April 14 - Last week I was delighted to accompany three United States Senators on their visit to Japan. Senator John McCain (Republican, Arizona), Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican, South Carolina), and Senator Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, Minnesota) visited the Kanto region for three days. In Tokyo they met with Prime Minister Aso, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura, Foreign Minister Nakasone, and President of the Japan Democratic Party Ozawa. In each meeting they said there was strong bipartisan support for the U.S.-Japan Security alliance in the U.S. Congress. They also said that the United States would work closely with Japan in the aftermath of the North Korean missile launch. They thanked Japan for its efforts in the Indian Ocean in refueling ships participating in Operation Enduring Freedom, and for Japanese participation in efforts to deter piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Finally they expressed support for U.S.-Japan cooperation in addressing the global financial crisis.

Senators McCain and Graham told me that they had been to Japan many times before, and that they wanted to come back to show support for a "good friend of the United States." Senator Klobuchar said this was her first visit to Japan, and that she was glad to visit a country with such close commercial ties to her home state of Minnesota. She told me that Japan is a major customer for Minnesota corn, soybeans and pork. All three Senators are interested in the issue of climate change and they visited a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility in Tokai-mura, Ibaraki Prefecture, to learn more about Japanese peaceful nuclear technology. They also traveled to Yokosuka Naval Base, where they received a briefing about U.S.-Japan alliance cooperation before and during the recent North Korean launch. They were impressed to learn how closely the United States and Japan cooperate in the area of missile defense.

While the Senators had a busy schedule in Japan, we found some time to admire the cherry blossoms in Chidorigafuchi. I thought this "hanami" was appropriate since these Senators all work in Washington DC which was the recipient of a gift from Japan of Yoshino cherry trees that beautifies our Nation's capital.

Until next time,

Jim