Japan’s Abe Sells Trade Deal to Congress With War Apology

In a historic speech to Congress, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe celebrated the evolution of ties with the U.S. since his nation’s defeat in World War II and urged lawmakers to seal a groundbreaking Asia-Pacific trade deal.

Abe’s address to a joint meeting of Congress was the first by a Japanese head of state. He offered “eternal condolences” for American lives lost in World War II and expressed “deep repentance” over the conflict. Before the address, he laid a wreath at the National World War II Memorial on Washington’s National Mall.