s to facilitate and to speed the bringing to the floor of the bipartisan restoration of the protections in the voting rights act cred c.d. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] >> now live to the floor of the u.s. house. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by guest chaplain reverend dr. jim birchfield first presbyterian church, houston, texas. the chaplain: eternal god, we give you thanks for the gift of this new day and for the promise that you are with us. thank you for your grace, your love and the many blessings that are ours through you. forgive us for falling short of your grace and your call upon our lives. and help us to walk humbly,

serve graciously, and lead righteously. guide this body today in the work that you have called them to. grant strength, wisdom, courage, and compassion to the leadership and to each member of this house, the senate our president, and all the leaders of our government. finally, we pray for our nation . grant us peace and unity. call out the best in us. and help us to care for and serve the least of those among us. bless these leaders that they might be a blessing to the world, to your glory. amen. . the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from

california, mr. lowenthal. mr. lowenthal: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. kennedy, is recognized for one minute. mr. kennedy: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. kennedy: mr. speaker, it is an honor for me to be here today and to watch and recognize my father-in-law the reverend dr. jim burchfield, who opened the house this afternoon. he is a man that i've known myself and her family over the past decade who are with us in the gallery this afternoon, a man of utmost integrity who has devoted his life to, as he

said, serving those among us that are most in need. through his ministry at first presbyterian church and prior to that in new port beach california, the greater los angeles area, he and his family have consistently dedicated themselves to spreading the word of god and making sure that we, as a community, as a country remain focused on those who need our help most. he has spread that word throughout the entire world from subis a hairian africa, to egypt and recent trips to israel and literally the world over as he continues to expand his ministry and touch those who are in need of additional service. so mr. speaker i'm grateful to be with my father-in-law and to have this moment to share with him and his family this morning. thanks very much and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition?

mr. poe: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: mr. speaker, under the leadership of senator cornyn and senator wyden, the senate has unanimously passed the bipartisan justice for victims of trafficking act. this bill will help stop modern day slavery here in america. the house has passed a similar bill under the sponsorship of carolyn maloney and myself. we've acknowledged the international human trafficking for years. now we acknowledge and put sufficient resources behind the fight against the buying and selling of human beings here. this slavery in america is not going to be tolerated. the bill penalizes traffickers and buyers. mr. speaker, buyers have escaped the long arm of the law for too long. the bill also treats trafficking victims as victims and not criminals. we can no longer deny the scourge of rape and abuse of our children. i strongly encourage the house leadership to immediately bring up the senate compromise

justice for victims of trafficking act for a vote. victims are people too, and let it be known that america's kids are not for sale and won't be to anyone who sells or bice them on the marketplace of slavery and that's just the way it -- or buys them on the marketplace of slavery and that's the just way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota -- maryland seek recognition? let me get this straight. let me start anew. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. lowenthal: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. lowenthal: thank you, mr. speaker. 40 years ago the fall of seeingon ended the war in -- saigon ended the war in vietnam and began a journey for hundreds of thousands of vietnamese who were forced to flee their land for the foreign shores such as america.

this april we remember those vietnamese americans and their allies who lost their lives in vietnam and for the many thousands of boat people who perished while fleeing vietnam on the journey to freedom. today in communities throughout our nation, vietnamese americans contribute daily to the tapestry that we call american life. on this 40th anniversary of black april, we cannot forget the continuing struggle in vietnam for democracy, for freedom and basic human rights. today i am introducing a resolution commemorating this historic event, remembering those who gave their lives and honoring the vietnamese community in the united states. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to raise awareness about the questionable requirements the state of minnesota has been given by the environmental protection agency's clean power plan. mr. emmer: the clean power plan mandates that minnesota reduce carbon emissions for power plants by 41% by the year 2030 while requiring lower reductions in other states. the e.p.a. has failed to recognize and credit minnesota for already decreasing its admissions by 13% between 2005 and 2011. not only is this plan patently unfair to minnesotans but it will hurt consumers across our nation. electricity prices will increase for many businesses and families. disproportionatally impacting those who are struggling to make ends meet. according to the cato

institute, it will reduce the worldwide temperature by about .02 degree celsius and this will take almost 100 years. i encourage the e.p.a. to reconsider the clean power plant plan while keeping in mind the work many states have done on their own to reduce emissions. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. hoyer: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent, as i said to place a statement into the congressional record paying tribute to the memory of my dear friend, earl hargrove, who passed away earlier this month. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. hoyer: earl was a very respected figure in maryland's fifth district and in maryland and indeed nationally who built a successful specially declarations business and served our nation in the marine

corps. everyone has seen earl hargrove's work in america because he did much of the inaugural -- many of the inaugural floats for our presidents. so when you watch television, you are watching the work of earl hargrove and his family and his co-workers. i'm honored to celebrate his life and legacy today and i hope my colleagues will join me in offering condolences to earl's wife of six decades gloria love hargrove, and to his children and grandchildren and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. pitts: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pitts: thank you, mr. speaker. on this day the supreme court is hearing oral arguments on marriage, i want to read a quote. quote, i believe marriage is not just a bond but a sacred bond between a man and woman. i'm committed to the sanctuaryity of marriage, to the fundamental bedrock principle that exists between a man and a woman going back in

the midst of history as one of the foundational institutions of history and humanity and civilization. it's the primary principle role during those millennia has been the raising and socializing of children for society which they become adults. every state has the right to recognize that marriage if that marriage would violate the state's policy. indeed the supreme court has held no state can be forced to recognize any marriage. that's what the case law has held. the supreme court has historically held that states do not have to recognize laws of other states to defend their public policy. it is assumed that any challenge would be futile. end quote. mr. speaker, that was hillary clinton in 2004. she was right. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? the gentleman from florida is recognized for one minute. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr.

speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize all the hardworking flurses across america. nursing is our country's largest health care profession. there are more than 3.1 million registered nurses working on the front lines with patients across the country. beyond working in hospitals nurses work at private practices public health agencies primary care clinics, home health care, nursing homes and outpatient facilities. nurses perform a number of important duties. they are a pillar of our health care system and are vital in creating again, a healthier america. an increase emphasis on preventative care means nurses will be more important in the future. nurses do important and fantastic work and are an integral part of our health care system. if you know a nurse or the next time you see one, thank them for what they do. i yield back mr. speaker. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back his time. for what purpose does the

gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you mr. speaker. today i rise to recognize the wilkes central high school women's basketball team which recently won the north carolina 2-a state championship. it is the first nchsaa state championship in the program's history. the lady eagles fought hard in the final minutes to beat kingston high school 44-41 for the win. m.v.p. lakeon blackburn had 15 points to lead the team. kaylee mcneil added nine points and 19 rebounds. amber god freed had seven points and tamara gibbs added six points, including two free throws with 6.7 seconds left to seal the win. brooke bentley scored five and megan hit two crucial free throws in the fourth quarter.

i commend these young athletes and head coach scott wall who led them on their winning campaign and wish the team continuing success in future seasons. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, i hereby notify you of my resignation as chairman and board member of the office of congressional ethics effective immediately. as you may recall, i have been serving as co-chair of the ocee board since the inception of the office in 2008. the guidelines established by house resolution 895 show my term should not exceed eight years. an alternate member currently serves on the board to fill vacancy. co-chairman david scaggs and i believe the purposes of house resolution 895 are best served by staggering the timing of replacement of each of the co-chairs.

