THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary _________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release August 9, 1993 STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY We congratulate the new Prime Minister of Japan, Morihiro Hosokawa, and wish him and the members of his cabinet well as they begin their new responsibilities. The United States and Japan have enjoyed one of the world's strongest and most important bilateral relationships. We look forward to working closely with Prime Minister Hosokawa and his government to enhance further the bonds between our two nations and to play a leading role in promoting peace and prosperity in East Asia and the world. We now have an important opportunity to forge a new partnership with Japan and to resolve outstanding issues on our economic agenda. We hope to continue the progress of the Economic Framework agreement reached in Tokyo and look forward to Japan's participation at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation ministerial and leaders meeting this November in Seattle. At the same time that we welcome Prime Minister Hosokawa, we also express our deep appreciation to former Prime Minister Miyazawa for his commitment to the U.S.-Japan relationship and his leadership during a time of world change. # # #