National Security Archive
U.S.-Japan Project
Oral History Program
The U.S.-Japan Project initiated an oral history program to conduct interviews
with former Japanese and American officials who were closely involved with
the management of relations between the two countries since 1960. The impetus
for the program came from the Project's Advisory Panel, which in its initial
meetings identified the need for such a program, in light of the lack of
declassified official documents in Japan. Though Japan has recently passed
a Freedom of Information Act, its impact upon scholarly access to significant
Japanese official records remains to be determined, leaving such interviews
a critical source of information on the making of foreign, defense and
economic policies within the Japanese government. The U.S.-Japan Project's
Oral History Program was headed in Japan by Professors Makoto Iokibe of
Kobe University (a member of the Project Advisory Panel) and Koji Murata,
formerly at Hiroshima University and currently at Doshisha University (a
Project Research Fellow), who worked with other scholars associated with
the project to conduct these interviews and prepare the original transcripts.
The interviews with the former Japanese officials were conducted in Japanese.
To assure the widest possible use of the interviews, English translations
were prepared, and are found below. The U.S.-Japan Project would like to
express its gratitude to project research assistants Ken Wade, Justin Swann
and Yuko Kawashima for their work on the translations, as well as to Michael
Chinworth and Gregg Rubinstein for their assistance with specific translation
issues. As many of the interviews presented translation challenges in connection
with idiomatic expressions and other instances of technical language, we
are also providing copies of the original Japanese transcripts, which can
be downloaded in Adobe PDF format.
The National Security Archive U.S.-Japan Project would like to express
its appreciation to the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership
for its generous support of the Project's Oral History Program in Japan,
and to Professors Iokibe and Murata, and their associates for their efforts
in support of this program.
List of Interviewees and Topics Discussed
Shinichiro Asao(former
diplomat; director-general of Gaimusho's North American Affairs Bureau
in late 1970s)
-
-Discusses Gaimusho's involvement in the development of the Guidelines
in late 1970s
-
-Describes Gaimusho's process for developing Japanese security policy
Japanese Transcript
James Auer
(former chair of Japan Desk at Pentagon, 1979-1988)
-
-Discusses his role as "go-between" in homeporting of USS Midway in 1973
-
-Discusses US-Japan defense issues while he was the chair, including Japanese
participation in RIMPAC exercises in 1980
-
-Shares his thoughts on meaning of "introduction" of nuclear weapons into
Japan
William Brock
(former U.S. Trade Representative and Secretary of Labor during Reagan
administration)
-
-Discusses economic security in early Reagan administration
-
-Shares his thoughts on US-Japan economic issues such as the automobile
dispute, semiconductor dispute, military co-development operation, and
technology transfer
Richard Douglas (former chair of Japan
Desk at Pentagon, 1991-1994) [Transcript in preparation]
-
-Describes how different U.S. agencies coordinated when discussing US-Japan
alliance
-
-Discusses DOD-Japanese contacts
-
-His impressions on differences between the Bush and Clinton administrations
on security posture toward Japan
Kazuo Fujii (former deputy vice minister of Defense, 1985-1986;
director of Defense Facilities Administration Agency, 1991-1993)
-
-Discusses his involvement in the Fourth Defense Buildup Plan and National
Defense Program Outline
-
-Describes how the Defense Agency saw external threats in the 1980s
-
-Discusses planning aspects of US-Japan defense cooperation
Japanese Transcript
Toyoo Gyoten
(former vice minister of finance in 1980s)
-
-Discusses how financial authorities from different countries consulted
on economic issues
-
-Shares his thoughts and impressions on Nixon Shock in 1972 from inside
the Ministry of Finance, as well as the Japanese thinking on revaluation
of yen at that time
Japanese Transcript
Noboru Hoshuyama
(former officer at Japan Defense Agency)
-
-Discusses his involvement in the development of Japanese defense policy
in the 1970s as a member of the Defense Policy Division (boeika)
-
-Describes Defense Division's views on Nakasone's idea of autonomous defense
-
-Discusses security environment surrounding Japan in late 1970s
Japanese Transcript
Yusuke Kashiwagi
(former vice minister of finance in late 1960s)
-
-Discusses changes in dollar-yen exchange rate over the postwar period
-
-Describes the role of Finance Ministry's International Finance Bureau
in debates over capital liberalization in the 1960s
-
-Explains relationship between trade surplus and exchange rate
Japanese Transcript
Kiyoaki Kikuchi
(former director of Gaimusho's Economic Cooperation Bureau, 1975-1977;
former deputy vice minister, 1979-1982; former ambassador to Singapore,
Mexico, Canada, UN)
-
-Discusses his involvement in Japanese foreign economic policy, including
his involvement in the development of Fukuda Doctrine and his participation
in economic summit meetings
-
-Describes Japanese reaction to the two "Nixon Shocks" in 1971 (Nixon's
