This is the Harry S. Truman building which is the State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. It's the third-largest building in the D.C. area after the Pentagon and the Ronald Reagan building.
Feb. 23 - This week I am visiting Washington, D.C. to discuss U.S.-Japan relations with colleagues. Although many of my counterparts from the U.S. visit Tokyo frequently, it has been 18 months since I had the chance to visit them in their offices in Washington.
Sometimes Japanese friends of mine express their concern that American government officials ignore Japan. Since I arrived here in July 2008, I have found this fear to be completely misplaced. American government officials in the Executive branch - the White House, State, Defense, Treasury and Commerce Departments - are very interested in Japan. The same holds true for members of Congress and their staff, who frequently visit Japan.
I look forward to discussing how we can strengthen our relationship with Japan and work together to promote common interests and common values. I also look forward to sharing with blog readers some of my observations about these discussions upon my return to Tokyo in two weeks.
Until next time,
Jim
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