The United States and Japan are dedicated to working together to advance human security, economic prosperity and political stability throughout the world.  During their meeting on December 3 in Tokyo, as part of a broader discussion, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Vice President Joe Biden highlighted the following aspects of our global partnership:

Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief

• Regional Disaster Response:  The United States and Japan share a strong mutual commitment to help the governments of the Philippines and Palau provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as demonstrated by ongoing joint efforts, such as airlift of affected people and relief goods under the Multi-National Coordination Centre, to respond to the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan.  The United States and Japan will strengthen cooperation to support disaster relief and recovery training and capacity-building in Southeast Asia, starting with the Philippines.
  
  
• Disaster Risk Reduction:  The United States and Japan will  coordinate the establishment of an emergency information transmission system on natural disasters in ASEAN countries, especially in the Philippines, utilizing their experience and technology.  The United States also will support Japan's role as host of the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) in Sendai, Japan in March 2015. 

Development Assistance

• Coordination of Overseas Development Assistance:  The United States and Japan both seek to promote peace, stability and economic growth regionally and globally through overseas development assistance.  In order to maximize the effectiveness of that assistance, The United States and Japan will initiate a new, regular, senior-level Development Dialogue among their respective foreign ministries and aid agencies.
  
  
  
  • A major focus of this initiative will include Southeast Asia.  The United States and Japan will focus our cooperation on supporting Myanmar's 2014 ASEAN host year; addressing women's empowerment and gender-based issues, coordinating our work on health, infrastructure, energy in the Lower Mekong basin, and promoting national peace and reconciliation in Myanmar.
    
    
  • The United States and Japan will also work together in the Pacific region, where both have deep ties.  In the "Okinawa 'Kizuna' Declaration," released at the Sixth Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM 6) in 2012, Japan committed $500 million over three years to strengthen cooperation in five areas (response to natural disasters, environment and climate change, people-to-people exchanges, sustainable development and human security, and maritime issues) in the Pacific region.  The United States welcomes Japan's partnership to reinforce our joint engagement in the Pacific region.
    
    
  • Another area of focus will be assistance to Africa.  Japan recently announced a robust and comprehensive assistance package for Africa, utilizing private and public means, of up to approximately JPY 3.2 trillion (32 billion USD), including ODA of approximately JPY 1.4 trillion (14 billion USD) in the next five years. The United States also welcomes Japan's partnership to work with the private sector to expand access to power and electricity in Africa, in close cooperation with the Power Africa initiative.  The United States and Japan will coordinate our work in areas including economic growth and governance.
    
    
• Shared Focus on Global Health:  To contribute to unprecedented efforts to combat the worldwide spread of infectious diseases, Japan announced that it will contribute $800 million in the coming years to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis.  This generosity will leverage $400 million from the United States' challenge pledge and will work to turn the tide against these three devastating diseases. The United States and Japan are also determined to strengthen global health security capacity to counter pandemic and biological threats, including activities in support of the World Health Organization International Health Regulations.
  
  
• Millenium Development Goals: The United States and Japan strongly support the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and are committed to aggressive efforts to accelerate their achievement before 2015.  We also commit to working together with international partners to develop one post-2015 development agenda that addresses poverty, inclusive growth, and sustainability in clear, ambitious, and measurable goals.
  
  
• Empowering Women:  The United States and Japan share a commitment to expanding opportunity for women and girls around the world, in line with Prime Minister Abe's commitment to promote greater economic opportunity for women in Japan and worldwide, and President Obama's vision of advancing the status of women and girls around the world.  Both countries commit to expanding cooperation, including in helping increase women's economic inclusion in the ASEAN economic community and in APEC; advancing the APEC Women in the Economy Forum's efforts to further strengthen women's full economic participation, and maximize their contributions towards economic growth; accelerating nutrition improvement through support of the Scaling Up Nutrition movement; improving the environment through measures such as increasing the enrollment rate of girls and providing vocational-training; and promoting the role of women in peace and security, including through cooperation with UN Women.  The United States and Japan will also work together to prevent and respond to gender-based violence by leveraging resources between our respective strategies in the Mekong region; by strengthening women's roles in humanitarian response; by improving the capacity of the humanitarian assistance system, including through the Call to Action on Protecting Women and Girls in Emergencies; and by strong support for the UN system, including activities led by the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Contributions to Global Security

• Commitment to Middle East Peace:  Reflecting our shared commitment to Middle East Peace, The United States and Japan support Palestinian economic growth and institution building efforts.  Japan welcomes the High-Impact Micro Infrastructure Initiative and the Palestinian Economic Initiative, while the United States welcomes the steady development of Japan's "Corridor for Peace and Prosperity" and "the Conference on the Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD)" initiatives.  The United States and Japan will explore further collaboration in assisting the Palestinians, bearing in mind that a strong, vibrant, private sector-driven economy will be critical to the viability of a future Palestinian state.  The United States and Japan will also strengthen coordination in the Middle East Peace process. The United States is the largest contributor to Palestinian economic development, having committed approximately $5 billion in bilateral assistance since the mid-1990s.  Japan has also provided over $1.35 billion in assistance to the Palestinians since the mid1990s, making Japan one of major donors to the Palestinians after the United States.
  
  
• Commitment to Syria:  The United States and Japan concur on the necessity and urgency to actively participate in and contribute to international efforts to mitigate suffering and provide humanitarian assistance in Syria and neighboring countries.  Furthermore, The United States and Japan reaffirm their commitment to support international efforts to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons.  The United States and Japan will also continue strong support for efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and to improve global capacity to counter biological, nuclear, radiological and chemical threats.
  
  
• Promoting Maritime Safety and Security: The United States and Japan will coordinate their capacity building assistance on maritime safety and security towards Southeast Asian countries and work together, through various multilateral fora, to strengthen maritime order based on fundamental principles and the rule of law. Japan will support in a substantive manner the Expanded ASEAN Seafarer Training initiative proposed by the United States.  Japan will further contribute to the counter-piracy efforts of the international community including the United States through the participation of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces deployed off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, in the Combined Task Force 151.