List of ambassadors of the United States to Japan
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Ambassador of the United States to Japan | |
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![]() Seal of the United States Department of State | |
Nominator | Barack Obama |
Formation | November 5, 1859 |
Website | U.S. Embassy - Tokyo |
The Ambassador of the United States of America to the State of Japan (Japanese: 日本駐在アメリカ合衆国大使, Hepburn: Nihon Chūzai Amerika Gasshūkoku Taishi) is the ambassador from the United States of America to Japan.
History
Since the opening of Japan by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, in 1854, the U.S. maintained diplomatic relations with Japan, except for the ten-year period between the attack on Pearl Harbor (and the subsequent declaration of war on Japan by the United States) and the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco, which normalized relations between the United States and Japan. The United States maintains an embassy in Tokyo, with consulates-general in Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Naha.
In recent years, the post has been held by many significant American politicians, including Mike Mansfield, Walter Mondale, Tom Foley and Howard Baker.
The current ambassador to Japan is Caroline Kennedy, who was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate on October 16, 2013. Kennedy was sworn in by Secretary of State John Kerry on November 12, 2013 and presented her credentials to Akihito, Emperor of Japan, on November 19, 2013. [1][2]
List of chiefs of mission
U.S. diplomatic terms |
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Career FSO After 1915, The United States Department of State began classifying ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a specified amount of time. Political appointee A person who is not a career foreign service officer, but is appointed by the president (often as a reward to political friends). Appointed The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as "commissioning". It follows confirmation of a presidential appointment by the Senate, or a Congressional recess appointment by the president. In the case of a recess appointment, the ambassador requires subsequent confirmation by the Senate to remain in office. Presented credentials The date that the ambassador presented his letter of credence to the head of state or appropriate authority of the receiving nation. At this time the ambassador officially becomes the representative of his country. This would normally occur a short time after the ambassador's arrival on station. The host nation may reject the ambassador by not receiving the ambassador's letter, but this occurs only rarely. Terminated mission Usually the date that the ambassador left the country. In some cases a letter of recall is presented, ending the ambassador's commission, either as a means of diplomatic protest or because the diplomat is being reassigned elsewhere and replaced by another envoy. Chargé d'affaires The person in charge of the business of the embassy when there is no ambassador commissioned to the host country. Ad interim Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime". |
The following is a list of chiefs of mission.
- Townsend Harris (Presented credentials, November 5, 1859–Presented recall, April 26, 1862)
- Robert H. Pruyn (Presented credentials, May 17, 1862-Left Japan, April 28, 1865)
- Chauncey Depew (commissioned during a recess of Senate; declined appointment)
- Robert B. Van Valkenburgh (Presented credentials, May 4, 1867–Presented recall, November 11, 1869)
- Charles E. DeLong (Presented credentials, November 11, 1869-promoted to Envoy)
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Name | Presented credentials | End of term | End of date |
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Charles E. DeLong | June 9, 1872 | Farewell address | October 7, 1873 |
John Bingham | October 7, 1873 | Presented recall | July 2, 1885 |
Richard B. Hubbard | July 2, 1885 | Presented recall | May 15, 1889 |
John Franklin Swift | May 15, 1889 | Died at post | March 10, 1891 |
Frank Coombs | June 13, 1892 | Presented recall | July 14, 1893 |
Edwin Dun | July 14, 1893 | Presented recall | July 2, 1897 |
Alfred Buck | June 3, 1898 | Died at post | December 4, 1902 |
Lloyd Carpenter Griscom | June 22, 1903 | Left Japan | November 19, 1905 |
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Name | Presented credentials | End of term | End of date |
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Luke E. Wright | May 26, 1906 | Left Japan | August 13, 1907 |
Thomas J. O'Brien | October 15, 1907 | Left Post | August 31, 1911 |
Charles Page Bryan | November 22, 1911 | Left Post | October 1, 1912 |
Larz Anderson | February 1, 1913 | Left Japan | March 15, 1913 |
George W. Guthrie | August 7, 1913 | Died at post | March 8, 1917 |
Roland Morris | October 30, 1917 | Left Japan | May 15, 1920 |
Charles B. Warren | September 24, 1921 | Left Japan | January 28, 1922 |
Cyrus Woods | July 21, 1923 | Left Japan | June 5, 1924 |
Edgar Bancroft | November 19, 1924 | Died at post | July 27, 1925 |
Charles MacVeagh | December 9, 1925 | Left Japan | December 6, 1928 |
William Castle, Jr. | January 24, 1930 | Left Japan | May 27, 1930 |
W. Cameron Forbes | September 15, 1930 | Left Japan | March 22, 1932 |
Joseph Grew | June 14, 1932 | American declaration of war | December 8, 1941 |
William J. Sebald[3] | 1945 | 1952 | |
Robert D. Murphy | May 9, 1952 | Relinquished Charge | April 28, 1953 |
John M. Allison | May 28, 1953 | Left Post | February 2, 1957 |
Douglas MacArthur II | February 25, 1957 | Left Post | March 12, 1961 |
Edwin Reischauer | April 27, 1961 | Left Post | August 19, 1966 |
U. Alexis Johnson | November 8, 1966 | Left Post | January 15, 1969 |
Armin H. Meyer | July 3, 1969 | Left Post | March 27, 1972 |
Robert Stephen Ingersoll | April 12, 1972 | Left Post | November 8, 1973 |
James D. Hodgson | July 19, 1974 | Left Post | February 2, 1977 |
Mike Mansfield | June 10, 1977 | Left Post | December 22, 1988 |
Michael Armacost | May 15, 1989 | Left Post | July 19, 1993 |
Walter Mondale | September 21, 1993 | Left Post | December 15, 1996 |
Thomas S. Foley | November 19, 1997 | Left Post | April 1, 2001 |
Howard Henry Baker, Jr. | July 5, 2001 | Farewell address | February 17, 2005 |
Tom Schieffer | April 11, 2005 | Left Post | January 20, 2009 |
John Roos | August 20, 2009 | Left Post | August 12, 2013 |
Caroline Kennedy | November 12, 2013 |
Notes
- ^ "Caroline Kennedy sworn in as ambassador to Japan". CBS News. November 12, 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
- ^ ELAINE KURTENBACH (November 19, 2013). "US envoy Caroline Kennedy meets Japan's emperor". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ Template:NNDB
See also
- Embassy of the United States in Tokyo
- Japan–United States relations
- Foreign relations of Japan
- Ambassadors of the United States
References
- U.S. ambassador a role most vital
- United States Department of State: Background notes on Japan
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.