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    US-Japan Relations

  • "We have reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance not only to regional stability [and] the security of both our countries, but we believe it’s one of the cornerstones of peace and security throughout the world."

    -- US President Barack Obama
  • "The Japan-U.S. alliance is not only vital for Japan's defense, but also an asset for the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region."

    -- Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan

US, Japan Leaders Meet on 60th Anniversary of Alliance to Talk Security, Exchanges, and Blossoms

Author Grace Ruch | Published: May 8, 2012
President Obama welcomes Prime Minister Yasuhiko Noda to the White House on April 30. Photo by: AP/Charles Dharapak

President Obama welcomes Prime Minister Yasuhiko Noda to the White House on April 30. Photo by: AP/Charles Dharapak

Saturday, April 28, marked a milestone in US-Japan relations: the 60th anniversary of the effective date of both the “Treaty of Peace with Japan” (commonly known as the Treaty of San Francisco) and the “Security Treaty between the United States and Japan.” The agreements marked the official end of the Pacific War and the American occupation of Japan and ushered in the military alliance between the two nations that continues to form the cornerstone of America’s strategic engagement with the Asia Pacific region.

This anniversary was bookended by a flurry of bilateral activity in Washington, D.C., at the highest levels including a meeting of the US-Japan Security Consultative Committee or “2+2”.  Most important was the summit meeting of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiko Noda and US President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday, April 30. The leaders released the first US-Japan joint statement since 2006 and the two governments announced a suite of cooperative initiatives on a variety of topics. The week of engagement was capped by the US announcement of a reciprocal gift of dogwood trees for the 3,000 cherry blossom trees that Japan sent to Washington, D.C., 100 years ago. Read More »

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Asians in America: Asian Population Fastest Growing in the US, Increases in Nearly Every State

Author Grace Ruch | Published: April 10, 2012

Charts showing share of Asian and Asian American population by detailed group, and fastest growing ethnic groups among Asians in America. Data Source: 2010 US CensusAccording to a new data recently released by the US Census Bureau, Asians and Asian Americans grew faster than any other race group in America in the last decade.  The 2010 Census reported last year that 17.3 million people who identified themselves as Asian or Asian American resided in the United States (self-identifying as either Asian alone or Asian in combination with another race). This population grew by 46% from 2000 to 2010, more than 4 times faster than the US population as a whole. The latest report provides more detailed information on the make-up of this population and where they reside. Read More »

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A Centennial Sakura Celebration: 100 years of DC Cherry Blossoms

Author Grace Ruch | Published: March 27, 2012
Japan's Ambassador to the US, Ichiro Fujisaki, passes out "Arigato from Japan" wristbands to visitors to Washington's cherry blossoms on March 22, 2012, as a token of gratitude from the people of Japan. Photo by: Haraz Ghanbari, AP

Japan's Ambassador to the US, Ichiro Fujisaki, passes out "Arigato from Japan" wristbands to visitors to Washington's cherry blossoms on March 22, 2012, as a token of gratitude from the people of Japan. Photo by: Haraz Ghanbari, AP

Exactly 100 years ago on March 27, 1912 in a small private ceremony, First Lady Helen Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted two Japanese Cherry Blossom, or Sakura, trees, in a secluded corner of Washington, DC. Despite its lack of fanfare public fanfare, the ceremony, and the gift of 3,200 sakura trees from the City of Tokyo to the Nation’s Capital as a symbol of friendship between the two countries, was significant to those in attendance. Both the Tafts and Chindas had previous ties to the other’s nations: President William Howard Taft was popular in Japan for his role while serving as Secretary of War in negotiating the peace treaty that ended the Russo-Japanese War, and Ambassador Sutemi Chinda had studied in Indiana as a young man. For Eliza Scidmore, first female board member of the National Geographic society, bringing the Japanese cherry blossoms to Washington it was the realization of a 25 year old dream.  It was US Army Col. Spencer Crosby, who was in charge of the public grounds and buildings in the city, however, who foresaw the significance of the trees extending beyond the personal ties of the assembly.  As he wrote to Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki, “In a few years, this will undoubtedly be one of the famous sights of Washington, and a constant reminder to our citizens of the kindly feeling of your city and country.” Read More »

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Tomodachi and Kizuna: The US-Japan Relationship One Year After the Great East Japan Earthquake

Author Grace Ruch | Published: March 16, 2012
Top: Piles of debris remain in the background in Ishinomaki, Iwate Prefecture, on March 11, as mourners offer a silent prayer to those lives lost in the tsunami on the one year anniversary of the disasters. (Photo by: Yomiuri Shimbun) Bottom: In the US, over a thousand attended a late-night memorial service for Japan's disaster victims in New York City on March 10. (Photo by: Kyodo News)