therefore, i have begun to transition to other areas of public service and private activity. please be assured i consider it an honor and privilege to have experienced this appointment on behalf of the house of representatives. signed kindest regards, porter j. goss. the speaker pro tempore: the chair announces the speaker's reappointment pursuant to 44 u.s.c. 2702 and the order of the house of january 6, 2015, of the following individual on the part of the house to the advisory committee on the records of congress. the clerk: mr. jeffrey w. thomas of columbus, ohio. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximately 4:00

theme the three branches and you to demonstrate how a policy law, or action he by one of the three branches of government has affected them or this year our grand prize winners are anna gill began, katie demos and michael lozovoy .

their entry focused on the subject of minimum wage. >> the federal government created the minimum wage in 1938 as the height of the great depression. it was designed to keep america's workers out of poverty and increase consumer purchasing power in order to stimulate the deme. >> it's been increased 22 times in order to keep up with inflation. including seven times in the past 25 years. >> some say it's time to do it again. but is that really in the best interest of our community? >> sydney jones is a single mother with a 4-year-old child. she has to make tough choices every week since she has to make ends meet on a minimum wage job. $7.25 an hour. she says $15,080 isn't enough for her to get by. >> it is hard to sometimes have to decide if my son needs

underwear, i'm going to have to be late on a bill, to buy him a pack of underwear, or i'm going to have to ask people to borrow money. it is hard sometimes. >> sydney is not alone. according to the bureau of labor statistics, 3.3 million americans make had minimum wage or below. that's 2.6% of all u.s. workers. most minimum wage workers are employed in fields like food service, retail sales or personal care such as daycare. rose marie makes minimum wage as a custodian. >> we pay our bills and pay for our housing and stuff like that. we can't do that on minimum wage. just can't. we have all these programs, things like food stamps. why do you need food stamps? because you got to eat. you don't make enough to feed yourself and pay all your bills. you just don't.

>> the push is on to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to maybe $10.10 an hour which would provide a little over $21,000 a year if the individual works 40 hours per week. it's been six years since the minimum wage was raised. some in congress say now is the time to raise it again. >> but things are getting better. the problem is they're only getting better for some. we know that corporate profits have continued to break records while americans are working harder and getting paid less. >> but some like kentucky congressman andy barr say raising the minimum wage will cost jobs. citing a nonpartisan study by the congressional budget office. >> if we mandate a higher minimum wage in those entry level jobs, that we would lose 500,000 to a million jobs immediately. those low-income jobs.

that's the last thing we want. we don't want to create more unemployment. we want higher employment. >> representative barr says more education and better worker training are the keys to improving the lives of minimum wage workers. like sydney and rosemarie. not an artificial wage. >> what we need to focus on again is policies that produce economic growth so that workers in minimum wage jobs move into higher wage jobs, that would then open up those jobs for new workers to come in who are currently unemployed, to fill those -- to back those minimum wage jobs and move up the ladder of success that way. >> many business owners agree. mark started quantum metals, a scrap metal company, 20 years ago. today it has $120 million in annual sales. employing a staff of 50. he believes a wage hike hurts his bottom line. forcing companies to raise prices. >> mandating a higher wage will

raise costs and force them to raise their prices in the marketplace. >> vice president joe biden says increasing the minimum wage will help all workers earn more and spend more. >> folks, it's long past due to increase the minimum wage. that will lift millions of hardworking families out of poverty. and in the process, produce a ripple effect that boosts wages for middle class and spurs economic growth for the united states of america. >> and some minimum wage workers say that extra money will make them less dependent on government benefits. saving taxpayers millions of dollars. >> the city helped me get my apartment. they paid the first month and they paid the deposit. but they're broke because everybody's needing money so bad to help them out. but they don't have any more

money. this was my opportunity to get on my own but if i had my own money, i could have paid the deposit and the first month and last month or whatever. like normingal. but i couldn't because of the situation i was in. >> even some minimum wage workers believe had mandating a pay hike will cost them and everyone else. in the long run. >> if you raise the minimum wage, everything else has to go up as well. it said the government of $10.10. [inaudible] employees have to pay more money, therefore they have to raise their product prices up. in the long run it hurts us more and it also makes our money worth even less than it is now. >> minimum wage jobs should be considered entry level jobs. >> congress should not mandate

