Ricketts: Strong U.S.-Japan Alliance “Fundamental” to Deterring Communist China, Promoting Economic Prosperity

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, highlighted how a strong alliance between the United States and Japan can deter Communist China and promote economic prosperity, including in Nebraska.

“For more than 80 years, the U.S.-Japan alliance has acted as the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” said Ricketts. “With Communist China, Russia, the Korean Peninsula, and the Taiwan Strait all within 200 miles of Japanese soil, our forward deployed presence in Japan is fundamental to deter aggression in the region. This is especially pertinent given Beijing’s dramatic military buildup and increasingly provocative actions, grey-zone activity tactics, saber rattling – all to force our allies and partners to bend to its will. Additionally, the alliance forms the foundation of vital multilateral cooperation, from the Quad to trilaterals to South Korea, Australia and the Philippines. I was pleased to see President Trump and Prime Minister Ishiba commit to ‘pursue a new golden age’ for U.S.-Japan relations when they met in February.”

Ricketts also praised President Trump for deepening the economic ties between Japan and Nebraska.

“Thanks in part to President Trump’s trade deals with Japan during his first term, Japan is one of our largest export markets, and certainly the largest for pork and eggs, our second largest for beef, our third largest for corn and overall ag exports,” said Ricketts. “Japan is also a promising market for grain-based fuels. I was encouraged by Japan’s recent announcement that it intends to blend 10% ethanol in gasoline by 2030, and 20% by 2040. And of course, Japan is positioned to become one of the largest export markets for Sustainable Aviation Fuel that rely on grain-based ethanol as feedstock.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8jXMwPriKE

Watch the video HERE

Ricketts made the comments in a hearing of the Foreign Relations Committee. The hearing considered the nominations of George Glass to be the Ambassador to Japan, Pete Hoekstra to be the Ambassador to Canada, and Ron Johnson to be the Ambassador to Mexico.