Statement by the President on the Occasion of the Centennial of the First Japanese Diplomatic Mission to the United States

ONE HUNDRED YEARS ago Japan sent its first Embassy to Washington to exchange ratifications of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and the United States. In extending a warm welcome to this Embassy, the President expressed, on behalf of the American people, his deep gratification at this beginning of closer relations with Japan.

This historic occasion laid the foundation for our friendship, and a remarkable cultural, economic, and political interchange between our two countries. I am happy to say that the bonds of friendship between our two peoples are stronger today than ever before.

Japan and the United States are joined in a partnership based on mutual trust, mutual respect, and full cooperation. We are both dedicated to the task of helping build a better world, where there will be peace and justice for all.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER