Prime Minister Kishida Channels Star Trek to Celebrate Closer Japan-US Relations

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida toasted closer US-Japan relations with a few words from the Star Trek television series at a Wednesday evening White House dinner in his honor. While speaking at the event, Kishida channeled the science-fiction classic by saying, "I would like to propose a toast to our voyage to the frontier of the Japan-US relationship with these words: Boldly go. Boldly go. Cheers." The Japanese Prime Minister also joked of his overfondness for a phrase used by President John F. Kennedy during a White House luncheon with Japanese Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda 60 years ago. "The Pacific Ocean does not separate Japan and the United States," Kennedy said at the time, "rather, it unites us." Kishida said his staff try and delete those lines from his speeches. Kishida, whose family hails from Hiroshima, repeatedly told the audience of famous people's ties to his hometown. Source: US Network Pool via Associated Press