higher wages. rather invest in programs that help workers advance to higher skilled and higher paying jobs. >> these actions would benefit our community because more people making more money would create more tax revenue for government. which would result in people being able to invest more in positive community changes. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] >> to watch all of the winning videos and to learn more about our competition, go to cspan.org and click on student cam. also, tell us what you think about the issue these students addressed in their documentary on facebook and twitter. >> here are a few of the book festivals we'll be covering on c-span2's book tv. we'll visit maryland for live coverage of the gaithersburg festival with former congressman tom davis and martin frost. as well as former senior advisor to president obama david axelrod. and then we'll close out may at new york city where the

publishing industry showcases their upcoming books. then on the first week in june, we're live for the chicago tribune printers rowly the fest. including our live in depth program with lawrence wright and your phone calls. that's this spring on c-span2's book tv. >> president obama and japanese prime minister met today at the us who and afterwards they held a news conference in the rose garden. the president took questions about issues of interest between the two countries, as well as the violence and rioting in baltimore. president obama: once again it is an honor to welcome my partner and friend back to the us who -- white house. i'm told there's a phrase in the japanese culture that speak to the spirit that bring us together today. it's an idea rooted in loyalty. it's an expression of muletity, respect and shared obligation. it transcends any specific

moment or challenge, it's the foundation of a relationship that endures. it's what allows us to say that the united states and japan stand together. with and for each other. this is the essence of the alliance between the united states and japan. an alliance that holds lessons for the world. the prime minister and i had the opportunity yesterday to visit our memorial to president lincoln who believed that a great conflict could be followed with reconciliation. on behalf of the american people, i want to thank you for your visit to arlington national cemetery, your gesture is a powerful reminder that the past can be overcome. former adversaries can become the closest of allies and nations can build a future together. across seven decades, our nations have become not just allies but true partners and friends. and that mutual affection will be on display tomorrow when he

becomes the first japanese prime minister to address a joint meeting of congress. and we are two global partners that stand together for security and human dwignyity around the world opposing russia's aggression against ukraine, providing relief to innocent civilians threatened by isil, combating ebola and promoting global health. and now offering help to the people of napal who are in our prayers today. this friendsship includes my partnership with the prime minister. i've wourked to rebalance american foreign policy to ensure that we're planning a larger and lasting role in the asia-pacific. a policy grounded in our treaty alliances, including our treaty with japan. i'm grateful to his deep commitment to that alliance. he's pursuing a vision of japan when the japanese economy is

reinvigorated and where japan makes greater contributions to security and peace in the region and around the world. so shinzo, thank you. i believe the progress we've made today will help to guide u.s.-japanese partnership for decades to come. specifically, we first talked about transforming our security alliance. for the first time in nearly two decades, we've updated the guidelines for our defense cooperation. together our forces will be more flexible and better prepared to cooperate on a range of challenges, from maritime security to disaster response. our forces will plan, train and operate even more closely. we'll expand our cooperation including on cyberthreats and in space. and japan will take on greater roles and responsibilities in the asia-pacific and around the world. our new guidelines compliment our effort to realign u.s. forces across the region. including on okinawa in order to lesson the pim -- lessen the impact of our bases on local

communities and i reaffirmed our commitment to move forward with the relocation of marines from okinawa to guam. i want to reiterate that our treaty commitment to japan's security is absolute. and that article five covers all territories under japan's administration, including the islands. we share concern about china's land reclamation and construction activities in the south china sea and the united states and japan are united -- united in our commitment to freedom of navigation, respect for international law and the peaceful resolution of disputes without could ergs. we also re-- coercion. we also remain united in per suit of peaceful denuke larization of north korea. we fully support japan's efforts to resolve the tragedy of north korea's abduction of japanese citizens. during my last visit to japan, i met with the mother of one of those abductees and she described the awful pain that

she has endured. so i know how important this is to the japanese people. meanwhile, our growing trilateral cooperation with the republic of korea, as well as with australia gives us new opportunities to enhance security across the region. with respect to trade, we reviewed the progress our teams have made toward the trans-pacific partnership. i know that the politics around trade can be hard in both our countries. but i know that prime minister abe, like me, is deeply committed to getting this done and i'm confident we will. i often point out, for example, there are many japanese cars in america. i want to see more american cars in japan as well. t.p.p. will help level the playing field. it will be good for the workers of both our countries. and moreover, t.p.p. will have a strong -- will have strong strexes -- protections for workers and the environment. japan and the united states

both operate with high standards in our companies and corporations. we try to be responsible when it comes to corporate citizenship and high standards will be good for us and good for the region. based on the progress we've made prime minister abe and i discussed how the united states and japan, as the two largest economies in the t.p.p. negotiations, will now work together to lead our t.p.p. partners to swift and successful conclusions of the broader negotiations. we also agreed to continue our close coordination on climate change. the two countries who have made the largest pledges to the green climate fund, we're committed to helping nations around the world seize the opportunities of transitioning to low-carbon economies. and we discussed the importance of all major economies submitting ambitious targets, to reduce emissions, so we can reach a strong climate agreement this year in paris. finally, we agreed to keep investing in our people.

so that they and our countries can reach their full potential. i want to once again commend the prime minister for his efforts to bring more japanese women into the work force. i can tell you it is very much my view here in the united states and around the world that when women are given opportunitys, when they are full-fledged members of the political community and the economic community, when they have opportunity, those countries succeed. it's good for everybody. along with the initiative we launched last year in tokyo, we're also aiming to double student exchanges in the coming years and with the leadership of our better halves, our wives, the united states and japan are helping to lead our global initiative, let girls learn, to give more young women and girls access to education. so these are just some examples what have it means to be true global partners. and i'm confident that with the steps that we've taken today, our alliance will play an even greater role in upholding

security prosperity and human dignity, not just in the asia-pacific, but around the world. prime minister abe. interpreter: thank you for inviting know make an official visit in this commemorative year which marks 70 years after the war. thank you for inviting me and my wife. working together with you as the lincoln memorial, which has witnessed america tread the path of democracy will be an extraordinary memory to be cherished. we have a dream. that is to create a world abound in peace and prosperity. to realize this common dream, japan and the united states will together pave the way

towards a new era. i was able to confirm this strong resolve with president obama in this milestone year of 70 years after the war. today we turned a new page in the history of the u.s.-japan alliance, which exceeds half a century. that is, this is a japan-u.s. alliance within the context of the world. japan and the united states are partners who share basic values such as freedom, democracy and basic human rights and the rule of law. the u.s.-japan alliance characterized by the firmness of its bond is now indispensable to the peace and stability of not only the asia-pacific but to the world.

we are united in our resolute innocence opposing unilateral attempts to change the status quo in whatever form. any dispute should be resolved peacefully based on international law and not through coercion or intimidation. japan welcomes the united states policy of rebalancing, which emphasizes the asia-pacific and president obama has expressed his support for japan's principle of proactive contributions to peace through coordination of these two policies -- peace. through coordination of these two policies the turns of our alliance will no doubt be further strengthened -- terms of our alliance will no doubt be further strengthened. against this back drop we have reaffirmed our resolve to steadily move forward with the realignment of the u.s. forces in japan.

