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[Note: The following, originally published in The Daily Yomiuri, September 19,
2001, on Page 3, is reproduced here with The Yomiuri Shimbun's permission.]
Friendship for the Next 50 Years By Ambassador Howard Baker
In San Francisco earlier this month I had the honor of participating in the
commemoration celebrating 50 years of friendship and alliance between our two
great nations. What Japan and the United States have done together in moving so
rapidly and so comprehensively from bitter enmity to close, warm, and productive
friendship stands unparalleled as a living monument to peace. Our alliance,
deeply grounded in the countless individual friendships between Americans and
Japanese, forms a foundation of stability on which our nations and many others
thrive in peace and security. What became immediately clear to me when I arrived
in Japan is that what really makes our partnership work is not abstract
calculations of national interest, but something far more basic: we genuinely
like each other. It is as simple as that. We are true friends.
As friends, we share a common sadness now, and together we mourn the losses
of thousands of precious lives cut short by murderous acts of terrorism. I feel
deep sorrow for the Japanese people who lost their lives in last week's attacks,
and my heart goes out to their families and friends. The horrific fire of
exploding airplanes has revealed our vulnerabilities, but has even more clearly
illuminated the unbreakable human spirit. As President Bush said,
"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but
they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but
they cannot dent the steel of American resolve." The outpouring of sympathy
and solidarity from around the world has touched America deeply.
Here in Japan, as soon as news of the tragedy emerged, people from throughout
the country came to our embassy and to our consulates. They brought flowers,
they brought messages of grief and condolence. We gathered up the flowers piled
in front of the embassy's entrance, but more and more arrived. We set up a book
of condolence, and thousands of individuals, moved by a common spirit, have come
to share their sentiments. Young families with their children lined up to wait
for a turn. Prime Minister Koizumi and other senior representatives of the
Japanese Government came to give condolence and support. People have left
offerings of food and toys, thinking of the children whose families have been
shattered. Some constructed 1,000 origami cranes each bearing the message
"peace." Through our tears, we will never forget this spontaneous
demonstration of friendship and support from our friends in Japan. On behalf of
the American people, I thank you.
Prime Minister Koizumi and the Government of Japan have been eager to help,
and the United States deeply appreciates this resolute response. We must
anticipate an extended, comprehensive struggle against the cruelty of terrorism.
There will be many dimensions to this challenge, and the United States looks
forward to hearing Japan's ideas for how to proceed, and to working together to
shield ourselves against a common threat. We must prevent the recurrence of such
attacks and we must bring the perpetrators to justice.
Terrorism is a common threat to humanity. The United States and Japan -- the
two most productive economies in the world, partners in an alliance which
undergirds the stability of an entire region, close friends -- will continue to
ensure the conditions for ongoing peace and prosperity not only for our own
citizens, but for people throughout the world. To our ongoing efforts to combat
diseases, promote peace and economic development, advance knowledge, we must add
the challenge of stepping up our defenses against terrorism. The resilience and
character that our two nations demonstrated in embracing friendship in the
aftermath of war will serve us well in facing all of our future challenges, and
I am confident that together we will prevail.
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