japanese speech

Full text of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida's speech to U.S. Congress

Leader stresses that Japan has stepped up as a global partner

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on April 11.  © Reuters

The following is the full text of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's speech at the U.S. Congress on Thursday.

1. Introduction

Mr. Speaker, Madam Vice President, Honorable Members of the United States Congress, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Thank you, I never get such nice applause from the Japanese Diet.

And let me introduce my wife, Yuko, who is in the gallery. The fact that I married Yuko should give you great confidence in all my decisions.

I am truly honored to speak here in this citadel of democracy and before you, the representatives of the American people.

Nine years ago, the late Prime Minister Abe, who was a close friend of mine, stood in this very spot and gave an address titled "Toward an Alliance of Hope." I was Foreign Minister in his Cabinet at that time, and I was deeply struck to witness the bond between our two countries.

Since childhood, I have felt a connection to the United States, perhaps because I spent my first three years of elementary school at PS 20 and PS 13 in Queens, New York. Even though I was the only Japanese student there, my classmates kindly accepted me and helped me immerse myself in a new culture.

We arrived in the fall of 1963, and for several years my family lived like Americans. My father would take the subway to Manhattan where he worked as a trade official. We rooted for the Mets and the Yankees, and ate hot dogs at Coney Island. On vacation, we would go to Niagara Falls or here to Washington, D.C.

And I remember things that were strange and funny to a little Japanese boy, like watching the Flintstones. I still miss that show. Although I could never translate "yabba dabba doo."

After 60 years, I have a message for the good people of Queens. Thank you for making my family and me feel so welcome. I have never forgotten it.

So, I speak to you today as a long and close friend of the United States. I know that the National Park Service is undertaking a rehabilitation project in the Tidal Basin.

As a gesture of friendship, Japan will provide 250 cherry trees that will be planted there, in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of your independence.

2. The leadership of the United States

As you might also remember, the 1964 World's Fair was held in Queens. Its symbol was a giant Unisphere, and the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding." And yet we also know that peace requires more than understanding. It requires resolve.

The U.S. shaped the international order in the postwar world through economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power. It championed freedom and democracy. It encouraged the stability and prosperity of nations, including Japan. And, when necessary, it made noble sacrifices to fulfill its commitment to a better world.

The United States policy was based on the premise that humanity does not want to live oppressed by an authoritarian state, where you are tracked and surveilled and denied from expressing what is in your heart and on your mind.

You believed that freedom is the oxygen of humanity. The world needs the United States to continue playing this pivotal role in the affairs of nations. And yet, as we meet here today, I detect an undercurrent of self-doubt among some Americans about what your role in the world should be.

3. New Challenges

This self-doubt is arising at a time when our world is at history's turning point. The post-Cold War era is already behind us, and we are now at an inflection point that will define the next stage of human history.

The international order that the U.S. worked for generations to build is facing new challenges, challenges from those with values and principles very different from ours.

Freedom and democracy are currently under threat around the globe. Climate change has caused natural disasters, poverty, and displacement on a global scale. In the COVID-19 pandemic, all humanity suffered.

Rapid advances in AI technology have resulted in a battle over the soul of AI that is raging between its promise and its perils. The balance of economic power is shifting. The Global South plays a greater role in responding to challenges and opportunities and calls for a larger voice.

Turning to Japan's own neighborhood, China's current external stance and military actions present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge, not only to the peace and security of Japan but to the peace and stability of the international community at large.

While such a challenge from China continues, our commitment to upholding a free and open international order based on the rule of law, as well as peace, will continue to be the defining agenda going forward.

As a Hiroshima native, I have devoted my political career to bringing about a world without nuclear weapons. For years, I have worked to revitalize the Non-Proliferation Treaty regime so that we can gain momentum in pursuit of the aspiration. But there exists an imminent danger of nuclear weapons proliferation in East Asia. North Korea's nuclear and missile program is a direct threat. The issue of abductions by North Korea remains a critical issue.

North Korea's provocations have impact beyond the region. It has also exported its ballistic missiles to support Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, greatly increasing the suffering of the Ukrainian people. Russia's unprovoked, unjust, and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has entered its third year. As I often say, Ukraine of today may be East Asia of tomorrow. 