Top: Piles of debris remain in the background in Ishinomaki, Iwate Prefecture, on March 11, as mourners offer a silent prayer to those lives lost in the tsunami on the one year anniversary of the disasters. (Photo by: Yomiuri Shimbun) Bottom: In the US, over a thousand attended a late-night memorial service for Japan's disaster victims in New York City on March 10. (Photo by: Kyodo News)

This past Sunday at 2:46pm, a moment of silence was observed across Japan in remembrance of the moment a year ago when an incredible 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck the nation’s Northeast coast and rocked buildings hundreds of miles away, caused a tsunami that crashed ashore minutes later, and set off a nuclear emergency at the coastal Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power complex.  The damage to the Tōhoku region was immense. At present the dead or missing number over 19,000, and over 250,000 whose homes were destroyed or within the nuclear evacuation zone continue to live in temporary housing.  However as the Japanese remember those lost and continue the long process of recovery, they are joined and supported by the American people as communities throughout the US held memorials to commemorate the anniversary.

From the earliest moments following the disaster until now, the US offered humanitarian, technical, and financial assistance to “stand with Japan” and help its close friend and ally recover from the unprecedented and complex disaster, for which the Japanese have offered their sincere gratitude. In an Op-Ed piece published on March 11 in the Washington Post, Japan’s current Prime Minister Yoshiko Noda wrote, “We will not forget the loved ones, friends and colleagues lost in the disaster. Nor will we forget the outpouring of support and international expressions of solidarity that Japan received. For this, we feel deeply indebted and forever appreciative.”

Ambassador Rust Deming was a the retired US diplomat who had been recalled to the Japan desk of the Department of State to co-lead the task force that coordinated the US government and military response to the disasters. He recalled in a recent presentation that when he arrived at the State Department at 7am (Washington time) on March 11, the orders from the White House and Secretary of State were clear: Do everything you can to support Japan. Read More »

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Interactive Graphic: US Exports to Asia 2011

Author Aaron Siirila | Published: March 15, 2012

US states exported $413 billion worth of merchandise to Asia in 2011, according to preliminary data released by the Commerce Department. We broke down the exports to four major Asian destinations – Japan, Korea, Australia and the ten countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – to show which states are gaining the most from trade with Asia. Explore more in this interactive data graphic:

Click for full interactive graphic

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Japan and US Consider Ways to Encourage Students to “Go Away:” Study Abroad Numbers Show Decline in Japanese Students, Too Few Americans

Author Grace Ruch | Published: March 12, 2012

Japanese Students in US by State 2010-2011 and Top 5 Fastest Growing Destinations. Data Source: IIE, Open Doors Report. Image Source: Grace Ruch, the East West CenterTokyo University, or Todai, Japan’s most prestigious institution of higher learning, made waves recently when a University panel proposed that the school shift its enrollment date to the fall, to correspond with international practice. The proposal’s aim is to further internationalize Todai by removing what the panel named as a major impediment to incoming international students and outgoing study abroad opportunities.

The United States is the largest host nation for students studying abroad in the world, with over 720,000 international students enrolled last year alone. According to the 2011 Open Doors report by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the majority of these international students in the US came from the Asia Pacific. This included 21,290 students from Japan, which represents the 7th largest sending nation overall. Japanese students studied at higher education institutions in every state in the union, with California, New York and Washington among the most popular, and some less commonly visited regions, such as Alaska, Vermont, and North Dakota, growing in popularity over the past half-decade. Read More »

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For first time, Asia matches US high-tech investment expenditure

Author Aaron Siirila | Published: February 8, 2012

US has lost over one quarter of high-tech manufacturing jobs in past decade

Ten countries in Asia together invested $399 billion in S&T research and development, as much as the United States, in 2009. Image Source: National Science Board

For the first time in history, the Asian region in 2009 spent as much on research and development in science and technology (S&T) fields as the United States, the traditional leader in high technology investment. The spending has cost American jobs because multinational companies, many of them US-based, locate more of their knowledge-intensive, research and development jobs in Asia, according to a new report by the US National Science Board. During the last decade, the United States has lost nearly three in ten high-tech manufacturing jobs.

Investments in science and technology (S&T) infrastructure are important for knowledge-intensive economies and high-paying jobs. The report states:

Over time, global S&T capabilities have grown, nowhere more so than in Asia. … Western- and Japan-based [companies] are increasingly joined … by newcomers headquartered in developing nations. In most broad aspects of S&T activities, the United States continues to maintain a position of leadership. But it has experienced a gradual erosion of its position in many specific areas.

The report finds that ten countries in Asia together invested $399 billion in S&T research and development in 2009 and spending is growing at a far more rapid rate than the US or the European Union. China’s investments are growing at a phenomenal pace, up 28% in 2010, even higher than its 22% average from previous years. Growth of R&D expenditures in the US and Japan were about 6%, in Singapore and Taiwan it was about 10%, and in South Korea 12%. (The ten countries considered are China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand.)

Read More »

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