the dangers arriving from the air station being vounleded by housing and schools should be eliminated by relocation to elsewhere as soon as possible. we will move forward with mitigating the impact of the base in okinawa founded in our strong relationship of trust between japan and the united states. it is prosperity that brings peace. this belief makes us eager to see the early conclusion of the t.p.p. on the bilateral outstanding issues, we welcome the facts that significant progress is made. we will continue to cooperate and lead the t.p.p. talks through its last phase. we've confirmed that we would work together for the early and successful conclusion of the talks. in addition, the situation in

east asia, abduction by north korea, nuclear missile issues, the situation in the ukraine, the nuclear issue in iran and the threat of terrorism furthermore, crime change, infectious and communicable diseases, the u.n. security council reform the world has a multitude of issues facing it. and on these, all sorts of issues we have had a frank and candid exchange of views and we agreed that we would cooperate the -- cooperate. when it comes to the future of japan and the united states, there are infinite possibilities. energy, infrastructure science and technology, space and in addition to this, the empowerment of women. we agree that is between president obama and myself, that we would cooperate and move forward in making investments for the future.

i would like to express my due heartfelt respect once again to president obama and the citizens of the united states who have committed to take on the multiple -- multitude of challenges of this world and for the unsinking efforts you are making for the benefit of the peoples of the world. yesterday i visited the j.f.k. library in boston. on television i saw president kennedy deliver his inauguration speech. it resonated with me and it still has a lingering effect. i recall the following quote. my fellow citizens of the world, ask not what america will do for you but what together we can do for the freedom of man kind. japan wants to be a country that can respond to such calls.

hand in hand, we want to work together with the united states to spread the basic values throughout the world such as those of freedom democracy, basic human rights and the rule of law. and we want to be a country that can contribute to peace and prosperity of the world. in visiting the united states, i've had very heartfelt, warmingwoman come and reception by all citizens of the united states. in fact, i express my heartfelt grad fought to -- gratitude. lastly i'd like to express the following. about a ram, -- barack, as we stand here, we will be starting a new era for the ja pan and the united states -- for japan and the united states. i think that 70 years from now, our children and grandchildren will look back on the talks we had as one of such historical significance.

thank you very much. president obama: we'll take a couple of questions, starting with andrew of a.f.p. questioner: thank you very much, mr. president. first of all, i wanted to know if you think there's a risk in this security stand, if you think there's a risk it might be seen as a provocation in beijing, to yang jong or heightened tensions -- pongchang or heightened tensions. you stopped short of a full apology for japan's action during world war ii, including with regard to the estimated 200,000 women enslaved by imperial forces. would you make an apology for that today? thank you. president obama: i think it's very important to recognize that the u.s.-japan alliance hasn't just been good for the united states and japan. it's been good for the asia-pacific region and the world.

the basic foundation of peace, stability ensuring that territorial borders were respected, freedom of navigation all that has underwritten the incredible growth that's taken place in the asia-pacific region. china's benefited from it. it's on that basis that china became a economic juggernaut that ended up being incorporated into global trade. and so, no, we don't think that a strong u.s.-japan alliance should be seen as a provocation. we should -- it should be seen as a continuation of the important work that we've done to ensure that you have a stable area where there are

diplomatic conflicts a healthy economic competition but largely we've been able to maintain forward progress for a whole host of nations. and our treaty alliances have been critical to that. the u.s. serving as an asia-pacific power has been critical to that. and as i've said before we welcome china's peaceful rise. we think it's good not only because china is a booming potential market, we think it's good not only because it allows china potentially so share some burdens with us in helping countries that are not as far along developed. we think it's just good that hundreds of millions of chinese citizens have been able to rise

out of poverty at incredible speed over the last several years. they could not have done that had it not been for a stable trading system and world order. that is underwritten in large part by the work that our alliances do. i think it is going to be important for us to continue to adapt to new challenges. so part of the goal here is that the same principles that the alliance was founded on continually update to concerns about cyberthreats, that we are nimble and responsive to potential conflicts that may arise because of maritime disputes. but i think we have to do it in a way that brings in china and other countries, into a common effort to maintain order and peace in the region.