Furthermore, Russia continues to threaten the use of nuclear weapons, which has contributed to worldwide concern that yet another catastrophe by nuclear weapon use is a real possibility. In this reality, close coordination between Japan and the U.S. is required more than ever to ensure that the deterrence our Alliance provides remains credible and resilient.

New forms of oppression are being imposed on the world. Freedom is being suppressed through digital technologies. Social media is censored, monitored, and controlled.

There are growing cases of economic coercion and the so-called "debt trap" diplomacy, whereby the economic dependency of nations is exploited and weaponized.

Facing such rapidly changing pressures, how do we continue to safeguard our common values?

4. Global Partners

I want to address those Americans who feel the loneliness and exhaustion of being the country that has upheld the international order almost singlehandedly.

I understand it is a heavy burden to carry such hopes on your shoulders.

Although the world looks to your leadership, the U.S. should not be expected to do it all, unaided and on your own.

Yes, the leadership of the United States is indispensable.

Without U.S. support, how long before the hopes of Ukraine would collapse under the onslaught from Moscow?

Without the presence of the United States, how long before the Indo-Pacific would face even harsher realities?

Ladies and gentlemen, as the United States' closest friend, tomodachi , the people of Japan are with you, side by side, to assure the survival of liberty. Not just for our people, but for all people.

I am not saying this out of my strong attachment to America. I am an idealist but a realist, too. The defense of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law is the national interest of Japan.

The Japanese people are fully committed to these values. I do not want to leave our children a society where human rights are suppressed, where political self-determination is denied, where our lives are monitored by digital technology. I know you don't either.

Upholding these values is both a cause and a benefit for our two countries as well as for the generations to come across the world.

Right now, Japanese and U.S. service members are working side by side to deter aggression and ensure peace.

I admire them, I thank them, and I know I speak for all of us when I say -- they have the gratitude of both our nations.

On the spaceship called "Freedom and Democracy," Japan is proud to be your shipmate. We are on deck, we are on task. And we are ready to do what is necessary.

The democratic nations of the world must have all hands on deck. I am here to say that Japan is already standing shoulder to shoulder with the United States.

You are not alone. We are with you.

Japan has changed over the years. We have transformed ourselves from a reticent ally, recovering from the devastation of World War II, to a strong, committed ally, looking outward to the world.

Japan has transformed its national security strategy. Uncertainty about the future stability of the Indo-Pacific region caused us to change our policies and our very mindset. I myself have stood at the forefront in making our bilateral alliance even stronger.

In 2022, we announced that we would secure a substantial increase of our defense budget by FY 2027 to 2% of GDP, possess counterstrike capabilities, and improve cybersecurity. Today, the deterrence that our Alliance provides is stronger than ever, bolstered by U.S. extended deterrence for Japan.

Japan has taken strong sanctions against Russia in the wake of its aggression against Ukraine. We have announced over $12 billion in aid to Ukraine, including anti-drone detection systems. This is part of NATO's aid package, and yes, we are even working with NATO on the other side of the world from us.

I might add that in February, to help a devastated Ukraine get through these agonizing times, I hosted the conference for Ukraine's economic growth and reconstruction. Japan will continue to stand with Ukraine.

As the geopolitical landscape changed and as Japan grew in confidence, we expanded our outlook beyond that of being America's closest ally. We first became a regional partner of the United States, and now we have become your global partner. Never has our relationship been so close, our vision and approach so united.

Today, our partnership goes beyond the bilateral. Examples include trilateral and quadrilateral cooperation among the U.S., Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, India, and the Philippines as well as cooperation through the G7 and with ASEAN. The three leaders of the U.S., the Republic of Korea and Japan convened at Camp David last summer to inaugurate a new era of our partnership.

From these various endeavors emerges a multilayered regional framework where our Alliance serves as a force multiplier. And, together with these like-minded countries, we are working to realize a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.

Here in this chamber, we should have strong bipartisan support for these efforts.

