teisaku, to attend North Carolina State University (then "North Carolina State College") in 1894; and
Whereas, Japan is North Carolina's second‑largest foreign investor, with nearly $5 billion invested by Japanese companies in North Carolina's economy to date and nearly $7 billion in investment announced since 2018; and
Whereas, more large companies investing in North Carolina come from Japan than any other foreign nation; and
Whereas, Japan employs over 24,000 North Carolina workers, or roughly 10% of all North Carolina workers employed by foreign companies, with over 5,000 additional jobs announced by Japanese companies since 2018; and
Whereas, trade with Japan annually accounts for nearly $4 billion in economic activity for the State of North Carolina; and
Whereas, Japan and the United States have been close allies since 1952, safeguarding peace in the Pacific; and
Whereas, the post‑war order of which both the United States and Japan have been resolute defenders and beneficiaries, an order which rests soundly on democracy and friendly trade, faces subversion by rogue actors and disaffected nations; and
Whereas, Japan is a vibrant, wealthy democracy and a model for democracies throughout Asia; and
Whereas, Abe Shinzō was a stalwart friend of the United States, an adamant supporter of the US‑Japan alliance, and a leading voice for stability and cooperation in the Indo‑Pacific region; and
Whereas, Abe Shinzō was the longest‑serving prime minister in Japan's history, who worked alongside four Presidents of the United States–George Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and then‑Vice President Joe Biden–on trade relations, peace, and security in Asia; and
Whereas, Abe Shinzō was assassinated in Japan on July 8, 2022, while campaigning in the oldest democracy in Asia; and
Whereas, the use of violence, whether by foreign nations or rogue actors, to attack democratically elected officials and disrupt international peace is profoundly evil; and
Whereas, North Carolina remains committed to its friendship with Japan and to the US‑Japan alliance and peaceful trade between the nations; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
SECTION 1.  The House of Representatives recognizes the historic significance of the friendship and alliance between the United States and Japan.
SECTION 2.  The House of Representatives commends the people of Japan for their incredible achievements over 75 years of peaceful friendship with the United States, in building the oldest democratic system in Asia and the second‑largest democratic economy in the world, and for serving as a valuable pillar of stability in Asia and for world peace.
SECTION 3.  The House of Representatives applauds Japan for its continued commitment as a friend and economic partner to the State of North Carolina.
SECTION 4.  The House of Representatives expresses profound grief over the death of former Prime Minister of Japan, Abe Shinzō, and condemns his killing as an attack on Japan's democracy and on its unparalleled friendship with the United States.
SECTION 5.  The House of Representatives affirms the continuing friendship and cooperation between Japan and the State of North Carolina and expresses heartfelt optimism for deeper ties between the people of Japan and the people of North Carolina.
SECTION 6.  The House of Representatives urges Congress to work more closely with the nation of Japan on mutually beneficial trade relations to encourage the reciprocal flow of foreign direct investment and participation of Japanese and American companies in the economy of both the United States and Japan, respectively.
SECTION 7.  The House of Representatives expresses to Congress its full support of the 70 year old alliance between the United States of America and Japan, which has served as a pillar of stability and security in the Indo‑Pacific throughout the Cold War to the current day.
SECTION 8.  The House of Representatives urges Congress to recognize the strategic importance of the Indo‑Pacific region to the economies of the United States and North Carolina and the necessity of a Free and Open Indo‑Pacific to safeguard the sanctity of friendly trade and international law.
SECTION 9.  The Principal Clerk shall transfer a printed copy of this resolution to a committee designated by the North Carolina Legislative Caucus on Economic Development and Foreign Trade to be hand‑delivered to a representative of Japan in a ceremony in Raleigh.
SECTION 10.  If the committee referenced in Section 9 of this act is unable to hand‑deliver this resolution in the manner described above by March 31, 2023, the Principal Clerk shall transmit a copy of this resolution to the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C., and the Consulate‑General of Japan in Atlanta, Georgia.
SECTION 11.  The Principal Clerk shall transmit copies of this resolution to each member of North Carolina's Congressional Delegation, to the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and the Secretary of the United States Senate, and to the President of the United States.
SECTION 12.  This resolution is effective upon adoption.