we are seeking to strengthen military to military cooperation with china even as we continue to upgrade our alliance efforts. obviously the republic of korea is a critical part of our alliance structure as well. and the trilateral work that we do is going to be also very very important. i don't want to minimize, though, the fact that there are some real tensions that have arisen with china around its approach to maritime issues and its claims. but that's not an issue that is arising as a consequence of the u.s.-japan alliance. it's primarily a conflict between china and various claim ants throughout -- claim jnt ants throughout -- claimants throughout asia and southeast asia in which they feel that rather than resolve these issues through normal international dispute

settlements, they are flexing their muscles and we've said to china what we would say to any country in that circumstance. that's the wrong way to go about it. and we will continue to work with all countries in the region starting with our treaty allies. to make sure that basic international norms continue to be observed. interpreter: on the issue of comfort women, i am deeply pained to think about the comfort women who experienced immeasurable pain and suffering as a result of victimization due to human trafficking. this is a feeling that i share equally with my pretsess -- with my predecessors. the cabinet upholds the statement and has no intention

to revise it. based on this position, japan has made various efforts to provide realistic relief for the comfort women. throughout the history of the 21st century women dignity and basic human rights have been infringed on during wars. we intend to make the 21st century a world with no human rights violations against women. i promise that the general assembly of the united nations last year that japan would stand at the foreand lead the international community in eliminating sexual violence during conflicts. for an international framework including the u.n. women, japan provided approximately $12 million in 2014 and decided

that it would provide approximately $22 million in 2015. in any case the 21st century should be an age where women's rights is never infranged upon and it is -- that is our strong resolve. thank you very much. questioner: i'd like to address interest this question to prime minister abe and president obama. in the east china sea and in the south china sea china continues to make forays into the oceans and the islamic state is still very active. how does the united states and japan intend to collaborate and what do you expect of each other in terms of actions taken

by the respective countries, in japan, with the regard to self-defense, and the new guidelines there is a strong concern that japan will become involved in america's wars. how does prime minister abe intends to dispel these fears and what is president obama's take on these concerns? interpreter: first of all on extremism and radicalism, which is on the rise the world community should unite to counter such extremism. moderation is the best method. is the speech i delivered in cairo. we have to face extremism.

there are moderates who are at the very forefront face extremism and we want to support this. with the rise of extremism, there are refugees and support these refugees and through the influx of refugees there are countries who are faced with difficulties. to these countries, it's important that we provide support appropriately and to the moderate countries, we need to tell them that they are not alone. they are not isolated. in the international community, the moderate countries should be supported and we need to express that. at all times. i believe that is important. in the middle east there are people who are living there improving the welfare and

livelihood of these peoples are areas in which we'd like to make efforts. from such a standpoint, the united states and japan would like to cooperate to respond to the challenges. another point, the guidelines, the defense guidelines. and with regard to the security legislation, that we may be involved, get caught up in wars. people tend to label this in some cases. it's very unfortunate, the labeling activities of this kind, it's not the first time it has occurred. in 1960, when we revised the security treaty people -- some people said that we would be involved in wars of the united states and that was at the core of the criticism which was aired then.

it's been 55 years since then. this criticism has been proved totally wrong. and that is very clear and evident. history has proved this. our choice made at the time to revise the security treaty and in case japan suffers some aggression, between japan and the united states we would respond through cooperation. and in the far east, to maintain security, japan's facilities would be leveraged and u.s. military would leverage these facilities to conduct its activities. through such activities, japan's safety would be -- was protected and prosperity happened and safety in asia and the asia-pacific has been

maintained. to further strengthen this trend is provided for through the new guidelines and seamless response is made possible. and by so doing, deterrence would be enhanced. japan-u.s. alliance would be more efficient and more functional. deterrence and response capabilities would be heightened as a result. and this would lead to peace and prosperity of japan and regional peace and prosperity as well. this is my firm conviction. in the streamlining of the laws, i should like to explain to the citizens and the parliament in a detailed fashion. president obama: ultimately the people of japan and their elected representatives will be making decisions about how best to approach their defense. but i think it's important to