Japan believes in U.S. leadership, and we also believe in the U.S. economy. Japan is the number one foreign direct investor in the United States. Japanese companies have invested around $800 billion, creating almost one million American jobs. These are good jobs with half a million jobs in the manufacturing sector alone.

At home, I am embarking on a set of initiatives called a New Form of Capitalism to drive the Japanese economy. The public and private sectors are joining hands to transform the social challenges we face into engines of growth. Wage increases, capital investment, stock prices -- all have attained levels not seen for thirty years. The Japanese economy is now making strides by capitalizing on these unprecedented and major changes. A growth-oriented Japanese economy should also spur even greater investment in the United States.

And we can then help boost the global economy to steer it toward a strong growth trajectory in the years to come. Just yesterday, President Biden and I demonstrated our commitment to leading the world on the development of the next generation of emerging technologies, such as AI, quantum, semiconductors, biotechnology, and clean energy.

And the scope of our bilateral cooperation expands to space as well, illuminating our path toward a brighter and more hopeful tomorrow. The TV broadcast of Apollo 11's lunar landing in 1969 is still seared into my memory. Japan's lunar lander mission in January achieved the first pinpoint landing in history. 

Yesterday, President Biden and I announced that a Japanese national will be the first non-American astronaut to land on the Moon on a future Artemis mission.

We have two astronauts with us today. Would Mr. Hoshide and Mr. Tani please stand?

Mr. Akihiko Hoshide has flown to space three times and served as commander of the International Space Station for five months in 2021.

Next to him, is Mr. Daniel Tani. He is a retired Japanese American astronaut who has conducted six spacewalks and in his two missions logged over 50 million miles.

Which is a lot of frequent-flyer points. Mr. Hoshide and Mr. Tani are living symbols of our collaboration in space, and we will have many more such collaborations in the future. Thank you, gentlemen. 

5. Conclusion

Let me close with this final thought. I want you to know how seriously Japan takes its role as the United States' closest ally.

Together we carry a large responsibility. I believe that we are essential to peace, vital to freedom, and fundamental to prosperity.

Bonded by our beliefs, I pledge to you Japan's firm alliance and enduring friendship.

"Global Partners for the Future." -- We are your global partner today, and we will be your global partner in the years ahead.

Thank you for inviting me, thank you for your hospitality, and thank you for the role you play in the world.

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Facts about the japanese language:.

Always interesting and ever evolving in the modern era, the Japanese language is spoken by roughly 130 million people worldwide. While it has been said that Chinese has had an influence on the origins of Japanese, there is a great deal of debate about its exact history. Most linguists do agree that its origins likely come from Turkish, Korean, and Mongolian.

Written Japanese falls into three major categories:

Hiragana: The most basic form of the Japanese language, each syllable in Hiragana is represented by a character in a phonetic system of which there are 46.

Katakana: Also represented by a character for each syllable, the 48 characters in the Katakana chart are primarily for foreign words used in Japanese.

Kanji: The multi-syllabic and most complex of the characters, there are roughly 2,000 Kanji. Japanese children do not learn Kanji until grade school and continue throughout high school.

A lesser included fourth category, Romaji is the "Romanized" version of Japanese. Instead of unique characters, symbols are represented in the Latin A-Z alphabet and sounds are written phonetically.

While written Japanese may prove quite arduous, spoken Japanese and grammar is very simple. There are varying levels of politeness, but Japanese has much fewer verb conjugations than other languages, uses no particles, and the subject is oftentimes omitted.

Throughout Japan there are many dialects by region, referred to as "ben" or "go" that vary widely by prefecture.

Japanese truly is as fascinating as it is a challenge.

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9 Must-Know Japanese Parts of Speech With Charts & Examples

Learning any language, including Japanese, means understanding how to put a sentence together. This is where parts of speech come in. Native English speakers will be familiar with nouns (people, places, things, or ideas) and verbs (action words). Japanese parts of speech are much the same, making a new learner’s job easier. 

See how parts of speech work in Japanese sentences with the Rosetta Stone app . Each lesson includes the spoken sentences in writing, helping you identify each word individually and how it relates to other words in a greater context. 

Table of Contents

What are japanese parts of speech.

