April 10 - I recently received a question from a reader asking, "How do people address you professionally?"

This is a great question. Officially, my title is "Chargé d'Affaires, ad interim." Most of the time people refer to me as "Chargé."

As the French suggests, a Chargé d'Affaires is a diplomat below the level of an Ambassador who temporarily directs the activities of an Embassy when the head of mission in a country is not assigned.

The language of diplomacy reflects its historic roots. Many of the titles we use today (such as envoy, chargé, consul, minister plenipotentiary, etc.) have been in use for hundreds of years. And the way Ambassadors are dispatched to other countries is similarly steeped in tradition.

In the United States, Ambassadors are sent to other countries at the request of the President. When we elect a new President, as we did last year, Ambassadors around the world submit their letters of resignation and those whose letters are accepted return to the U.S. to make way for the Ambassador who will be named under the new administration. So far, the President has not named the next Ambassador to Japan.

So during this transition period I am performing the duties of an Ambassador, including meeting with Japanese government officials, speaking with student and business groups, overseeing the operation of the Embassy, and of course, keeping up with my blog as much as possible!

Until next time,

Jim