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) Japanese Transcript

James Auer (former chair of Japan Desk at Pentagon, 1979-1988)

William Brock (former U.S. Trade Representative and Secretary of Labor during Reagan administration) Richard Douglas (former chair of Japan Desk at Pentagon, 1991-1994) [Transcript in preparation] Kazuo Fujii (former deputy vice minister of Defense, 1985-1986; director of Defense Facilities Administration Agency, 1991-1993) Japanese Transcript

Toyoo Gyoten (former vice minister of finance in 1980s)

Japanese Transcript

Noboru Hoshuyama (former officer at Japan Defense Agency)

Japanese Transcript

Yusuke Kashiwagi (former vice minister of finance in late 1960s)

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)

Japanese Transcript

Yukoh Kurihara (former minister of defense during Nakasone administration)

Japanese Transcript

Minoru Kusuda (former chief secretary for prime minister Sato)

Japanese Transcript

Takashi Maruyama (former vice minister of defense, 1976-1978)

Japanese Transcript

Armin Meyer (former US ambassador to Japan, 1969-1971)

Yusuke Nakae (former councilor at Gaimusho's Asian Affairs Bureau, 1971; former ambassador to China, 1980-1981) Japanese Transcript

Haruo Natsume (former deputy vice minister of defense, 1976; later became the vice minister)

Japanese Transcript

Seiki Nishihiro (former vice minister of JDA)

Japanese Transcript

Ryohei Ohga (former Navy chief of staff) [Translation in preparation]

Japanese Transcript

Hisahiko Okazaki (former ambassador to Thailand; was at the Japanese Embassy in Washington between 1971 and 1973)

Japanese Transcript

Keiji Ohmori (former deputy director of Procurement Office Central)

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]

Michita Sakata (former minister of defense, 1974-1976) Japanese Transcript

Naotoshi Sakonjo (Admiral who was the former member of Joint Staff Council, 1978-1979)

Japanese Transcript

Hirokazu Samejima (former chairman of Joint Staff Council, 1976-1977) [Translation in preparation]

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)

Japanese Transcript

Akio Watanabe (professor, Aoyama University) [Translation in preparation]

Japanese Transcript

Koji Watanabe (former Foreign Ministry official and Japanese Ambassador to the Soviet Union)

[Translation in preparation]

Japanese Transcript

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