Embassy of the United States, Tokyo

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Embassy of the United States in Tokyo
駐日アメリカ合衆国大使館 Seal of an Embassy of the United States of America.svg
Embassy-of-the-United-States-of-America-in-Japan-01.jpg
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Location1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo 107-8420, Japan
Coordinates35°40′07″N 139°44′36″E / 35.66861°N 139.74328°E / 35.66861; 139.74328Coordinates: 35°40′07″N 139°44′36″E / 35.66861°N 139.74328°E / 35.66861; 139.74328

The Embassy of the United States in Tokyo represents the United States in Tokyo, Japan. Along with consulates in Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Naha, the Embassy provides assistance to American citizens and residents who live in Japan and issues visas to Japanese nationals, and legal residents in Japan who wish to visit or immigrate to the United States.

The current chargé d'affaires is Raymond Greene, who assumed office on July 19, 2021 after the resignation of Nicholas Hill. The ambassador’s post has been vacant since July 22, 2019[1]

The current embassy building was designed by César Pelli and Norma Merrick Sklarek, and was completed in 1976.[2] It succeeded the previous embassy building built on the same property in 1931 by Harold Van Buren Magonigle and Antonin Raymond.

The Ambassador's official residence, built together with the then new embassy in 1931, was one of the first buildings specifically built by the US as an Ambassador's residence. It served as the historic meeting place between Emperor Hirohito and General Douglas MacArthur in 1945.

In January 2001, the U.S. Department of State authorized the Residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Japan to be labeled an important cultural asset.[3]

In August 2021, while visiting Japan for the Tokyo Olympics, First lady Jill Biden dedicated a room in the U.S. ambassador’s residence to the late U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and his wife, Irene. [4]

Location[]

First US mission in Japan
The main gate of the Embassy (photographed in 2004). Embassy building (right), Japanese police station (left).
Housing for US Embassy staff in Roppongi-Nichōme, Minato, Tokyo
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter leaves a meeting at the Ambassador's Residence, located on the embassy grounds

The embassy is located in the Akasaka neighborhood of Minato, Tokyo, steps away from the Nagatachō district, home of the Japanese legislature and the Prime Minister's residence. The address is 1-10-5, Akasaka, Minato-ku Post Code: 107-8420.[5] It is easily accessible via the Tokyo Metro Ginza or Namboku Lines Tameike-Sannō Station and conveniently located close to the Hotel Okura.

History[]

Previous US missions in Japan[]

The first American consulate in Japan was opened at the temple of Gyokusen-ji, Shimoda, Shizuoka under Consul General Townsend Harris. Gyokusen-ji is also the location of a small number of foreign graves dating from as early as 1854 marking the final resting place of US forces personnel that died while serving as part of Commodore Matthew Perry's 'Black Ship' fleet.

Harris negotiated the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the two countries, which was signed at nearby Ryōsen-ji in 1858.

The United States established its first legation in Tokyo in 1859 under Townsend Harris. This legation was located at Zenpukuji, a Buddhist temple in the Motoazabu neighborhood of southern Tokyo.

In 1875, the legation was moved to a site on the Sumida River near Tsukiji, in an area slated as a district for foreigners outside the employ of the Japanese government; this site is now occupied by the St. Luke's Garden complex.

The legation moved to the current embassy site in 1890.[6]

In January 1906, following Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War, Japan and the U.S. mutually elevated their legates to the rank of ambassador. Several European powers did so at the same time, indicating a perception of equality between Japan and the major Western powers.[7]

World War II[]

The U.S. Embassy was closed shortly following the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. Its American employees (including military attaches) were interned on the embassy grounds until June 1942, when they were sent by ship to Portuguese East Africa and handed over for repatriation.[8] Simultaneously, Japanese diplomats who had been in U.S. were handed over for repatriation.[9]

The U.S. Embassy remained closed during the Allied occupation, as the U.S. was the occupying power in Japan. On April 18, 1946, SCAP General Order 18 established the Diplomatic Section as the primary diplomatic representation of the United States during this period, which was staffed by some State Department employees.[10] Following restoration of diplomatic relations under the Treaty of San Francisco, the U.S. Embassy reopened on April 28, 1952.[11] Robert D. Murphy arrived to serve as the American ambassador.[12] The Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. also reopened on the same day.[13]

Rent payment issue[]

The land on which the embassy sits is about 13,000 m² (3.21 acres), and has been leased from the Japanese government since 1896. In 2005, it was reported that the US government had made no payments for the embassy's premises since 1998 after failing to agree on a renewal of the lease agreement.[14] In 2007, the two governments agreed to renew the lease through 2027, following which the US government paid its unpaid rent. The annual rent for the underlying land was set at 7 million yen for 1998-2007, 10 million yen for 2008-12, and 15 million yen for 2013-27. The very low rent amount for the land is due to the age of the lease agreement, and the fact that it originally contained no escalation or adjustment provisions.[15]

U.S. Consulates in Japan[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Nagasawa, Tsuyoshi (July 19, 2021). "Japan hand Raymond Greene becomes interim US ambassador in Tokyo". The Nikkei. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  2. ^ "History of U.S. Embassy Buildings". American Center Japan. U.S. Embassy Reference Service. 2010-03-16. Retrieved 2019-11-24.
  3. ^ "Renovation of the U.S.Ambassador's Residence". Obayashi Corporation. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
  4. ^ "First lady Jill Biden praises late Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye and his wife at Japan dedication". Star Advertiser. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  5. ^ http://www.pacificprime.com/countries/japan/embassies.php#U Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "写真ナビ、道筋に沿って写真を順番に表示する、写真によるナビゲーション".
  7. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2009-05-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ Henri Smith-Hutton, "American Prisoners in Japan," in Paul Stillwell, Air raid, Pearl Harbor! (Naval Institute Press, 1981)
  9. ^ "10 From D.C. to Be Traded for Jap Nationals". The Washington Post. 20 June 1942. p. 3.
  10. ^ Report on United States Embassy, Consular Service, and United States Information Agency Operations in Japan. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1955. p. 5.
  11. ^ "Foreign Relations of the United States Theme: Reopening the U.S. Embassy in Japan After World War II: Years February 1951 – April 1952". Office of the Historian. United States Department of State. Archived from the original on 8 July 2010.
  12. ^ "Japanese Assume New Sovereignty: Little Fanfare Marks Shift From Occupied Status -- Murphy Arrives as U. S. Envoy". The New York Times. 29 April 1952. p. 3.
  13. ^ "Japan's Return". The Washington Post. 29 April 1952. p. 12.
  14. ^ Takahara, Kanako (2005-10-01). "U.S. eight years behind on rent for embassy". The Japan Times Online. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
  15. ^ "米国大使館 １０年ぶり借地料支払う 日本側値上げに合意". Mainichi Shimbun. 2007-12-11 – via easygoing village (blog).

External links[]

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