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Embassy of the United States in Tokyo
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The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan
The main gate of the Embassy (photographed in 2004). Embassy building (right), Japanese police station (left)
The Embassy of the United States in Tokyo, along with consulates general in Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Naha, provides assistance to American citizens and issues travel visas to foreign nationals who wish to visit the United States.
The current U.S. Ambassador to Japan is John Thomas Schieffer who presented his credentials to the Emperor of Japan on April 11, 2005.
The embassy building was designed by African American architect Norma Merrick Sklarek.
Location
The embassy is located in the fashionable Akasaka neighborhood of Minato, Tokyo, steps away from the Nagatachō district, home of the Japanese legislature and the Prime Minister's residence. The address is 1-10-5, Akasaka, Minato-ku Post Code: 107-8420 [1]. It is easily accessible via the Tokyo Metro Ginza or Namboku Lines Tameike-Sannō Station and conveniently located to the Hotel Okura.
Controversy on rent payment
The land on which the embassy sits is about 13,000 m² (3.21 acres), and is leased from the Japanese government. In 2007, the Yomiuri Shinbun reported that the US government has made no payments for the embassy's premises since 1998. Foreign minister Taro Aso said that the average rent was only 2,500,000 yen (less than USD22,000; 16¢ per square foot) per year from 1993 to 1997. He also said this is clearly unfair behavior and the Foreign Ministry has initiated an investigation.[2][3]
References
- ^ http://www.pacificprime.com/countries/japan/embassies.php#U
- ^ "米国大使館、９８年以降土地賃貸料を日本側に支払わず", Yomiuri Shinbun (2007-03-16). Retrieved on 2007-03-20 (Japanese)
- ^ "Japan seeks rent from U.S. Embassy", Asahi Shimbun (2007-10-30). Retrieved on 2007-11-02 (English)
External links
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