U.S.-Japan Relations Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gerald Ford in 1975

Surprisingly not until Ford. Grant did visit Japan in 1879 during his post-Presidency around the world trip. But never as President. Eisenhower was scheduled to visit Japan in 1960 but the country was in the throes of anti U.S demonstrations over the revision of the bilateral security treaty.

His press secretary James Haggerty doing advance work for the visit had his car attacked by students on the way into Tokyo. Subsequently the visit was canceled. Carter did visit Japan but that was obviously after Ford.

His Vice President, Walter F. Mondale, served as U.S. Ambassador to Tokyo from 1993 to 1997.

Answer: Cellular phone base stations

Cell phone base stations and their standards were the key issue in allowing Motorola to enter the Japanese market. Wireless radios were an off and on issue but not related to the cell phone resolution. Neither land line phones nor compatible military phones have been an issue.

Answer: A gang rape by U.S. marines of a local girl

Three U.S. Marines committed this egregious act. There was no crash but U.S. military flights from Kadena Airbase are very frequent. No clash between Japanese and Chinese Naval forces but potential in the oil beds in the Senkaku islands to the south of Okinawa.

Answer: Admiral Kichisaburo Nomura

Nomura had also known President Roosevelt from before his service as Ambassador. Kurusu was sent to Washington in the days leading up to Pearl Harbor as a special envoy. His wife was an American woman from Chicago. He signed the Tripartite pact with Germany and Italy for Japan. Yamamoto was the Commander of all of the Imperial Japanese Naval forces and principal planner for the attack. Kato was the longest serving Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. in history (2001-2008).

He returned to Tokyo at the end of his service to become Commissioner of Japanese professional baseball.

Answer: Mike Mansfield

Mansfield served as US Ambassador from Japan between 1977 and 1989. The former Senate Majority Leader and Democrat served in that capacity under Presidents Carter and Reagan. Amb. Grew was the second longest serving Envoy, a career diplomat who was present throughout the turbulent 30s and was in Tokyo at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Tom Foley was the former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and was Ambassador between 1997-2001. He was succeeded by former White House Chief of Staff under Reagan and Senator from Tennessee Howard Baker. Edwin Reischauer was one of the most distinguished authorities on Japan America ever had and he was appointed by President Kennedy.

Including Ambassador Mondale, a former U.S. Vice President mentioned above, the Ambassadors to Japan are arguably the highest ranking and distinguished political, business and academic leaders that the USA has dispatched to any country in the world.

Answer: Jacob Schiff

Schiff became known as a great hero in Japan. He was motivated to extend loans to the Japanese Government because of the pogroms that had decimated Jewish communities in Russia. Baruch was a financier and adviser to U.S. Presidents Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt. Morgenthau was a well known international relations theorist at the University of Chicago.

Answer: Nobusuke Kishi

Kishi was forced out by a crisis brought about by the effort to renew the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty in 1960. It succeeded but anti-treaty demonstrations in Tokyo led to the death of a young female student. Mao was the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party until his death in 1976. Ohira was Prime Minister of Japan between 1978 and suffering a fatal heart attack in 1980. Abe, the grandson of Kishi, was Prime Minister for just one year, 2006-2007.

Answer: Townsend Harris

Armin Hammer was an Ambassador to Japan who ran afoul of President Nixon and was withdrawn. Johnson succeeded Edwin Reischauer and served between 1966 and 69. He was a career foreign service officer and also served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and dispatched the first American envoy to Japan.

Answer: Textiles

The "textile wrangle" came about from a campaign pledge made by President Nixon as part of his "southern strategy" to secure key states in the south, notably South Carolina which was a had a textile industry facing stiff competition from Japanese manufacturers. Cars, flat glass and beef have been periodically hot topics in U.S.-Japan trade issues over the years although less intense as Japan's economy cooled in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Answer: Kokura

Kokura on Shikoku Island was the target. The U.S. B-29 "Bock's Car" flew over Kokura for 45 minutes but was unable to obtain the required visual sighting so it abandoned the target and proceeded to the secondary which was Nagasaki. Hiroshima was the first atomic bombed city three days before. Tokyo had been so thoroughly fire bombed on March 10, 1945 that there was not much left.