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

186 • NAKASONE, YASUHIRO
traveled to the United States in 1867 with six other Japanese to live
at the Brotherhood of the New Life Christian commune in Brocton,
New York, led by the charismatic spiritualist Thomas Lake Harris.
Unlike the other Japanese who initially joined the Brotherhood of the
New Life, Nagasawa remained a member for the rest of his life. In
1875, he moved with Harris and a handful of British and American
members to Santa Rosa, California, and helped establish Fountaingrove
Winery. After Harris returned to New York in the early 1890s,
Nagasawa became the owner of Fountaingrove and developed it into
a well-known winery, now known as Paradise Ridge Winery. See also
IMMIGRATION.
NAKASONE, YASUHIRO (1918– ). Yasuhiro Nakasone was born in
Gunma Prefecture. After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University,
he served in the Home Ministry. After World War II, he became a
member of the House of Representatives in 1947. He was a vehement
advocate of constitutional amendment. He served as prime minister
for five years from 27 November 1982 to 6 November 1987. In the
1980s, the United States strongly pressured Japan to increases its defense
budget and this precipitated conflicts between these two countries.
Nakasone, however, succeeded in building a close personal relationship
with President Ronald Reagan (the “Ron–Yasu”
relationship) and recovered a relationship of mutual trust between the
United States and Japan by strengthening the U.S.–Japan security
system. In January 1983, the Nakasone administration approved the
transfer of Japanese military technology to Washington as an exception
to the three principles of arms export—three specific areas to
which Japan was prohibited from exporting arms—communist countries;
countries under embargoes mandated by the United Nations;
and countries currently, or likely to be in the near future, involved in
military conflicts. Nakasone broke the barrier of one percent of GNP
for the limit of Japan’s defense expenditure that had been decided at
the Cabinet meeting in 1976. Nakasone also made a bold statement
that Japan was an unsinkable aircraft carrier.
NAMAMUGI INCIDENT. On 14 September 1862, samurai escorting
the former daimyō of Satsuma domain attacked a group of British
travelers for allegedly not bowing while the daimyō’s entourage passed.