By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been invited to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on April 29, during a visit to Washington, becoming the first Japanese leader to make such an address.
U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner said Abe's speech will provide an opportunity for Americans to hear from a close ally about ways to expand cooperation on economic and security priorities.
"That, of course, includes working together to open markets and encourage more economic growth through free trade," Boehner said in a statement announcing the invitation to Abe.
Trade is an important component of President Barack Obama's diplomatic "pivot" to Asia, and progress toward a free trade deal has been touted as a key part of Abe's visit to Washington.
But Congress has been slow to finalize legislation to speed such agreements.
There had been resistance to offering Abe the relatively rare honor. An organization for former U.S. prisoners of the Japanese and a Korean-American forum had said he should only make the address if he acknowledged Japan's World War Two past.
Abe will spend eight days in the United States next month. The day before his address to Congress, he will go to the White House to meet with Obama and attend a formal state dinner.
Although addresses to both houses of Congress by foreign leaders are fairly rare, Abe will be the third to address a joint meeting this year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the House and Senate on March 3, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani did so on March 25.