Japanese parts of speech ( hinshi , 品詞) are categories of words divided by their function in a sentence, working the same way as parts of speech in English. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other English parts of speech have near-identical counterparts in Japanese. 

There are a few critical differences between Japanese grammar and English grammar that can make identifying parts of speech challenging for new learners.

• Japanese does not use spaces, meaning words appear to run together at first glance.
• English word order generally puts the verb after the subject performing the action. This is referred to as “SVO” (“subject-verb-object”) word order . In Japanese, the verb goes at the end of a sentence or clause, making it “SOV” (“subject-object-verb”) word order.
• Punctuation is used sparingly in Japanese. For example, commas are almost entirely optional, whereas they are essential in English.
• There are no articles (“the,” “a,” and “an”) in Japanese, and there are also no indicators for plurals in most cases. Context is key for determining whether a noun is singular or plural in Japanese.

Japanese parts of speech chart

There are nine main parts of speech in Japanese. Conveniently, all of these words end in the suffix -shi (詞), literally meaning “part of speech” or “words.”

Joshi (particles) in Japanese

Particles, or joshi (助詞), are short Japanese words that make identifying the roles of the words around them easier. Each Japanese particle can have multiple uses, but they all function to tie the pieces of a sentence together. Here are a few common ones:

The breakdown of this sentence shows how particles wa and o work with the word before it:

• Inu wa mizu o nomimashita.（犬は水を飲みました。） = The dog drank water.

Meishi (nouns) in Japanese

Japanese nouns, like English, describe a person, place, or thing. Unlike English, they generally do not identify quantity (plurals), and there are no articles. Japanese nouns also lack grammatical gender like that seen in languages such as Spanish and German.

• Neko wa dōbutsu desu.（ 猫 は 動物 です。） = Cats are animals .

Nouns can also be used to describe other nouns by using particle no , which indicates possession or ownership. The noun before no qualifies the noun that follows it. In the sentence below, nihongo (日本語) means “Japanese language” and hon (本) means “book.”

• Nihongo no hon o yondeimasu.（ 日本語の本 を読んでいます。） = I am reading a Japanese book .

Daimeishi (pronouns) in Japanese

Japanese pronouns include such words as “I,” “you,” and “they.” However, there are several different words for each to distinguish how formal or casual the speaker is being. A handful of suffixes such as -ra (ら) or -tachi (たち) can even be used here in a rare case of pluralization.

The pronoun “I” alone has more than three common options! While some of them lean toward the masculine or feminine, there are no strict rules about what a person can use in casual conversation—Japanese pronoun use for the individual depends on self expression and social situations.

Once a relationship is established, using names in place of pronouns is common, even used in the second-person instead of “you.” Pronouns are often dropped in a sentence if the subject being referred to is obvious. For example, when introducing yourself as “George,” the “I” or watashi can be omitted in the sentence:

• (Watashi wa) jōji desu.（ （私は） ジョージです。） = I am George.

Dōshi (verbs) in Japanese

Japanese verbs are action words and go at the end of a sentence or clause. The three categories of Japanese verbs are godan (五段) verbs, ichidan (一段) verbs, and irregular verbs. The first two are differentiated (and conjugated) by the last sound of the word: Godan verbs end in a “u” sound (the character ru (る) is sometimes included) and ichidan verbs always end in the character ru . 

Like other languages, there are many Japanese verb conjugations to remember. However, the good news is that they’re the same regardless of the subject of the sentence. 

In these examples, the conjugation of the verb hanasu (話す) or “to speak” is the same in Japanese while the English conjugation changes. 

• Watashi wa nihongo o hanashimasu .（ 私 は日本語を 話します 。） = I speak Japanese.
• Tomodachi wa nihongo o hanashimasu .（ 友だち は日本語を 話します 。） = My friend speaks Japanese.

Japanese transitive and intransitive verbs

Within Japanese verbs is a subset called transitive and intransitive verbs. Transitive verbs are used when the subject acts directly on the object, while intransitive verbs are used when an object does something on its own.

