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Thank you, Dr. (Yumi) Akimoto, for that warm introduction. I am very pleased to be back in Japan, and it's a tremendous honor to be here with you this afternoon.

This is my second visit to Japan, and on each occasion I have looked forward to the trip because of the generous and welcoming spirit of the Japanese people, and because the United States and Japan have forged a long and productive friendship.

On a personal level, I have enjoyed personal and positive relationships with my counterparts at METI and MEXT, and I look forward to a continuation of our fruitful partnership on international energy security issues. I know that this is representative of the larger friendship between our two nations.

President Bush noted the enduring and fruitful alliance between our nations when he spoke to the Diet and said:

"From that alliance has come an era of peace in the Pacific. And in that peace, the world has witnessed the broad advance of prosperity and democracy throughout East Asia."

Prosperity, democracy, liberty. Common values, common ideals, common responsibilities ... and a common future together.

The closeness of our nations was never more evident than in the devastating wake of September 11, when Japan stood firmly beside the United States. You recognized that the attacks on our country were an attack on yours, because it was an attack on the civilization, modernity, and progress that our nations represent.