notice, as prime minister abe said, that we have seen over multiple decades now that japan is a peace-loving country having absorbed some very difficult lessons from the past , japan does not engage in aggression on the international stage or its in region. -- in its region. and that the alliance that has been built with the united states is principally one that seeks to defend our countries from potential attack or aggression. and what the new defense guidelines and the collective defense approach that prime minister abe's proposing simply upgrades our ability to

carry out those core functions. we do share, as people and countries all around the world share a determination to eliminate the kind of barbaric terrorist acts perpetrated by organizations like isil that have resulted in the death of innocent citizens. from the united states from japan, from other countries and most of all from muslim countries. and that's why we have a broad-based coalition designed to defeat isil. and we will continue to work with a wide range of countries around the world in our counterterrorism efforts. japan's cooperation in that is vital and appreciated.

but there are many ways in which coalition members participate. japan's willingness and commitment to provide humanitarian assistance makes an enormous difference in countries that have been destabilized. japan's willingness to serve in areas of peace keeping and working with other countries to rebuild after they've been destroyed makes a big difference. so i think it's important to recognize we do not expect some instant and major transformation in terms of how japan projects military power. but we do expect that japan, like all of our allies and like ourselves, will continue to adapt to new threats. understanding that our basic core principle is not territorial ambition, it's not aggression towards others, but

it's simply to defend prosperity and liberty and the sovereignty of countries as we have done for a very long time now. as we have done together for a very long time. questioner: thank you, mr. president. as you know, the national guard is now on the streets of baltimore. the latest aftermath in a series of what have been high profile confrontations between black men and police officers. and there seems to be growing frustration among african-american leaders that not enough is being done quickly enough. the urban league said the u.s. is in a state of emergency of tremendous proportions. the president of the naacp legal defense fund says, we are in the throes of a national crisis. are we in the throes of a national crisis? what are you prepared to do about it? both in terms of baltimore and larger

picture? and what do you say to critics who say that since the death of trayvon martin you have not been aggressive enough in your response? and to prime minister abe, how important is a pacific trade deal to keeping the influence of china in check, both economically and mill tarly? and do you agree with president obama when he says that failing to complete a deal will simply further china's influence? thank you. president obama: before i answer the question about baltimore, i'm going to horn in on your question to prime minister abe. i've been very clear that t.p.p. is good for american businesses and american workers. regardless of what china's doing. and we will make the case on the merits as to why it will open up markets for american goods, american exports and create american jobs. so this is not simply a

defensive agreement, this is something that is going to be part and parcel of our broader economic agenda moving forward. and when 95% of the world's markets are outside our shores, we have to make sure we're out there competing and i'm confident we can compete. with respect to baltimore, let me make a couple of points. first, obviously our thoughts continue to be with the family of freddie gray. understandably they want answers. d.o.j. has opened an investigation. it is working with local law enforcement to find out exactly what happened and i think there should be full transparency and accountability. second my thoughts are with the police officers who were injured in last night's disturb bans -- disturb banses. it underscores that that's a tough job and we have to keep that in mind and my hope is that they can heal and get back to work as soon as possible.

point number three, there's no excuse for the kind of violence we saw yesterday. it is counterproductive. when individuals get crowbars and start prying open doors to a lot, they're not protesting. they're not making a statement. they're stealing. when they burn down a building, they're committing arson. and they're destroying and undermining businesses and opportunities in their own communities that rob jobs and opportunity from people in that area. so it is entirely appropriate that the mayor of baltimore, who i spoke to yesterday, and

the governor, who i spoke to yesterday, work to stop that kind of senseless violence and destruction. that is not a protest. that is not a statement. it's people -- a handful of people taking advantage of the situation for their own purposes and they need to be treated as criminals. point number four. the violence that happened yesterday distracted from the fact that you had seen multiple days of peaceful protests