Here is an example of the transitive verb “to open” ( akeru , 開ける) in action:

• Kanojo wa mado o akemashita .（彼女は窓を 開けました 。） = She opened the window.

In contrast, here is an example of the window opening on its own using the intransitive verb for “something opens” ( aku , 開く):

• Mado ga akimashita .（窓が 開きました 。） = The window opened .

Keiyōshi and keiyōdōshi (adjectives) in Japanese

Japanese adjectives come in two varieties: i -adjectives (or keiyōshi , 形容詞) and na -adjectives (or keiyōdoushi , 形容動詞). As the terms imply, i -adjectives end in the character i (い) and na -adjectives are followed by a na (な) if in front of a noun. They are functionally similar with both coming before a noun to describe it or accompanying the verb “to be” to label the subject as that adjective.

• Karai tabemono ga suki desu.（ 辛い 食べ物が好きです。） = I like spicy food.
• Musume wa shizuka na ko desu.（娘は 静かな 子です。） = My daughter is a quiet child.

Like verbs, Japanese adjectives have conjugations. Fortunately, because there are only two types of endings, the conjugations are more straightforward than those of Japanese verbs.

Rentaishi (adjectival nouns) in Japanese

Japanese adjectival nouns are a unique set of words that describe which noun is being discussed. They function like adjectives in a sentence but are distinct from i – and na – adjectives. They may appear like verbs or nouns but ultimately describe a noun in the same way an adjective would. 

The most common rentaishi are the ko-so-a-do (こそあど) series of words. They are so named because each word starts with one of those four characters, and each one is used based on the distance or relationship to the speaker.

• ko words: where the speaker is
• so words: where the listener is
• a words: far from both the speaker and the listener
• do words: question words for the given category

Fukushi (adverbs) in Japanese

There are several categories of Japanese adverbs, including those that describe amount, time, or how a verb is done. The first two do not have any special conjugations.

Adjectives can also be turned into adverbs. To convert an i -adjective into an adverb, the final i (い) is dropped and replaced with ku (く). To convert a na -adjective into an adverb, ni (に) is added to the end of the word instead of na (な).

Setsuzokushi (conjunctions) in Japanese

Japanese conjunctions manifest in two ways: through particles with specific functions (some which involve conjugating a verb) or using a special verb conjugation called te -form. 

Common particles that act as conjunctions include:

On the more complex side, the te -form conjugation is a way to connect two independent clauses. The verb of the first clause is conjugated to te -form, while the verb of the second clause determines the tense of the entire sentence. This is one case where commas may or may not be used, depending on if the person writing the sentence wants to split the sentence visually and encourage a pause when speaking.

• Watashi wa shichiji ni okite , asagohan o tabemashita .（私は七時に 起きて 、朝ごはんを 食べました 。） = I woke up at 7:00 and ate breakfast.

Kandōshi (interjections) in Japanese

Japanese interjections or exclamations are a fun way to add flavor and emotion to a sentence, and you will sound more fluent if you use them naturally! They are also known as aizuchi (相槌), and it’s common for a listener to pepper them into a conversation while someone else is talking as an indicator that they are listening intently.

Having live conversations is the perfect way to practice using Japanese interjections. Finding a conversation partner through Rosetta Stone tutoring is a great place to start.

*Incredibly versatile, yabai is frequently used as slang to mean everything from “amazing” to “terrifying” to “expensive.” Context will be your guide to understanding this interjection.

Key takeaways for Japanese parts of speech

Every part of speech comes with its own set of vocabulary, uses, and even conjugations. By approaching each one individually, putting them all together will help you create complex and natural sentences.

• Japanese has nine major parts of speech: joshi , meishi , daimeishi , dōshi , keiyōshi and keiyōdōshi , rentaishi , fukushi , setsuzokushi , and kandōshi .
• Each Japanese part of speech has a specific function and works together with other parts of speech to create a complete sentence.
• Basic Japanese word order is subject-object-verb (SOV), which provides a framework for the location of Japanese parts of speech in a sentence. 
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Alexa Bevan

Alexa Bevan specializes in Japanese and is currently diving into German. She loves writing about Japan, education, and language, and left her heart in Kyoto.

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