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

182 • MORI, ARINORI
he served as vice president from 20 January 1977 to 20 January 1981.
He ran for president against the incumbent Ronald Reagan, but was
defeated.
President Bill Clinton appointed Mondale as Ambassador to Japan,
a post he held from 13 August 1993 to 15 December 1996. His incumbency
was a crucial time for the United States and Japan to redefine
their alliance. On 12 August 1994, the Advisory Group on Defense
Issues under Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama issued the
Modality of the Security and Defense Capability of Japan: The Outlook
for the 21st Century that seemed to emphasize Japan’s wish for
more independent military behavior and to regard regional multilateral
security organization as more important than the bilateral alliance
with the United States. On 27 February 1995, the United
States Security Strategy for the East Asia–Pacific Region (Nye
Report) was announced in order to strengthen the U.S.–Japan bilateral
alliance. On 4 September 1995, three American servicemen abducted
and raped an Okinawan schoolgirl. The crime renewed tensions
over the U.S. military presence in Okinawa. On 12 April 1996,
Washington and Tokyo agreed on the return of the Futenma Base in
Okinawa to Japan. On 17 April 1996, the two countries announced
the Japan–U.S. Joint Declaration on Security, Alliance for the
21st Century. On 2 December 1996, the Security Consultative Committee
approved the Special Action Committee’s recommendations
on the Okinawa Final Report. These series of agreements between the
United States and Japan solidified the alliance. Ambassador Mondale
also helped conclude numerous trade agreements and expanded educational
exchanges between the United States and Japan.
MORI, ARINORI (1847–1889). From Satsuma domain, Mori was
one of the earliest Japanese overseas students, an official and
diplomat of the Meiji government, and a philosopher. After studying
in England with a few other young samurai from Satsuma,
Mori traveled to the United States and lived at the Brotherhood
of the New Life Christian commune in upstate New York from
1867 to 1868. Soon after returning to Japan, Mori was appointed
Japan’s first resident diplomat to the United States in 1870 when
he was only 24 years old, and served until late 1873. During his
posting as Japan’s chargé d’affaires in Washington, Mori helped