Ambassador of Japan to the United States of America
April 23, 2025
Almost a year and a half has passed since I arrived in Washington, D.C.
Last year was a significant year, with Prime Minister Kishida making three visits to the United States, including his official visit, confirming that the Japan-U.S. relationship has become a global partnership.
This year, the Japan-U.S. Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. Foreign Ministers' Meeting were held the day after President Trump's inauguration in January. In February, Prime Minister Ishiba visited the United States and met with President Trump. The Joint Leaders’ Statement issued after the meeting confirmed their "determination to pursue a new golden age for Japan-U.S. relations."
Today, not only do Japan and the United States enjoy a strong security alliance, but our economic ties are also closer than ever. Japan has been the largest investor in the United States for the past five consecutive years. Japanese companies employ nearly 1 million people in the U.S. through direct employment alone, and over half of these jobs are in manufacturing. During his visit to the United States in February, Prime Minister Ishiba expressed his intention to increase investment from the current level of approximately $800 billion to $1 trillion. Currently, Japan and the United States are holding consultations, mainly on economic relations, and are working to achieve a comprehensive agreement that will strengthen both economies as soon as possible.
The foundation of this stronger-than-ever Japan-U.S. relationship is the trust between the people of both countries, which has been built through multi-layered people-to-people exchanges. Since becoming Ambassador, I have visited 21 states, and I have seen firsthand how Japanese companies have become indispensable members of local communities. I have also met with people involved in grassroots exchanges, including Japan-America Societies, as well as Japanese American communities. These experiences have reaffirmed the importance of people-to-people exchanges between Japan and the United States. I intend to continue working to further strengthen people-to-people exchanges between Japan and the United States.
We will continue to diligently collect information on various changes in U.S. government policies and systems and share such information with Japanese residents in this country. We will also continue to make our utmost efforts to ensure the safety of Japanese residents and to support the activities of Japanese companies. We greatly appreciate your continued support and cooperation.
Shigeo Yamada