Chapter Text
Excerpts from an Address by Timothy H. Moore, President of the United States, to a Joint Address of the National Diet of Japan
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Prime Minister, distinguished Members of the Diet, distinguished guests…
Twice this decade, Japan’s heroes have shown the world the true meaning of what that role entails—and today, in this very building, your great heroes have done so yet again.
<sustained applause>
I am honored to stand before you in this chamber, and I am even more honored by the fact that I am only able to do so thanks to the bravery, ingenuity, and tireless devotion of your nation’s heroes. On behalf of the American people, your nation and your brave heroes have my deepest and most profound gratitude. The heroes that saved Japan are not just heroes of your nation. They are heroes for millions of people around the world.
<applause>
It is also, unfortunately, a reminder of the frailty of the peace that the world enjoys. Japan has endured great suffering over the past half-decade, but it has shown unbelievable resilience as well. Today’s attack proves that the peace within and among our nations cannot be taken for granted. Peace must be defended. It must be guarded at all times, kept safe from those who would destroy it if given the opportunity. Yet I say to you now that your heroes are those guardians of that peace. Japan is a stable, strong, and resolute nation, and it is thanks to the unbreakable spirit of your heroes. Today’s attack failed, and—
<applause>
—and let that be a message to anyone, anywhere, who dares to threaten the peaceful order of nations, who dares to inflict suffering and harm on others for its own sake: we will not give in to fear. We will not back down. Our will to fight will outlast yours, and we will stand united against any threat to our shared peaceful way of life!
<applause>
I am not oblivious to the significance of my visit to Japan at this time. In the wake of a devastating war, one that ravaged Japan and saw its youngest, most promising heroes called upon to save their nation from destruction, the world watched on in fear, hoping that the chaos would not land on their shores. Japan, undoubtedly, felt alone. Well, I am here to say to you that Japan need not ever shoulder a burden like that alone ever again. I am here to recommit, on behalf of the American people, our unwavering support to Japan’s defense, peace, and prosperity. The era of America’s retreat from the world is over: we stand with Japan and its people, because we know that your peace is our peace, and your safety is our safety.
<applause>
Cathleen Bate understood that. Star and Stripe, America’s top hero following in the footsteps of the forever legendary All Might, knew that Japan should not have to face down the grave threats that it confronted alone. She acted even when told not to. She acted to save lives knowing what the risk was to her own life. Your own great hero, All Might, once said that such actions were the very essence of what it means to be a hero. Her loss was incalculable. The world lost a giant when it lost her. Yet to those who say that her sacrifice was in vain, I say: come to Japan. When they say that America’s heroes aren’t to be troubled with problems in far off countries, I say: let them come to Japan. When they say—
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When they say that the suffering of other people is fine as long as it doesn’t happen at home, I say: let them come to Japan!
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When they say that we can make a deal with people who would destroy the very foundation of civilized society and hope to survive intact, I say: let them come to Japan!
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And when they say that heroes are fighting a hopeless battle, that there’s nothing that can be done to stand in the way of the forces that terrorize and destroy, that hope and forgiveness are futile, that we can’t make the world safer and happier and freer, I say: Karera ga Nihon ni kimasu yō ni! Let them come to Japan!
<applause>
Let them come to Japan and see for themselves what this nation has built and rebuilt, after having lost so much and facing the peril of losing so much more. Let them look this nation’s people in the eye and tell them that their sacrifice was not worth bearing and that their success is not worth protecting. I do not accept that for one minute—not one minute!—and as long as I have a say in it, this government will not accept that either. Many thousands of miles separate us, but we are bound by the sacrifices that our people have borne side by side.
Tomorrow, the Prime Minister and I will travel to the Cathleen Bate Memorial Park on the Shizuoka coast. We will pay tribute to her sacrifice—some small measure from us of the immeasurable gratitude that the Japanese and American people have for the heroism that she, as Star and Stripe, showed throughout her life up to the very moment that she gave herself for the safety of the world. Mr. and Mrs. Bate, I know that you are watching right now. I spoke to you on the day you lost your daughter. I felt your pain with you. And I hope that today, even though you cannot be here in person, you can feel the depth of love and gratitude that all of us in this chamber have for the brilliance that your daughter showed the world.
<sustained applause>
[…]
I know that there are still feelings of hurt. Feelings of betrayal. I will not dare to tell you that you are wrong to feel this way. I know that my visit does not undo the past. None of us can—nor should we wish that we could. Our past faults are not made right by what we do in the present. Yet it is the totality of our past, our best and our worst, that has made us who we are, as people and as nations. We cannot unspeak that which has been spoken. We cannot undo that which has been done. Were we to even try, it would be as if we were erasing pieces of ourselves.
No, our shared history is not one of trying to erase or revert the past. The ties between us have always been shored up through forgiveness and understanding—through the knowledge that, though we cannot ignore the worst that we have done, we will also not let ourselves and each other be defined by it. Decades and decades ago, we stood on opposite shores of the Pacific as bitter enemies. That history will never go away. Yet now, our heroes and yours have fought side by side. Our students and yours share classes at each other’s universities. Our television screens show your animated shows, and your cinemas show our blockbuster dramas. The very essence of our relationship, of the ties that bind Japan and America together across an ocean, is not of forgetting the pains and faults of the past, but of growing out of those pains and faults, together, into a brighter future. So let me—
<applause>
Let me recommit to you that we will continue to grow side by side, striving for that brighter future, learning from the faults of the past to keep building that safer, happier, freer world where nobody need live in fear. A world where opportunity for all to succeed is assured, and where nobody is cursed by birth to a life of poverty or oppression or hopelessness. That world is possible, and you, the people of Japan, have shown us all that it is. We will support you in that project—for your sake, for ours, and for that of the entire world. Thank you, and God bless you all.
<sustained applause>