JAPAN PM URGES US TO OVERCOME 'SELF-DOUBT ABOUT GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

Kishida's plea spoke to a rare agreement on both sides of the aisle in Congress recognising China as the priority threat to the present, US-led global order.

On his maiden state visit to the US, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addressed a joint meeting of Congress saying that the lawmakers in the US are suffering from "self-doubt" at a time when US leadership is most needed, The Hill reported on Friday.

"You believed that freedom is the oxygen of humanity. The world needs the United States to continue playing this pivotal role in the affairs of nations," Kishida said.

"And yet, as we meet here today, I detect an undercurrent of self-doubt among some Americans about what your role in the world should be," he added.