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On February 7, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a courtesy call from the Hon. Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States of America, at the Prime Minister’s Office.

After attending a salute and guard of honor ceremony, the Prime Minister and Vice President Pence held a joint press announcement.

Finally, the Prime Minister hosted a dinner banquet at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence, and said in his address,

“The Honorable Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States of America, the Honorable Karen Pence, Second Lady of the United States of America, distinguished guests: It is a great pleasure for me to host this banquet today to welcome Vice President Pence and Mrs. Pence upon their second visit to Japan.

Earlier, I had a very productive discussion with the Vice President on various issues, including the issue of North Korea.  Vice President and Mrs. Pence are only spending a short period of time in Japan, so we have prepared a combination of Japanese and Western Dishes because I would like you to enjoy washoku, or Japanese cuisine.    Although this is a short visit, I hope you can have a relaxing time.

Vice President Pence has been making every effort to strengthen Japan-U.S. relations for many years, including his two visits to Japan as the Governor of the state of Indiana.

Above all, during his time as Governor, Vice President Pence was dedicated to working on attracting Japanese investment.  Thanks to his dedication, many Japanese corporations have advanced into Indiana, including prominent automakers, such as Toyota, Subaru, and Honda.  The Japanese people and the people of Indiana share the qualities of diligence, proper discipline, and sincerity.   I think that is one of the reasons why Japanese corporations have been able to maintain their businesses for such a long time in Indiana.

 Vice President Pence worked on attracting Japanese corporations during his time as Governor and he understands how much the Japanese corporations have contributed to employment and economic development of Indiana.  And now, I am pleased that he is the co-chair of the Japan-U.S. Economic Dialogue.

Of course, we understand well that Vice President Pence is very tough when it comes to the Japan-U.S. Economic Dialogue.  However, we feel relieved because of his deep understanding of Japan.

The name of Indiana calls to mind the Indy 500, or Indianapolis 500.  This is the world’s  best auto race, and many Japanese fans have been mesmerized by the circuit where cars over 200 laps totalling 500 miles.  To date, many Japanese racing drivers have competed in this world’s fastest circuit race.  And on this occasion, I have invited two racers who participated in the Indy 500 to join us today.

I also need to mention the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, which will finally commence the day after tomorrow.  Both the Vice President and I will attend the Opening Ceremony.  And then, we look forward to the completion for medals that will unfold between the Japanese and American athletes in the events such as figure skating and snowboarding. Of course, the teams we are supporting are different, but I will applaud no matter which one wins..

Today, I have invited distinguished guests who have been working very hard to support today’s excellent alliance between Japan and the United States in facets including business, politics, academia, the arts, and sports as well as those guests who have deep ties with the state of Indiana, where Vice President Pence and Mrs. Pence are from.

So here’s a message that I would like to convey to our guests:  Thanks to all your hard work, we now enjoy this excellent alliance.  And I’d like to ask for your continued support and efforts.  With that, I would like to propose a toast wishing for a great success out of the Vice President and Mrs. Pence’s visit to Japan, as well as for the further development of the bilateral relations between Japan and the United States.”