Historical Dictionary of United States-Japan ... - Bakumatsu Films

Ikeda’s visit to the United States. It came about through an exchange of
official notes between Foreign Minister Zentaro Kosaka and Secretary
of State Dean Rusk. Its primary purpose was to make Japan–U.S. economic
relations more intimate by setting up direct economic-related
ministerial talks between the United States and Japan. Japanese representatives
consisted of major economic-related ministers, such as the
ministers of the Foreign, Finance, and International Trade and Industry
Ministries headed by the foreign minister, while the U.S. representatives
also consisted of major economic-related secretaries, such as the secretaries
of state, the Treasury, and Commerce, headed by the secretary of
state. The Japanese foreign minister and the U.S. secretary of state became
chairperson of the committee alternately. The committee is not a
formal place to negotiate concrete issues or make agreements, but provides
a forum where both sides exchange opinions freely in order to
strengthen friendship ties and to contribute to developing closer cooperative
ties in the economic relationship between the United States and
Japan. The primary agenda of the committee is the promotion of economic
cooperation between the United States and Japan, especially an
exchange of information and opinions concerning trade issues and economic
assistance programs. The first committee was held in November
1961 and the committee was held 13 times during the period up to 1973.
See also U.S.–JAPAN TRADE CONFLICTS.
– K –
KAISEIJO • 151
KAGOSHIMA BOMBARDMENT. In August 1863, a British squadron
of seven ships bombarded Kagoshima, the capital city of Satsuma domain,
in retaliation for the murder the previous year of a British merchant
by Satsuma samurai in the Namamugi Incident. After the bombardment
of Kagoshima, the Tokugawa bakufu agreed to pay an
indemnity to the British government.
KAISEIJO. Originally called “the Institute for the Study of Barbarian
Books,” the name of this government-funded college in Edo was
changed in 1863 to “Kaiseijo,” meaning Institute for Development. It
was the Tokugawa shogunate’s primary center for higher education
in Western languages, sciences, and military studies. Later known as