The Embassy of the United States in Tokyo (駐日アメリカ合衆国大使館 ''Chū Ni~Tsu Amerikagasshūkoku taishikan'') represents the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
, Japan. Along with
consulate
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth c ...
s in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
,
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...
,
Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...
,
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...
, and
Naha
is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area ...
, the Embassy provides assistance to American citizens and residents who live in Japan and issues
visas
Visa most commonly refers to:
*Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company
** Visa Debit card issued by the above company
** Visa Electron, a debit card
** Visa Plus, an interbank network
*Travel visa, a document that allows ...
to Japanese nationals, and legal residents in Japan who wish to visit or immigrate to the United States.
The current ambassador is
Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician and diplomat who is the current United States Ambassador to Japan. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served two terms as the 55th Mayor of Chicago from 2011 ...
, who assumed office on March 25, 2022.
The current embassy building was designed by
César Pelli and
Norma Merrick Sklarek
Norma Merrick Sklarek (April 15, 1926 – February 6, 2012) was an American architect. Sklarek was the first African American woman to become a licensed architect in the states of New York (1954) and California (1962). Her notable works include t ...
, and was completed in 1976. It succeeded the previous embassy building built on the same property in 1931 by
Harold Van Buren Magonigle and
Antonin Raymond
Antonin Raymond (or cs, Antonín Raymond), born as Antonín Reimann (10 May 1888 – 25 October 1976)"Deaths Elsewhere", ''Miami Herald'', 30 October 1976, p. 10 was a Czech American architect. Raymond was born and studied in Bohemia (now part ...
.
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
Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
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.
In August 2021, while visiting Japan for the
Tokyo Olympics, First Lady
Jill Biden
Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden (born June 3, 1951) is an American educator and the current first lady of the United States since 2021, as the wife of President Joe Biden. She was the second lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017 when her hus ...
dedicated a room in the U.S. ambassador's residence to the late U.S. Sen.
Daniel K. Inouye and his wife, Irene.
Location
![Apartment complex for US embassy employees Roppongi Tokyo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Apartment_complex_for_US_embassy_employees_Roppongi_Tokyo.jpg)
The embassy is located in the
Akasaka neighborhood of
Minato, Tokyo, steps away from the
Nagatachō
is a district of Tokyo, Japan, located in Chiyoda Ward. It is the location of the Diet of Japan and the Prime Minister's residence ( Kantei). The Supreme Court of Japan is located in neighboring Hayabusachō. Nagatachō is often used to ref ...
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. It is easily accessible via the
Tokyo Metro Ginza or
Namboku Lines ''
Tameike-Sannō Station'' and conveniently located close to the
Hotel Okura
is a luxury hotel opened in 1962 in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is operated by Okura Hotels and was a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. The historic main wing was demolished in 2015, with a modern replacement on the site opened in 2019, ...
.
History
Previous US missions in Japan
The first American consulate in Japan was opened at the temple of
Gyokusen-ji
is a Buddhist temple located in the city of Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is noteworthy in that it served as the first American consulate in Japan. The temple and its grounds were designated as a National Historic Site of Japan in ...
,
Shimoda, Shizuoka under
Consul General
A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
Townsend Harris
Townsend Harris (October 4, 1804 – February 25, 1878) was an American merchant and politician who served as the first United States Consul General to Japan. He negotiated the " Harris Treaty" between the US and Japan and is credited as the d ...
. 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
Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the op ...
'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
Townsend Harris (October 4, 1804 – February 25, 1878) was an American merchant and politician who served as the first United States Consul General to Japan. He negotiated the " Harris Treaty" between the US and Japan and is credited as the d ...
. 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
Tsukiji (築地) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan. Literally meaning "reclaimed land", it lies near the Sumida River on land reclaimed from Tokyo Bay in the 18th century during the Edo period. The eponymous Tsukiji fish market opened in 193 ...
, 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.
In January 1906, following Japan's victory in the
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
, 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.
World War II
The U.S. Embassy was closed shortly following the
Pearl Harbor attack
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, ...
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
Portuguese Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique) or Portuguese East Africa (''África Oriental Portuguesa'') were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese colony. Portuguese Mozambique originally ...
and handed over for repatriation. Simultaneously, Japanese diplomats who had been in U.S. were handed over for repatriation.
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. Following restoration of diplomatic relations under the
Treaty of San Francisco
The , also called the , re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allied Powers on behalf of the United Nations by ending the legal state of war and providing for redress for hostile actions up to and including World War II. It w ...
, the U.S. Embassy reopened on April 28, 1952.
Robert D. Murphy arrived to serve as the American ambassador. The
Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C.
is the diplomatic mission of Japan to the United States. It is located at 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., in the Embassy Row neighborhood. In addition to serving as Japan's diplomatic mission in the United States, the embassy pro ...
also reopened on the same day.
Rent payment issue
The land on which the embassy sits is about 13,000 m
2 (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. 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.
U.S. Consulates in Japan
* U.S. Consulate General Naha (
Urasoe
is a city located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The neighboring municipalities are Naha to the south, Ginowan to the north, and Nishihara to the east. As of November 2012, the city has an estimated population of 113,718 and a population den ...
,
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
)
* U.S. Consulate General Osaka-Kobe (
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
,
Osaka Prefecture)
* U.S. Consulate General Sapporo (
Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...
,
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The lar ...
)
* U.S. Consulate Fukuoka (
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...
,
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...
)
* U.S. Consulate Nagoya (
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...
,
Aichi Prefecture)
See also
*
United States Ambassador to Japan
The 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. has maintained diplomatic relations with Japan, except for the ten-year period between the ...
*
United States Forces Japan
is a subordinate unified command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). It was activated at Fuchū Air Station in Tokyo, Japan, on 1 July 1957 to replace the Far East Command. USFJ is commanded by the Commander, US Forces ...
References
External links
United States Embassy in Tokyo, Japan
{{Authority control
Akasaka, Tokyo
Japan–United States relations
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
Buildings and structures in Minato, Tokyo
Government buildings completed in 1976