This year marks the 150th anniversary of the 1860 ratification of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the U.S. and Japan. It is also the 50th anniversary of the two countries' Treaty of Mutual Cooperation. It is a fitting year for the hosting of a jointly-supported symposium on the relationship between the two countries.

On June 17 to 18 in Washington DC, four institutions from both sides of the Pacific are joining together to hold a conference entitled, 150 Years of Amity & 50 Years of Alliance: Adopting an Enhanced Agenda for the U.S.-Japan Partnership

The four partners in the hosting of the event are the Center for a New American Security, the Ocean Policy Research Foundation, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and The Nippon Foundation.

At the conclusion of the symposium, the four institutions will release a joint statement.

Venue, Willard hotel

Similar meetings have been held three times so far in the U.S. and Japan, but to date, discussions have centered on the sea. In view of the historical importance of this year, vis-a-vis US-Japan treaties, the theme of the symposium has been expanded to cover the past 150 years of mutual history, a period of both friction and cooperation. Participants will search for ways to sustain the development of the Asia-Pacific region, strengthen the Japan-U.S. relationship, and improve bilateral cooperation in fields including the economy, science, technical partnerships.

Thirty scholars, defense officials and politicians will attend from each country, including such luminaries as former US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Deputy Secretary General of Japan's Democratic Party, Goshi Hosono.

calm atmosphere, inside the Hotel

The keynote speech will be delivered by Deputy Secretary Nagashima, and foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa will make an opening speech.

The symposium, which is open to the public, will be held at the Willard Hotel in Washington DC--the very place where Masaoki Shinmi and seventy seven Japanese delegates stayed for a month 150 years ago when they first visited the United States to ratify the Treaty of Amity and Commerce.