announcement to visit China and the end of dollar-gold regime)
Japanese Transcript
Yukoh Kurihara
(former minister of defense during Nakasone administration)
-
-Discusses Japanese defense policy in the 1980s, including the spending
limit on defense to 1% of GDP
-
-Discusses FSX development
Japanese Transcript
Minoru Kusuda
(former chief secretary for prime minister Sato)
-
-Discusses his relationship with Sato
-
-Describes how Sato approached issues such as China policy, nuclear weapons
and Okinawa
Japanese Transcript
Takashi Maruyama
(former vice minister of defense, 1976-1978)
-
-Describes his involvement in the development of the Fourth Defense Buildup
Plan and the Defense Guidelines
-
-Discusses what was Discusses at Subcommittee for Defense Cooperation (SDC)
meetings
-
-Discusses debates inside the JDA over Takuya Kubo's "KB Paper" in the
1970s
Japanese Transcript
Armin Meyer
(former US ambassador to Japan, 1969-1971)
-
-Discusses his tenure as the US ambassador
-
-Shares his perspectives on major bilateral issues such as Okinawa reversion,
Nixon-Sato meeting in 1969, and textile negotiations
Yusuke Nakae
(former councilor at Gaimusho's Asian Affairs Bureau, 1971; former ambassador
to China, 1980-1981)
-
-Discusses Asia Affairs Bureau's reaction to Nixon's announcement to visit
China in 1971 as well as his personal impression
-
-Describes debates inside the Bureau over Japan's China policy and conflicts
within Gaimusho over appropriate responses to Nixon's announcement
Japanese Transcript
Haruo Natsume
(former deputy vice minister of defense, 1976; later became the vice minister)
-
-Discusses how the Defense Agency began to study "emergency" situation
scenarios in Korea in early 1970s
-
-Commented on the meanings of "introduction" of nuclear weapons, and idea
of "peacetime defense force"
-
-Explains how defense policies are developed inside the Defense Agency
Japanese Transcript
Seiki Nishihiro
(former vice minister of JDA)
-
-Discusses how Japanese defense policy changed in 1960s and 1970s
-
-Describes Defense Agency's involvement in Okinawa reversion negotiations,
and Agency's views on interpretation of "introduction" of nuclear weapons
Japanese Transcript
Ryohei Ohga (former Navy chief of staff) [Translation in preparation]
-
-Provides his views on "standard defense force" concept from Navy's point
of view
-
-Describes Navy's views on external threats and responses
-
-Discusses the effect of the Guidelines on the Navy
Japanese Transcript
Hisahiko Okazaki
(former ambassador to Thailand; was at the Japanese Embassy in Washington
between 1971 and 1973)
-
-Describes how Gaimusho reacted to the two "Nixon Shocks"
-
-Describes the rise of anti-US sentiment after the two Shocks
Japanese Transcript
Keiji Ohmori
(former deputy director of Procurement Office Central)
-
-Describes his participation in the SDC and what issues were Discusses
-
-Describes how DoD and JDA interacted in the late 1970s and early 1980s
Japanese Transcript
Tokel Patterson (former chair of the Japan Desk at Pentagon,
1988-1991; worked on Japan at the National Security Council, 1991-1993)
[Transcript in preparation]
-
-Discusses how Reagan and Bush administrations differed on approaches to
defense policies
-
-Describes US reaction to the FSX controversy and Japanese contribution
to the Gulf War
Michita Sakata
(former minister of defense, 1974-1976)
-
-Discusses his role in the development of National Defense Program Outline
and initiation of US-Japan defense cooperation as the defense minister
-
-Describes regional security issues and domestic debate on defense policy
Japanese Transcript
Naotoshi Sakonjo
(Admiral who was the former member of Joint Staff Council, 1978-1979)
-
-Describes his participation in the SDC meetings
-
-Explains how Japan viewed US-Japan security cooperation and role of SDF
-
-Provides views on issues from a military perspective
Japanese Transcript
Hirokazu Samejima (former chairman of Joint Staff Council, 1976-1977)
[Translation in preparation]
-
-Describes his involvement in all four Defense Buildup Plans
-
-Discusses his impressions on the debate over the development of the Guidelines
-
-Explains coordination among SDF branches on defense policy
Japanese Transcript
Bunroku Yoshino
(former minister at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, 1968-1970; deputy
vice minister of foreign affairs, 1975; later ambassador to OECD)
-
-Comments on Japanese participation at the first economic summit in Rambouillet
in 1975
-
-Discusses conflicts between Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Foreign
Affairs over development assistance issues
Japanese Transcript
Akio Watanabe (professor, Aoyama University) [Translation in
preparation]
-
- Discusses his involvement in Higuchi Report in mid-1990s
Japanese Transcript
Koji Watanabe (former Foreign Ministry official and Japanese
Ambassador to the Soviet Union)
-
- Discusses his recollections and views on events from the period of the
Nixon Shocks in the 1970s through the 1990s
-
- His observations on the end of the Cold War from his vantage point as
Japan's Ambassador to Moscow at the time.
-
- His experiences in the Japanese Embassy in Saigon in 1974-75 and general
Southwest Asian diplomatic issues
-
- U.S.-Japan economic relations, including the Structural Impediments Initiative
talks
[Translation in preparation]
Japanese Transcript